Recently, we had the chance to hike and take photos of the beautiful waterfalls at Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi. It has always been my dream to include photographs of waterfalls in my portfolio; so when I had the opportunity, I decided to jump right in.

Background

The Erawan National Park is a sanctuary that covers 550 sq. km. It is best known for its seven-tiered waterfall. Erawan got its name from its seventh waterfall which looks like a three-headed elephant from the Hindu mythology named Erawan. Erawan is located at Kanchanaburi, a province in the western part of Thailand.

The vast park’s main attraction is the seven-tiered waterfall with its emerald green water and scenic trails. The entire trail is just 2 kms long, not much of a hike I should say. Although it is short, some parts are steep and slippery which makes the ascent lasts for about 2 hours.

The Waterfalls

The Erawan Waterfall is really impressive. All the waterfalls typically fall over limestone cliffs resulting in colorful pools. We also saw some small unnamed waterfalls that are equally beautiful.

This is the very first waterfall to greet trail hikers, around 20-meter walk from the visitors area. This is where lots of picnic goers are chilling out.

This waterfall is named Ly Kung Lung. Hikers can go swimming and hang out there, The water is so clear that vast number of fishes can be seen.

Ly Kung Lung, first waterfall.

More or less 170 meters farther up from the visitors area, is the second waterfall named Wung Macha. It is the most crowded of all the falls since lots of visitors enjoy a good swim there. Food and drinks are not allowed beyond this point, I think it’s a good way to avoid trail of litter behind.

Wung Macha, second waterfall.

The third waterfall is named Pha Num tok, which is around 220 meters from the visitors area. Skin-nibbling fishes can be found at the pool.

Pha Num Tok, third waterfall.

Above is one of the many small unnamed falls on the way to the fourth waterfall. I thought it deserved to be photographed.

The fourth waterfall is named Oke Nank Phee Seah and is about 520 meters away from the visitors area. This is where some people enjoy a good water-slide on the big rocks.

Oke Nank Phee Seah, fourth waterfall.

The photo above is another small waterfall that deserves attention. You can see this as you pass along a small wooden bridge going to the next waterfall.

The 5th waterfall called Bua Mai Long is 1.12 km away from the visitor center. It is a set of small cascades on limestones with travertine tiles serving as the basin for the running waters. For me, this is a good place to chill and the most scenic part. We spent our time longer here as we enjoyed the scenery. There wasn’t much of a crowd here and onward as the trail gets rougher.

Bua Mai Long, fifth waterfall.

The way to the sixth fall becomes more challenging as the path grow steeper, narrower and more slippery. A number of small waterfalls made it harder for us to identify the sixth one which is called Dong Prouck Sa, It’s 1.42 km away from the visitor center.

Dong Prouck Sa, sixth waterfall.

After a more challenging trek, we arrived at the seventh and the final waterfall.

Phu Pha Erawan, the seventh waterfall.

When we finally made it to the end of the trail, we were presented with a view of the tallest waterfall, the Phu Pha Erawan. It doesn’t seem like not many people are willing to go through the effort all the way up here. The relative peace and the beautiful waterfalls along the way really make the effort worth it though. This is about 2 kilometers away from the visitor area.

Some behind the scenes photos of me and my wife.

How to get there?

Take a bus from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) to Kanchanaburi town. Fare is around 110 baht each and it is about 2.5 hours bus ride. Then, take another 1.5 hour bus trip from there to Erawan National Park for 50 baht.

The entrance fee to the park is 200 baht for tourists, and 20 baht for Thai people.

You can take this as a one day trip, but you should leave early from Bangkok. Otherwise, make sure you booked a room near or inside the park.

I hope you enjoy sightseeing with me. Till our next journey!

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Also, try these awesome and discounted hotels in Kanchanaburi!