On my first visit to Samui, I went to the waterfalls Namuang 1 and Namuang 2 in the evening. Therefore, unfortunately, all evening photos had to be heavily lightened. As a result, I managed to fully see only one waterfall, and I just drove up to the second one, but in the dark and in the rain I did not dare to approach it. The saddest thing is that during the first visit, I somehow did not find information on the fly about where they are both located, how they differ, and how to get to each without confusing it with each other. All the gaps in the photo and information were filled by me during the second visit in 2017, after which this post was updated with the latest information.
The content of the article
- one Namuang Falls 2
- 2 How to get to Namuang waterfall 2
- 3 Namuang Falls 1
- 4 How to get to Namuang waterfall 1
- five Information to visit
- 6 On the map
Namuang Falls 2
The water here flows down the rocks at a steep angle, breaks into many streams, forms a mass of dams and fonts, and in general it looks incredibly beautiful. The height of the visible part of the rock, along which water flows, is about 80 meters. You can come close to the waterfall by two paths that start from the last parking lot (and there are several of them) and pass on both sides of the stream. If you look at the waterfall, then the left trail is, so to speak, a public route along which an independent tourist can climb to the waterfall for free. And the right trail runs through a private area with a restaurant, aqua park and zip-line, and the entrance is paid. At the entrance to the territory there is one barrier and one gloomy Thai who collects tribute.
The right path differs from the left one in that it does not rest against a rock and does not end with a dead end. On the right path, you can climb up the river bed to the very source, at the same time collecting a collection of wild and beautiful dams on the camera. Extreme, difficult, but you will have an incredibly interesting experience of jumping over huge boulders. Keep in mind that Namuang 2 is notorious for its seeming serenity and damn slippery rocks. Every year drunken tourists from all over the world break their spines here..
Namuang Falls 2 (upper part)
Let's look back, this is all also Namuang waterfall 2
Another waterfall to the left of Namuang 2
And he's on a long exposure
How to get to Namuang waterfall 2
The waterfalls are located in one location above each other, but at some distance from each other, and in their essence are the rapids of the same stream. Moreover, each waterfall has its own entrance. Namuang 2 is the top waterfall in this tandem. If you drive along the ring from the Lamai side, then you will come across it first, on the right side, that is, a turn to it - through the oncoming lane.
Look for a turn with a sign WATERFALL 2 on the ring road and drive to Free parking. Then you have two options on how to get to the path leading to the waterfall. The first - from the parking we go on foot. We walk in a straight line from the parking lot, bypassing the entrance to Safari Park (on the left), turn right onto the dirt road, which after 50 meters goes to the asphalt road, turn left and walk along this asphalt to the fork. In fact, I described it for a long time, but it takes about 10 minutes to walk from the parking lot, and it is difficult to get confused there. And I wrote all this to the fact that you will be offered to ride this piece in a jeep, although there is very close.
Signpost to Namuang 2 on the ring road
Road from parking to waterfall and safari
We go from the parking through the territory belonging to the Safari Park
Mini rope park along the way
The road to the waterfall
Namuang 2 is seen in the distance
At the fork you need a road going down to the left. There, after 20 meters in the trees, a path begins along the river bed to the waterfall upstairs. But at the fork, you can go to the right through the Samui Tropical Garden restaurant, then the path is easier, with less jungle and you will almost immediately come to Namuang 2 waterfall.
I took to the left at the fork
The second option, how to overcome this part of the path, is to drive a car / bike past the parking lot and turn right in front of the barrier (stop sign). On this road you will reach the place where the path to the waterfall begins. That is, you will get to the same place where you could have come on foot, just on foot we cut along the dirt road, there it is faster. There are points on the map at the end of the article, take a look, and everything will be clear. Please note that during the day, in the midst of earnings, you may not be allowed to drive closer, since it is proposed to take elephants and jeeps here..
Not straight on foot, but go right
I went on foot, because I did not know that it was possible to drive closer. And at the fork I went to the left, that is, I walked through the jungle to the waterfall, and not through the territory of the Samui Tropical Garden. I climbed the well-trodden paths along the river, there are signs everywhere. The way up took me about 10 minutes, but I almost did it by jogging. So, it takes longer to climb, if in a calm rhythm, maybe 20 minutes. At the very end, I buried myself in two waterfalls side by side, separated by a narrow strip of forest, this was the Namuang 2 waterfall, 80 meters high.
We follow the walkways and signs
Rolls along the road to the waterfall
The trail up to the waterfall
There are signs everywhere, it's hard to get lost
And so, down there near the parking lot there is a rather dense infrastructure: there is a safari park, elephant rides, package tourists come with excursions, that is, there are a lot of people. If you want silence, come in the evening, just keep in mind that at 18-19 o'clock (depending on the time of year) it will be already dark. Or even ride Khin Lad waterfall, there are a minimum of tourists, although it is also long to go to the waterfall.
Namuang Falls 1
The lower waterfall is four times smaller than its upper namesake, and does not look like it at all. Unlike Namuang 2, here all 18 meters of height the water flies almost in free fall, and at the bottom of the waterfall there is a charming and spacious font. Tourists and Thai boys splash with pleasure in the font, and the bravest ones even jump into the water from a huge boulder. After the baptismal font, the stream spreads into a river five meters wide, in which water boils between separately lying stones. A column of elephants constantly runs along the river bed, on which tourists are brought.
