Erawan National Park: The Seven-Tier Waterfall from Kanchanaburi

Published 1 October 2026 · Updated 7 October 2026 · By the Visit-Thailand editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

Erawan National Park, about 1.5 hours by bus from Kanchanaburi town, is famous for a seven-tier limestone waterfall with emerald pools you can swim in. Before you go: the park closed the falls on 27 September 2026 after flash floods damaged the trail and the second tier, and no reopening date had been given on 1 October 2026.

When Erawan is open, it is one of the easiest nature trips in central Thailand. A paved and then rocky path climbs about 1.5 km along a chain of pools, the lower tiers are gentle enough for families, and the foreign adult fee is 300 baht. The pools are full of small fish that nibble at your feet. Most visitors spend half a day.

This page is the practical guide: the closure, the bus, the fee, timing and rules. For the rest of the province, from the bridge to the war cemeteries, see our Kanchanaburi guide.

Is Erawan open? How to check before you go

Erawan is a limestone stream, and heavy rain turns it from a string of calm pools into fast brown water within hours. The park has closed several times in 2026. It shut on 21 April because wildfire smoke pushed PM2.5 readings to 42.9 micrograms per cubic meter and reopened on 22 April, according to the Department of National Parks (DNP). It closed again in late September, when heavy rain hit Kanchanaburi province and the DNP also shut the main sites of neighboring Sai Yok National Park "until conditions return to normal".

The park asks visitors to follow its Facebook page for updates. A Thai-speaking hotel receptionist can also call the visitor center for you. If you are booking a tour from Bangkok, ask the operator what happens if the falls are closed on the day; a refund or a switch to Hellfire Pass and the railway is the fair answer.

Even on normal days, rangers can close the upper tiers when the water rises. The rainy season, roughly June to October, brings the most water and the most closures. Our guide to the rainy season in Thailand explains the pattern.

Getting there on bus 8170

The cheap way is local bus 8170 from Kanchanaburi bus station in town. The journey takes about 1.5 hours and the bus stops near the visitor center, a short walk from the first tier. Thai National Parks, an independent park database, gives a one-way fare of 60 baht and lists these times (updated September 2026):

Other travel sites give an hourly service and a last bus back at 16:00, so treat the table as a guide. Ask the driver on the way out what time the last bus leaves the park that afternoon, and be at the stop early. If you miss it, you will need a taxi or a lift, which is not easy to find at the park in the late afternoon. The bus can also be flagged down on Highway 323 on the way out of town.

The 08:00 departure is the one to take. It gets you to the falls around 09:30, before the tour minivans from Bangkok, and leaves you the full morning for the climb.

Other ways. A motorbike or a car gives you freedom to combine Erawan with other sights; the 30-baht car fee and 20-baht motorbike fee are paid at the gate. Read our guide to riding a scooter safely before you rent one. Group tours from Kanchanaburi and Bangkok often pair Erawan with the Death Railway train ride; from Bangkok the day is long, about 200 km each way, and you get little time at the pools.

The fee and opening hours

Erawan is a Category 3 park under the DNP fee system, so foreign adults pay 300 baht and children 150 baht (October 2026). Thai citizens pay 60 baht. The ticket covers the whole park for the day. Bring cash for the gate.

The park is usually open from 08:00 to about 16:30, every day including public holidays. Independent guides report that no one is let in after about 15:30 and that rangers begin clearing the upper tiers in the middle of the afternoon. We could not find these times on an official DNP page, so take them as the normal pattern rather than a promise. In practice: arrive before 10:00 if you want to reach tier 7.

The walk to tier seven

The trail starts a few hundred meters from the visitor center and follows the stream uphill for close to 1.5 km. Tiers 1 and 2 are a flat, easy walk, with benches and picnic spots; this is where families and day-trippers stay. From tier 3 the path gets steeper, with steps, tree roots and a few short scrambles. The top tier, the one said to look like the head of Erawan, the three-headed elephant of Hindu myth, is the hardest part.

Allow about one hour up at an easy pace and the same down, plus swimming time. Wear shoes with grip rather than flip-flops, because the rocks under the water are slippery. The flood damage of September 2026 hit tiers 2 and 3, so expect parts of the trail to be rebuilt or rerouted when the park reopens.

