Exploring Xe Bang Fai Cave, 1

Grand entrance to Xe Bang Fai Cave, Laos

The Xe Bang Fai River runs parallel to the Laos-Viet border for 50 miles, before turning into the limestone superstructure of Khammouane, Laos. From the satellite map, it seems that the river has run underground, but in fact it has craved a path into the limestone. A cave so large that our 3 specially designed cave lights, with a combined power of 1000+ headlights were rendered useless in illuminating its chamber for sight, let alone photography.

Waiting for scouting report at cave's entrance

What we did not expect - and was not warned about - was how difficult portaging the kayaks over the rapids would be. We were stunned by the ferocius rapids at the downstream's cave entrance, which required climbing up a high section of tricky and dangerously sharp pinnacles to get the kayak acrosss into the cave.

Our plan was certainly brought into sharper focus.

3 paddlers were needed to portage one kayak at any one time...

I explained the situations starkly to the team assembled outside the cave. The kayaks that go in must come out. Daylight portage now means a night portage later. In any case, it will be 'dark' portages inside the caves for the other 2 known rapids. By the worst estimates, it will take us 1 hour to portage across the pinnacles at the first rapids.

I asked for consensus. There was none.

I asked for a show of hands who would continue into the caves. There were 6. The remaining 4 returned to campsite, knowing that there was still the Kong Lor cave later to explore. The portages were understandably just too difficult and dangerous for some of them to attempt.

Finally inside the huge cave after a dangerous portage!