Khlong Lan National Park

Khlong Lan National Park sits entirely within Khlong Lan district, Kamphaeng Phet province — despite some older write-ups placing it on a Sukhothai border it doesn’t actually reach. The park’s main draw is Khlong Lan Waterfall, a single 95-metre drop over a rock face about 40 metres wide, feeding a swimming pool at its base that’s a short, flat walk from the main car park. Foreigners pay 200 THB for adults and 100 THB for children; Thai nationals pay 40 THB and 20 THB.

The waterfall trail is the busiest route in the park but far from the only one. Longer forest paths climb through mixed deciduous and evergreen cover where hornbills, gibbons, and a range of smaller bird species are regularly spotted, especially in the early morning before the day’s visitors arrive. Wild orchids grow on the rockier outcrops along the trail, and several viewpoints look out over forested valleys that stretch toward the Tak provincial line. None of the walking here is technical — well-worn dirt paths rather than climbs — but the humidity and uneven footing make sturdy shoes worth the effort.

Watch out: the waterfall pool gets crowded on weekends and Thai public holidays, particularly during the rainy-season flow from June to October. Weekday mornings are noticeably quieter, and the light on the falls is better before midday sun flattens it out.

Away from the main pool, the park is quiet enough that birdsong and running water are genuinely the loudest things around for most of a weekday visit. That changes fast on a Saturday in high season, when day-trip groups from Kamphaeng Phet and Sukhothai fill the car park by mid-morning — arrive before 9am if you want the falls to yourself for even twenty minutes.

Insider Tip: Rainy season (June–October) gives the biggest, loudest waterfall, but the surrounding trails turn to mud and leeches show up after rain — bring proper boots, not sandals, if you’re hiking beyond the main pool during these months.

The park runs a basic campground near the headquarters, with tents for rent and a few open pitches for your own gear — book ahead through the DNP office, especially around long weekends. There’s no restaurant inside beyond a small snack stall near the entrance, so bring food and plenty of water for a full day. Combine a visit with Khlong Wang Chao National Park, roughly an hour’s drive north, if you want a second stretch of Kamphaeng Phet forest without doubling back to town.