Tham Soda Waterfall

Tham Soda Waterfall sits inside the Tham Pha Namthip Non-Hunting Area in Nong Phok district, about a 1.5-hour drive from Roi Et city on rural roads. Entry is free, open daily 08:00–17:00. The name has nothing to do with carbonated water, despite how it reads in English — local tradition says two villagers, Nai Len So and Nang Da, used to rest at the cave while out foraging for wild food, and their names became “Soda.”

What makes the site genuinely unusual is that you can see the waterfall from both sides. Approach it the normal way and it’s a modest cascade over a rock face into a natural pool at the base, good for a swim on a hot afternoon. Walk around and behind it, though, and the space cut into the cliff behind the falling water reads as a cave — sliced lengthwise, with a small temple area and a Buddha image set into the rock. It’s this dual perspective, not any mineral content in the water, that gives the falls their local reputation.

The site was restored as a tourist attraction in 1997, and a monastery now sits on the grounds alongside the falls — it functions as much as a quiet local place of worship as a swimming spot. The car park has food stalls and souvenir stands, useful since there’s little else nearby, and the surrounding forest of the non-hunting area keeps the setting genuinely quiet outside weekends and Thai holidays, when families from nearby provinces tend to visit in numbers.

Insider Tip: Go on a weekday if you want the pools to yourself — weekends bring local families out from Roi Et and neighbouring provinces, and the parking area fills up fast.

Bring swimwear, a dry bag for electronics, and non-slip shoes for the wet rocks. The waterfall sits within Tham Pha Namthip Non-Hunting Area, and the Roi Et destination guide covers the rest of the province’s temples and parks.