TANKS Travel Tales - a travelogue.......

Kuang Si Falls and Tat Sae Waterfall, Luang Prabang, Laos For someone like myself who was born in, grew up in and lived in a highly urbanised city my whole life, swimming in a natural waterfall has always been a personal bucket list item. Combined that with swimming in a waterfall during my travels and that wish instantly becomes a travel bucket list item. When I visited the Kuang Si Waterfall during a trip to Luang Prabang, I was thrilled when my guide informed me that I could actually swim in parts of the waterfall. Packing my swim trunks in my backpack on the day of my visit, I finally got to check off this bucket list item. Main Fall of Kuang Si Waterfalls, Luang Prabang, Laos (2017) Although the main fall has a height of close to 60m, the lower levels of this multi-tiered waterfall include cascade pools where the water levels are relatively shallow, the deepest point being around 1.8m.  One of the lower-tier of Kuang Si Waterfalls, Luang Prabang, Laos (2017) The beautiful color of

Located about 18 km (11 miles) from the city of Luang Prabang, the Tat Sae Waterfalls (a.k.a. Tad Sae Waterfalls) is the less famous cousin to the more well-known and touristy Kuang Si Waterfalls (a.k.a Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls) which can be found further away from Luang Prabang towards the south-western part of the province. Thus, while foreign tourists visiting the province trooped to the Kuang Si Waterfalls, the locals generally prefer the less well-known Tat Sae Waterfalls. No less spectacular than its more popular cousin, the Tat Sae Waterfalls has its own beauty and charms.  To get to the Tat Sae Waterfalls, I had to take a drive from Luang Prabang to the village of Bak En. Near this village, I took a small rickety local boat to cross a tributary of the Nam Khan River. The waterfalls is located at the opposite bank of this tributary. The short 15-minute boat ride was an experienced in itself. The waterline was only mere centimetres away from where I was seated and I could