Why You Go There?

The Klong Jark Waterfall Koh Lanta - Krabi, Thailand In true “Why You Go There?” fashion the hike (or a better descriptive would be ‘jungle trek’) to the waterfall was no easy task and was a bit scary at times. Most people ride on an elephant to the waterfall but since we love hiking we opted for the walk to one of the best sights to see on the island of Koa Lanta. We did our homework before setting out on the hike that day and were told by a local that it is a nice hike that is best after a rain because the waterfall only flows with water when it rains. A short storm hit the island that morning so we decided to head to the waterfall that afternoon. We parked the motorbike by the main road to avoid the risk of damaging the bike on the rough road leading to the trailhead and to add a kilometer to the hike. The walk also takes you by an elephant park that is worth a visit since its located just outside the trailhead. We asked a few of the elephant guides for more detailed directions and they pointed us in the right direction but that was as specific as they got. A British couple arrived at the trail at the same time as us so we were a crew of four to start the hike. The trail was almost impossible to find because the jungle was winning the battle against the trail and the rain that morning made things quite slick and muddy. Here I’ll also mention that the jungle is also full of monkeys, large insects, and a number of tropical creatures… We saw a large snake that got run over on the road the night before so that was also on our minds as we started into the denser jungle! We lost the trail several times early on as there are no signs or trail markings, but each time we were able to pick it up again and knew that if we stayed close to the small stream that we were heading in the right direction. It wasn’t long until we found ourselves walking in the actual river that had risen due to the recent rain and the British couple decided they weren’t comfortable with the waterfall adventure any longer. We also told them there was some risk involved with them following me and Vania into any adventure as we have a track record of getting ourselves into some crazy situations while traveling… The couple turned back but we pressed on. The hike only got harder, wetter, muddier, and steeper as we got deeper into the jungle and at times we were knee deep in water, but the water was crystal clear so you could see if there were any creatures looming in the jungle waters. We thought of turning back several times as were getting deeper and deeper into the jungle with no sign of a waterfall and no sound of crashing water. We decided to put a time limit on the journey and gave ourselves 15min to make it to the falls or turn back. Shortly after this we came upon a huge cave that was simply amazing but still no waterfall so we pressed on. The tour guides say that it’s a 1.8km hike to the falls but the journey seems much longer… It didn’t help that I decided to where flipflops… In the end we made it to the waterfall and it was worth the jungle adventure! The falls were flowing well and it was quite a magical place hidden deep within the island jungle… We were the only ones there! The sun was shining perfectly through the dense palms surrounding the waterfall and illuminating the rocks and the water. It was an amazing sight and the highlight of the trip to Koh Lanta!!!