Despite being one of the countries most frequently passed up by travelers in Southeast Asia, Laos offers some of the most breathtaking scenery in the area. If you’re a fan of waterfalls, you certainly won’t want to miss Laos.
Kuang Si Falls
Kuang Si Falls near Luang Prabang is easily the most famous of the many waterfalls in Laos, and for good reason. Kuang Si easily lives up to all of the hype, offering a spectacular view of the turquoise water cascading from above and the opportunity to swim in many of the pools further downstream.
My group and I arrived at Kuang Si around 11:00 am, and we were told by our driver that he would wait for us in the parking lot until 2:00 pm. In hindsight, I could have stayed much longer, so I wish we would have paid him extra to wait longer so that we could further enjoy the falls.
From the parking lot, we payed the 20,000 kip entrance fee (~$2 USD) and proceeded up the short trail towards the falls. On the trail, we passed numerous pools in the stream where swimming was allowed. The turquoise water was incredibly inviting, but we were eager to see the falls, so we continued up the trail and planned a swim on the way back down.
The hike to the falls is very quick, maybe 15 minutes, and the reward is incredible. I had high expectations going in after looking at photos (see above), but they simply did not do it any justice whatsoever. It’s easy to see why this is such a popular day trip from Luang Prabang.
You aren’t allowed to swim in the pools below the main falls due to safety and out of respect to the locals who consider the pool sacred. So, we just took in the view before proceeding up the trail that leads above the falls.
While short and probably worth doing, the hike to the top was fairly forgetful. The view of the falls from the bottom is by far better and after wandering around the top of the falls for a short time, we elected to return to the pools below for a swim.
The cold water was very refreshing after hiking around the humid jungle, and I wish we could have stayed much longer.
Waterfalls Near Pakse
I entered Laos through the Cambodia border, and upon entry I really had no idea what the southern part of the country had to offer. As it turns out, the town of Pakse is near a group of waterfalls that are all accessible by scooter over the course of a day. I had only scheduled one full day in Pakse, so I jammed four of them all into one.
Tad Fane
Unfortunately, I only got to view Tad Fane from afar. The photo above is taken from the main viewpoint of the falls, and you have to option to get closer to the top via zip line or a guided hike. As far as I was told, it’s impossible to get to the bottom, but if anyone has made it there let me know in the comments so I can go back!
Tad Yuang
Tad Yunag is just a short hike (~5 mins) down from the designated area to park your scooters. The trail down has a few points to stop and take in the falls, but like any waterfall, the best view is from the bottom. This was easily the most crowded of the four waterfalls I visited that day.
Tad Champee
Tad Champee is another short hike from the scooter area, but it was significantly less busy than Tad Yuang. I also enjoyed that it was possible to follow the shoreline to the back of the falls for a different view. The pool below also offers a great swimming opportunity, complete with a bamboo raft off the shore opposite the falls.
Tad E Tu
Here I learned that my phone is waterproof! Eager to swim in the pool below the falls, I ran right into the water on arrival, forgetting to take my phone or scooter keys out of my pockets. Luckily, both were still fully functional after I scrambled to shore.
This may have been my favorite waterfall of the day because I was the only person there. After the crowds at some of the other falls, I was pleasantly surprised to be alone here, so I took my time swimming and further exploring the area. If you walk a short ways downstream from the main waterfall, there’s another set of smaller falls that you can view from above.
Since Anna was back home for Christmas at the time, I finished the day by sending her a selfie to enjoy from the Calgary snow.
