Emerald water
A warm pool in the forest.
Maksym Kozlenko — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shivashanky — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maksym Kozlenko — CC BY-SA 4.0
A natural pool of clear emerald-green water in dense tropical forest in the Khlong Thom area, fed by a warm spring from the ground so the water stays pleasantly mild all year. You reach it along a wooden boardwalk through the forest about a kilometre and a half long, among giant trees and streams. Visitors swim in the Emerald Pool, and a short further trail leads to the Blue Pool, a spellbinding milky blue, where swimming is banned to protect it. The surrounding forest is a nature reserve with rare birds. Entry for foreigners is about four hundred baht per adult and two hundred per child, and it opens in daytime. Most organised trips from Ao Nang combine the pool with the Khlong Thom hot springs and Tiger Cave Temple in one day. Come early in the morning before the tour buses to find the water calm, and bring modest swimwear and a towel. The path is paved and easy, suitable for families.
A warm pool in the forest.
A spellbinding milky blue.
Among giant trees.
Thung Teao forest, Khlong Thom, about 70 km south-east of Ao Nang
Yes: the Emerald Pool is mostly shallow, with calm, warm water, but the rocks are a little slippery, so take care. The Blue Pool is for looking only.