Two of the best things to do in Luang Prabang are outside of the UNESCO heritage town – Pak Ou Caves and Kuang Si Falls. We efficiently arranged them in one full day to save time and some kip. Living up to our motto, you can rest assured it is not a rushed itinerary.
Pak Ou Caves
Entrance fee: 20,000 kip
Located on the Mekong River, the caves are known to exist long before Buddhism in Laos making it one of the must-visit attractions. We paid 90,000 kip for the slow boat to a tour operator but you don’t actually have to. It is only 65,000 kip if you head to the port and pay on the spot. Thank us later, here’s the exact location of the port on Google Maps.
8:00 AM
Be sure to reach before 8:00 AM to purchase your tickets and the boat will start boarding at 8:30 AM. Each boat will take about 6 people so it is a very pleasant ride.
Slightly more than an hour later, the boat will make a short stop at Ban Xang Hai village where you can taste the famed Lao Whiskey or shop for beautiful scarfs handmade by the village ladies at a much lower price than in the night market.
11:00 AM
The boat continues the journey and arriving at about 11:00 AM.
The caves are divided into the lower cave (Tham Ting) and upper cave (Tham Theung) where it should take about an hour to visit both.
Visitors are greeted by thousands of buddha statues deposited by devotees over the years. Traditionally, the King of Luang Prabang would conduct the washing ceremony of the statues during the Lao New Year in this cave. The ceremony still takes place today but not by the King according to a local guide.
From the lower cave, you can proceed to the upper cave with 200 steps of stairs that have young children scattered throughout. They are selling some homemade snacks but aren’t too pushy.
1:00 PM
The boat will leave the caves at about 12:00 PM and dock at a little after 1:00 PM which means we had some time for lunch before heading to Kuang Si Falls.
Kuang Si Falls
Entrance fee: 20,000 kip
1:30 PM
There are a few different ways to get to the popular Kuang Si Falls. We preferred Minivan that departs 3 times a day and it is by far the most comfortable and economical option at only 40,000 kip per person. You can book it a day before at one of the tour operators along Sisavangvong Road. The minibus is usually packed to the maximum capacity of 12 pax.
2:30 PM
The journey takes less than an hour. Before reaching the entrance, the driver will collect the entrance fees of 20,000 kip and will guide you in as a group. We were given 2 hours to explore before gathering at the designated point for the return trip.
The ticket includes entry to the Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre as well as the waterfalls.
Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre caters specifically to the Asian black bear rescued from poachers looking to harvest its valuable gall bladder, a common Chinese medicine component or to treat them as milk-producing machines.
Feel free to walk through the rescue centre and watch these adorable black bears sleeping and playing.
Further up from the black bears, you will reach the first turquoise pool where most people are swimming in. This pool boasts an Instagramable photo by posing on the tree. When the pool is not crowded, you can also see small fishes that eat the dead skin off your feet. There is also a toilet located here.
It is better to hike up all the way before deciding which pool you would like a dip in. Along the way, there are a couple of pools that are out of bound. Although they look really picturesque, it is dangerous to get in and we strongly discourage doing so as it is not worth risking life for it.
Further to the restricted pools, the majestic waterfalls unveil in front of us. The turquoise water flows rapidly, dropping at a height of 60m. The water flows so fast for the eyes that it appears silken when seen in person.
After a #touristshot, we went back to the first pool for a dip. Then head back to the city for dinner along the Mekong River.
The full-day itinerary from 8:00 AM all the way to 4:30 PM covering two of the most important attractions outside of Luang Prabang heritage town cost only 105,000 kip, just a little more than US$10. So we really think that there is no need for a guided tour.
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