In the parking lot, you can entertain the child - behind the fence of the elephant farm there are elephants for rest and feeding. Food for them is sold right there for 50 baht, and at the same time they offer you an elephant safari tour. From the parking lot to the waterfall, between the souvenir shops there is a pedestrian path that ends in a small square and a dozen cafes. The descent to the waterfall is not dangerous and is equipped with normal stone steps, however, be careful - the stones are slippery when wet. And since there is a lot of shade and wet tourists who have just climbed out of the waterfall are constantly walking around - you can slip even in the midst of the heat of the day - the steps simply do not have time to dry.
The place is drop dead suitable for a hot day and a respite on the banks of a cool stream. There is a minus - there are a lot of mosquitoes, so it makes sense to thoroughly smear with means, because the place is massive, representatives of all peoples are haunted, and Denge fever, and any other infection that bloodsuckers carry, has not been canceled.
Behind the stone on which the tree grows is a huge font
How to get to Namuang waterfall 1
A separate road from the ring road leads to Namuang 1 waterfall. Despite the fact that most bloggers write that the waterfalls are located one after another, this does not mean that you will come to one place, and then go through them one by one. Yes, they are located on the same river, but if you do not want to walk along the channel there all day, then it is better to drive up to each waterfall by a separate road. Therefore, look for a turn on the ring road with a blue sign NAMUANG WATERFALL, this is the road to Namuang 1.
Signpost to Namuang 1 on the ring road
The path to the waterfall on the right, parking on the left
Small playground near cafes
You can see a waterfall behind the trees - here are the beginning of the steps
Spirit tree, no way without it
Evening views of the mountains
Information to visit
In general, if you need to choose a photogenic waterfall, then it is better to go to Namuang 2, it is more beautiful and higher. Namuang 1 is only 18 meters high! The best time of the year to visit is February and March. If you arrive earlier, you will find yourself at the end of the monsoons, and the waterfalls will be wild, but with yellow water. If you arrive at the end of March - April, then this is the beginning of the dry season, only wet rocks remain from the waterfalls - and this is not for a pretty word. They really dry up to almost zero.
The gate-signs to the waterfalls are located 50 meters from each other on the ring road. Each secondary concrete road leads to its own waterfall, but! Both of these roads are connected by another one, about a hundred meters from the ring road, it was made especially for tourist jeeps, so that you can move from one waterfall to another without leaving the busy ring. You will understand what I mean when you pass the connecting road - there are additional signs.
Namuang 2: Entrance to the territory through the gate is 100 baht per person, plus 50 baht for parking a car and 20 for a motorbike if you are not on foot. I offer this option to those who intend to spend the hot part of the day on a fresh pond and are not ready to go to extremes. We arrived, parked, splashed in the pool, drove the children down a slide, flew on a zip-line in the shade, dined in a restaurant - just a complex of pleasures in a cool place. Average restaurant bill - 450 baht per person with one meal and drink.
Namuang 1: Parking near the waterfall - paid, 50/20 baht car / bike. Prices in tourist shops are average for the island. Prices for coconuts are beachfront, 50 baht each. I highly recommend durian jam - homemade durian pasta, it is usually sold at the end of souvenir shops already in front of cafes. On the advice of the old-timers of Koh Samui, I do not recommend that you swim in the beautiful font under this waterfall, despite the tempting example of other tourists. Why - I explain: from above, the river flows through the elephant farm. Have you seen the size of the elephant piles? I'm not saying that all the elephants are shitting in the stream all day and night, but still it happens on a regular basis..
General information for both waterfalls: immediately after the exit from the ring road, a man with a formidable face will jump out to meet you and start forcing you to park. Smile, wave your hand to him, turn on the foolish tourist and drive straight until the road ends. These formidable Thais are ticket sellers who have not gotten a seat near the falls. Taking advantage of the naivete of tourists, they lie to you that there is no further way. Like, you can get further only by jeep or elephant, respectively, for decent money. So do not pay attention to the poor fellows, but do not make any offensive gestures and do not swear - people make a living.
If you arrive at any waterfall before 8 am - there are no Thais yet and parking is free.
On the map
In principle, above I have already described in detail how to get there, so here's just a map. I will also add that you do not need to buy an excursion here, you can see everything yourself if you have a bike or a car.
Namuang waterfalls, Paradise and Buddha parks
Waterfalls Namuang, Paradise and Buddha parks:
If you want to find accommodation near the waterfalls, you can book a hotel through RoomGuru, this is just a mega-service, you can immediately see in which booking system (Booking, Agoda, Hotels, etc.) the hotel you need is cheaper. I also have a detailed review. best hotels in Koh Samui.
P.S. Many consider Namuang 2 Falls to be the best waterfall in Koh Samui. Maybe this is so, but it seems to me that the Khin Lad waterfall will be more per capita ... In general, for the waterfalls you have to go to the north, there you can see highest waterfall in thailand.
