Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre: Visiting Guide
Contents
Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre sits in the Kuang Si waterfall park near Luang Prabang, where rescued moon bears climb, forage and doze in forest enclosures beside the turquoise pools of the falls. Free the Bears established the centre in 2003 in collaboration with the Laos Department of Forestry.[1] You can visit it as part of a day at the waterfall, or add the optional guided Bear Care Tour.
What the rescue centre does
The centre is a home for rescued moon bears, also known as Asiatic black bears. In 2013 its clinic performed the world's first neurosurgery on a bear, and a Bear Discovery Trail completed in 2014 explains the threats wild bears face and how the centre rescues them.[1]
The centre is beside Kuang Si Falls, within the same national park area. The Luang Prabang tourism website lists the Bear Rescue Center as a stop at the waterfall, with no separate entrance ticket for the centre. You pay the park admission instead: the park is open daily from 08:00 to 17:30, and foreign visitors pay LAK 60,000 per person.[2]
Things to Do
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Choose between a park visit and a Bear Care Tour
Free the Bears runs a two-hour Bear Care Tour at Tat Kuang Si. You hear the bears' rescue stories, prepare enrichment and special treats with the team, and watch the bears search for food hidden in their forest enclosures. Direct contact with the bears is not possible.[3]
The tour asks for a minimum donation of USD 50 per adult, plus the government national park entrance fee. Children aged 0 to 3 are free, and children aged 4 to 15 pay half the adult donation.[3] The donation covers the guided tour only, not park admission. To reserve, write to [email protected] or call +856 20 97 507 866 and ask for available dates and start times, because a same-day place is not guaranteed.[3]
Plan the waterfall outing
The rescue centre and the waterfall park are separate experiences at the same site. A park ticket does not include a guided tour, and the tour donation does not include park entry.
Arrange transport from Luang Prabang for the park visit and agree the return pickup, waiting time and fare with your driver. Free the Bears suggests arranging your own transport, for example a tuk-tuk or minivan booked through your hostel or hotel. It also offers transportation at USD 60; ask whether that price is per person or per vehicle and one-way or return.[3]
For more planning ideas in the region, see our Laos travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Free the Bears: Laos Sanctuaries. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
- [2] Official Website for Tourism Luang Prabang: Kuang Si Waterfall. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
- [3] Free the Bears: Bear Care Tour Laos. Retrieved October 20, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a Free the Bears rescue centre beside Kuang Si Falls in the national park area near Luang Prabang. Free the Bears built it in 2003 in collaboration with the Laos Department of Forestry, and it is a home for rescued moon bears.
No. The centre is a bear rescue facility beside the waterfall, and you reach it as part of a Kuang Si visit. The waterfall park charges admission, and the Bear Care Tour is a separate guided activity.
Yes. There is no separate entrance ticket for the centre, so you pay the park admission instead: the park is open daily from 08:00 to 17:30, and foreign visitors pay LAK 60,000. The Bear Care Tour is an optional guided experience.
The tour lasts two hours. You hear the rescue stories, prepare enrichment and special treats with the team, and watch the bears search for food hidden in their enclosures. Direct contact with the bears is not possible.
No. The tour asks for a minimum donation of USD 50 per adult, plus the government national park entrance fee.
The tour takes two hours. Email [email protected] or call +856 20 97 507 866 to ask about available dates and times.
No. Direct contact with the bears is not possible. On the guided tour you prepare enrichment and watch the bears search for food placed in their enclosures.
Arrange a return ride for your travel date and agree the pickup, waiting time and total fare. A tuk-tuk or minivan booked through your hostel or hotel works well. Free the Bears also offers transportation at USD 60; ask whether that is per person or per vehicle and one-way or return.
