Erawan waterfall, and with it the park of the same name, can be safely called one of the most beautiful places in Thailand. It takes tourists from all over the world. Maybe join in ?!
Park Overview
Erawan Park, also called the 12th National Park of Thailand, is 65 km from Kanchanaburi Province. Despite the fact that the waterfall itself and the surrounding landscapes have existed for hundreds of years, they were able to turn into a protected zone relatively recently – only in 1975. In the park, which occupies more than 500 square meters. km, there are many different exotic animals. Among them, lizards, elephants, deers, tigers, wild boars, gibbons, king cobras, etc. can be noted. True, most of them hide in the forest thickets, because you can only see them sometimes. The feathered “detachment” of the park is no less curious. Pheasants, blue birds, Corydalis and snake-eaters, cuckoos and parrots – all these birds scurry about before our eyes!
Separately, it is worth mentioning about the monkeys of the park. Macaques perfectly adapted to life near the water and even learned to swim. Despite numerous warnings from the administration of the park, tourists are happy to feed them with various goodies. However, here be extremely careful. Local monkeys are big hooligans. They not only steal packages directly from their hands, but also remove jewelry and various trinkets from vacationers.
It should also be noted the unique nature of Thailand National Park. Erawan lies on limestone hills, the height of which ranges from 165 to 996 m above sea level. They protect the park from the eastern monsoon, so on average there is a little less rain. Another feature of the complex is deciduous, evergreen and dipterocarp forests, occupying up to 80% of the entire territory. But perhaps the main pride of this place is the waterfall, which received its name in honor of the mythical three-headed elephant. It will be discussed further.
Erawan Waterfall
The Erawan Waterfall in Thailand, which flows into a rainforest with wild orchids, is a truly unique sight. It is immediately formed by 2 huge rivers – Omtala and Mongalai. Their main advantage is the presence of calcium carbonate, due to which water in the waterfall shimmers with all shades of green.
Erawan consists of 7 cascades, the height and length of which are 831 and 1700 m, respectively. Each of them has its own characteristics:
- 1 tier. Climbing the waterfall with bags and pets is strictly prohibited, so they will have to be left in specially equipped places;
- 2 tier. At this stage of the journey, you will have to get rid of all the food supplies. You are allowed to take only water bottles with you (1 per person);
- 3 tier. This place is ideal for swimming. If you are not confident in your abilities, rent a swimming vest. At the end of water procedures, you can go to the shower, and then change clothes;
- 4 tier. If you look at the photos of the Erawan Falls, taken from a height, you can easily notice large blocks of stones that look like a chest. It is here that you can take better pictures, swim and dive;
- 5 tier. The main feature of this cascade is 2 thresholds. But to get on them, you have to overcome the wooden walkways. Do not forget to bring comfortable shoes with you – they simply slip on;
- 6 tier. As a rule, most tourists finish their acquaintance with the Erawan waterfall at this level. Despite the fact that it is not too comfortable for swimming, it is possible to get excellent peeling from fish from the Pla Pluang family here;
- 7 tier. To get to this place, you need to climb the tall cliff along the rickety bamboo stairs. It is very difficult to do this, so not all tourists get here. They say that 7 cascades were chosen by nudists.
Erawan Park Caves in Thailand
Numerous grottoes scattered throughout the complex deserve no less attention. Each of them has its own unique mystery.
This cave can be called one of the most popular tourist spots in Erawan Park. The entrance to Ta Duang is located on the side of the mountain, located near the village of Ta Tung. To get to it, you will have to overcome about 900 m. At the same time, you should be extremely careful, since stone collapses occur very often. However, tourists are ready to overcome any difficulties in order to see with their own eyes old wall paintings, stone tools, clay utensils and other archaeological finds.
Vang Badan is a large limestone grotto, which can be penetrated only through a narrow passage. The popularity of this place is due to two factors at once. Firstly, inside the grotto there are several niches with sparkling stones similar to mythical creatures. And secondly, one of the underground rivers flows here, carrying its waters far beyond Kanchanaburi.
Rua Cave, located at a depth of 50 m, became famous thanks to the unique artifacts found here more than 100 years ago. One of them is wooden sarcophagi made in the form of boats and decorated with images of human heads. These findings give the cave a terrifying look and make it look like the scenery for a science fiction film.
