{We spent the afternoon at the waterfalls with Aurelien’s sister who put most of this post together for us.}
Eastern Thailand is not going to be found on many tourists’ itineraries, except perhaps for a trip to the island of Koh Chang. Thus our visit to the Chantaburi area gave us a chance to see a more authentic picture of life in Thailand. One of the attractions in the area is Khao Kitchakut National Park, which plays host to a beautiful nine level waterfall that is well worth the trip. Its cool and refreshing, a great way to spend a hot Thailand afternoon. The park is a 5 min drive from the town of Krathing, about 25-30 minutes north of Chantaburi. It is a very nice park with facilities for accommodation, including bungalows for rent as well as tents and sleeping bags for people who want to camp. The daily entry fee to the park is 40 Baht for Thais, 200 for Foreigners.
Up at the top at tier nine. It was the perfect cool temperature for a hot day!
Once through the gate, it is very close to the waterfall, maybe 100 meters or so, and you can hike up the trail along the waterfall, to see nine different levels with pools and unique rock formations. If you bring your Thai bathing suit you can enjoy swimming in the deeper pools. (Krathing is in a more rural area of Thailand, without many tourists, so women should wear the more conservative Thai swimsuit of shorts and a T-shirt.) It’s fine since the water is very refreshing, and also then you can climb up and down on the rocks without scratching your legs.
In the deeper pools there were many small fish who came and nibbled at the dead skin on our feet- it tickles! You can pay 50 Baht for 15 minutes of fish therapy in the tourist areas like Ko Chang, etc; this free fish massage is the same thing, but out in nature.
One lovely waterfall. In the rainy season it would be much bigger (but not safe to swim in the pools).
After about level six, I decided to take off my sandals for more of an earthing effect, walking barefoot on the dirt path was very soothing. There are not too many sticks on the ground, and I found I had better traction barefoot than in my rubber sandals.
My favorite tiers were eight and nine. Level nine has a great view over the valley and trees, and a nice tall waterfall even at the end of the dry season. We wondered where all the water was coming from. We played around in the pool at level 9 for quite a while, and also enjoyed sunbathing on the rocks. Then on the way down, rather than going back via the path, we chose to boulder down the rocks, which was a lot of fun. (Having a backpack made it easier to carry my towel, water etc)
Aurelien as white as snow (he lost his tan in cloudy Australia) and Annalisa in a “Thai bathing suit”
View from the top
Tier eight
Pool eight had some wonderful small falls which we could stand under, getting a refreshing and invigorating Thai water massage on our backs from the strong force of the water. Even though you can’t slide down from one level to the next, there are lots of slippery rocks in the pools to play with, as Aurelien found out soon enough! It is very refreshing in the cold water and being immersed in the pools cooled us all the way through.
On the way back we took a longer path at the bottom across a bridge, then along the river to come out by some lakes. It was around 4pm and the whole park felt very settled, we spotted first one, then two, then a third persons meditating in little screened-in tents around the lake. Overall it was a very serene, refreshing atmosphere and nice to have it so close by.
Very peaceful environment!
Getting to Khao Kitchakut
Bus 999 from BKK to Chanthaburi, songtaew (about 300 Baht) to Khao Kitchakut. The drivers are at the bus station ready to greet you and it is easy to tell them where you want to go by pointing at one of the large maps of the area.
Accommodation in the national park
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