Hin Namno NPA & Around

Hin Namno NPA might just be one of the most stunning protected areas in Laos, if not in all of mainland Southeast Asia, and the experts seem to agree: combined with two linked protected zones in neighbouring Vietnam, the greater area – the largest karst region in the world – is, at the time of writing, under consideration as a bi-country Unesco Natural World Heritage site.

The park's 820 sq km spans 11 major habitat types which protect several endangered and endemic species, including the almost impossibly debonair red-shanked douc, as well as Tham Lot Se Bang Fai, thought to be one of the largest river caves in the world. Parts of the park were important conduits for the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and the area is also home to villages populated by minority groups not seen elsewhere in Laos.