Savannakhet province
The sleepy southern Lao province of Savannakhet stretches from Thailand to the west to Vietnam to the east. The name means, roughly, 'Golden Land' and was historically touted as the place to find the 'best of the best' in Laos.
Being home to large swathes of forest and three NBCAs, it's a budding centre of Lao ecotourism, but most travellers treat the province and its eponymous provincial capital as little more than a thoroughfare en route to elsewhere. But for those with time on their hands, a number of activities and attractions are nestled here, and the capital is another charming, crumbling town where it's easy to lose a day or two just hanging around.
If you'd like to visit one of the NBCAs, be sure to drop in to the tourism office in Savannakhet and set aside a day or two to rustle up enough numbers -- most of the trips require at least four people.
Much of the province as seen from Route 13 is dry scrubland, with some areas turned into paddy. When compared to mountainous Khammuan to the north and lush Champassak to the south, Savannakhet can seem a bit bleak, but the riverside scenery, particularly in Savannakhet town, is very pretty.
