THAILAND ONE/ TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
KANCHANABURI: A SCENIC JOURNEY INTO A DARK PAST
Sai Yok Noi Waterfalls
Erawan Waterfalls
How to Get to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok • By Train Trains depart from Bangkok‘s Thonburi Train Station at 07:50 am and arrive at Kanchanaburi at 10:25. There is a second train that leaves at 1:55 pm, arriving at 4:24 pm. You can purchase a ticket that continues from Kanchanaburi to the River Kwai Bridge Station or beyond – these two trains being of the service that crosses the bridge and continue to Nam Tok. A one-way ticket costs around 110 THB per person. • By Mini-Bus A minibus service runs daily every 20-30 minutes, between 5 am and 11 pm and leaves from Mochit station in Bangkok. The journey to Kanchanaburi takes two hours. A one-way ticket costs 110 THB per person. Between Kanchanaburi to Erawan National Park The bus between Kanchanaburi and Erawan National Park is hourly. The last bus from Nam Dok leaves at 4 pm or 5 pm but check the daily schedule. A one- way bus ticket costs 50 THB. —
You’ll find tiered chlorine blue and neon turquoise pools within the verdant jungle green of the Erawan National Park. It’s the typical last stop on this journey that invites you to get within the depths of Kanchanaburi’s pristine nature after joyously passing its fringes from the rail carriage. This park, filled with hiking trails and caves beyond the star water attraction, is named after the three-headed elephant Hindu god, Erawan, with the highest waterfall said to resemble the deity. The higher tier waterfalls require more stamina and time since it’s a bit of a hike on worn trails with wooden ladders. A 1.5km marked trail gets you to the highest waterfall in around 30 minutes and is one of the best for bathing, but the first three waterfalls are the most accessible. The Erawan National Park is open from 8 am to 4:30 pm. The entrance fee is 300 THB / 100 THB for locals. If you plan on hiking to all the waterfalls, bring appropriate footwear to walk on the rocks, ladders and jungle trails and swimwear to enjoy the pools. Sai Yok Noi Waterfalls On the other side of Nam Tok Train Station from Erawan is Sai Yok National Park – another scenic waterfall spot. Here the Sai Yok Noi Waterfall (Khao Phang Waterfall) cascades over golden limestone rock, reaching 15m high into the jungle foliage.
Erawan Waterfalls
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THAILAND ONE
JUNE/ JULY 2024
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