Feelgood

anitamalovrh

Balinese bathing after a ceremony 😊...#bali #ceremony #river #sidemen#backtonature #bath #skinnydipping#travel#travelphotography #wanderlust#worldtraveler #instapic#instatravel#indonesia

A skinny dip features heavily on tourists lists of what to do on Bali. No wonder  as locals have been doing this for ages and continue to do so (above).

Featured, more skinnydipping and dipping in general from several Southeast Asian locations:

alenaizosimova

Здесь время останавливается🌪

Above from south Thailand's eastern coastal island of Koh Phangan (Phaeng waterfall) and below on the isthmus itself but now on the western side of Khao Lak (Sairung waterfall):

catinkaaaa_

Amazing 🌊 ...#waterfall #khaolak #sairungwaterfall#travelphotography #picoftheday #happy#amazing #newfeeling #travelgram #travel#sun #thailand #thailandkhaolak#feelinggood #lovemylife #holiday #love#with #my #baby #swimming #naked#follow4follow #followme #commentsfirst#commentsbelow #comment

Free vibes

la_la_ladyy

Chasing waterfalls like 💦🌴. . . #chasingwaterfalls #asia #vietnam #hiking#nudelife #hippievibes

Above somewhere in northern Vietnam.

lukewilson121

Another day another skinny dip in a waterfall#travel#freethebody#seetheworld #skinnydipping #indonesia#bali

mattstoffers

We started our motorcycle tour from Chiang Mai though the mountains to Pai! Couldn’t resist a quick dip in this waterfall along the way 💦 | #chiangmai #pai #roadtrip#waterfall #skinnydip

Lost

true_north_momma

No bathing suit? No problem! We got to enjoy this beautiful spot in Cat Tien national park all to ourselves! It was so refreshing in the heat of the day. 📸: @theexplodiots •••••••#vietnam #adventure #explore #worldexplorer #southeastasia#cattiennationalpark #river #skinnydipping #yeg #yogi#yoga #yegyoga #travel#experience #perfectmoment #instagood #mindfulness #savetheplanet#wanderlust#goodforthesoul

Again from Vietnam, this time in the south of the country.

Following Riamhanai waterfall (South Hulu Sungai Regency, South Kalimantan) and a Lao double (Vangvieng followed by Luang Prabang).

source

emilieazaaria

Welcome to paradise #kaengnyuiwaterfall

natalieyoung

and for a minute, I lost myself. but being lost felt so right ✨💧🧚🏼‍♂️______________I swear fairies must live here. Laos is already a calm to the storm of SE Asia, but finding hidden gems like this made it even more special. as we followed the crystal blue water up stream to the top, we were the only people to be seen except for a few monks playing in the pools quietly, their orange robes beautifully juxtaposed against the blue water. exploring endless turquoise pools with just the sound of rushing water, completely serene, this has been my most magical experience thus far.

Up the creek

Easily accessible from the most touristed stretch of the Khao Lak coast (Phang Nga, Thailand), it could be expected that Chong Fa would be nearly overrun or near ruined. However the opposite is true.

'Please do not entry to the waterfall'

The entrance gate (Chong Fa is part of the Lam Ru National Park) is half open or half close with a poster revealing that the park is somehow off-limits (photo above). A plus is that the park is (still?) open. Furthermore, no entry fees are required. And once again the access road is too difficult to take. There is a lone ranger, but he has his pitched his hammock up high and is wondering what his dreams will bring him.

From the entrance to the waterfall is a 1km long access road. From the road head it’s another 200m walk along a track to the first level, so no real strenuous hike, but a deliteful one nonetheless.

Getting there is a big part of the experience.

Chong Fa is a fabulous waterfall with lots of water crushing down into a deep and sunny pool. Downstream along the access road, are more swim holes, all deep and free flowing with great opportunities for a great dip.

It really is amazing, this piece of paradise so close to the paradise lost of Khao Lak.


