The picturesque Erawan Waterfall in the Erawan National Park in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province is the most spectacular waterfall that can be reached on a day trip from Bangkok. Often people combine it with a trip to the Bridge on the River Kwai or other WW2 memorial places in the province – although as I pointed out in a previous article, Kanchanaburi province is worth more than just a day trip.

The Erawan Waterfall is actually a series of waterfalls. Thai National Parks describes it as a seven-tiered waterfall – although when I visited it, I counted eight tiers. It seems that the tier between the designated fifth and sixth levels is not counted as a separate tier. Perhaps that is because the fall of water at that level is not as great as at the others.

The waterfall is well-known for its challenging 1.75 km hike to its top level, about 800 metres above the level of the lowest level near the park entrance. It’s challenging not because of the distance involved, but because climbing the steep steps between some of the levels can be quite exhausting in 34°C heat and high humidity.

Most of the visitors who make it to the top level are young, fit backpackers, but some older travellers do attempt the climb. Some make it to the top, but others give up halfway. I decided to tackle it myself on one of my trips to Kanchanaburi province to see how hard it really is. I did it in the middle of the day, which I would not recommend unless you are really fit.

After buying your entry ticket (300 baht) at the ticket office next to the visitor centre, make sure you have enough water for the hike. You should carry at least one litre for each person. There are several shops around the car park next to the visitor centre where you can buy water and snacks, and more around the first and second levels.

It’s an easy 500 metres stroll from the visitor centre to the first level of the falls. Visitors in wheelchairs or those who may have difficulty walking can take a golf cart for 30 baht from the Visitor Centre to the first level, but they will not be able to go beyond that point.  

The first level is known as Lai Keun Lung. You may see the names of the tiers spelled differently on different signs that are only a short distance apart. I saw the first level spelled as Lai Keung Rung, Lhai Keun Lung and Ly Kua Lung. This is quite common in Thailand as it depends on who is doing the translation from Thai, so don’t let the different spellings confuse you.

Most of the tiers have a natural pool area below the falls in which you can swim, or just take a dip to cool off, but it is mandatory that you wear a life jacket in case you slip on the rocks and fall into deep water. Life jackets can be hired at the lower levels. You can either hire them for a short dip at the lower levels or hire for two hours to take it with you on the trek to the top.

You’ll notice that there are a lot of fish in each of the pools below the falls. If you sit on the rocks with your feet in the water, they will swim up to you and nibble dead skin off your feet. A free fish spa! If you don’t want fish nibbling you, then just keep moving in the water and they will stay away from you.

The Lai Keun Lung falls are a series of low waterfalls covered in limestone deposits and the surface of the tiered rock layers look something like the stalagmites that you see in limestone caves or the travertine terraces of Pamukkale in Turkey (but on a much smaller scale, of course). The water in the pool below the falls, as is the case with nearly all of the pools at Erawan, is a lovely aquamarine colour.

You’ll notice the colour more at the second level waterfall which is about 100 metres further on and is called Wung Macha, which is a much higher, single waterfall. You’ll also notice a lot more fish in the pool below that waterfall because it is much deeper. This pool can get quite crowded with swimmers at weekends and holiday times. Even during the week this is usually the most popular swimming spot as you can see from the phone video below:

The distance between the second and third levels is another 100 metres or so up concrete steps. At the bottom of the steps is a National Parks office where you have to pay a 20-baht deposit on every bottle or food item that you are carrying. This is to discourage people from discarding empty bottles or food wrappings in the national park.

They will mark each item with a felt pen, make a note of how many items you are carrying in a register, and will refund the deposits to you on your way down, provided you still have the empty bottles or packets. As the climb starts to get steep from this point on, it’s best not to carry anything more than you will need to drink or eat on the hike.

The third level waterfall is off to the right along a short track just after the bridge that crosses over the river at the top of the concrete steps. This single waterfall known as Pha Nam Tok has the highest straight fall of water of the tiers and is very photogenic (see short phone video below).

Swimming is no longer permitted in the pool below this waterfall and there is a ranger stationed in a small hut next to the waterfall to make sure people comply with that rule. Pha Nam Tok used to be one of the most popular swimming spots because the pool is more shaded than at other levels. Perhaps there had been an accident there that prompted National Parks to restrict swimming. Or maybe the authorities thought all the bodies in the water were spoiling the beauty of this tier? I tried to find out, but nobody could tell me.

The next waterfall up at the fourth level is called Oke Nanh Phee Suar and is the least impressive of all the tiers. It’s quite a steep climb up over 200 metres from the third level, so for many people who are not very fit, the third level is usually as far as they go. And then from the fourth to the fifth levels is the longest and toughest climb, so you should really make the decision whether to continue once you’ve finished viewing Pha Nam Tok.

If you do decide to go on, then be prepared for some tough climbing over 450 metres in distance over concrete pathways and concrete steps – some of which are very steep in places – and also some wooden boardwalks and wooden steps.

