Tips For Travel To Thi Lo Su Waterfalls In Um Phang

[bkkbarnstormer]

Does anybody have any tips for visiting the above?

When is the best time to visit?

What is the best way to reach the waterfalls?

How long does it take to get there from Um Phang?

Any good places to stay nearby?

I was planning to drive to Um Phang from Bangkok for a weekend break but from a quick internet search, it looks like it can be quite difficult to reach the waterfalls unless you are part of an organised tour

Appreciate any useful tips from those of you who may have already done the trip

[yodabkk]

>When is the best time to visit?

Cool season - there's no definite period for that but practically that is like 1 month after last rainfall (up north, not bkk) until February.

> What is the best way to reach the waterfalls?

There is only one way to reach the falls from Um Phang town and that's by road in a car/pickup

>How long does it take to get there from Um Phang?

Last time I was was in 2001 when there was dirt road and you wanna drive slowly not to scare away the wildlife and took me well over an hour.

Now the bloody national park built a paved road from the provincial highway to the middle of the NP, so dont expect to see any deers along the way now.

>Any good places to stay nearby?

Look up the tourism authority of thailand website and info for that district and pick one of the several guest houses.

>I was planning to drive to Um Phang from Bangkok for a weekend break but from a quick internet search, it looks like it can be quite difficult to reach the waterfalls unless you are part of an organised tour

Mister, have you tried Google Map to work out driving route for you?

You cannot reach there directly from Bangkok like Kanchanaburi, but you have to drive 400km to Tak (about 5hours) , turn left to Mae Sot (about 2hours of winding mountain road).

Supplies like food and fuel is very limited in Umphang so all must be bought from Mae Sot including all the cash you need.

From Mae Sot to Umphang is a treacherous, switchback, narrow mountain road and its conditioned varies from km to km and from month to month

Bcos during the rainy season it gets damaged by landslides and by the time you go thru it the road might not yet get repaired

Plus regular minibuses and cows (I kid you not) love stop in the middle of the road right behind BLIND corners.

An experienced driver there takes 3 hours, first time drivers could take double the time.

Rear seat passengers could get very sick with motion sickness hence regular stops and delays.

Typically you need at least 5 nights - 1 night in Mae Sot on the way up, 3 in Umphang and last night Mae Sot.

Vehicle: petrol-powered vehicles not recommended as you could overheat them, diesel-powered vehicles with high ground clearance recommended.

Altho 4x4/mud tyres not needed during dry deason.

No need for organised tours, but the guesthouses in Umphang typically extort tourists to pay for room and all meals with them,

And there's little chance you can find a guesthouse as a walk-in cos that's just the way they operate up there.

Oh yes, you have to pay them cash in advance too.

NP can offer old bungalows or camp ground, but you have to book and pay upfront from bkk.

Blackouts and brownouts are expected during peak tourist season, so be prepared for that.

Malaria still exists but Malaria Tablets DO NOT WORK - just get to hospital asap when any of the symptoms occur and avoid mosquito bites by using OFF! spray and lotion day and night.

Sound cruel but no, its just quite an adventure, just go prepared and you could have a time of your life.

The view of the "Sky Road" when you are half way from Mae Sot to Umphang takes your breath away as the mountain road is visible above the clouds.

The walk from Thee Lor Su NP office to the waterfall is about 45 minutes.

Another fun thing to do in Umphang is rafting just ask your guesthouse and if u would die not seeing a dawn rising above a sea of mist then there'a a hill just outside Umphang town where you can do that.

Have fun1