Tad Thong Waterfall
Luang Prabang’s third waterfall
Published/Last edited or updated: 2nd December, 2018
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While certainly not the most spectacular of the waterfalls around Luang Prabang, Tad Thong waterfall offers the chance to take a short vigorous hike through the jungle, a brisk spring-fed pool to cool off in and a place entirely to yourself. It’s a very low-key experience, and if you’re sure-footed, want to enjoy some nature and get away from the tourist crowds, Tad Thong is the ticket.
Travelfish says:
Travellers to Luang Prabang will probably visit Kuang Si and Tad Se waterfalls but few people know of this one, a rainy season-only series of small waterfalls six kilometres from town, where a two-kilometre trail loop through the jungle. It should take 45 to 60 minutes and there’s an optional side trail to walk to a Khmu village, 15 minutes one-way. There are three small waterfalls, one at the trail entrance and two within the jungle. The waterfalls flow from approximately July to December/January.
A basic map is posted at the entrance and we recommend you take a photo of it, but even with the map, the track can still be a little confusing, so keep your wits about you while walking. The trail is not maintained so expect it to be uneven, slippery and muddy when wet. Wear proper hiking shoes/sandals, bring insect repellent, water and snacks.
Though Tad Thong is only six kilometres from town, we don’t recommend walking or cycling as Route 13 is a major artery and you’ll be sharing the highway with heavily loaded transport trucks. If you choose to cycle, get a mountain bike with gears, and do take care on the road.
The best way though, is to hire a tuk tuk, with the roundtrip costing around 150,000 kip, or rent a motorbike. Head south on Route 13 for four kilometres until you see the bright yellow Beerlao branded sign “Tat thong Water Fall & Restaurant.” Turn and go along the rolling dirt road for 2.8 kilometres to the entrance, parking and ticket booth. Here you will find a restaurant and a small lake surrounded by huts used by the locals for picnics and beer drinking. In fact, it’s a fantastic place to come and just hang out surrounded by the mountains. We even spotted a few inner tubes to use for floating on the lake.
Contact details for Tad Thong Waterfall
Address: Ban Donekang
Coordinates (for GPS): 102º7'50.88" E, 19º50'19.07" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Admission: 20,000 kip
Reviewed by
Cindy Fan
Cindy Fan is a Canadian writer/photographer and author of So Many Miles, a website that chronicles the love of adventure, food and culture. After falling in love with sticky rice and Mekong sunsets, in 2011 she uprooted her life in Toronto to live la vida Laos. She’s travelled to over 40 countries and harbours a deep affection for Africa and Southeast Asia. In between jaunts around the world, she calls Laos and Vietnam home where you’ll find her traipsing through rice paddies, standing beside broken-down buses and in villages laughing with the locals.
