Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre

Laos

LoginSave

Upon entering Tat Kuang Si, one of the first attractions is the Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre. Run by Free the Bears, this excellent centre cares for a large population of wild Asiatic Moon bears confiscated from poachers who sell them to horrendous bile farms serving the appetites of Chinese traditional medicine. These happy little yogis merit equal reason for your visit as the cascades themselves. The centre depends on donations and sponsorship: buy a T-shirt or adopt a bear.

There is a new location for the growing population of rescued bears about 20km south of town in the hills near Nahm Dong. Plans are underway to offer a Bearkeeper for the Day voluntourism programme similar to that offered in Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Check out the website for more details.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Sunset view over the city from Mount Phousi, a sacred mountain located in the heart of the former capital of Laos.

    Phu Si

    13.37 MILES

    Dominating the old city centre and a favourite with sunset junkies, the 100m-tall Phu Si (prepare your legs for a steep 329-step ascent) is crowned by a…

  • Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls

    Tat Kuang Si

    0.18 MILES

    Thirty kilometres southwest of Luang Prabang, Tat Kuang Si is a many-tiered waterfall tumbling over limestone formations into a series of cool, swimmable…

  • Wat Xieng thong temple at twilight time in Luang Pra bang, Laos. 358251350 ancient, antique, architecture, art, asia, asian, beautiful, believe, bright, buddhism, buddhist, building, chiang, city, culture, faith, famous, gold, heritage, historical, landmark, lao, luang, luangprabang, mekong, monk, night, old, palace, prabang, religion, spirituality, temple, thong, tour, tradition, traditional, travel, trip, twilight, unesco, urban, vientiane, wat, world, xieng, xiengthong

    Wat Xieng Thong

    13.99 MILES

    Luang Prabang's best-known monastery is centred on a 1560 sǐm (ordination hall). Its roofs sweep low to the ground and there's a stunning 'tree of life'…

  • UXO Laos Information Centre

    UXO Laos Information Centre

    12.91 MILES

    The sobering UXO Laos Information Centre helps you get a grip on the devastation Laos suffered in the Second Indochina War and how nearly 40 years later…

  • Buddha statues in the Pak Ou Caves.

    Pak Ou Caves

    24.92 MILES

    Where the Nam Ou (Ou River) and Mekong River meet at Ban Pak Ou, two famous caves in the limestone cliff are crammed with myriad Buddha images. In the…

  • Laos Royal Palace Museum

    Royal Palace

    13.38 MILES

    Evoking traditional Lao and French beaux-arts styles, the former Royal Palace was built in 1904 and was home to King Sisavang Vong (r 1904–59), whose…

  • Ethnic clothes at Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre Museum, Phousi Hill.

    TAEC

    13.19 MILES

    Visiting this professionally presented three-room museum is a must to learn about northern Laos' various hill-tribe cultures, especially if you're…

  • Close-up of bamboo sticks used for weaving at Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Centre, Ban Saylom.

    Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre

    12.06 MILES

    Set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics,…

View more attractions

Nearby Laos attractions

1. Tat Kuang Si

0.18 MILES

Thirty kilometres southwest of Luang Prabang, Tat Kuang Si is a many-tiered waterfall tumbling over limestone formations into a series of cool, swimmable…

2. Kuang Si Butterfly Park

0.31 MILES

Kuang Si Butterfly Park, 300m before the Kuang Si waterfall, was opened in 2014 as a breeding sanctuary for Laos' myriad butterflies. It's open to…

3. Laos Buffalo Dairy

2.87 MILES

Set up by some Australian pioneers with no prior experience in farming, the Buffalo Dairy is now producing a range of delicious cheese and dairy products…

4. Nahm Dong Park

8.61 MILES

This beautiful area of private park lies about 10km southwest of Luang Prabang in the rolling jungle-clad hills around town. Explore the forest, plunge…

5. Green Jungle Park

8.67 MILES

Thirty-two kilometres west of the city, this slice of natural paradise reclaimed from a rubbish dump uses the forest and a stunning cascade as its…

6. Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre

12.06 MILES

Set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics,…

7. Wat Phabaht

12.44 MILES

The modern Vietnamese–Lao temple of Wat Phabaht is fronted by a distinctive, if kitschy, array of spires. Behind is a shady Mekong-fronting terrace from…

8. Wat That Luang

12.62 MILES

Traditionally the cremation site for Lao royalty, legend has it that Wat That Luang was originally established by Ashokan missionaries in the 3rd century…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "laos/luang-prabang-region/attractions/tat-kuang-si-bear-rescue-centre/a/poi-sig/1528277/1341140",
  "destination": "Laos",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "Laos",
  "position": "superzone"
}