Visiting Erawan National Park Thailand

One of the many site seeing trips I took while visiting Thailand was a visit to Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi Province. I spent one entire day visiting this stunning piece of natural beauty, if you have time in your schedule to visit this National Park, I recommend this adventure because of the astonishing experience you will encounter. It is no wonder that Erawan Falls are Thailand's most visited Waterfalls. This review will give you tips and highlight my most memorable moments while exploring this natural wonder.

General Tips

Be prepared for crowds, this is a very popular spot!

Bring drinking water and be advised that you will have to pay a 40 baht water bottle deposit which will be refunded upon leaving and disposing of the empty bottle. This practice is used to keep a handle on the litter inside the Park.

Bring a swim suit. There are many splendid swimming spots.

Bring sun block, sun glasses and a hat!

Bring a camera. You will be amazed at the many perfect photo opportunities you will encounter.

Keep a close eye on your possessions at the swimming sites.

Be mindful of monkeys!!! Yes there are many monkeys and they will steal your belongings!

Wear comfortable walking shoes.

There are showers located at the restrooms at the entrance as well as the first tier. After swimming you will want to shower off. The mineral content is very high and your skin will itch if you do not shower.

Getting There

Erawan National Park is located 65 kilometers from Kanchanaburi. To get to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok our group of 6 people hired a van to take us directly to the Park. This mode of transportation more costly than taking the public transportation system but I have to say it was comfortable, air-conditioned and carefree. Many transportation companies offer this service and are priced competitively. Bangkok Airport-Transfer.Com is one company that offers such a service. Public busses leave Bangkok every 15 minutes from the southern bus terminal and trains depart from the Noi Station twice daily with arrivals to Kanchanaburi. Once in Kanchanaburi you can take another public bus to the National Park for 40 baht. ($1.25)

Arrival

At the time of my visit the Park entrance fee was 200 baht for adults ($6.25) and 100 baht for children ($3.15).

Tip: Once you start your trek on the Erawan Waterfall Trail be mindful of the photographer sitting along the path taking photos of each visitor entering the trail. Our group paid no attention to him because he didn't ask us if we wanted our picture taken. So, when we exited the Park and were offered a souvenir plate with our photo on it, we had to turn the purchase down because the photos were horrible. This would be a unique souvenir for the tourist who is paying attention and poses for the camera!

Hiking the Waterfall Trail

The trail that follows the 7 tiers of Erawan Falls is about a 2 kilometer long hike, one way. It is steep and slippery in spots, so be careful of your footing. It is not too rugged or slippery that you will not be able to enjoy the exotic tropical foliage, exciting wildlife and the picturesque clear blue water cascading down the rocks of the falls while hiking. This hike will give you the jungle atmosphere you are longing for on your visit to Thailand. The foliage is green and lush along the trail and draws your attention to the tree tops where you will see a great deal of wildlife including monkeys!
Spotting my first wild monkey is a memory I will never forget! There it was, jumping from tree to tree and then coming up so close to me I was able to capture the perfect photo.

Tier 2 waterfall is very popular because it is a large pool and has spots under the falls where you can stand underneath the rushing water. But because of its popularity it is also very crowded, so we pressed on until we reached Tier 4. Tier 4 was occupied but not near as many visitors swimming in its deep blue pool compared to tier 2. It was shady, inviting and had 2 natural rock slides gushing down in front. The water felt so refreshing after the hike up to this point. Another wildlife moment was captured during the swim in this crystal clear pool; large fish began nibbling on our feet and legs! This is the most peculiar feeling; ticklish but not funny, in fact a little bit creepy, but not to miss! People actually pay money in Thailand to have fish eat the dead skin off of their feet. Here at Erawan Falls you can experience this unusual sensation in nature for free!

Of course we had to hike all the way to the top and I am so glad we did. Along the way I encountered more monkeys, colorful butterflies, and a gigantic water monitor sunning on a rock. Monkeys are not hard to spot, they are very noticeable. But other wildlife sightings require a watchful eye to observe. Almost everyone in our group walked right past the huge water monitor that was soaking up the sun. We also observed a smaller golden lizard, more fish and Spirit Trees. Spirit Trees are thought to have spirits inhabiting them. The trees are decorated with Buddhas, brightly colored fabrics, ribbons, clothing, toys and trinkets.

The hike from tier 6 up to the top at tier 7 is the steepest of the entire trek. But do not give up! It is worth the extra exertion to reach the top. A tremendous benefit of hiking to the top is the crowds thin down considerably. It was very peaceful at tier 7. The rock formation at the top of the falls is said to resemble the head of Erawan, a three headed elephant god. At this spot we were able to go underneath the falls but the area was not very large, so we needed to sit down, we could not stand up while behind the cascading water. There is a medium size pool at the base of the falls to swim in and cool down before the long trek back down.

The hike down was more difficult than hiking up. I actually wore flip flops on this hike and was proud of myself for such an accomplishment. But, "the smart hiker" will remember to wear comfortable walking shoes.

More Activities

Erawan National Park also has 5 different caves that you can explore. These caves consist of strange-shaped stalactites and stalagmites and limestone formations. Our time schedule did not allow for this excursion.

Bungalows can be reserved for overnight accommodations from 1,200 baht a night ($37.50). The Erawan National Park website offers online reservations. There is a food court located right outside the Park entrance for snacks or a full meal. We ate a typical Thai meal in the outdoor food court after our day of adventure and thought the food was good and prices reasonable.

Final Safety Note:
At the time of writing there is civil unrest in Thailand and it is quite dangerous for tourists visiting the Bangkok area especially. It is important to check the US Department of State Traveler's Warnings and Alerts website anytime you are planning an international trip. Current situations are always changing and by using this website you will have the most current travel safety information available.

Source: http://web2.dnp.go.th (National Parks of Thailand)