Our climbing achievements yesterday have left us with achy legs and we want to take it easy today for our last day in Vang Vieng. Chang Cave, conveniently located just a couple of kilometres south of town across the Nam Song, sounds perfect!
We set out after a late breakfast and stroll down - it’s already very hot although we’re nominally ahead of the full noon sun, and we chase the few pools of shade under shops’ awnings as we walk by. About one kilometre in, we veer right onto a beaten earth track that takes us back to the river via a string of luxury resorts. Access to the cave is through the last of those, and they charge a small entry fee for the privilege - somehow it irks me less in Laos as the country can very obviously use the money. After a pleasant shaded walk under the hotel’s well-kept trees, we get to the river banks, where I was expecting our first sight: Vang Vieng’s famous Orange Bridge, a metal and cable construction in a similar style to the Golden Gate (albeit a bit smaller).
However, we can only see a small wooden and bamboo crossing low over the water - with a sign warning that only pedestrians are allowed through, presumably for weight restrictions. Puzzled, we look around for the official bridge - only to spot on both sides of the river the mangled remains of the monument. Just a few scrap of orange metal and a little toll booth on one bank remain of this famed attraction, which was apparently destroyed by a flood in 2021. Considering how high it was perched above the current level of the river that is a scary thought - the water now lies a good 4-5m lower that the old bridge heads. Slightly disappointed, we cross over on the bamboo walkway and make our way on to the cave.
Unfortunately for our aching quads, our destination lies at the top of a flight of a hundred or so steep steps - seems like we can’t avoid exercise! It’s a very scenic staircase however, ascending through the forest, next to a sheer grey cliff, with sunny views over the town at our back when we stop for a breather. We make it to the top in good time, and quickly duck into the mountain before the big group behind us catches up. Chang cave is large enough that is was used throughout Vang Vieng’s history as a refuge for villagers fleeing various conflicts. Nowadays, it’s been made easily accessible for tourists with level concrete paths, handrails and lights. All in various states of disrepair unfortunately (a large part is even completely closed off for safety reasons) but in decent taste for what remains, expect the random few coloured lights giving the grotto a slightly surreal feel.
It’s still very quiet while we visit and there’s plenty of space to spread out and have an area to ourselves. The cave itself is quite impressive: a labyrinth of roomy passageways framed by sparkling stalactites and stalagmites of all sizes, snaking around through the cliff. Exploring around, we find our way to an exit onto a little viewpoint perched halfway up the mountain - perfect for lookouts when this was used for hiding! There’s also a small altar, and what looks like the bed of an underground river - currently dry though and I imagine it only runs in the wet season. There’s over a hundred meters of galleries to explore, which for my limited caving experience is plenty enough, and we’re very happy with our visit.
Coming down, we stop at the bottom of the stairs to check out the “secret blue lagoon 2”, another of those azure rock pools Vang Vieng is known for. It’s pretty but covered by a canopy of huge cobwebs - we won’t go for a swim here either! Having toured all available sights, it’s time to head back to town - slowly as we’re now at the hottest point of the day. Back at our lovely hotel, we’ve got plenty of time left to finally take advantage of the pool and do a bit of lounging - we think we deserve it after all that climbing!
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