Thailand Guide
Southern Thailand: the Gulf coast
Krung Ching Waterfall
Price: B200
Address: Khao Luang National Park, 70km north of Nakhon Si Thammarat
Website: www.dnp.go.th
A trip to Krung Ching, a nine-tier waterfall makes for a highly satisfying day out, with a mostly paved nature trail taking you through dense, steamy jungle to the most beautiful, third tier. The shady four-kilometre trail to the dramatic main fall is very steep in parts, so you should allow four hours at least there and back. On the way you'll pass giant ferns, including a variety known as maha sadam, the largest fern in the world, gnarled banyan trees, forests of mangosteen and beautiful, thick stands of bamboo. You're bound to see colourful birds and insects, but you may well only hear macaques and other mammals. At the end, a long, stepped descent brings you to a perfectly positioned wooden platform with fantastic views of the forty-metre fall; here you can see how, shrouded in thick spray, it earns its Thai name, Fon Saen Ha, meaning "thousands of rainfalls".
The easiest way to get to Krung Chin from Nakhon Si Thammarat with your own transport is to head north on Highway 401 towards Surat Thani, turning west at Tha Sala on to Highway 4140, then north again at Ban Nopphitam on to Highway 4186, before heading south from Ban Huai Phan on Highway 4188, the spur road to Ban Phitham and the Krung Ching park office. Pick-ups will get you from Nakhon to Ban Huai Phan in about an hour, but you'd then have to hitch the last 13km. Two- to six-person bungalows, most with hot water, are available at the park office (B600–4000); camping is free if you bring your own tent. There's a sporadically open canteen, and an informal shop selling snacks and drinks.