Tatai Waterfall

Waterfall

A two-tier waterfall in a rocky gorge on the Tatai River, and the easiest of the Cardamom foothill falls to reach from Koh Kong town.

Tatai Waterfall Map data © OpenStreetMap contributorsKhemarak PhouminTatai Waterfall

Tatai Waterfall essentials

Country: Cambodia
Driest months: Dec-Feb
Pay in: Riels (៛)
Language: Khmer
Emergency: 117

About Tatai Waterfall

Tatai Waterfall is a broad cascade on the Tatai River where it spills out of the Cardamom foothills, about 18 km by road east of Koh Kong town and a short way north of National Road 48. The river drops in two tiers through a rocky gorge, with pools below where you can swim when the current allows.

Its character shifts completely through the year. Late in the rainy season and early in the dry season, roughly September to December, it is a wide, roaring torrent. By the end of the dry season the flow thins to a series of channels between long shelves of rock, easier to scramble over but far less dramatic. The forest around the gorge belongs to the wider Cardamom Mountains landscape.

The falls are said to take their name from a local legend. A farmer, the story goes, lost his son to the falls and mourned him as drowned, only for the boy to walk home days later with tales of a blood-drinking spirit and a mysterious rescuer. Families in the small village of Tatai still tell the story.

Things to Do
When to Go

Weather & Climate near Tatai Waterfall

Climate

Tatai Waterfall's climate is classified as Tropical Monsoon - Tropical Monsoon climate with consistently warm temperatures year-round. Temperatures range from 21°C to 33°C. Heavy rainfall (3780 mm/year), wettest in July with a pronounced dry season.

Air Quality: AQI 62 Moderate
Best Time to Visit
JanuaryDecemberFebruary
Temperature & Rainfall
Temperature Range
35°
Warmest Month
17°
Coldest Month
Monthly Conditions
Month Comfort Temp Feels Rain Sky Humidity Wind UV Daylight
January Ideal 21° - 31° 26° 11 mm partly cloudy 79% 1.9 m/s 1.8 very high 11.4h
February Very Good 22° - 31° 27° 35 mm partly cloudy 79% 2.0 m/s 1.9 very high 11.7h
March Very Good 24° - 32° 32° 63 mm partly cloudy 80% 2.2 m/s 2.0 extreme 12.0h
April Good 24° - 33° 35° 108 mm overcast 82% 1.9 m/s 2.1 extreme 12.3h
May Acceptable 24° - 32° 34° 366 mm overcast 86% 2.1 m/s 2.0 extreme 12.5h
June Acceptable 24° - 31° 32° 721 mm overcast 89% 2.1 m/s 1.9 very high 12.7h
July Acceptable 24° - 30° 31° 810 mm overcast 89% 2.2 m/s 1.8 very high 12.6h
August Good 24° - 30° 31° 771 mm overcast 89% 2.1 m/s 1.8 very high 12.4h
September Acceptable 24° - 30° 27° 513 mm overcast 90% 2.0 m/s 1.8 very high 12.1h
October Acceptable 23° - 31° 27° 279 mm overcast 88% 1.8 m/s 1.8 very high 11.8h
November Good 23° - 31° 27° 83 mm partly cloudy 84% 2.1 m/s 1.8 very high 11.5h
December Excellent 22° - 31° 26° 20 mm partly cloudy 80% 2.5 m/s 1.8 very high 11.3h
Getting There & Around

How to Get to Tatai Waterfall

Tatai Waterfall lies off National Road 48, the highway east from Koh Kong town toward Andong Tuek and Phnom Penh, reached by a short dirt track from the main road. Most visitors come by hired motorbike, tuk-tuk or car from town as a half-day trip, and boat trips on the Tatai River can be arranged locally.