The Hidden Paradise of Saraburi

The best paradises found are the unexpected ones and in Saraburi, Thailand there's a hidden natural treasure. Saraburi is a province in central Thailand with the population of a bit over 640,000 and was found in 1549 during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It neighbors provinces such as Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, and Nakhon Nayok.

These days, Saraburi is an industrial town with major corporations producing cement and stone crushing with 6 limestone mining sites. The air quality isn't the best around these mining sites so the city of Saraburi often gets overlooked by both tourists and Thai citizens. As visitors often pass through Highway 1 to Northern Thailand or pass through Highway 2 towards Eastern provinces, there lies a hidden treasure in Chet Sao Noi Waterfalls.

Chet Sao Noi Waterfalls is located in the Namtok Chet Sao Noi National Park and is a 7 tier waterfall. The 7 levels are small waterfalls but only certain pools are available for swimming due to strong underwater currents. The fish are friendly and the waters seem to be emerald in color in some of the swimming pools. Most weekends and holidays you see may local families swimming in the shallow pools and you would find most couples on the 4th tier for the romantic setting.

The Namtok Chet Sao Noi National Park's walking/hiking trail encircles all 7 levels of the waterfall, making it an all-day adventure in nature for every age.

The Beautiful Walk

On the drive through Saraburi, I had the same kind of thoughts as everyone else. "These industrial corporations are making the air look muddy." As that thought passed through my mind, I remembered from my childhood, what a concrete jungle looks like. As I saw the countless cement companies on the side of the highway, I thought of what this province may look like in 20 years. We drove through the main town and went towards the Eastern Thai provinces on Highway 2. The further we got away from the main town, the more I saw nature come alive.

My knowledge of Chet Sao Noi Waterfalls before this trip was next to nothing but I never turn down an adventure in nature. As we pass the last industrial super corporation, we exited the highway into a small town called Muak Lek. I dozed off during the ride through the town and went I woke up, were in the national park's parking lot.

The parking lot was filled with food stalls, welcoming for visitors and we quickly made it to the first tier. We had been pinned down in traffic on the highway and this minimized our hours of daylight. Chet Sao Noi Waterfalls' 7 tiers are reachable on the national park's hiking trail so we started with the top to bottom. My beautiful walk through the first 3 tiers had me in awe with the natural beauty that surrounded the small waterfalls on every 3 levels. The pools in these 3 levels can get deep but none of them caught my interest until I saw the 4th tier waterfall.

I quickly set my belongings down and jumped in the clear emerald waters. There are buoys to let swimmers know where they are permitted to swim. Unfortunately, at the 4th tier, they don't permit swimming next to the waterfall because of the strong underwater currents. I got as close as I could and admired the beauty of nature there. The fish at Chet Sao Noi Waterfalls are extremely friendly and even swam with me as I explored the depth underwater.

An average height adult can stand in the pool without any problems but its 4 ft depth is deep enough to enjoy a swim. The brisk water wakes up your senses while washing off the heat of the day. I swam there for long moments and enjoyed the relief of stress from the big city. I made sure to remember the moments and took mental pictures of the gorgeous landscape of Chet Sao Noi Waterfalls.

As we left, I thanked all the friendly rangers and said bye to all the national park doggy friends that we made along the way. The traffic on the drive home didn't seem to matter because I knew I just left a hidden paradise where time seemed to stand still. I felt like I was smiling all the way home from the memories made.

Authored & Photographed by:

@stewsak

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