Mee, whose name is translated from Thai as “bear”, is located at the southern end of the park. The grotto is quite large – it has at its disposal as many as 5 spacious halls, inside of which there are outlandish sculptures made of stones and stalactites. You can get to this place from the village of Tap Sila, but for this you will have to go as much as 7 km.
Phra Tat, whose entire space is occupied by calcareous rocks, is located at an altitude of 730 m above sea level. The grotto is a real rock garden, in the heart of which there is a stalactite similar to a stupa.
Trekking trails
Another feature of Erawan Falls in Thailand is marked trails for walking. The simplest of them, asphalt, originates from the bus stop and leads to the second tier. Here you can see the homes of spiders, squirrels and monitor lizards.
The second tracking trail is located between the third and fourth threshold (look for the arrow to the left). There are a lot of branches on it, and at the end of the path you will find a noisy rainforest. It takes at least an hour to overcome this path (if you don’t wander too much).
The third path, located between the fourth and fifth cascades, runs through a bamboo forest and rises uphill. Here you will find a steep climb that can take away all your strength.
In addition, there are many routes on the territory of the complex that are not marked with markers or signs. One of them is the path of Khao Hin Lan Pii, passing near the fifth threshold of the Erawan Falls. Climbing it will take at least 3 hours.
How to get from Pattaya?
Erawan Falls in Thailand can be reached in two ways. Let’s consider each of them.
You can get to the park by public transport with or without transfers. In the first case, you first need to get to Bangkok South Station. There are several comfortable buses from the North Station of Pattaya. A ticket costs up to 100 baht, travel time – 2 hours. Then you need to transfer to municipal transport to the village of Kanchanaburi. Ticket price – 50 baht. The journey takes about 1.5 hours. Buses depart every 60 minutes, but during the day they have a long break, so it’s better to check the schedule in advance.
If you plan to take a direct flight from Pattaya to Kanchanaburi, find the bus station located at the intersection of 3rd and Central Street. Here you can buy a ticket 2-3 days before the trip. Its price is about 400 baht. The road will take at least 7 hours. 2 buses depart from the station per day: one in the morning, the second in the evening.
This method is the easiest. All that is required of you is to buy a two-day tour, during which you can immediately see two attractions of Thailand – a waterfall and the river Kwai. The program worked out quite well. During these days, you will visit unusual museums and conservation areas, spend the night at a hotel on the water, ride on rafts and enjoy the beautiful natural landscapes. At the same time, about 3 hours are allowed to visit the waterfall itself. The cost of the tour is about 2 thousand baht.
Practical information
- Erawan National Park in Thailand is open daily from 08.00 to 16.30. However, the cleaning of the upper level of the waterfall begins around 15.00, so you may be asked to go down to the lower tiers a little earlier than the specified time.
- The cost of admission for adults is 300 TNV, for children – 200 TNV.
- To clarify the information, go to the official website of Erawan Park: https://www.thainationalparks.com/erawan-national-park.
Useful Tips
Those who plan to enjoy the beauties of Erawan Park in Thailand will surely find these useful tips useful:
- The largest number of visitors falls on weekends and holidays, so if you want to avoid a large crowd, choose a more relaxing time for the visit;
- From April 13 to 15, Songkran, the annual festival, is held in the park, during which water fights are held on all 7 tiers of the waterfall. Once on this holiday, take care of special impermeable covers for cameras and mobile phones;
- You can move around the park both on foot and on a rented bicycle (20 TNV);
- In addition, sleeping bags (25 TNV), double and triple tents (150 and 250 TNV, respectively), pillows (10 TNV) and sleeping mats (20 TNV) can be rented in the tourist center area;
- Remember that outside level 2 it is forbidden to eat food and drinks brought with you. If you want to drink, buy a bottle of water – it costs 20 baht. The money will then be returned to you in exchange for an empty container. This is done so that tourists do not leave mountains of garbage;
- The best time to visit Erawan Park is in the early morning – then there are fewer people;
- When planning a trip, do not forget to clarify the weather forecast. The fact is that from May to October in Thailand it often rains, and from February to April there is a terrible heat, which also does not favor long walks. Therefore, the ideal option for exploring Erawan is the so-called cold season, which lasts from November to January.
Erawan Waterfall is worth a visit for tourists who want to not only lazily relax on the beaches in Thailand, but also see the exotic beauty of the country.
A short video about a trip to Erawan Park.
