Khirithan Dam

Khirithan Dam is a working earth dam in Bo Weru subtambon, Khlung district, about 40 km from Chanthaburi town. It’s a Royal Irrigation Department facility, not a tourist park — the appeal is the reservoir itself and the quiet drive to get there, not any built infrastructure for visitors.

The dam wall stands 33 metres high with a crest running 1,337 metres across, holding back the Huai Saphan Hin stream to form a roughly triangular reservoir with forested hills on most sides. Beyond storing water for irrigation and fisheries, the dam does real engineering work: it diverts water through an underground tunnel to a small hydroelectric plant on lower ground, exploiting a 125-metre drop to generate power, before the used water flows on into the Chanthaburi River — a system that also helps hold back saltwater intrusion into the river during the dry season. A paved road runs along one side of the reservoir with looser off-road tracks on the others, giving a rough loop route that’s popular with local cyclists as much as sightseers.

There’s little in the way of built facilities — no visitor centre, no restaurant, no ticket gate. What you get is a fairly empty stretch of water with forested hills rolling into the distance, fishing boats working the shallows, and the odd local vendor selling coconuts near the access points on weekends. Herons and other waterbirds work the shoreline, and the dam structure itself gives an elevated vantage point over the whole reservoir.

Insider Tip: Go early morning or late afternoon — midday sun on the exposed dam crest and access roads is brutal, and there’s almost no shade anywhere along the walkways.

Shade is minimal and there’s no reliable place to buy water once you’re at the dam itself, so stock up in Khlung or Chanthaburi town before heading out. Bring your own vehicle: public transport doesn’t run this far off the highway, and the final stretch of road has limited signage. Locals use the reservoir margins for informal picnicking and camping, though there’s no official campground or rental gear — this is a bring-everything, leave-no-trace kind of stop rather than a resourced attraction.