Yet we weren't totally sure why there were fewer people swimming at this waterfall given how pretty it was and how there was the presence of travertine pools. Since we didn't take a dip ourselves, we couldn't tell you ourselves whether there was something off about the pool at this falls.
A short distance later (170m from the visitor center), the activity picked up and there were lots of people swimming, wading, and even scrambling into a small alcove behind the second waterfall (see photo at the top of this page). We thought this waterfall was one of the more scenic ones given its unusual rounded underlying limestone over which the water flowed. According to the signs here, this falls was called Wung Macha.
People playing at some cascades below the 2nd waterfall Given how pretty the falls was, it was no wonder why there was such bustle of activity. We had a good time taking photos from here while also chilling out and basking in the atmosphere of the scene. Come to think of it, perhaps the first waterfall might have been a perfectly fine swimming hole, but the second waterfall completely overshadowed it thereby causing it to become a victim of the lemmings effect.
After having our fill of the second waterfall (I recalled we spent quite a bit of time here), we finally started the race against time and climbed up to the waterfalls further ahead. It was a race against time because the park was said to close at 4:30pm with the last admissions at 4pm. We started hiking at 1:30pm.
On the way up, we were stopped at a check point where we had to register with the authorities there. In addition, I recalled having to leave some kind of collateral (a Thai baht deposit I believe) in exchange for the plastic water bottles we were carrying with us. Perhaps the thought was that the deposit would cover the potential clean-up costs in case the plastic was left behind.
I thought it was a good system (to minimize the amount of litter in the ecologically sensitive areas) though they probably should've charge a little more money to really make it attractive to bring the water bottles back here and get back the desposit.