If you want to harden up your legs for Loei's national parks, Phu Bo Bit gives you about 1400 steep steps to practise on, and rewards your effort with great 360-degree views of the town and surrounding mountains. The climb, which passes a Buddha cave on the way up, can be done in an hour and a half return.
The park is about 3km from the town centre along Rte 2138. You can get a túk-túk there and back for about 250B, including wait time. Many locals come up here at sunset and stay till after dark to see the lights of Loei. Lighting along the steps is supposedly turned off at 8pm, but locals advised us that sometimes it's switched off early, so plan to be down by 7.30pm.
