Tatai Waterfall

The Tatai falls are not tall but wide: the river spreads across a broad shelf of rock and drops in a series of chutes and channels into pools below, and in the dry season the exposed rock makes a set of natural basins that people swim in, while after the rains the whole shelf becomes a single sheet of brown water that is dangerous to enter. Boats run up from the lodges on the Tatai river, which is the pleasant way to arrive, threading between mangrove and forest banks. The Cardamom foothills rise behind, and the river estuary below the bridge is used for kayaking and firefly trips at night. The area has small ecolodges rather than resorts, most reached only by boat.

What you actually see

• The wide rock shelf - the river spreading and dropping in chutes.
• Swimming basins - pools in the exposed rock in dry months.
• The boat approach - the river route up from the lodges.
• Cardamom foothills - forested slopes rising behind the river.

When to go

November to March; the falls are most swimmable from January to April when the rock is exposed. Right after the rains the volume is impressive but swimming is unsafe. Firefly trips run in the drier months.

Honest expectations

Swimming is dangerous when the river is high, and people have drowned here; local advice matters. The falls are low and wide rather than dramatic. Access is easiest by boat, which means arranging it through a lodge. Facilities at the site are minimal.

Nearby

Koh Kong lies west; the Cardamom mountains rise east.