One of my best memories of our visit to Southeast Asia was our trip to the Kuang Si Waterfalls. Located approximately 30 km from Luang Prabang, Kuang Si village is the entrance to several attractions. There’s a butterfly Garden, Bear Rescue Center and the Waterfalls.
Apparently, the location is a favorite of Instagram influencers, and I now know why.
We took a van from our hotel in Luang Prabang and dropped off at the main parking lot. From there, you take an electric cart through the village to the entrance of the waterfall.
Kuang Si Waterfalls
Entrance tickets to the Kuang Si Waterfalls are 25.000 Kip (approx $1.20). This includes the visit to Bear Rescue Center.
Most guests walk from the entrance up to the waterfall but those who would have difficulty climbing can take an electric cart to the top.
When walking up, you can follow the scenic river path or the road, which is quicker. We walked up the road as we planned on taking the river path on the way down. This meant our first sight was the main attraction.
The waterfall was breathtakingly beautiful. The multiple levels ended up filling turquoise pools.
Of course, Sharon added this location to her photobomb collection.
We walked around and looked at the falls before starting on the path back to the entrance. If you’re interested, there is a walking trail to the top of the waterfall.
There were multiple terraces, each one prettier than the last.
Eventually, we reached a rest area. There was a covered pavilion, plenty of benches and a changing room. That’s because this was the one section of the river used for swimming. I put on my swim trunks and headed into the chilly water. It took some convincing but several others in the group followed me to the falls.
I swam there but later found walking along the river’s edge possible.
Eventually, Sharon got over the water temperature and met me under the falls. This is one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip.
We visited in the dry season so it was possible to get this close. In the rainy season, the current is significantly stronger.
Once we finished splashing around, it was time to return to the village. On the way there, we walked through the bear sanctuary.
We didn’t have time to go to the Butterfly Garden, which costs an additional $5-$10. In all, we were at the waterfall for around 2 hours. This includes walking up and down and our time in the water.
You could spend more time if you browse the shops in the village. Considering it takes 90-120 minutes round trip to get there, leave yourself enough time to see everything you want. If you’re looking to visit Kuang Si Waterfall during your trip, there are websites that go into detail about how to make travel arrangements and all of the hiking paths in the area. Our visit was part of our tour so I didn’t have to worry about those things, which is one reason I occasionally like to take a package trip.
We only spent a few days in Laos, but the waterfall trip was the highlight for me.
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