Erawan Waterfall, Kanchanaburi
Seven turquoise tiers of waterfall climbing through the jungle — Thailand's most beautiful falls, swimmable year-round, an easy day from Bangkok.
Region
Western Thailand
Rivers, national parks and history — Kanchanaburi with the Erawan waterfalls and the seaside town of Hua Hin.
The west runs along the Myanmar border, and it is the region of rivers, forest and hard history. Kanchanaburi holds the Bridge over the River Kwai and the Death Railway, built by Allied prisoners of war and conscripted labourers at an appalling cost, alongside the seven jade tiers of Erawan waterfall.
Further south, Hua Hin has been the Thai royal family's seaside retreat since the 1920s and still has that unhurried, well-mannered feel — long beaches, superb night markets, vineyards in the hills, and the extraordinary cave pavilion at Khao Sam Roi Yot national park an hour away.
Both are within three hours of Bangkok, which makes the west the easiest region to add to a Bangkok-based trip without a domestic flight.
Suits: History travellers, waterfall and national-park visitors, families wanting a calm beach.
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