Located some 25 kilometres north west of Vientiane city, the Dane Soung Plateau is believed to have been an important spiritual centre of ancient Vientiane-Viengkham and is already a popular destination with local tourists. The entire area is dotted with strange rock formations and underground caves, many of which have been turned into shrines. One of the caves, Tham Nat (Naga Cave), is very large indeed and contains a number of spectacular geological features. At the heart of this two square kilometre site is Wat Dane Soung itself, a small jungle temple built beneath a rocky overhang. The site is marked out with four inscribed bai sema, only one of which is still partially legible. Believed to have been established in the first millennium by the Mon, this ancient jungle temple features a number of Dvaravati-style Buddha images carved into the rock face, several of which have recently been painted gold. A new wat has been constructed close by to house a Buddha Footprint which was discovered in the early 1980s by local people, although the original temple is still used from time to time for the ordination of monks. Construction of the new wat began in 1986, but it is still unfinished today due to lack of funds. In the early 1990s the Lane Xang Hotel in Vientiane built a restaurant at the site with a view to developing tourism here, but according to local people they failed to carry out the necessary ceremonies to appease the local spirits and as a result the building burned down before it could open to the public - the foundations of this building may still be seen today. The site is located some five kilometres west of the main highway north to Luang Prabang and may be accessed by a dirt road leading west from the main highway at Ban Naxon. Two kilometres of this road are suitable for vehicles but at present the remaining three kilometres must be walked.