In Luang Prabang, Laos, we hired a tuk tuk driver to take us to Kuang Si Falls. Pick up was at 8:00 am. Somewhere along the way, a new mother along with two pregnant ladies hailed the tuk tuk and were dropped off at the Luang Prabang District Hospital. We arrived at the park around 8:50 am, there weren’t too many people there this early. Besides, the high-travel months are November to January. We visited on April 23rd.
Inside, there is a sanctuary for once-wild Asian black bears that were rescued from poachers who captured the bears for their bile. Bear bile is used by some Chinese as medicine for treating liver or gall bladder problems. Even though there are synthetic medicines that have the same effects, poachers in this region still trap the wild bears. The sanctuary is a joint venture between the Free the Bears Fund and the Government of Laos.
Getting to the most impressive waterfall viewing point from the parking lot took less than 20 minutes. We decided to climb to the top of the waterfall. It was really hot and the hike was rather strenuous, especially the path down. All in all, I’m glad we did it because the view up there was quite nice.
By the time we came back down, it was much busier with tour groups, and foreign and domestic visitors. A few local families were setting up picnics. A lot more people were swimming and playing in the pools. We saw even more stupid tourists ignoring “No Entry” signs to stage an Instagram moment, endangering themselves and blatantly disobeying the park’s rules including the dress code. I’m so glad we are here during off-season.
Map of Places Visited
Kuang Si Falls
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Kuang Si Falls19.748872, 101.991363https://freethebears.org/
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