Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi, Thailand: The Guide

Erawan National Park is a Thai park renowned for its magnificent multi-tiered waterfalls shaped like elephant heads.

See also: Thailand National Park Closure Dates for 2024 and 2025

Description of Erawan National Park

A breath of fresh air and greenery at the gates of the capital!

Kanchanaburi Province

The park covers an area of ​​550 square kilometers and is located in western Thailand in Kanchanaburi province.

As it is just a 2-hour drive from Bangkok , it is one of the most visited parks in the country.

If you want to go there in good conditions, without meeting too many people, avoid weekends!

The main attraction of the park is the waterfall named after the Erawan , the three-headed white elephant of Hindu mythology.

The seven-tiered falls are meant to resemble the three-headed white elephant.

Erawan, Indra's mount

In Hinduism, Erawan (Airavata) is a white elephant that carries the god Indra. It is a gigantic elephant, depicted with three or even 33 heads.

These heads sometimes have more than two tusks. It appeared on some of the flags and coats of arms of Siam before 1939.

See: Thai Deities and Symbols

Things to see and do

Wildlife

Among mammal species, the crab-eating macaque and the wild boar are common.

Further into the forest, one can find more exciting animals like the barking deer, Asian elephant, gibbon, Indochinese serow and sambar deer.

There are about 120 species of birds recorded in the park.

Birds like the crested serpent pheasant, kalij pheasant, grey peacock pheasant, and grey hornbill are all found in the park.

Reptile species include the Kanburi viper, the Burmese smooth-skinned viper (Scincella punctatolineata) and many other common species.

Malayan monitor lizards sometimes reaching just over 1.5 meters in length can be observed.

Malayan Monitor Lizard

These lizards are harmless, never attack, but it is not recommended to approach closer than two meters.

The botanical trail

In addition to the waterfalls, the park has a pleasant, well-marked botanical trail with numerous information signs in Thai and English.

The trail runs along the Mong Lai River and the park's four caves: Mi, Rua, Wang Bahdan and Phartat.

The Monkeys of Erawan

If you arrive early enough in the morning, around 8:00 a.m., you will have the opportunity to observe the monkeys who come to cool off at the waterfalls. Then, when the hordes of tourists invade the area, they become more discreet.

Swimming in the pools

Erawan Waterfall

Erawan National Park Video

Practical Information

Park entrance fee

400 baht for adults; 200 baht for children.

Opening hours

Erawan National Park is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to approximately 4:30 p.m., year-round, including on public holidays.

Although the official closing time is 4:30 p.m., rangers begin clearing the trails from the upper level around 3 p.m. and ask visitors to leave as they descend, level by level.

The lower levels may be open until 5 p.m., depending on how quickly or slowly the daily cleaning is carried out.

Duration of the visit

You can visit the park in one day from Bangkok, many agencies offer it, but to fully enjoy it, it is better to base yourself in the town of Kanchanaburi which is just 65 km away and go there early in the morning.

Go there with good hiking shoes and don't forget your swimsuit, because there are several pools with turquoise water where you can swim!

See also: Kanchanaburi Town and the Bridge on the River Kwai

Erawan Waterfall panoramic view

Erawan National Park Map

See also: 5 national parks to discover in Thailand

Source: thainationalparks.com ; Photos: Waterfall, panoramic view: Chris huh; Swimming at the waterfall: Diliff; Waterfall: Drimascus; Erawan statue in Chiang Mai: Phó Nháy; Erawan Waterfall: Lerdsuwa