For years, this was a remote area of thinly populated forest and grassland, home to ethnic minority communities and wildlife. In the 2000s it was transformed by the Nam Theun 2 project, a large dam and hydroelectric scheme that flooded the central part of the plateau and created a reservoir of several hundred square kilometres, and the villagers were resettled. The water is calm and still, ringed by drowned trees and low green hills, with a bit of an eerie beauty.
The road across the plateau is straight and wide by Lao standards, with a surface that is mostly good and light traffic. Trucks carrying timber or building materials go past occasionally, but you can ride for long periods without seeing another vehicle. Corners are few, and the main challenge is dogs, chickens, water buffalo and sometimes children on the road. After rain, mud can cover the verges, and bridges can be narrow with missing planks. Heat and humidity are strong in the middle of the day, so drink water and wear light, ventilated gear.
Wildlife here is rich, because the plateau is surrounded by protected areas, including Nakai-Nam Theun National Biodiversity Conservation Area. The forests hold gibbons, elephants, tigers in tiny numbers, and one of the most famous recent finds in zoology, the saola, a rare forest bovine first described by scientists in the early 1990s in the mountains nearby. You will not see these animals from the road, but the quiet of the forest is a pleasure in itself.
Services are basic. The town has small shops, noodle stalls, and a fuel stop, though supplies may be limited, so fill up in Thakhek or at the bigger service points. Accommodation consists of simple guesthouses. In the dry season, from November to February, the air is clear and the roads in good condition. In the wet season, expect floods, leeches and mud.