Chok Kradin Waterfall

Chok Kradin Waterfall drops a single, unbroken 34 metres inside Thong Pha Phum National Park, in the far west of Kanchanaburi province near the Myanmar border, about 7km from Ban E-Thong village. The name is Burmese, translating roughly as “water flowing through a rock crevice” — a nod to the narrow gorge the falls cut through. It’s fed year-round rather than seasonally, and the plunge pool at the base runs a striking deep blue, reaching 3-4 metres at its centre.

Getting there is the real test: the access road climbs through more than 300 hairpin curves from the Thong Pha Phum side before reaching a parking area, followed by a 300-metre walk on foot to the falls. That drive keeps crowds thin even by Kanchanaburi’s more remote-waterfall standards — most visitors who make the trip do it deliberately, as part of a wider loop through the Thong Pha Phum highlands rather than a quick stop.

Insider Tip: Combine the trip with Pha Tad Waterfall or the Vajiralongkorn (Khao Laem) Dam viewpoint, both in the same district — the drive out here is long enough that it’s worth stacking two or three stops rather than doing the round trip for Chok Kradin alone.

Watch out: The limestone rocks around the pool are slick when wet. Water shoes with grip make a real difference on the approach and around the plunge pool edge.

Rainy season (roughly June-October) brings the fullest flow, though the year-round spring means the falls are rarely reduced to a trickle even in the dry months. As it sits inside the national park, the standard DNP gate fee applies.

Nearby in the same Pha Phum/Thong Pha Phum area: Pha Tad Waterfall and the Vajiralongkorn (Khao Laem) Dam.