Where else?

The baths of Nam Rong, Phetchabun

Phetchabun
Phetchabun province is not really well-known by foreign tourists, for instance the Lonely Planet has failed to include it at all!
That seems to be not so fair, in general it's a quiet, laid-back part of the country, fringed with some seriously beautiful mountains. Take an example of Tat Mok / Song Nang waterfalls. Elsewhere there is the historic park of Si Thep.
And of course some hot springs.

Besides Phu Toei 'hot' spring, Thailand Energy and Environment Network (TEEN) list a number of other hot springs in Phetchabun province, totallying 5, whereas Ramingwong et al. (1990) mention 4:

'The surface temperatures range from 35 to 47 C. and the discharges are generally small'.

Phu Kham hot spring
Despite traveling through the town of Phu Kham (or Pukham) there was not much evidence of a hot spring despite the TEEN listing. However this Thai language website begs to differ and translated it reports:

'This hot spring. Temperatures around 45-50 degrees Celsius does not smell of sulfur. Now being updated to a water supply system. In winter the village is taking a hot shower. Loosen the winter very well. Villagers believed that This is a hot spring wells from the holy fire.
...
Travelling by car
Si Thep from the Highway 21 straight through the intersection District Wichienburee Ban Phu Kham. Turn left and go 50 meters to the small junction. Turn right to the Thong Chai Wat Si. Will see a fountain'.

Wangkhasm hot spring
Despite TEEN listing no less than 2 hot springs (well, temperatures above 30C) in this village, they are the only reference. Could also be Wang K(h)am, though this also has no leads.

Nam Ron (Phetchabun) hot spring
Nam Ron translates as hot water and is an often used name in Thailand for a village with a hot spring. To distinguish itself Phetchabun is added, this village falling administratively under the provincial capital district.

TEEN notes it having waters with 50C, which would make it a hot spring.

The village is located on the crossroads of road 2385 and 2275, blink and you will miss it. There's a very small market and a bridge. On the west crossroads side of the bridge, there are two houses directly next to the stream. The back one has a large Welcome sign and is the hot spring.

However when I visited the facilities they were open despite there not being a soul around. Directly behind the entrance were about 7-8 bathrooms each with it's own tub.
A certificate was displayed concerning the presumed mineral quality of the waters (see photo below). Presumed, as the list contains no reference other than pH and chloride.

I nosed around but couldn't find anything that would help ascertain where or how there is a hot spring here, though locals distinctly pointed to this as being the place for a soak.

Additional info from Ellis (2011):

'In 1999 Dean Smart found several small hot springs in the river bank around the bridge in Ban Nam Ron. The water is very hot, but no holes were visible due to the muddy river water'.

Btw, not so far away (national park entrance @ 10 km) are the delicious waterfalls of Song Nang and Tat Mok in the Tat Mok National Park. Oh, I see I have already mentioned them ...


Nam Ron (Wichian Buri) hot spring?
Not on the TEEN list is another Nam Ron village.

Independently I went all the way to this Nam Ron village, 18 km of potholes east of Wichian Buri only to discover that the name had nothing to do with there actually being a spring despite Nam Ron translating as hot water. Huh?

Notes
Ellis, M. (2011) The Caves of Phetchabun. Takobi, Lom Sak, Phetchabun, Thailand.
Ramingwong, T., F. Suvagondha, W. Uttamo, S. Lerdthusnee, K. Wattananikorn, L. Jurasai, & C. Singhasenee (1990) Geothermal pre-feasibility study in the Phetchabun area of northern Thailand. Nippon Chinetsu Gakkaishi (Japan); 12: No. 3, 229-237 (25 Jul 1990).

Zilch

The trail
One of Thailand's better known hot springs is the hot spring of Mae Kasa, located at the foot of the mountains separating Mae Sot district from the rest of central Thailand's Tak province.

Despite it's prominence there is still some difficulties in finding the soak site. First one steers up the highway 105 to the north of Mae Sot until km 13/14 where one goes through a big gate and then continues onwards to the village of Mae Kasa, 7 km's away.

In the village directions to the hot spring stop and one needs to find one's own way to the other side of the village where the road continues. The hot spring is located about a km out of the village. The main site is down a dirt road on your left, though there are some springs visible on the right but these are for some reason off-limits, there's a big fence around them. Driving down the dirt road one comes to a rudimentary parking below a dam which seems to dam the adjacent stream to create a lake for ecstatic (?) reasons.

Are those eggs boiled yet?

Bubbly
From the parking area one can see what's the highlight of this soak site, a bubbling hot spring which one can walk around. Two girls are trying to boil eggs directly in the spring; as it transpires the only springs related activity on offer.

We gather our soaking stuff and confidently walk up to the surrounding buildings, seeing that there was a large pond empty. Unfortunately whatever the purpose was of these buildings, they are now in open season for vandals and miscreants to plunder and spoil. There is no way to soak at this hot spring!

Possibly sometime last century this was the soak site ...

And that seems to contrast with the vibrant feeling of the direct hot spring site. There are about 2 dozen other visitors who are all hanging out at the shops / bars surrounding the parking area. Possibly this is the best place to relax in this area?

The cave? Waterfall?
Somewhere I read something about there being a waterfall and because of the lay of the land, it has to be upstream. We climbed up the side of the dam to see the recently dammed lake. There's a makeshift temple on an island in the center which can be reached by a rickety swing bridge.

