The Kuang Si Waterfalls are without a doubt an absolute must visit in Luang Prabang. The clear blue water combined with the jungle-like environment makes the Kuang Si Falls look like a picture. You can also cool off here: in fact, you can swim in the waterfalls!
Content of this blog:
How do you get to the Kuang Si Falls?
The Kuang Si Waterfalls are located a little outside Luang Prabang. About 30 kilometers away. You can ride your own motorbike from Luang Prabang to Kuang Si Waterfalls. Then it will take you about an hour. In fact, the road is very bad so you must drive slowly to avoid falling into the potholes. Note that if you do not have a motorcycle license, you are not insured when renting a motorbike. Read more about renting a motorbike in Asia and the risks here.
If you prefer not to rent a motorbike, you can also take a (shared) cab to Kuang Si Falls. Everywhere in Luang Prabang you will find tuktuks and minivans, with the drivers shouting very loudly, “Kuang Si, Kuang Si?” at you. If you go by shared minivan, arranged with your hotel, you will pay about 100,000 kip (€5) on average.
Entrance to the Kuang Si Falls
Admission to Kuang Si Falls is 25,000 kip (€1.25). If you came by motorbike yourself, you will also have to pay 5,000 kip (€0.25) to park your motorbike.
After the entrance, you will be driven by electric golf cart to the “real” entrance to Kuang Si Falls. Here you show your ticket again and then you may walk through, into the jungle.
Bear rescue center
At the entrance to Kuang Si Falls, you will find a bear rescue center. They mainly keep the Malay sun bear and moon bear here. You don’t have to buy a separate ticket for this, you just walk by. If you want, you can leave a donation, however, we always have our doubts about this kind of “rescue” center. Do what makes you feel good.
The magnificent Kuang Si Waterfalls
After the rescue center, you soon arrive at the first waterfall. In this waterfall you will also see most people swimming. You will also immediately see here (in the right season) how clear blue the water is.
Walk on to the next waterfalls. Along the way you see little pools of water and rapids everywhere, how fun! After a 15-minute walk, you will arrive at the most impressive waterfall: from 60 meters up, the beautiful blue water falls down. What a beautiful sight.
Be sure to take some pictures here and enjoy the view, but after this don’t go right back to the beginning. Many people think that this is the “end” of Kuang Si Falls but you can still climb this 60-meter-high waterfall. Both to the left and right of the waterfall you will see a path leading steeply uphill. Be sure to wear shoes with good grip, because it is quite a climb, but after about 20 minutes you will be at the top. Here it is nice and quiet, you can swing over the water and also cool off while swimming.
All in all, you will spend about 2 to 3 hours at Kuang Si Falls. Including two times 1 hour travel time, you are half a day away. The Kuang Si Waterfalls are definitely worth seeing. We recommend everyone who goes to Luang Prabang to see this for themselves.
How come the water is so blue?
The water at Kuang Si Waterfalls flows over limestone rocks, putting a lot of calcium in the water. This is reflected in sunlight, giving the water an ultimate blue color. During the rainy season (May through September), you unfortunately see little of the blue color, due to the abundance of rainwater. It is still worth visiting Kuang Si Falls in the rainy season, but keep in mind that the water looks considerably different than in our photos. The advantage is that there is a lot more water flowing during the rainy season, making it a bit more raging.
What should I bring with me to the Kuang Si Falls?
Be sure to take the items below with you to Kuang Si Falls:
- Swimwear
- Towel
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Camera / phone
- Cash
- Good shoes
- Water shoes if necessary
Extra tip Kuang Si Falls: arrive on time
The Kuang Si Waterfalls are a real tourist attraction in Luang Prabang. Therefore, make sure you get here early. It is open from 08:00 and if you still want some spots to yourself it is recommended to be here between 08:00 and 09:00. Starting at 10:00, most tourists will arrive and it will be quite crowded. Indeed, Luang Prabang, and especially the Kuang Si Waterfalls, are one of the most visited places in Laos.
0 Comments