Na Muang Waterfalls

Na Muang 1 is a fall of about eighteen metres into a pool a few minutes from the road in central Ko Samui, easily reached and popular for swimming. Na Muang 2 is higher, around eighty metres, and requires a climb of twenty to thirty minutes up a steep, rooty and slippery path - the reward is a much better fall and far fewer people. Flow is seasonal and the falls are strongest from October into December after the rains; in the dry season both reduce considerably. Between the two, along the access road, sit elephant camps offering rides and bathing. Elephant riding causes documented physical harm to the animals through spinal loading and the training methods used to make them rideable, and Samui's camps have been the subject of repeated criticism and at least one fatal incident involving a mahout. Observation-only sanctuaries operate elsewhere on the island.

What you actually see

• Na Muang 1 - about eighteen metres, minutes from the road, with a swimming pool.
• Na Muang 2 - around eighty metres, up a steep twenty to thirty minute climb.
• The seasonal flow - strongest October to December, thin in the dry season.
• The access road - elephant camps operating along it.

When to go

October to December for water; December to April for Samui's driest weather. Early morning for Na Muang 2 - the climb is hot and the path busy later.

Honest expectations

The upper fall involves a steep, slippery climb on roots and rock. Both are much reduced in the dry season. Rocks around the pools are slippery. Elephant riding camps on the road cause the animals documented harm - observation-only sanctuaries are the alternative.

Nearby

Lamai and Hin Ta Hin Yai are east; Nathon is west.