Swimming, the fish and the rules

Swimming is allowed in the pools along the trail unless rangers say otherwise, and it is the main reason people come. The water is cool and clear. The pools hold many fish, some of them large, which gather around swimmers and nibble at feet and legs; it is harmless, but it surprises people. Big water monitor lizards are also common along the stream. They are not dangerous if you keep a few meters away; our guide to dangerous animals in Thailand explains which animals do deserve caution.

Two rules catch visitors out. Both are widely reported and enforced at the checkpoint above tier 2, though we could not read them on an official park page:

• No food above tier 2. Eat at the bottom or at the picnic areas around the first two tiers.
• A deposit on drink bottles. Visitors taking a bottle up the trail pay a small deposit (reported as 20 baht a bottle), refunded when they bring it back.

The general national park rules apply too: take all litter home, no alcohol, do not feed or touch wildlife, no drones without permission. Do not count on a lifeguard at your pool, and the deeper pools under the higher tiers can have strong currents after rain. Swim where others swim, keep children close, and get out when rangers tell you to.

When to go and what to bring

The months after the rains, roughly November to February, usually give the clearest water and the most comfortable walking. In March and April the falls are lower and the air can be smoky in a bad fire season, as the April 2026 closure showed. July to October has the most water but also the most closures.

Weekday mornings are much quieter than weekends. Our guide to Thai public holidays helps you avoid the long weekends, when the access road can back up.

Pack swimwear under your clothes (there are changing rooms near the start), a quick-dry towel, shoes with grip, a dry bag for your phone, insect repellent and cash. Water and food can be bought at the restaurants by the car park; check prices before you order. Our packing guide covers the rest, and our page on heat and sun applies to the climb.

Staying overnight and combining Erawan with other sights

The park has a campground and bungalows near the visitor center, booked through the DNP system; some bungalows were damaged by falling trees in September 2026, so check availability when you book. Most people stay in Kanchanaburi town and do Erawan as a day trip.

On a two- or three-day visit, a good pattern is one day for the bridge, the cemeteries and the train, and one day for Erawan. Hellfire Pass and the Sai Yok falls are on a different road, farther northwest; Sai Yok's main sites were closed after the same floods. If you like waterfalls and wildlife, Khao Yai is the other big park near Bangkok; it reopened on 6 October 2026 after its own flood closure, with two areas still shut, and Khao Sok in the south is a longer trip. Getting to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok is covered in our guide to long-distance buses.

Frequently asked questions

Is Erawan National Park open now?

Not on 1 October 2026. The park closed the falls on 27 September 2026 after flash floods and was surveying damage at tiers 2 and 3 on 30 September, with no reopening date announced. Check the park's Facebook page or call the visitor center on 034-574-222 before you travel.

How much is the entrance fee for Erawan Falls?

Foreign adults pay 300 baht and children 150 baht, the DNP Category 3 rate, as of October 2026. Thai citizens pay 60 baht. A car adds 30 baht and a motorbike 20 baht. Bring cash.

How do I get from Kanchanaburi to Erawan by bus?

Take local bus 8170 from Kanchanaburi bus station. It takes about 1.5 hours and the fare is around 60 baht. Take the 08:00 bus if you can, and confirm the time of the last return bus with the driver, because it leaves in the mid to late afternoon.

Can you swim at Erawan Falls?

Yes, in the pools along the trail when the park is open and rangers have not closed an area. Fish nibble at swimmers' feet, which is harmless. Do not swim in fast water after rain, and follow the rangers' instructions.

How long does it take to hike to the seventh tier?

Roughly an hour up at an easy pace over about 1.5 km, with the hardest section above tier 3. Start before 10:00, because the upper tiers are cleared in the afternoon and entry stops at about 15:30.

Sources

• MGR Online – Erawan and Sai Yok national parks close after heavy rain (27–29 September 2026) (checked October 2026)
• MGR Online – Erawan National Park surveys flood damage (30 September 2026) (checked October 2026)
• Department of National Parks – Sai Yok, Srinagarind Dam and Phu Toei close tourist sites (checked October 2026)
• Department of National Parks – Erawan reopens after wildfire smoke closure (April 2026) (checked October 2026)
• Department of National Parks – Erawan National Park profile (checked October 2026)
• Kapook Travel – National park entrance fees by category (citing DNP) (checked October 2026)
• Thai National Parks – Erawan National Park: getting there and bus times (checked October 2026)
• Thai National Parks – Erawan National Park: fees, hours and rules (checked October 2026)