Tourist attraction
Kuang Si Waterfall
Tat Kuang Si is a multi-tiered cascade 29 km south of Luang Prabang, where a main drop of about 60 metres spills into stepped limestone pools that glow turquoise in the dry season.
The story
Dissolved minerals give the pools their colour: blue in the dry months, emerald green in the rainy season, when heavy rain can also turn the falls into a powerful brown torrent. You hear the water before you see it. An electric shuttle runs from the ticket area to the gate, where the Free the Bears rescue centre houses sun bears and moon bears. One path leads straight to the main fall; another passes the bears and climbs beside the lower cascades, where swimming is allowed and wooden changing huts stand nearby. A bridge spans the big pool at the base of the main drop. Some 560 steps continue to the top, with a café and zip-line, and trails lead on to caves, a restaurant and a quiet jungle river about 3 km further.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦Bring modest swimwear and a change of clothes if you plan to swim in the lower pools.
- ✦Wear proper shoes and allow three to four hours, since the climb to the top is steep and slippery when wet.