Before we came to Laos everyone was telling us that nowhere in Asia we would see such magnificent natural landscapes with lots of beautiful waterfalls as in this country. And because of that we waited impatiently for this point of our journey but also were half-convinced when hearing these opinions as from our experence in many Asian countries tourists are offered to see waterfalls, which depending on the season look different than in the pictures, and in many cases you can get easily disappointed, e.g. seeing in front of you a watetfall which dried out or which looks flooded in a rainy season with mud everywhere and no more crystal clear waters…

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It was different with Kuang Si waterfall. During the dry season we came across wet weather in Luang Prabang (in the northern part of Laos) and wondered whether to go there in that rain . And we scored a bull’s eye! We caught one tuk-tuk driver near the market in Luang Prabang and bargained the price 40.000Kip / 5USD per person roundtrip and as it turned out that he couldn’t find more tourists willing to go there in that moment, we were taken into his friend’s van with other tourists so we got a better transport for a lower price J To get to the waterfall you need 30-40min. The admission fee is 20.000Kip / 2,50USD per person. The driver dropped us off at the top of the waterfall, where we went up the stairs to the highest point to see the view.

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The view from the highest point of the waterfall:

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Then, going down to the lower parts of the waterfall where you could swim (the water was about 14 degrees, but there were some volunteers for swimming), and at the very bottom of the path leading to the parking lot you could visit a Bear Sanctuary, a shelter for small and large bears (even the big ones looked cute!).

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After coming back to Luang Prabang we decided to go to the so called Phousi Mountain, which offers a view of the city (unfortunately, there is an admission fee: 15.000Kip / 2USD). The view in such bad weather was nothing special to be honest.

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Above – a museum near the Phousi Mountain, below – stairs leading to the hill.

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On that day it was Kuang Si that won it all! – and that was the only thing that mattered!

We hope that you also find that waterfall quite impressive. Still waiting for a similar experience when later going to the Bolaven Plateau situated in southern Laos!

And how did we get to Luang Prabang?

Our starting point was the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. We bought there a package tour including 3day trip to Laos by slow boat. Crossing the Mekong River on a  boat took in fact 2 days, because the first day we were taken in a minivan to Chiang Khong, a town close to the border with Laos, where we had the accommodation with breakfast, and then on the 2nd day we got on the boat and in the evening we arrived at the village of Pak Beng (we had to look for accommodation on our own, which we did for 3USD / person), and then on the 3rd day in the evening we got to Luang Prabang (where we managed to find a private room in the center for 5USD / person).

Remember that upon crossing the border to Laos you have to pay for a visa. We paid 30$ but saw that the Spanish and the British had to pay a little bit more – 35$).

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Chiang Khong

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The views from the boat were beautiful, you could observe everyday life of local people, reactions of young children seeing teh boat on water – it was one of a few moments when close to their village something was happening, they could see some new faces, tourists, which was why so frequently the kids came up to the shore greeting and waving their hands expecting the same gesture to be paid back.

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One of the downsides of the trip was that it was terribly dragging on on the 3rd day when the weather was not good, it was about 16 degrees, it was raining and the wind was blowing terribly. We paid 50USD / person for all the 3 days (including bed and breakfast in Chiang Khong, transportation to the border with Laos and further, minivan on the 1st day and the boat during next 2 days). The river crossing in a boat for one day per passenger costs around 15USD. If you ever want to use a slow boat we recommend buying it in Chiang Rai (it is closer to the border) rather than in Chiang Mai and will certainly cost you less, and by the way you will visit the city. We visited these cities the other way round and it was not a good idea .. And now you can see how the trip was looking like 🙂 :

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