Khao Phanom Bencha National Park

Khao Phanom Bencha National Park is a 50 sq km block of rainforest and limestone peaks about 20 km north of Krabi town, spanning parts of Mueang Krabi, Khao Phanom, and Ao Luek districts. It’s one of Thailand’s smaller national parks, established in 1981, and takes its name from its highest peak — 1,397 metres, visible from much of Krabi’s coastline on a clear day.

Huay To Falls is the park’s main draw and the trailhead most visitors head for: a five-tier cascade dropping about 80 metres in total, with pools at several levels for cooling off after the walk in. A second, much quieter waterfall, Huay Sakhe, has three cascades and sees a fraction of the traffic — worth the detour if Huay To’s platforms are crowded. Away from the water, Khao Pheung Cave holds stalactite and stalagmite formations, though it’s undeveloped: no lighting, no walkways, and best attempted with a local guide or a decent torch.

The park’s bird checklist is one of the more serious ones in southern Thailand — white-crowned and helmeted hornbills, argus pheasant, and white-rumped shama all feature, alongside gibbon calls that carry through the canopy most mornings. Larger mammals (clouded leopard, Malayan tapir, Asiatic black bear) are on the park’s official species list but are rarely, if ever, seen by day visitors — treat sightings as a long shot, not an expectation, and plan around birdsong and gibbon calls instead.

Insider Tip: Arrive at opening (08:30) if the waterfall trail is the goal — Huay To gets a steady stream of tour groups by mid-morning, and the pools are far more pleasant, and quieter, in the first hour.

Watch out: Facilities inside the park are minimal — no restaurant, limited signage past the main falls trail, and patchy phone signal. Bring your own water and snacks, and stick to marked trails; the terrain gets steep and slippery fast once you’re off the main path.