After hiking through a leafy jungle, take off your shoes and let your feet relax in the crystal waters of a shimmering waterfall. Admire the fish swimming below and slip in the water to join them—the cool water mist from the falls a perfect antidote to a hot day.
Southeast Asia is blessed with hundreds of waterfalls big and small. While all of the nations of the region have some crowd-favorite falls, Thailand and the Philippines are especially known for their dramatic, playful cascades that are popular attractions for domestic and local tourists. At many of the waterfalls in the region, you can swim at the base of the falls or in natural pools on mid-level tiers of the cascades. We looked through travel review sites to find six noteworthy waterfalls in Southeast Asia. Which one is your favorite?
1) Erawan Falls, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
One of the most popular waterfalls in Thailand, Erawan Falls has a seven-tiered cascade and is located in a national park in the Tenasserim Hills. Visitors to this waterfall have the unique opportunity to swim not only in the pools at the base of the cascade but also in pools higher up that were created by the water flowing downhill.
Because of its popularity, Erawan Falls can become crowded during the middle of the day, so visitors who want to spend more time swimming or exploring the path to the top of waterfall should come earlier in the day or stay overnight in one of Erawan National Park’s bungalows.
Fun fact: the waterfall takes its name from the three-headed elephant which Buddha rode in ancient legend.
2) Khone Phapheng, Champaska, Laos
Where the mighty Mekong river fans out there’s a backpacker paradise, a bit like the US’ Florida Keys, full of islands cut out of the river’s path. Near the southern border of this “4,000 Islands” region is this waterfall, an impressive cascade of river water that is the main reason obstacle engineers faced when trying to design a way for boats to travel up the Mekong into China from the sea.
Southeast Asia’s largest cascade by water volume is really two falls: Khone and Pha Pheng cascades. Located in southern Laos, where the mighty Mekong river begins to broaden its flow into a watery plateau studded with small islands, this waterfall is sometimes called the Niagara of the East, an apt nickname not only for the shape and size of the water flow but also for its popularity with domestic tourists.
3) Pagsanjan Waterfall, Laguna, Philippines
If you’re after excitement as well as beautiful scenery, the Pagsanjan Waterfall, on the other side of Laguna Bay from the Philippine capital, is a good one to seek out. This 120-foot cascade has three drops, and can be approached either by canoe from downstream or by hiking in from neighboring Cavinti. If you hike in, be ready for good exercise, and if you canoe in, you’ll “shoot the rapids” out.
While at the waterfall, visitors can take rafts behind the veil of water and feel the “massage” of thousands of liters of water raining down.
Fun fact: This might be one of the area’s oldest tourist attractions—Spanish colonists wrote about visiting Pagsanjan Waterfall in the 1890s.
4) Detian-Banyue Falls, China/Ban Gioc Falls, Vietnam
For a look at a tourist attraction that spans a national border, make your way to the picturesque waterfall on the China/Vietnam border. Proof that there’s more than one way to view something, the two countries count the falls differently–in Vietnam, they’re one waterfall, called Ban Gioc. In China, meanwhile, the three streams of water (which sometimes blend together in one stream) are regarded as two separate falls, Detian and Banyue.
From Vietnam, take in Ban Gioc as part of a larger trip to the minority villages in the northern hills. From China, Detian and Banyue can be a daytrip from Nanning or part of the journey from China south into Vietnam.
Fun fact: In the 1920s, French colonists would come to the Vietnamese side to relax by the lake and fish.
5) Umphang Thee Lor Sue Waterfall, Tak, Thailand
Aim for the heavens (with your camera) at Umphang Thee Lor Sue waterall in northwestern Thailand. This waterfall near the border with Myanmar, is 250 meters tall, the highest in Thailand. It also boasts impressive width, being almost twice as wide as it is tall. A multi-stream cascade that bursts out of lush jungle and trips gradually down to the bottom of the hill, this waterfall is popular with animal lovers because it’s located in the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary. Combine a visit to the sanctuary with a swim in one of the pools at the base of the falls or in one of the tiers higher up.
You can hike around the falls, and rafting trips on the Mae Klong River can sometimes be arranged from Mae Sot, in the village of Umphang, and in the park itself. If you do this, talk to the guides about also visiting Karen tribal villages, natural springs and caves in the region.
6) Mae Ya Waterfall, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Another great destination in Thailand, Mae Ya Waterfall is located in Doi Inthanon National Park, about 90 minutes from Chiang Mai city.
Featuring a sloping cascade that pops out of the jungle at the top of the hill and weaves between trees and bushes growing on the slope and between boulders, Mae Ya waterfall is popular with local and foreign tourists alike.
Fun fact: From here you can see Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain.
Photos by Ian Armstrong, Nick Hubbard, Stefan Krasowsk, Ken Marshall, Amir Yalon and FMJRey
