Waterfalls in Krabi

Huay Tho falls in five tiers inside Khao Phanom Bencha National Park, about half an hour inland from Krabi Town, with a pool at each level and a small sand bank at the base of the lowest one. It is the most visited of the Krabi falls and the easiest to combine with the park's other trails. Go during or just after the rains, roughly August to October, when there is water in it.

Than Bok Khorani sits in the national park of the same name at Ao Luek, north of Krabi Town, and the water here reads green rather than clear because of the limestone. A short easy path leads in from the visitor centre. The pool below is deep, so it is a proper swim rather than a paddle, and the park's mangrove and cave trails are worth the same trip.

Ron Khlong Thom is not a tall waterfall at all but a run of shallow warm cascades, in Thung Teao Forest Natural Park about 70 km from Krabi Town and a short walk from the Emerald Pool. The water comes through at bathwater temperature, around 40 degrees, and the small pools at each step are the point: you sit in them rather than swim. Easily done as one trip with the Emerald Pool.

Khlong Haeng is inside Khao Phanom Bencha National Park, fed by streams off Khao Phanom Bencha itself, which at around 1,400 metres is the highest point in Krabi province. It is one of the taller falls in the park and one of the quieter ones, and the forest around it is largely undisturbed. Accommodation is available inside the park if you want an early start.

Huai Sa De is another of the Khao Phanom Bencha falls, small by the standards of the others and only about a kilometre from the park's main office, which makes it the easiest walk of the group. It suits a short stop rather than a day, and it is at its best in the weeks after heavy rain.

Khlong Chak is on Koh Lanta rather than the mainland, and it is strictly seasonal: from roughly May to September there is a fall, and outside that there often is not. The walk in from Khlong Chak beach is about two kilometres through rainforest and takes 30 to 40 minutes. Caves near the falls hold bat colonies, so keep your distance from them on the way past.

Roi Chan Phan Wang is low and wide rather than tall, stepping over pale limestone that catches the light. The name translates roughly as a hundred levels and a thousand palaces, which is about the tiers rather than the size. Like most of the Krabi falls it needs the rains behind it: outside the wet season there is not much to see.

Ton Chong Fah is not in Krabi. It is at Khao Lak in Phang Nga province, a couple of hours up the coast, and it is included here because it is a common day trip from the Krabi and Phuket side. Five tiers, water year round rather than seasonal, and a hip-deep pool at the second level that suits children. Wear shoes with grip; the rock stays wet.