Erawan Falls Overview

 

The Erawan falls are located in the Erawan national park.

The Erawan national park is located in western Thailand, in the Kanchanaburi province. The main attraction are the Erawan falls, of which there are 7 different levels to explore.

This Erawan Falls guide is going to focus on the Erawan Falls, named after the three-headed white elephant from Hindu mythology, Erawan.

I visited the Erawan Falls in November, which is considered one of the peak seasons to visit and I will share some tips at the end of the Erawan Falls guide regarding how to get the falls to yourself, towards the end of the Erawan Falls guide.

Firstly this Erawan Falls guide will briefly explain how to visit the falls.

Secondly this Erawan Falls guide will show you each of the 7 levels and give you some basic information on walking times between them.

Lastly, which of the 7 Erawan Falls is the best?

I will try to cover this as quickly as possible without all the fluff.

Full disclosure, wasn’t sure whether to put photos first or give the basic overview first, but if you want to skip to anything click the Erawan Falls Guide table of contents and skip forward to whatever is relevant to you.

If you want to see Thailand’s tallest waterfall, well I have been there too and have covered it over here in the Thi Lo Su waterfall tour post.

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Erawan Falls Video

To make the Erawan Falls guide even more complete I have also got this video*. Sometimes things are better shown in video than they can be through blogs and photos, so check it out and let me know what you think.

There are also a bunch of other things to do in Kanchanaburi that are covered in the video as well. However having been a rushed trip I will not be writing a post about Kanchanaburi at this stage.

 

Erawan Falls Guide

 

Let’s get this Erawan Falls guide started with some quick-fire facts.

Where are the Erawan Falls

 

The Erawan Falls are located in the Erawan national park, in the Kanchanaburi province of Thailand.

See the below image for the location of Erawan Falls at a large scale, it is located in mid-western Thailand.

See further down this Erawan Falls guide for a closer look at the location when we discuss how long it takes to get there from Kanchanaburi.

Where should I stay to visit the Erawan falls?

 

Kanchanaburi, end of story.

Or closer if there is something on offer that you like the look of.

Don’t visit from Bangkok for 2 hours, spend a full day here.

How to get to Kanchanaburi?

 

Catch a bus.

I can’t list the times and prices of every different option around Thailand as they’re endless but from Bangkok it is about 2 hours on a bus, the buses will cost you about ฿150 ($7 AUD).

These are small minibuses so if you are backpacking with a massive bag and you’re travelling with mates who are doing the same, buy a ticket for your bag, there is no storage on the bus, it’s cheap as chips and guarantees you space to yourself and that you don’t piss off other travellers.

Visit 12go and get a ticket, it’s all legit and above board, I use them all the time.

 

The area looks like it is from a fairytale.

How to get from Kanchanaburi to the Erawan Falls?

 

Look my personal recommendation here is to rent a scooter or a motorbike.

There are buses that run for dirt cheap but you won’t be able to beat the crowds.

You can pay for private cars but you’re looking at a minimum of ฿1600 ($73 AUD / $47 USD) which can be shared by 2 people.

Otherwise an SUV is ~฿1900 and a minivan ~฿2400.

This is to get to and from the falls from Kanchanaburi, this won’t allow you to visit any other nearby attractions or give you any freedom.

See here for private car prices.

Scooters can be had from ฿200-350/day depending on what size you get and how many days you rent them.

I personally went with a larger sized scooter to get to and from these locations faster and in more comfort.

How long does it take to get to Erawan Falls from Kanchanaburi?

 

Times differ greatly here.

If you are confident on the scooter and get a slightly larger engine you can do it in an hour and ten minutes, but this will mean travelling at 90-100km/h consistently. It gets quite cold and you should wear a jacket if you leave in the early morning.

This speed will use a lot of fuel and you will likely need to refill once, but there are petrol stations near the falls and this shouldn’t be an issue.

If you get the cheaper scooters and/or are not so confident on the roads then allow an hour and a half of travel time.

How much does it cost to visit Erawan Falls

 

The entry fee for foriegners is ฿300 and for those of you who ride a scooter/motorbike here that will cost you ฿20 to enter.

It’s honestly nothing considering what you can see and do.

Is there parking at Erawan falls national park?

 

There is a lot of parking here, for cars, bikes, buses, whatever. Parking is not a worry.

When to visit Erawan Falls?

 

There’s a few ways to interpret this so I will just cover all of them for this Erawan falls guide. The best time of day, the best time during the week and the best time of the year (see below).

