Water the colour of its name
The pool really is green. Spring water runs through limestone bedrock, picks up dissolved minerals and settles into a shallow basin. Where the sun reaches it, the water turns milky jade; under the trees it goes darker. The bottom is pale mineral deposit, which is where the colour comes from.
You’re in lowland forest in Khlong Thom Nuea, part of the protected land around Khao Phra Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary. Tall dipterocarp trees close in overhead. Buttress roots flare out beside the path, and there’s cicada noise in the background all day. Many visitors rate the place well, but it’s also one of Krabi’s busiest day trips, so plan around the crowds.
The walk in
From the entrance and ticket area, there are two ways to reach the pool:
- The main boardwalk: a raised wooden path through the trees, flat and easy, and fine for children and older walkers.
- The nature trail: a longer, rougher loop through the forest that ends at the same pool. You’ll see more of the forest floor and meet fewer people.
Both take you past small streams running over mineral terraces. If you keep going past Emerald Pool, a path leads uphill to the Blue Pool (Sa Nam Phut). Its colour depends on the light and the recent rain, so don’t count on seeing it at its brightest. Swimming isn’t allowed there, so treat it as somewhere to look.
Beating the vans
The crowd pattern here is very consistent. The quietest hour is 9am to 10am, on weekdays and at weekends alike. On weekends, 11am to 3pm is the stretch to avoid. That’s when the day-tour groups from Ao Nang and Krabi Town arrive and the edges of the pool fill with bodies.
The gates open at 8:30am, seven days a week. Leave early from the coast and you’ll be walking in just as the quiet hour starts. The gates shut at 4:30pm, and the last part of the afternoon feels rushed, so don’t plan a late visit.
Swimming etiquette at Sa Morakot
Knowing how things work here makes the visit easier.
- Pay at the gate. Entry is charged at the park office, and the price for foreign visitors is posted there. Bring cash in Thai baht, because this isn’t somewhere to rely on cards.
- Get in gently. The pool is shallow, and the mineral bottom can be slippery and soft underfoot. People wade in rather than jump.
- Skip the sunscreen and lotion before you swim. The water is a fragile mineral system, and rangers ask swimmers to keep it clean.
- Change in the facilities, not by the pool. Thai families swim here too, and modest swimwear or a T-shirt over it is normal.
- Keep your snacks packed away. Monkeys live in the area and they know what a plastic bag means.
Rangers blow whistles at anyone climbing the terraces or swimming in closed areas. They mean it.
Getting to Khlong Thom
The pool is well inland, roughly an hour or more by road from Ao Nang, so nobody walks or takes a quick taxi hop. You have three realistic options:
- Join a day tour. Most tours from Ao Nang and Krabi Town combine Emerald Pool with the Khlong Thom hot springs and often Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave Temple). These are the groups that arrive in the busy window.
- Hire a private driver or taxi for the day. This lets you arrive at 8:30am and set your own order.
- Rent a car or scooter. Main roads run east from Krabi Town towards Khlong Thom. The final stretch is signposted, and there’s parking at the entrance.
Give the site itself about two to three hours. That covers the walk in, a proper swim, the detour to the Blue Pool and drying off before the drive back.
Pairing it with the hot springs
A lot of people pair Emerald Pool with the Khlong Thom hot springs (often signed as Klong Thom Hot Spring Waterfall), a short drive away. There, warm water runs over rock ledges in the forest, making a warm soak after the cool swim. Go to Emerald Pool first while it’s quiet, then drive on to the springs once the tour vans start to arrive.
Birders may know the wider Khao Nor Chuchi forest as one of the last homes of Gurney’s pitta, a very rare bird. Seeing one takes a local guide and a lot of luck, but it tells you how important this patch of forest is.
What to bring:
- Swimwear and a quick-dry towel
- Sandals with grip for the wet boardwalk
- Insect repellent for the trail (don’t put it on before you swim)
- Drinking water
- A dry bag for your phone
Frequently asked questions
When is the quietest time to visit Emerald Pool?
9am to 10am, on weekdays and at weekends. On weekends, try not to arrive between 11am and 3pm, when tour groups crowd the pool.
What are Emerald Pool's opening hours?
It's open every day from 8:30am to 4:30pm. It doesn't close on any day of the week.
How do I get to Emerald Pool from Ao Nang or Krabi Town?
It's in Khlong Thom District, roughly an hour or more by road. Most people join a day tour, hire a private driver, or rent a car or scooter. There's parking at the entrance.
Can you swim in the Blue Pool as well?
No. You can swim at Emerald Pool, but the Blue Pool (Sa Nam Phut) further up the trail is for looking only. Its colour also changes with the light and recent rain.
How long should I spend there, and what's nearby?
Allow two to three hours for the boardwalk, a swim and the Blue Pool. The Khlong Thom hot springs are a short drive away, and many tours also add Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave Temple).
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