Along the way you will pass a sacred tree where there is a clothes rack and mannequins dressed in Thai traditional clothing. These have been placed there to placate the ghosts and spirits that Thais believe inhabit the forest.

The fifth level waterfall is known as Buar Mai Long. It’s another multi-level waterfall that’s quite picturesque but not as grand as some of the others. If you’ve brought your life jacket up with you, then you can swim in the pool here to cool off. A lot of visitors walk across the top of Buar Mai Long and there seems to be no restriction on doing that (although not recommended if it’s raining in case of flash floods).

Be aware that getting into the pools below these waterfalls can be quite a slippery experience, so if you are visiting on your own it’s best to only attempt that if there are other people around. If you were to slip and hit your head on a rock, you could easily be knocked unconscious with nobody there to help.

If you make it to the fifth level, then you definitely should not give up after that, but the hike between the fifth and sixth levels – a distance of about 350 metres – can be a little tricky if there are not a lot of people around because the path through the forest is not very clearly marked in places.

It’s unlikely that you will get lost on this trail, but you may have to pause in a few places to confirm that you are still on the hiking path. You’ll have to negotiate a lot of tree roots and boulders along some sections which may be slippery if there has been recent rain.

Around this area there are signs indicating that there are oriental whipsnakes (only mildly venomous to humans) and colourful planthoppers in the forest, but I didn’t see any. Probably you need to be there early in the day to see any wildlife. The fish in the pools were the only living things I saw aside from the human tourists.

About halfway between the fifth and sixth levels there is a viewpoint on the right for another waterfall that is not designated as a tier but is quite picturesque. The sixth level is known as Dong Pruk Sa and is a series of small waterfalls off to the right of the hiking track and spread over quite a wide area. You can walk between them on wooden boardwalks.

The hike up to the top level is only 250 metres, but it’s up steep wooden steps and there is a small stream to cross on the way, so ensure you have suitable footwear if you are visiting in the rainy season when water levels are at their highest. Swimming with life jackets is also permitted at the top level.

The seventh tier is called Phu Pha Erawan and is quite an impressive waterfall in that the water appears to be coming off the top of the mountain and then tumbles down over large boulders and vegetation into the pool below. There’s a ‘You are the conqueror’ sign by the pool at Phu Pha Erawan if you feel like taking a selfie to commemorate your accomplishment.

An accomplishment it was, because for a person of my age it was quite an exhausting climb in the tropical heat. If there had been one more tier I would have given up at that point, because I had consumed all my water and I doubt I could have climbed any further. However, I felt very satisfied that I had achieved it.

I didn’t stay long at the top level because there were a lot of annoying midges around and I’d forgotten to bring insect repellent. I later read on some of the Google Maps reviews for the Erawan Waterfall that there were a lot of mosquitoes at the top tier, but fortunately I didn’t encounter those in the middle of the day.

I was told at the visitor centre that the hike up takes one and a quarter hours and 30 minutes to come down, but it actually took me nearly two hours to go up (although I stopped to take photographs more often than perhaps the average visitor would). It took me 45 minutes to come down because I didn’t want to rush carrying my camera gear, and then I cooled off in the river when I got back down to Lai Keun Lung.

The entrance fee to the Erawan Waterfall is 300 baht. The ticket office opens at 8 am and closes at 4 pm, but if you want to hike to the upper tier you will need to leave the Visitor Centre by at least 2 pm because rangers close the top tier at 3.30 pm and then slowly move down the falls asking people to leave. Official closing time is 4.30 pm but many visitors report that the rangers don’t rush to clear people from the lower levels, and sometimes it’s after 5 pm before the gates are closed.

Most tourist guidebooks and travel blogs recommend visiting Erawan Waterfall between September and December as that is when the falls are most spectacular. My visit was in the last week of August and I was lucky because there was good water flow over all of the tiers. However, a travel blogger friend who visited in August in a previous year told me that Phu Pha Erawan was completely dry when he was there.

During the dry season you will still find water in the pools but it’s likely that Phu Pha Erawan will be dry and only limited water flow over the lower tiers. Despite that, the Erawan Waterfall is still picturesque at any time of the year, and I was informed that the aquamarine colour of the pools below each tier is more intense when there is less water flow.

The only time of the year when I would not recommend a visit is March to May. Those are the hottest months with the least water flow and daytime temperatures can easily reach 37°C. And it’s always best to go during the week as many locals visit at the weekends.

As I mentioned at the start of this article, a visit to Erawan Waterfall is best combined with visits to other places in Kanchanaburi Province, but if you only have a day to spare and want to do it as a day trip from Bangkok, the most comfortable way to achieve that is to hire a rental car or a car with a driver if you don’t want to drive yourself.

If you are travelling as a couple and can find another couple to join you, an economical way to do that is to hire an SUV with driver through Bookaway. The price is usually around 3,600-3,800 baht each way, so split between four passengers that would work out at 1,800-1,900 baht per person for the return trip. That price includes pickup from any hotel in Bangkok.

All images & videos: © David Astley