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The Thai waterfalls

February 2, 2019 | Michael Turtle | 27 Comments

NATIONAL PARK

Erawan National Park, Thailand

Thailand’s Erawan National Park is named for the highest of the waterfalls within its boundary, which is said to resemble the mythical three-headed elephant, Erawan.

Cascading down from there, the water passes through six more falls – none of which are named after imaginary animals.

Erawan National Park is about an hour’s drive from Kanchanaburi, a town to the west of Bangkok on the way to the Myanmar border. The highlight of the park – and the reason most people visit – is the waterfalls.

A track about two kilometres long takes you from the first one up to the seventh. It winds through the forest, crossing over bridges, and occasionally hiding playfully, forcing you to clamber over rocks.

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Only the dedicated and foolhardy (guilty as charged!) bother to go all the way to the top. There are plenty of good reasons to stop along the way.

More than half of the seven waterfalls have beautiful calm and azure pools to swim in.

There are also a few pleasant areas to rest for a picnic – but not after the second waterfall because the authorities won’t let you take your food past there. They’re worried about rubbish in the national park. “No food!”

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Thankfully I had no food with me. But I did have to pay a deposit to take a water bottle up (refundable on proof you’ve brought it back down with you).

In case you have no plans to visit Erawan National Park soon, or in case you don’t want to abandon your food, I thought I would share some photos of the trip up the track.

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Erawan Falls, waterfalls near kanchanaburi, Thailand

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Laura @Travelocafe |

    January 23, 2013 at 6:52 am

    Reply

    Last November, I have been in Thailand and missed visiting Erawan National Park, Thanks for pointing it out. Next time I make sure to visit it.

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 6, 2013 at 12:48 am

      Reply

      It’s a nice place to visit if you’re in the region – but not necessarily worth a special trip just to see it.

  2. kristy of Migration Expert |

    January 23, 2013 at 5:44 pm

    Reply

    The place looks stunning! I wonder if that is a catfish or other species of fish?

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 6, 2013 at 12:54 am

      Reply

      I’m not sure what kind of fish it is. Although they like the taste of dead feet skin, if that helps πŸ™‚

  3. [email protected] Hire Dubai |

    January 23, 2013 at 9:23 pm

    Reply

    Thailand is like a second home, and moving there is comfortable, and relaxing. It’s something I want to do; create an expat nest and explore the regions around me. National park look so pretty in photos!

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 6, 2013 at 1:08 am

      Reply

      It would be a perfect place to spend some time. As you, say relaxing. And there’s so much to see and do, you would never get bored!

  4. Jennifer |

    January 24, 2013 at 2:56 am

    Reply

    Very pretty! I love waterfalls. I also like that you have to pay a deposit to take a water bottle in with you. I hope that it cuts down on the amount of liter people leave!

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 6, 2013 at 1:23 am

      Reply

      It’s a really clever idea to reduce the litter, isn’t it? I’m surprised more places don’t do something like that. It’s not even just about getting your money back – it makes you think more about the issue too.

  5. Samuel Jeffery |

    January 25, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    Reply

    I’m loving your posts on Thailand. Can’t wait to be heading back to SE Asia in just a month from now with Audrey.

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 6, 2013 at 1:30 am

      Reply

      Awesome! Hopefully our paths will cross somewhere along the way. I’m not sure where I’m heading next but make sure you let me know where you end up!

  6. TammyOnTheMove |

    January 28, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    Reply

    The swimming pools look amazing! Just what you need after a bit of trekking…

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 6, 2013 at 1:38 am

      Reply

      And the water was such a perfect temperature! (Even though, admittedly, I only stuck my feet in because I was running short of time to have a proper swim…)

  7. BlogDaz |

    February 9, 2013 at 12:56 pm

    Reply

    Would be well worth visiting Kanchanaburi, the Death Railway, and the War Cemetery as well.

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 9, 2013 at 3:50 pm

      Reply

      Yes, definitely! You can check out my posts about the Death Railway in the Thailand section.

  8. Andrew |

    February 10, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    Reply

    I think I would be more than happy to abandon food to hike up and see these. That is really neat about the water bottle deposit. Seems like a good way to encourage responsible sightseeing without keeping people from having water.

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 16, 2013 at 5:39 pm

      Reply

      Yeah, it’s a great idea, isn’t it? I would love to see more places bring in a rule like that. I get so frustrated at trash in national parks!

  9. Thailand Breeze |

    June 2, 2013 at 9:18 pm

    Reply

    That waterfall is a great place for a shoulder massage!

    The big pool makes it look really exotic.

    Avoid going during the dry season, which is roughly between March and June.

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 4, 2013 at 3:55 am

      Reply

      Love a good waterfall massage!! πŸ™‚

  10. Kevin |

    July 10, 2013 at 5:27 pm

    Reply

    Been to Thailand twice but still I miss this Erawan National Park. Better to check it out next time. Looks calm and peaceful.

  11. Mathew Duong |

    August 24, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Reply

    Amazing photos. I love waterfalls very much. Thanks for sharing with us and love to hear more

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 27, 2013 at 6:58 pm

      Reply

      Thanks. These are beautiful waterfalls so I hope you get a chance to go there one day.

  12. Dan |

    August 10, 2014 at 7:26 am

    Reply

    Need to get back there, but this time to explore the caves. Not much written about those caves and how to get there.

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    September 8, 2014 at 9:22 pm

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  14. first time home buyer tips |

    March 4, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    Reply

    Howdy! This article couldn’t be written any better!

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  15. akshay ajmera |

    August 20, 2016 at 2:59 pm

    Reply

    beautiful nature.. fully mesmerizing.. thanks for sharing this location as well as ur experience..

  16. Jack W-A |

    November 9, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    Reply

    Looks incredible! My only worry is: How touristy is it? I read another blog that said unless you rent a bike yourself and get there early, it completely fills with tourists.

  17. Impress a girl |

    April 24, 2017 at 12:44 pm

    Reply

    Can’t wait to go “The Thai waterfalls”! That was just awesome. I think you got a lot of experience from there. I have a bike. Can I ready to go there, sir?

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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