It’s crowded these days, but Blue Lagoon is a great spot to relax and cool off, especially as a reward after a hot sweaty bike ride on bone jarring dirt road.
Tourism is a double-edged sword and this stunning natural idyll attracts dozens, perhaps even hundreds of visitors a day that all contribute to its uglification. The lagoon is a stunning turquoise blue, clean, refreshingly cold and filled with an abundance of fish but now there are rope swings, ladders and crowds gather to watch as friends goad each other into jumping from in from the top of a tree. Vendors have popped up renting life jackets and tubes, and there is a big plastic slide and ugly wood huts with tin roofs along the water to enjoy beer and food. And this is why Vang Vieng can’t have nice things.
At the Blue Lagoon you can also visit Tham Poukham or “Cave of the Golden Crab,” named because a few of the stalactites and stalgmites look like golden crabs. The entrance requires a steep, slippery climb up a trail before the cave dives 100 metres into the ground, through a narrow entrance and opening up into the first chamber which is well lit and contains a bronze reclining Buddha illuminated by a ray of sunlight.
