Oct 21

Oct 21 Kuang Si Falls

No matter what TLC says, I will always go chasing waterfalls and that is exactly what Mandy and I did during our visit to Luang Prabang in Laos.

There are a few ways to visit Kuang Si Falls – about 30km outside of town – on a tour, hire a private car or tuk tuk or sharing a trip with others.

We wanted to be on our own schedule so opted to hire scooters and make out own way there.

Once we managed to find our way out of town – not too difficult and we stopped for an early Café Laos to get us going – we found a scenic drive on paved roads that took us through small villages and hilly terrain. I think we both thought that if the waterfalls didn’t live up to expectations, the ride out there was still an incredible way to spend a day.

We stopped in one of those small villages for more coffee and something to eat and it truly felt like we were experiencing a little bit more what real life in Laos looks like.

When you get to the falls themselves, there is a market outside where you can buy water or fruit or even some souvenirs.

There is an entrance fee of 20,000 kip – around $3.50 – which you have to pay in cash when you get there to actually enter the falls.

As you walk through into the lush forest you start to spy the first pools. Tiny cascades tumbled over limestone walls into magnificent natural grottoes. All around was lush foliage and dense jungle.

We stopped to take loads of photos before realising this was just the beginning and the falls become even more breathtaking as you go further in. All just a trailer for the main event.

Kuang Si Falls is a 3-layered waterfall and the mains falls has a drop of 60 metres! Photos definitely don’t even begin to do this place justice.

For the most part, visitors to the falls will congregate around the lower pools and picnic area, venturing perhaps as far as the small wooden bridge that offers stunning and unobstructed views of the main waterfall.

To the right of the wooden footbridge there are some almost-hidden steps that lead the way to the top of the waterfall. The hike up will take about 20 minutes and isn't too taxing in terms of steepness, however after recent rains, we found the terrain a little tricky and definitely slippery in parts. Pretty sure sheer dumb luck is the only reason I didn’t end up on my butt, particularly on the way down.

At the top, there’s a beautiful calm pool shaded by big trees. You can stand on a rickety wooden bridge and watch the water gushing over the edge of the cliff and down to the waterfalls for a different perspective.

The best part about the Kuang Si falls is that in addition to being mind-blowingly beautiful, you can also take a dip in those same tiered pools of turquoise blue water – a refreshing highlight after hiking to the top in the humid air!

Before visiting, a lot of brochures and guide books recommended spending about two and a half hours at the falls, but we found this wasn’t nearly long enough and spent the best part of a day. getting there, exploring, hiking, swimming and making our way back to Luang Prabang in time for sunset over the Mekong.