From a distance ...

Namtok Ngao waterfall is located just outside of Ranong town, heading southwards. It is not to be missed as this cascade spectacularly falls over the cliffs, just a couple of kilometers from the main road (see photo above).

Especially spectacular towards the end of the monsoon, they are still very discernible from the road at any time of the year.

Getting close up is possible by getting entry to Namtok Ngao National Park. Another good source of information is here.
Mostly covering the main mountain ridge, there are a few other waterfalls in this national park, but none as easy accessible as Ngao. That said, the waterfall is something to be seen from a distance, rather than up close where the specific spectacularity fades. Such that a nearby treeless hill (Phu Khao Ya) actually acts as an attractive view point of the Ngao waterfall, 10 kms away!

There is a hot spring not too far away from the main road in the same Namtok Ngao National Park, Porn Rang. Having been spruced up to the tune of $1 million (source), it's a very entertaining place to take a soak and enjoy the scenery. And the national park plays host to Pu Chao Fa a rare freshwater crab (source). Another great fact.

Massage please

Don't enlarge this picture!

About 10 km south of Suk Samran, on Thailands Highway 4 between Ranong and Takua Pa, just north of a bridge, an attentive passer-by will see a wearied and worried signboard, pointing inland, inwards to Suan Mai waterfall, part of Sri Phang Nga National Park, home to many new and unknown waterfalls.
The small road first passes some kampong houses, crosses a bridge and slowly climbs up through rubber and palm oil plantations, interspersed with some durian orchards, ripe for the picking.
The road deteriorates, then improves. After deteriorating again, one needs to continue going straight in a sharp left hand corner. The road gets steep and enters a protected environment with what was once a parking area before a steep hairpin to an office with some tired looking government staff.

After stepping out of the car, one hears the rushing stream. Following a wide track and then a smaller track along a waterpipe, the 10 minute ‘trek’ ends at the foot of a nice 20 m high waterfall, Suan Mai.

Beneath the fall is a great pool to cool off and swim up for a natural back massage. Another nice find.

The surroundings are still very natural and pristine, despite the relative accessibility of these falls from the highway.


Interesting background knowledge is the website of the Andaman coast community tourism. It highlights some lesser well known waterfalls near Kuraburi. Other than this mention there is not much other information on the internet, it's very far away from anything remotely touristic, but as said a great find.

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.

Plunge jacuzzi

View from the old road

Ease of access is key to most Thai waterfalls, but seldom is access so guaranteed as to Punyaban (or NamTok SetTakuat, source) which falls nearly onto highway 4, just north of Ranong town.

In the sharp U shaped turn, the old bridge and both banks are used to create a park like area with the 50 m waterfall as natural backdrop. Near the parking areas are two small restaurants as well as amenities block (or two). One can walk below to the stream level and safely go up to the base of the waterfall.

Strongly recommended is to take the nature trail path on the north side. Steep, it’s well laid, though not often utilized. The educative element has slightly became a victim of time, the trail itself climbs beyond the lip to a smaller fall and beyond this to a 10 m fall.

View towards Myanmar

With a beautiful view as well as the solitude gained so close to the mad world as represented by a major highway, this area above the larger waterfall entices one to become one with nature and plunge in the natural rock jacuzzi’s or get immersed under the falls them selves.

Up beyond the main waterfall are some great skinny dip pools.

More info can be obtained from cathy and gary's travel page entry on Punyaban. Note that the waterfall i s just 10 minutes drive north of Ranong town, it counts 3 levels but only 20m height. Their end note:

'Punyaban Waterfall - Beautiful Place'

Others mention the nature trail heads back down on the other side.

Lonely Planet rates Punyaban as no. 5 of the 11 things to do in Ranong.

Interestingly the blog waterfallsonstamps names Punyaban as one of his 9 stamps of waterfalls from Thailand (from 1980, 2 THB!).

Anyway, Punyaban is definitely a contender for top 10 waterfall position in Thailand.

Just one of the pools waiting for you to quit your sweaty clothes!

Rainbow splashes

Such is life. There's hardly anything of notice at Chum Saeng waterfall, but still the 3-legged dog wandered down the road for 200m just in case.

A great road for waterfall hunting is the road between Chumphon and Ranong, especially on the Ranong side of the water divide.

Chum Saeng waterfall is the first signposted waterfall along the way, km's from the main highway interchange 80 km's before Ranong. It's on the south side of the road near km's 529/530. The waterfall is only 3,5 km from the main road.

The local roads department have foreseen larger things for Chum Saeng and have built a two lane highway from the main highway straight to the foot of the falls. Nothing has been left to coincidence and a once beautiful park-like surroundings would have existed. Not anymore unfortunately, as maintenance has failed to keep up with visitors resulting in a under utilization of the site as well as the slow accumulation of refuse making it increasingly desolate location.

It’s a nice view though, 50m or so of the fall. Further back the view is more impressive than being just underneath the fall.

RideAsia.net have gps coordinates (N10.30.030 E098.53.029) though they also mention there was no water in the falls during the dry season. Wikipedia adds:

'In the rainy season, a lot of water cascades down the boulders in rainbow splashes. This is how it is called “Namtok Sai Rung” or Rainbow Waterfall'.

No rainbows in the dry season!

No quite a rainbow yet.

Thai-tour.com adds:

'Sai Rung which means a rainbow in named according to the splashing figure of the waterfall resulting from the strong hit of the powerful water agains rocks'.