Kuang Si Falls Paradise

For a long time we had been looking forward to visiting the Kuang Si Falls, which were one of the main reasons for our trip to Laos, and what can we say, it was amazing...

The Kuang Si Falls were an absolute highlight on our world trip and are the most popular tourist destination in Luang Prabang. They are located approximately 30km from Luang Prabang in the middle of the jungle, and we had never seen anything so beautiful before. Once again, we were left speechless by the incredible natural beauty. The water flows over countless limestone terraces in the middle of the rainforest, with the main waterfall cascading down a height of approximately 60m. Additionally, there are several natural pools where you can go swimming, so it's important to remember to bring your swimwear for the excursion, because you can hardly imagine a more beautiful infinity pool. The water is incredibly refreshing.

We took some breathtaking pictures, making it very difficult to choose for this post...

There are several ways to visit the Kuang Si Falls. For example, you can rent a scooter and organize the approximately 30km drive from Luang Prabang on your own, charter a private tuk-tuk, or take a public minivan to the waterfalls with a group.

We initially wanted to rent a scooter so that we could be completely independent and organize everything on our own. We had ordered the scooter the day before without any problems at our guest house and wanted to leave the next morning no later than 08:00, so that we could be at the paradise of the waterfalls very early and before the daily tourist buses arrived. Unfortunately, our host spoiled our plans. We could have used the scooter as requested, but he didn't mention the day before that we had to leave our passport as security. We absolutely did not want to do this, as we had already heard some horror stories about it. In principle, this is not a problem as long as nothing happens, but if something does happen, you have absolutely no chance if the other party has your passport. In other words, you are at their mercy and have to hope that everything will be fair. This went against our principles, so we quickly canceled the scooter and instead organized our own tuk-tuk for the following day for 220,000 LAK, which is approximately 23€. This had the advantage that we could decide for ourselves how long we wanted to stay at the waterfalls and were not bound by any time restrictions.

We would definitely recommend this to all travelers, as it also gives you the chance to visit the paradise at a time when there are fewer tourists. Of course, you should only pay the driver after the return trip to Luang Prabang ;-). The price is actually very cheap, considering that our driver was with us for about 7 hours and that petrol in Laos is also relatively expensive. Additionally, he has to pay a special government fee and for parking.

On the way from the parking lot to the waterfalls, there is a small animal park called the Tat Kuang Si Rescue Centre. There are a few bears living there that have been rescued from captivity by illegal animal traders.

We visited the bear park on our way back from the waterfalls and found it very interesting. The entrance fee is very reasonable at 20,000 LAK (approximately 2€) and was worth it just from the first sight of the turquoise water.

The turquoise color of the water is actually caused by the many mineral-rich limestone cascades over which the water flows from the source to the valley. The limestone cascades contain a high level of calcium carbonate, which is absorbed by the water, and the reflective light makes the water appear in a beautiful turquoise color.

Since we had an additional 2 days in Luang Prabang, we spontaneously decided to visit the Kuang Si Falls a second time, because when else would we have the opportunity to admire such natural beauty and cool off from the hot temperatures in such a way ;-)

However, this time we booked a public minivan ride for 50,000 LAK per person (approximately 5€). This is also the cheapest alternative to visit the waterfalls, and since we were already familiar with the area and only wanted to go swimming, the 2.5-hour stay was completely sufficient.

During our second visit, we also brought an underwater camera, so we took more beautiful pictures.

On the way back to Luang Prabang, we unfortunately passed by a serious scooter accident, and in retrospect, we were quite glad that we hadn't done the tour ourselves with the scooter, as the medical care in Laos is more than inadequate in case something happens. The nearest hospital with European standards is 1.5 hours away in Bangkok, so it is better to choose one of the alternative options to visit what we believe are the most beautiful waterfalls in the world and enjoy them without any restrictions.