Soi Sawan Waterfall in Pha Taem National Park, Ubon Ratchathani

Tucked away near the Mekong River in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Soi Sawan waterfall is the best waterfall in Thailand. A great waterfall is beautiful, and it is also fun. Soi Sawan is definitely both. It also had shockingly few visitors when we visited in October 2019, which just added to the experience. The sandstone geology of this area is pretty unique and creates a lot of cool natural features that are worth visiting. This waterfall is the best of them. The flowing water carves out deep holes in the stone, and that creates pools for swimming, cliff jumping, playing, and some amazing natural jacuzzis.

Getting the most out of the best waterfall in Thailand

When we visited, the walk from the parking lot took ten minutes, then another couple of minutes downhill to reach the waterfall. You’ll come to the highest waterfall first, and there are some nice photos to be had there. You could play under the falls there but there are more fun places to go. Cross the stream and head toward the second falls. Soi Sawan is actually two waterfalls from two separate streams joining together. For some reason, most people seem to focus on the higher falls, but there is much more to see at the other one.

The second falls

This stream flows over smaller falls down a small canyon carved out of the sandstone. at the bottom is a large bolder and some holes cut into the rock that are pretty fun to play in. You can see this area in the photo below. Most people visit the falls and only make it that far, but you should definitely climb up further. The sandstone rock has good traction and in the steeper places, there are some small grooves carved out where you can step.

Further up that canyon there are a number of pools, cool rock formations, and beautiful views. There is one pool deep enough that we could jump into from the rocks about 4 meters above, but you should only try this if you know what you’re doing and you check your landing first. The water is incredibly refreshing and the small holes in the water and so much fun to play in. Between the beauty and the fun, and the fact that there are so few people, we really felt like this is the best waterfall in Thailand that we’ve visited.

Probably the best activity in Ubon Ratchathani

We were honestly shocked by how good this waterfall is and how few people knew about it or went there when we visited. Previously, we would have probably said that Sam Pan Bok aka the Grand Canyon of Thailand is our favorite Ubon activity. Soi Sawan waterfall has a lot of the same cool sandstone features though, and it had water running through it that we could swim in, as opposed to baking under the hot sun at the other attraction. Oh, and you can play silly games like in the video below.

Soi Sawan Waterfall entrance fee, hours and location

Soi Sawan Waterfall is located in Pha Taem National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติผาแต้ม). The park lies along the Mekong River which forms the border with Southern Laos in this area. As of September 2026, the published DNP fee schedule lists the entrance price as 40 Baht for Thai adults and 20 Baht for children, and 200 Baht for foreign adults and 100 Baht for children. Charging foreigners five times the Thai price is still somewhat ridiculous. With that said, this park is actually worth the price if you can see the main attractions on the same day. On our 2019 visit, most of the attractions were far apart and not connected by internal roads, meaning long drives out to the main road and back into the park to see each location.

For visiting Soi Sawan Waterfall, this location in Google Maps is correct. The opening times were 8 AM to 6 PM when we visited in October 2019, but they can change, and access can be affected by weather or seasonal closures. Check the latest status with Pha Taem National Park before setting off. Most of the people who came here on our visit were Thai tourists so if you can avoid going on weekends and holidays that will be best.

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