Erawan Falls
📍 Kanchanaburi, Si Sawat
Seven tiers of waterfall descending through jungle, each pooling into water so improbably turquoise it looks dyed — swim in most of them, while resident fish nibble your feet whether invited or not.
Thailand has hundreds of waterfalls; Erawan is the one whose photos get accused of being photoshopped.
Why It’s Interesting
The falls step down through seven distinct tiers over about a kilometer and a half of jungle trail, and every tier pools into water the color of a swimming-pool advertisement — a genuine mineral effect from the limestone the river dissolves, which also builds the smooth travertine shelves and natural water-slides between pools. Most tiers allow swimming, shared with schools of soro brook carp that treat human feet as an exfoliation buffet. The park named the top tier for Erawan, the three-headed elephant of Hindu myth, whose shape the final formation is said to resemble. Go early, climb straight to the top tiers first, and work your way down as the day-trip crowds fill the bottom ones.
Best Time to Visit
November-April for the clearest, bluest water (rainy season churns it); weekday mornings are far quieter. The trail’s upper half closes mid-afternoon.
Getting There
About 65km north of Kanchanaburi town — local buses run to the park entrance in about 1.5 hours, or drive; Kanchanaburi itself (and its Bridge on the River Kwai) is 2-3 hours from Bangkok.
🐿️ Cinnamon was here
Field report
Seven tiers of waterfall, each pooling into water so turquoise it looks rendered, climbing a jungle hillside in Kanchanaburi — and you can swim in most of them. I heard about Erawan from a park ranger's daughter who rated the tiers like albums. She was right that tier five is the best one.
I swam. Well: I fell in with intent. The resident fish immediately began nibbling my feet, which is either a free spa treatment or a taste test, and I have chosen not to investigate further. The hike to the seventh tier is sweaty and worth it; the crowds thin with every tier you climb.
Go early, wear real shoes, guard your snacks — the macaques here run an organized crime syndicate and they know what's in your bag.
— Cinnamon 🐿️
📸 Cinnamon's camera roll
Snapshots from our very good boy on the road.
Where it is
You might also like
Sai Yok Noi Waterfall
Hellfire Pass Memorial
Tham Krasae & the Wang Pho Viaduct
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Nearby discoveries
River Kwai Floating Raft Restaurants
The Giant Rain Tree (Chamchuri Giant Tree)
Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave Temple, Kanchanaburi)
Khao Bin Cave (Tham Khao Bin)
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