Which tiers are worth the climb, when the water is clearest, and how to beat the tour buses. Entry is 300 THB for foreign adults, park open 8:00 AM–4:30 PM.
The colour is the thing. Erawan's pools run a flat mineral turquoise that looks retouched in photographs and does not change much whatever the weather does — limestone in the water, not filters.
Seven tiers, in ascending order of effort
The falls climb roughly two kilometres of forested valley in Erawan National Park, Kanchanaburi. Tiers one and two are a flat walk from the car park and are where families and tour groups stop. Tiers three and four have the best swimming — wide pools, easy entry, still on a made path.
From five upward the trail turns into scrambling over roots and wet rock. Tier seven is the top, named for a resemblance to Erawan, the three-headed elephant. Most people who turn back do it between five and six, usually because of footwear.
If you only have time for part of it, go to four. If you want the whole thing, allow three to four hours round trip including swimming.
When the water looks best
The pools hold their colour year-round, but flow changes. The rainy season through to the end of the year gives you full, loud falls; the dry months give you clearer, calmer water and easier footing on the upper tiers.
Arrive at opening time. Tour buses from Kanchanaburi town start unloading mid-morning, and the lower tiers go from quiet to crowded in about twenty minutes.
Practical rules
Entry is charged separately for foreign visitors, and the last entry to the upper tiers is well before the park closes for the day — check the current fee and cut-off times before you go, because they change.
Food is not allowed above the lower tiers. Plastic bottles carried in are logged at a checkpoint with a refundable deposit and checked on the way out, which is why there is almost no litter on the trail.
The fish in the pools nibble. It is harmless and unnerving the first time.
Getting there
The park is roughly 65 kilometres from Kanchanaburi town, and public buses run from the town's bus station. Most visitors either take that bus, hire a driver, or ride a scooter out — the road is straightforward.
Wear shoes you can walk in wet, bring a dry bag, and expect the last stretch to be slippery. Nobody has ever regretted leaving the flip-flops in the car.