There’s one website which has some more info on Khao Lak’s waterfalls (it mentions Chong Fa as having a steep (!) track to the first of five levels), but in general Khao Lak’s waterfalls are neglected and ignored, despite these being a great way to diversify the coast’s attractions, generate income and able to increase awareness of the globe’s natural surroundings, their fragility and the unique experience they offer. It contrasts with other places nearer Bangkok where waterfalls have become attraction parks, places of recreation.

But for me the tranquillity and (temporary?) absence of the great world is an opportunity to indulge in swimming, plunging and receiving a natural back massage.

Chong Fa, back massage please!

Neatly served

Well signposted, Sai Rung (which translates as rainbow) waterfall might be rated as the better known of Khao Lak’s triple waterfalls, just north of the beach center.

Otherwise known by the local name of Pak Weep (Pakweep), the turnoff is just north of the bridge, north of Le Meridien. The wide road leads one to beyond a turnoff to the waterfall, a total of 3 km from the main highway 4. Again the road heads through the linear plantings of palmoil and rubber. The road ends at a car park. Sort of a car park.

Continuing on foot, the obvious trail goes over a bridge to a cluster of huts on the opposite bank. The environs of these are being swept by an elderly gentleman, it still being early morning, looking forward to the new day, the new guests. The trail continues beyond, to a fall with a delicious pool underneath.


A novelty of sorts, a table is waiting on us, the table well set, drinks poured and towels within reach. Totally incomprehensible, these are not destined for us! Set back a little from the table are two westerners, busily cooking their own meal under direction/assistance of only 5 local cooks. Probably from the nearby Sarojin resort.

The waterfall itself is a 30m crash. On the opposite bank, steps leads one up into the slippery and slimy rainforest. It just goes up and up as the falls are in reality a set of crashing falls seemingly unendless, falling down from somewhere higher, even higher.

As Khao Lak (Phang Nga) is an upcoming resort to cater to the increasing numbers of tourists seeking exactly an escape, it's no wonder that waterfalls feature highly on the to do list of any visitor.
Khaolakhotels.com mentions Sai Rung being the

'most immediately accesible'

which seems weird as it's located quite far away from Khao Lak town.

Cathy and gary had some problems finding the place:

'We originally set off well prepared with a map looking for a different waterfall. The map was absolutely useless and after a few hours of driving through beautiful countryside and stopping and asking numerous times where to go, we decided to head back to the hotel for a swim'.

There are also quite a few vids on youtube. As well as a photo on Panoramio.

Another beautiful waterfall, possibly attracting too many visitors ...

Gem hunting

Khao Lak, north of Phuket, Thailand, seems to be well-known for it’s coast line, but surprisingly the coast is haphazardly developed to the extent that development kills the exact source of it's charm. Sure there are signature resorts, but outside of this, the tourist ghetto’s are over optimistically hoping to cash on the non-existent tourist. Maybe in some times of the year, the plethora of rooms are full and the trade for suits infinitive, but otherwise it’s all dread and drudgery, alas.

So why the trade has failed to see the gems within eyesight is a mystery? Khao Lak’s coast has a series of waterfalls just beyond the main drag with it’s line of tourist business.

At the northern end, you’ll be able to visit the easily accessible Bor Hin waterfall. Just north beyond the Royal Bangsak Resort, look for the huge school on the mountain side of the road and take the first turn inland. The small road winds itself through rubber and palmoil plantations and ends after 2 km directly at the foot of the falls.

In front of you, you can see the waterwall, with a number of channels, the water sliding down about 20m. It seems to have seen better times, management is non-existent, despite it being a nice location. Some refuse has gone awol, but is not an eyesore.

Along the roadside a track takes you to the top of the falls. Possibly going even higher would bring one to more falls and / or swimming holes, but as it was rainy season, the rocks were particularly slippery.Bor Hin definitely does not see many tourists and info on the internet is scarce. In fact there is hardly anything beyond the odd mention. Gran moskys has an entry on waterfalls on the Khao Lak coast reachable by bicycle.