Experiences

Khao Ra Waterfall

Small jungle waterfall · Ban Madeua Wan, island interior · about 6 km, 15 min by scooter to the trailhead, then a walk in on foot

A small fall on the stream that runs off Khao Ra, the highest hill on the island, reached on foot from the tracks that start inland at Ban Madeua Wan. It sees far fewer people than the national park waterfalls, partly because nothing is signposted and the path is easy to lose after rain. Wear shoes with grip and carry more water than feels necessary.

Only worth the walk during or shortly after the rainy season, roughly October to January. It is usually dry from March through July.

Paradise Waterfall

Jungle pool, rope swing · Chaloklum · about 9 km, 20-25 min by scooter, with a steep rutted 500 m track at the end

The turn off the Chaloklum road is signed, but the last five hundred metres is a steep rutted track and plenty of people leave the bike at the bottom and walk. What waits is a broad jungle pool with a rope swing over it, and the waterfall proper about forty minutes further up the path. Thirty baht at the gate.

Needs recent rain. Dependable from about October to January; by the late dry season the pool goes still and shallow.

Phaeng Noi Waterfall

National park waterfall · Phaeng, central island · about 7 km, 15-20 min by scooter

The first waterfall inside the national park gate, about fifty metres from the car park, so you can be standing under it a minute after taking your helmet off. The pool at the base is shallow and cold, and the path keeps climbing from here to Phaeng Yai and on to the Domsila viewpoint if you have the legs for it. There is no entry fee.

Best during or just after the rainy season, roughly October to January. From March to July it often runs dry.

Pho Darng Waterfall

Roadside jungle pools · Than Sadet, east coast · about 19 km, 45-60 min by scooter

The easiest of the Than Sadet waterfalls to reach - park across the road and walk a minute down the steps into the trees. Water slides between huge granite boulders into a chain of pools deep enough to sit in, and you can scramble upstream to find quieter ones. The rocks stay slippery even in full sun, so take it slowly.

Best from October to January, during and just after the rains. From March to July the pools drop and the falls can slow to a trickle.

Photo: lanjan · CC BY-SA 3.0

Than Sadet Waterfall

Royal river cascades · Than Sadet, east coast · about 18 km, 45-60 min by scooter; the last descent into the valley is steep

The river here drops through a three kilometre run of falls and pools that King Rama V came back to often enough, between 1888 and 1909, to leave his initials carved in the boulders. It is the most reliable water on the island, and the walk upstream from the road rewards anyone happy to pick a line over wet rock. The road down into the valley is steep enough that a nervous scooter rider should think twice.

Holds water longer than most falls on the island, but still at its best during or shortly after the rainy season, roughly October to January.

Photo: Alexey Komarov · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wang Sai Waterfall

Rocky waterfall park · Mae Haad · about 9 km, 20-25 min up the west coast road

A ten minute walk down through palms and jungle from the Mae Haad road brings you to a wide rocky basin where the water spills over flat granite into a series of pools. It is one of the quieter waterfalls on this side of the island and the fifty baht entry keeps the numbers down. Mae Haad beach and the Koh Ma sandbar are two minutes further along the road.

Best from August to January, during and just after the rains. It largely dries up from late March onward.