What time of day to visit Erawan falls?

 

The falls are open from 08:00 until 16:30. The trail between #4 and #7 will close at 16:00.

This shouldn’t be an issue for you because if you want to see the best of this place you need to arrive bang on opening time!

What day to visit Erawan falls?

 

Come on a weekday if you can plan it that way, if you can’t don’t worry, still come but it is just less busy during the week. The Thai people love to visit this place as well so avoiding the weekend can slightly improve the chances of big crowds.

What time of year to visit Erawan Falls?

 

The peak period is after the rainy season but before everything gets too dry. This means that September – December is the best time of year to visit Erawan Falls.

After December some of the falls can dry up, before September you may get rained on and the water flow may be too much which can make the falls look dirty or prevent swimming.

The photos you see in this Erawan Falls guide were taken in November, all photos are from my visit.

Every year is different and there are no guarantees that each month will be the same every year.

What do I need to bring to Erawan Falls?

 

Bring bathers, sun protection, water, shoes to walk in, a towel if you don’t want to drip dry, a backpack and some money.

There is food at the entrance that is well priced and to me tasted good. There are also vendors selling snacks, drinks, desserts etc.

You don’t need much in the way of cash outside of your entry fee but I would bring a bit for food and drink. I brought water with me.

Drink water before you start the hike so you are well hydrated before setting off, especially in the hotter seasons.

How far do I have to walk between the 7 levels of Erawan Falls?

 

See the signs below for the distances between the falls.

For those who can’t see the images, the distances from the sign (which is about 500m into the trail):

  1. 20m
  2. 170m
  3. 220m
  4. 520m
  5. 1,120m
  6. 1,420m
  7. 1,550m

 

How long does it take to walk between all 7 levels?

 

Without stopping you could do the entrance to Erawan Falls 7 in about half an hour.

I did the walk in about 2 hours, stopping to take photos and filming for the video at the top of this Erawan Falls guide. On the way back down from 7 to the scooter it took me 45 minutes but this included me stopping for a swim.

The 7 Levels of Erawan Falls

 

Now for the more interesting part of the Erawan falls guide, the waterfalls themselves and the pictures to hopefully inspire you.

There are 7 levels to the Erawan falls, each “level” has more than one tier to its waterfall area.

You cannot start the trail until 08:00 but it pays to get there early, buy your entry ticket and be ready at the trail head to get going as soon as it opens.

Erawan Falls 1 – Lai Kun Rang

 

The first level is one of the best.

This level can be accessed with a golf cart service if you are unable to walk. The walk itself is easy and flat on a concrete path.

See fullscreen image below for Erawan Falls 1.

 

DISTANCE FROM ENTRANCE

500m

DISTANCE FROM PREVIOUS WATERFALL

N/A

Lai Kun Rang

Shot on the Sony A1 using the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 (Amazon/eBay link)

Erawan Falls 2 – Wang Mat Cha

 

The second level is very close to the first.

Plenty of room for a swim and not far from the entrance. Again this is easy to walk to and is all flat.

 

DISTANCE FROM ENTRANCE

650m

DISTANCE FROM PREVIOUS WATERFALL

150m

Shot on the Sony A1 using the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 (Amazon/eBay link)

Erawan Falls 3 – Pha Nam Tok

 

The third waterfall is possibly the most beautiful of the lot. Check out the photo below to see what I mean.

There are a tiny amount of stairs for this one and you may pass a checkpoint which will make you pay ฿20/ bottle of water, you get the money back when you leave and show that you still have the bottle.

I had my water in a water bladder so this was not an issue.

This waterfall has a large pool for swimming and can accommodate a lot of people.

 

DISTANCE FROM ENTRANCE

700m

DISTANCE FROM PREVIOUS WATERFALL

50m

Pha Nam Tok

Shot on the Sony A1 using the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 (Amazon/eBay link)

Erawan Falls 4 – Oke Nang Phee Sue

 

The 4th level at Erawan falls was my least favourite of the lot. I did not spend much time here.

There are some stairs again leading up to these falls.

 

DISTANCE FROM ENTRANCE

1,000m

DISTANCE FROM PREVIOUS WATERFALL

300m

Erawan Falls 5 – Buar Mai Long 

 

To me this rivals number three as one of the most beautiful of the waterfalls. There is a large area here for swimming and it can accommodate a lot of different people in different pools.

In the leadup to 5, before you get there you cross a nice bridge which gives great opportunity for photos.

