Dong Houa Sao
National Park
Park Type
National Park
Year Established
1993
Total Area
110,000 ha
Provinces
Champasak
Map
Things to See & Do
Important Visitor Information
Access
Most attractions of Dong Houa Sao are accessible from Route 16E, which is the road from Pakse to Paksong and the Bolaven Plateau in Champasak and Salavanh provinces. Some areas, such as Nong Luang, require a short drive down a dirt road to reach the trailhead.
Tours
Hikes and zip lining can be arranged by Green Discovery and resorts located at the edge of Dong Houa Sao, including Tad Fane and Tad Nyeuang. Local guides are required for all trips. Check with licensed tour operators for more details.
Fees
Fees for entering the park are either included in tour fees, such as for zip lining and trekking tours. Some areas have entrance fees charged at the site, such as entrance fees to waterfalls.
Biodiversity Values
Dong Hua Sao is the only declared National Protected Area that protects the semi-evergreen forests of the Bolaven Plateau. It also contains significant tracts of lowland semi-evergreen forest interspersed with wetlands. Populations of wildlife key- species are generally low. Of these, only one bird species (Grey-faced Tit-Babbler/Macronouskelleyi) and one mammal species (Yellow-cheeked Gibbon/Hylobates gabriellae) are present in globally significant populations. No botanical surveys have yet been conducted.
Yellow-cheeked Gibbon
Nomascus gabriellae
One of Laos’ seven species of gibbons, found in Southern Laos in areas with high canopy. They are also found in a handful of parks in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Status:
Endangered
Grey-faced tit babbler
Mixornis kelleyi)
This species is found in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam in tropical lowland forests.
Status:
Least Concern
Topography, Climate & Forests
Topography: Most of Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area is in the lowlands of the eastern Mekong plains. Part of it straddles the rim of the Bolaven Plateau. This plateau rises abruptly from the surrounding plains and it is climatically and biologically quite different from the lowlands. Drainage is west and southwest via five major streams. Lowland plains comprise well over half of the protected area at elevations from 100 to 300 m. Steep to very steep slopes rise to the edge of the Bolaven Plateau at an elevation of around 1,000 m. Peaks near the plateau rim reach almost 1,300 m. The plateau itself is flat to undulating.
Climate: Tropical monsoon climate with high rainfall (3,400 mm per annum on the plateau, decreasing to 2,700 mm in the lowlands of Pathoumphone) and a distinct dry season. However, on the plateau it is quite short (3-4 months).
Forests: Semi (dry)-evergreen forest is the dominant vegetation type in the lowlands and the uplands. Most of the lowland forest was logged in the 1970’s and 80’s. Forest on the slopes remains in pristine condition. The major forest type is mixed deciduous forest (47%) and evergreen forest covers (35%), the rest is riverine forest, grassland, pine and bamboo. The upland forest is appreciably different in species composition as rainfall and duration of the dry season comes close to the requirements for a moist evergreen forest. At the highest elevations it is occasionally subject to sub-zero temperatures.
Other Habitat: Rocky flats on the plateau support pine forest and heath type vegetation. Some dry forest (mixed deciduous, dry dipterocarp, bamboo) stemming partly from past disturbance. One peculiar stand of pure Lagerstroemia without understory or herbal layer. Bat caves and saltlicks are also found. Five major streams rise from or have a major portion of their watersheds within the protected area. All are actual or potential sources of water for irrigation downstream. There are significant stretches of little disturbed riverine habitat. About 150 seasonal and permanent ponds are scattered throughout Dong Hua Sao
People & Culture
Three types of villages are identified as priority village partners with respect to their location and natural resource use patterns:
I. Villages situated inside Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area
II. Villages situated outside Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area with use of agricultural land and other resources inside the protected area
III. Villages situated outside Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area with the village boundary touching the National Protected Area boundary and with resource use other than land use inside the protected area.
Dong Houa Sao has 60 guardian villages over three districts and a population of more than 65,180 people
Lao Loum is the majority group found in all three districts. The villages in Pathoumphone District are almost exclusively Lao Loum, while the ethnic composition in the other two districts are of mixed ethnicity. They speak Lao. Their livelihoods are based on paddy rice farming, live in lowland, along rivers and valleys which is the land with the best potential for agriculture. They are relatively well-off and not hard to adapt and accept new things. They are mostly practicing the Buddhist religion. They are politically well connected and represent their interests well with government.
Laven (Mon-Khmer group): The guardian villages in Paksong district are dominated by the Laven; in Laos these people number 47,000 in Laos. They are part of the Mon-Khmer people cluster within the Southeast Asian Peoples affinity bloc. Globally, this group totals 85,500 in two countries; Laos and the USA. Their primary language is Laven. The primary religion practiced by the Laven is ethnic religion. Ethnic religion is deeply rooted in a people’s ethnic identity and conversion essentially equates to cultural assimilation
Conservation & Management
Management of the park is under the Provincial Forest Resource Management Unit/Provincial Office of Agriculture and Environment in Pakse, Champasak province. The National Park Management Authority has its own plans, budgets and activities – though these must still pass through the PFRM for approval. Staff are divided into functional specialisation units according to the key management themes, and are based in the field headquarters in the National Protected Area.
Contact Information
+856-021-215000
laosnationalparks@gmail.com
Locations
📍Address: Protected Area Management Division, Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Khouvieng Road, Vientiane, Lao PDR
📞 +856-021-215000
📩 laosnationalparks@gmail.com
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