Kaeng Nyui Waterfall + More // Vang Vieng, Laos

Vang Vieng is most commonly visited as a party destination. Although it has calmed down in the last few years or so, I still feel like people often underestimate the natural beauty of this town. I came here a few years ago on a recommendation from a friend and fell in love with the mountains here. As soon as Matt saw my photos of these karst peaks, he knew he wanted to stop here.

We stayed in Vang Vieng for less than a week, but we stayed a couple of different places. The first place we stayed was Nice View Guesthouse. As you can see from the photo above, they’re not kidding, it is a nice view! We ended up only staying here one night because that was all they had available.

That beautiful karst topography is so captivating. 

After the first night we moved to Maylay Guesthouse which had incredibly spacious rooms and amazing views as well. We spent most of our time in town just walking around and enjoying the views.

Can you spot the ever-so-slight rainbow in this photo? This is another view from our room at Maylay Guesthouse.

My arm was still broken at this point, so we opted out of some of the more exciting excursions that most partake in like rock-climbing, tubing, kayaking and swimming in the Blue Lagoon. While eating at Amigo’s in Luang Prabang, we were chatting with the owner and she told us about Kaeng Nyui Waterfall. Matt and I are both suckers for waterfalls, so we decided to visit these falls.

GETTING TO KAENG NYUI WATERFALL

There are a few different ways to get to Kaeng Nyui Waterfall. You can rent these little dirt vehicles that look like a blast and also look like you’d be a bit rattled afterward. You can rent a motorbike, like anywhere else in Southeast Asia. (Be sure your travel insurance policy covers that – individual policies will differ.) The third option is to take a tuk-tuk or truck, this is great if you’re in a large group. The last, cheapest option is to walk. So, walk we did.

Now, this walk is about 9 miles round trip, along a super narrow and bumpy dirt road, so be prepared for that. Walking was the best option for us because it was free, it was great exercise and the scenery was just stunning. You pass through several small villages and past little homes. We saw schoolchildren playing outside, farmers rounding up cows and families enjoying meals outside their homes.

KAENG NYUI WATERFALL

To enter this natural site, you have to pay 10,000 kip per person. The main falls at the top here are 30 meters and is very reminiscent of Hawai’i. There are a couple of lower sections of waterfalls that you’ll pass on the way up. The lowest waterfall is a great place to take a dip.

The paths leading up to the waterfalls are mostly dirt, but there are multiple wooden bridges that help you across the streams. There used to be zip line tours through the area and you can still see the stands from which people used to zip line through the jungle.  This is the highest waterfall. You can get multiple views of this fall by continuing up the path. It’s so beautiful!  This is the first waterfall. The water that fills the pool isn’t brown or cloudy, the lighting was just quite harsh.

RURAL LIFE ALONG THE HIKE

The thing I love about out and back hikes and walks is that even though you’re walking along the same path you get an entirely different perspective. While walking back to town the mountains were in the distance. It was just so beautiful!

 

We saw this cute little cow just munching on branches as he walked down the road. We passed many different farms, and a few times we even saw farmers with their cows roped together strolling down the street.

   What a cute little grazer.This was near a school, these little kids were running back to school in the early afternoon. When we passed the school, all the kids who were playing outside ran up to the fence to wave to us. We stopped and said hello and laughed when one of the kids shouted out, “Candy?! Give me candy!” It’s little interactions and views like this that make the walk worth it.

A BIT OF BUDDHISM IN VANG VIENG

There are a few small temples in Vang Vieng. We popped into them, but one toward the edge of town caught my attention. To enter, you walk through stylized naga gates. There are a couple of small temples inside the grounds, large Buddha statues and living quarters for monks. I loved seeing the monks’ robes drying. The temples were quiet and somewhat deserted in the heat of the day. One night, while walking to dinner, we were greeted by about a dozen monks riding their bikes down the street.

OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST IN VANG VIENG

THE BLUE LAGOON: This little trip is totally worth it if you love swimming and chilling by the river. It’s not incredibly cheap if you’re just looking to go for an hour if you’re taking a tuk tuk. Just know that they price a driver will quite you no longer includes the bridge toll and you also have to pay admission into the Blue Lagoon.

CAVE TUBING/KAYAKING: Cave tubing was an interesting experience. You grabbed onto a rope and pulled yourself through a cave while floating on an inner tube. We did a package tour where you kayaked afterward.

EAT: Amigos has delicious enchiladas and cheese dip. Plus, you can get a margarita! Luang Prabang Bakery had really yummy baked goods, of course, but their entrees were very good as well! Green Restaurant had really yummy Laos food and interesting “Western” options like mac n cheese inside baked potatoes.

WHERE TO STAY IN VANG VIENG

NICE VIEW GUESTHOUSE: This was the cheaper of the two places we called home in Vang Vieng. I loved the view and the terrace here. They had free coffee all day, and everyone has access to the beautiful view of the mountains. This Guesthouse is right by several restaurants and the bridge that goes across the river. The two cons here were weak wifi and the lock on the door didn’t seem very secure. Although we had no problems, it wasn’t quite the same peace of mind that I like to have.

MAYLAY GUESTHOUSE: Maylay was my preference of the two places we stayed. The views were beautiful, but not all of the rooms had access to the views. Their nightly rate included breakfast in the morning and they offered laundry service at a reasonable price. The rooms were huge and the bed was very comfortable. We stayed here several nights and felt super comfortable here. Their wifi was very strong and the staff was incredibly friendly.

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