My preference for a couple of days in Luang Prabang would be to spend the entire time rambling round the alleys of the town in search of interest and photos. My wife had other ideas, she wanted to go to a waterfall.
It seems to be an obsession of Thais on holiday that they need to visit the nearest waterfall, an obsession I cannot understand because most Thai waterfalls are uninspiring. There are none that I have visited that make you think “this reminds me of Iceland”, and many that make you think “why the fuck have they added all this concrete to a place of natural beauty?”
Our last weekend away to Koh Samet had to include a waterfall trip, and that had been a rather dismal experience; so I was not that keen on wasting half a day to see another dribble on a hillside in Laos; but here we were in a van on the way to the Kuang Si waterfalls.
We arrived around 10:00 and the car park was almost empty; when we came back a couple of hours later it was full. Tip #1: go in the morning before the crowds arrive. There is a small admission fee and then you can either walk up a road to the main falls, or take a track to the right which leads to the lower falls. Tip #2: Take the right hand route. It’s an easy walk that takes you past all the smaller pools and falls before arriving at the top, and you pass a rescued bear sanctuary on the way which is worth a look.
The path wends up the hillside, past pools and small falls. The path is basic, bridges are wood, and there are no concrete slabs; all rather pleasant.
To take half-decent waterfall photos you need a neutral density filter and a tripod; the former to cut down the light and allow the use of a very slow shutter speed, the latter to keep the camera steady whilst using the slow speed. I don’t have a neutral density filter, so I left the tripod in the hotel and made do with a couple of attempts resting on a post with a shutter speed faster than I would have liked.
The main falls at the top are 60 metres high, not particularly massive; but pretty enough:
After that, it was an easy walk down the tarmac road to the car park and a well-deserved lunch from one of the stalls. On the way back into town the driver asked, did we want to visit a field where the Hmong new year celebrations were being held? Yes we would; but that’s another story.
All photos: Panasonic GX1 with Panasonic 7-14mm, Summilux 25mm, Olympus 45mm or Olympus 75mm.
Previously on our Luang Prabang trip:
Luang Prabang – a town of contrasts Luang Prabang – Tak Bak
Still to come: The markets – Want to buy a live duck and a T-shirt, I’ll tell you where to go. Sunsets – Where to watch them (Warning, will contain sunset photographs, may be upsetting for children). Bicycle woes – What happens when you put an old man on a child’s bike with no brakes and send him up a hill. And down again. Hmong New Year – Why it’s a load of balls, but in a good way.
Comments 🔗
2012-12-26| Grant saysGreat shots, nice waterfall, beats the crap out of nine out of ten Thai ones and they don’t come with added bears and a gentle right-hand track. Perfect! You’re rather going to spin this out, aren’t you…?
2012-12-27| Spike saysI don’t consider spinning it out; there is a lot to cover. If you are bored; come back next year when it will all be over.
2012-12-27| Grant saysBored? Absolutely not, don’t know the meaning of the word. Completely riveted in fact, possum in the headlamps! Now go and have a cup of coffee and and a nice sit down…