boating it from sekong to attapeu

Hi all,
I'd like to take a boat from Sekong to Attapeu but, though the footprint and travelfish guides being encouraging, the locals aren't. one guy claimed that in fact the right direction is Attapeu to Sekong (the footprint contradicts this), though he then went on to say Attapeu was north of Sekong... We also talked to someone who said that it's hard to find boatmen.
Can anyone shed light?
cheers
t

It is Sekong to Attapeu. The guy that runs the Pha Thip restuarant can get one for you, but it isn't cheap. Your looking at least $50 or $60 US. It is a nice trip.

Spot on Vincenze. No problems finding a boatman but it is a bit expensive as you ahve to hire the boat. No regular boat. There is a new place you can go to upriver from Sekong as well, not so far, then return by road.
*****

I explored this entire region via moto, and I suggest hitting the waterfalls between Sekong and Attapue, and then once in Attepue, there are two rivers converging there, and taking one down river and back to some of the remote villages. I crossed the river with my moto on a double hull canoe type ferry service thats holds about 6 motos and 10 passengers, to Phu Vong, and rode all over in the regional province.

The river cafes in Attapue are really nice at sunset too....

Thanks guys! I'll let y'all know how it goes.
T

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>hitting the waterfalls between Sekong and Attapue<hr></blockquote>

Tad Hua Kong has a tiny resort these days, just a few basic bamboo huts with shared bath, littel resto where the family cooks for their customers. Just a bit furhter down from the falls. Very quiet. Chill time...
**

One reason the boatmen may be a tad wary is when the Korean tourists drowned on that trip (a few years back now -- they're the ones haunting the Sekong Hotel) the boatman was jailed. You can also head upriver from the rapids near Sekong north to Kaleum -- I've not done it myself, but did receive a good report about it -- very pretty trip apparently and the guy organised an impromptu homestay (ie., crashed on someone's floor) for the evening once there. He said US$90 for the boat and returned by motorbike.

Tools, that place by Tad Hua Kong was over-run by Lao death metal fans on both times we wandered through -- still the case?

The boat-trip from Sekong to Attapeu or in reverse is not offered year round and is subject to water flow. We tried to catch the boat some years back in mid-Dec. and by then it was too low. It seems that it's best to attempt this during or just after the end of the rainy season.

Fish, no, when I was there I was the only one. Nobody else except the nice family running the place and little resto.
Maybe those dead metal (hihi) fans come over for weekends from Pakse?

Sekong Hotel is the worst dig to stay in Sekong. Haunted or not. Well, at least one of the worst...
Pha Thip resto can rent out moto (with or without driver) as well.
*****

hey, just got back to pakse from attpeu. the trip worked out well, but the boatman cancelled at the last minute and the new guy wanted $15 more cause of the short notice...we coughed up. it was $75 all up, more than we wanted to pay but we're hustling it around the bolaven on a deadline. not that the boat is the fastest way by about six hours to get to attapeu from sekong, but it's definitely more interesting than a bus. at one point, not far out of sekong, we had to get out while the boatman and his son got the boat over some shallows and the art of walking on slippery pebbles raised its ugly head. i can imagine it would be far too shallow in dry season. apart from that - and the fact that i'm now stripey from sunburn, despite having an umbrella over my head the whole way a la colonial - it was a beautiful trip. wish i'd had time to get to know sekong more. the people were lovely, and i'd have liked to go to kaleum.

i heard about the drowned tourists and stayed far, far away from that hotel - we stayed in the pixamsay place on the other side of town. the woman running it for the moment (the owner's away) is a hungarian-lao interpreter for the government. ran-dom.

anyway thanks for your tips, kids! can't quite believe i was arguing with pakse locals about which way the water flows, but there you go.

t

Glad you had a good trip, its always nice to read posts about journey's in Laos thats is different and that isnt bitching the 2 day boat trip being uncomfortable or involving route 13 and if its safe! (everyone so far this year, last year & and the 3 years before has been unfounded, but i digress).

However:-

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>i heard about the drowned tourists and stayed far, far away from that hotel<hr></blockquote>

Is that for a personal superstition reason or did the drowning happen in the hotel or because of the hotel?

I am really just curious.

Nic