 

DISTANCE FROM ENTRANCE

1,600m

DISTANCE FROM PREVIOUS WATERFALL

600m

Buar Mai Long

Shot on the Sony A1 using the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 (Amazon/eBay link)

Erawan Falls 6 – Dong Pruk Sa

 

The 6th level can be found at an intersection with the stairs to number 7, to the right is 6, to the left the climb up to 7.

The 6th waterfall doesn’t really have anywhere to swim and is one of the lesser levels in my opinion.

 

DISTANCE FROM ENTRANCE

1,900m

DISTANCE FROM PREVIOUS WATERFALL

300m

Erawan Falls 7 – Phu Pha Erawan

 

Phu Pha Erawan, the waterfall to which the park was named after, you’ve made it!

These falls are quite impressive and are the most challenging to get to. They’re not super hard, it’s just a few steps and the jungle is humid that’s all. There’s no difficult scrambling, the whole climb is a stairway.

There might be a tiny bit of rock hopping or wading to get to the bottom of the stairs depending on the season.

When you’re here you can have a swim but to me this isn’t the best for a swim.

 

DISTANCE FROM ENTRANCE

2,030m

DISTANCE FROM PREVIOUS WATERFALL

130m

Phu Pha Erawan

Shot on the Sony A1 using the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 (Amazon/eBay link)

Erawan Falls Guide Summary

 

What sort of Erawan  Falls guide would it be if I didn’t try pass on some knowledge from my own experiences!

The best way to see Erawan falls

 

You should rent a scooter and you should be here before the opening time. Allow extra time because riding might take you longer than you planned.

This place gets busy and fast.

If you want any sort of time with the waterfalls to yourself you want to be here early, ready to start walking at 08:00 sharp.

This way you can also see Phra That cave on the same day, without rushing any of it. Phra That cave is free if you do it the same day that you do Erawan Falls just make sure to hold onto your ฿300 entry ticket to show at the cave.

How to get photos at Erawan Falls without people in them?

 

This ties into the above point so I will spell out my own experiences.

First, try to pick a week day if you can. I was there in November which is peak season for Erawan falls and I was not able to choose my day to visit due to a tight schedule but luckily for me it was Friday.

I was there at the open, with my ticket, waiting for the staff to let me in. There were about 6 other people (3 separate groups of 2).

1 couple got the golf cart service, 1 couple walked straight past waterfall 1 and headed straight for waterfall 7. This left me and another couple of older tourists who were at waterfalls 1, 2 and 3 at the same time, but were able to move out of each other’s way and share the space.

As I left for 4 they stayed at 3 and I didn’t see them again, in fact I didn’t see anyone until I got to 5 where I stopped for a while to take photos, but the people who passed were just heading straight to level 7.

When I got to level 7 there were about 6 people there including the first couple who were now leaving having probably had it to themselves for an hour. As most people were swimming off to the side I got a few photos but also had to use Photoshop to delete some people walking through the frame at level 7.

So for me it was best to do 1 through to 7 in order and there is nobody there for any of it until 7. If you go straight to 7 and work backwards you will probably get a similar experience but by the time you get back to somewhere between 5 and 3 it will definitely be packed full of people.

Which waterfall at Erawan Falls is the best?

 

This is hard to answer because do you want the best to swim at? The best to take photos at? The most peaceful?

My favourite was 5, this is where I chose to swim on the way back down after having seen them all.

7 and 3 would be my next favourites, 3 is possibly the most photogenic of all of the waterfalls.

4 and 6 are the least impressive of the falls.

1 and 2 are great but with such easy access they fill up fast and are overcrowded.

Summary

 

Visit.

That’s the advice of this Erawan Falls guide.

Even if it was the dry season, I would visit if I was already exploring Kanchanaburi but perhaps I wouldn’t go out of my way to get to Erawan from elsewhere in the country if there was not going to be water flow.

 

Extra activity – Phra That Cave

 

Visit Phra That cave, see the video for what to expect as I only took video and no photos.

The climb up is difficult though and will take a long time if you are unfit as the jungle is humid and the steps go on for a long way.

It’s not the best cave in Southeast Asia by a long shot but if you do it the same day you get free entry with your Erawan National park ticket.

It’s a silent tour with torches, so you won’t learn much, but the cave is cool with minimal development and as such is still home to thousands and thousands of bats.

Ok, that ends the Erawan Falls guide, any questions feel free to comment but I will reply more quickly to comments on the Youtube video as I am more frequently checking there.

Cheers and safe travels!

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