Erawan Falls is on the top of today’s agenda, one of the jewels of the province of Kanchanaburi. We also decided to check out of our hotel and decide later whether we’d head back to Bangkok later to pick up my passport and Crystal’s prescription sunglasses. It is only 130 km away, so not such a big deal.
Instead of making instant coffee and having the yogurt and granola we packed, we decided to go to a coffee shop we had walked by the day before.
We are so glad we did, because our food was really good at Cinnamon Coffee. Crystal said it was one of the best omelettes she’s had since she has been in Thailand. They decorated our meals with tiny flowers, and the shop was cool and relaxing. It was a great way to start the day!
We decided to go to Erawan Falls, about 65 km west of Kanchanaburi, and then go back to Bangkok for the night. We figured we’d only be at Erawan Falls for an hour or so, then drive back. How wrong we were!
I hadn’t looked thoroughly at what was involved in hiking up Erawan Falls, and it ended up being a half-day trek up the chain of falls, and back. It was totally worthwhile, as it is truly an amazing place! There is a good reason why the marketing slogan for the country is Amazing Thailand. There are so many places here where this word is appropriate.
If you have mobility issues, you can still visit Erawan Falls, which is a series of seven falls. The first two seem to be most easily accessible, but after that it gets progressively more difficult. The first two may even be wheelchair accessible, but you may want to verify to make sure.
The trail is, generally, dry and there are many walkways, but some of the steps are large, and inconsistent. Near the top it gets rocky, and you will be navigating cracks in the rock on the trail. It’s not too bad, but I wouldn’t recommend flip flops. I went up in a good pair of sandals and it was fine.
The map indicates that it is about 1.5 kilometres to the top, but the distance feels quite a bit longer, and there is quite an elevation gain.
It is mid-December, and there is a lot of water coming down, so the falls were in their full glory. This is an ideal time to go because rainy season is mostly over, and the falls are still falls. This applies to much of Thailand. In the dry season you might skip visiting falls because there are no falls to see in many places!
As I indicated earlier, we weren’t sure what to expect, and had no idea the hike was as long as it was. We had a snack at the second level, had some water, and filled our water bottle (singular). Fortunately the weather was relatively cool (maybe 24 C) and the sky was a beautiful blue. It wasn’t too humid either.
Crystal was filming with the GoPro, and I had my camera, but I also took photos in my phone, and shot video clips in it too. I will put together a video with each of those clips. I could have sat around watching these falls all day.
By the time we reached the top, we were getting tired. We drank the last of our one water bottle at the top. Fortunately, the trip down was much quicker and easier, but we each should have had our own. Normally I am better prepared!
One thing that did surprise us was the amount of fish in the river. At the top I walked in the water to get some better photos closer to the falls. I was surprised to find, when I stopped, that the little fish were nibbling at my feet! I commented in the video I shot that I wouldn’t want to do that. As I was shooting the video of my toes being nibbled, someone walked by me, and I had to laugh. I was focused on my toes, but then focused on them. You’ll have to watch the video for that.
Overall, it was a great experience. It was a bit strenuous, and I had my heavy camera bag with me. Had I known what it would be like, I would have had a smaller pack with a few extras. I also should have used my bag’s waist belt, and my back and shoulders were in pain after.
Near the bottom they want you to rent life jackets if you plan to swim. It may be required, but we hadn’t planned to swim anyway. Also, it really depends on how comfortable you are in the water, so make your own choices. It didn’t seem that they were too worried about whether or not you had a life jacket at the pools anyway.
After hiking down we bought a couple bottles of water, which we quickly finished, and had a bite to eat at the base. From there we drove back to Kanchanaburi, and to Bangkok for the night. I think we will get massages the next day, make sure we have everything this time, have some of our good coffee, and continue on!
We thought Erawan Falls would be nice, but it exceeded our expectations. While we didn’t do everything we possibly could around Kanchanaburi, and there are many things to do, it is quite close to Bangkok, and we plan to go back many times so we will get to those other activities.
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