Kuangsi Waterfall

Kuang Si Falls is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and foreign travelers. It is a site not to be missed to visit when arriving in Luang Prabang, which is easily accessible with a 30-kilometer journey from the city center of Luang Prabang and a 1-hour car ride.

Tha Pan Village is a village with a population of over 400 people, which is situated at the bottom of Kuang Si Falls, with more than 100 years old. The village was named based on the actual situation when the people relocated to this place in the past, they used flat wood to pave the area around the river port for their bathing place. That is why it was named Ban Tha Pan. Today, there are two ethnic groups living in this area: the Khmu and Lao Loum people.

The history of Kuang Si Falls has it that a hermit used his cane digging into the ground to summon the water. As a result, the stream of Huay Si formed, where water flows over the high cliff face forming the falls. Then the local people saw that a golden deer made its home under a rock that protruded from the falls. The sound of the water falling on this rock created such an enchanting echo throughout the area. Even though the rock protruding was collapsed, the Falls are still beautiful and attract many tourists and visitors. Therefore, Tad Kuang Si comes from: “Tad” means “Falls”, “Kuang” means golden deer, and “Si” means dig (a hermit summoned the water by digging into the ground).

The Sai Nam Si Park, a cool and clean stream of water feeding into the falls, flows from a foot of the mountain, which is about 4 kilometers from the head of waterfall. There are many streams, rivers and pools, which make the most beautiful natural scenery. Kuang Si Falls is 71 meters high and 35 meters wide, consisting of six layers with an altitude of 460-560 meters above sea level. In the past, the Falls were broken and collapsed twice in 70 years ago and on 04/12/2011. Kuang Si Falls has the highest drop during the rainy season but the rainfall decreases between January-May in the dry season.

The Park has been declared a tourist attraction by the government since 1987. In the past, many villages were inhabited along the Sai Nam Si. Accordingly, the government has seen the importance on conservation of this stream. Thus, it was necessary to relocate those villages to the suburbs such as Ban Tha Pan, Ban Nonsavath, Ban Na Ouan and nearby villages.

Kuang Si Falls is a beautiful waterfall, which is considered as a national natural tourist site with a wide variety of plants, and as a research site for plant species diversity in order to ensure natural sustainability.