Beyond the temple is more parking place and a surprisingly well maintained track, well for 5 meters that is. After that deterioration sets in and the couple of bridges across the dry stream have all been set alight some time in the past, I seem to be getting an idea about what kinds of past-time are hot here.
Halfway up a very steep track we give up, it doesn't seem to be leading anywhere and is not used often anymore.

I later learn that one could continue onwards to a mouth of a cave over which a small stream falls, but seeing there's no stream there's also no waterfall or is that such a weird idea?

Andy Daniels adds

'After looking around at the cool hot springs area I decided to walk up a trail/staircase that went up to a budhist cave. The trail was long and pretty steap. After talking to my dad, who called me while on the trail, I continued to walk and a guide with some monks said he could show me the cave for 300B or else it was locked closed. I told him I would not pay that and would just see what I could see. Thats what I did, the cave was pretty cool but I didn't go too far in, and was happy with what I saw'.

No waterfall even though websites such as wikitravel proclaim the following:

'This large waterfall is located in Tambon Mae Kasa. There is a path leading the way up to a high mountain. A cave in front of the waterfall has a 5 m wide stream of water which serves as an entrance to the waterfall'.

Thailandcaves adds that there are

'... over 850 steps to ascend to entrance, but the cave is impressive. A series of large chambers descend steeply to a large passage which leads to a pool of water where the tour stops. Wading the shallow pool gices access to around 100m of muddy passage that eventually chokes'.

There are also a number of photo's of the cave. But none of the waterfall ...

Other experiences
The official wikitravel entry (undated) on Mae Kasa hot springs goes as follows:

'This hot well of 2 m wide is located in Tambon Mae Kasa, right in the village. Hot and cool streams flow to meet at this well. Visitors can smell sulphur throughout the village and see slight vapour just above the ground. At an edge of the well, the water is easily seen boiling and its temperature is fairly high. A private room for mineral bathing is available. The village is amidst the beauty of nature encompassed by a high mountain and farming land'.

Andy Daniels recounts from last year:

'The hot spings where a bunch of wells with artesian (flowing water) hot water coming out. Mineral deposits had formed around the wells, there were maybe 4 total and some places where the water was just coming out of the ground. The water was too hot to soak and there were not many good pools. The only good pool was in direct sunlight and it was the middle of the day so I didn't soak. There was a park area around one of the well things that had grass and some food venders. It looked like they were working to build the hot spings up more, there was also a large sized pool that was not filled with water, and some privat rooms with little tile tubs that did not look maintained'.

Bangyai was more lucky and witnessed real soakers in the now empty pond:

'As hot springs go, nothing special but there were a few people there splashing around and boiling their eggs. I didn't fancy boiling my eggs so we hit the road again heading north for Mae Sariang'.

And elsewhere near Mae Sot
Mae Sot is very much the main town in this area. Previously this Soaking in Siam has highlighted hot springs in Umphang (due south of Mae Sot), however there is also a hot spring in Phop Phra district to the south of Mae Sot.

A couple of maps indicate there being another less well-known hot spring, Huai Numnak hot spring, also known as Pha Charoen hot spring which refers to the national park in which it is located (link to website with mention of hot spring).

Andy Daniels has also visited this hot spring which can be accessed by taking highway 1206 from the district headquarters itself. He describes his trip as follows:

'It was out in the middle of no where with no signed but I was able to find it after I passed it once and came back. It was large holes with really hot water, and completely natural. There was a woman in the house nearby that couldn't speak any english but was very nice, and was grinding rice separating the grain from the plant casing. I tried to soak my feet in some smaller concrete tubs near the source but they were too hot, I think the locals use them too cook eggs, that seems to be the main thing locals use the hot water for. Also the lady in the house had hot springs water piped to her house. She could tell I wanted to soak somewhere since I came all the way out there so she showed me where they clean dishes and I took one of the tubs they used to wash dished and soaked my feet, even then I had to let the water cool off for a while'.

So that's why I didn't bother heading there ...

Andy's photo of Huai Namnuk hot spring. Another photo can be found here.

Getting there: From Mae Sot take highway 105 north until just beyond km 13. Take the road to the east and continue until the road sort of ends in Mae Kasa village. Try following the most used road and you'll emerge on the other side of the village nearer the mountains. The hot spring is only a km away, below a dam.

Soaking Experience: Zilch!

Overall impression: Underwhelming.

A natural spring at Mae Kasa.

Raft

The spring itself gushing from the rock.

And I name you ....
How does one call a hot spring for which there is no name? The hot spring located along the Mae Klong river, Umphang district (Um Pang / Um Phang?), Tak is referred to by Thai as simply hot spring ('Pong Nam Ron') as do the local Karen (though 'Thi Ko' has a different sound). So should we name this Umphang hot spring? Or Mae Klong? Or use the Thai or Karen version?

To avoid confusion let's settle on the Mae Klong hot spring.

Twisted
Already mentioned is the fact that this hot spring is to be found in the district of Umphang, Tak province.

Umphang is probably one of the most remotest districts in the whole of Thailand. Located to the north of Bangkok, it's only road connection to the rest of the Thai nation actually runs northwards for 150+ kms before one can moves closer to Bangkok. This road (connecting to the town of Mae Sot) contains no less than 1200 curves and corners (Wikipedia) and is up there with some of Asia's most rollercoaster rides (see also Lao, road to Luang Prabang). Something to be proud of one can even buy t-shirts with the correct number of curves.

Largely populated by Karen (who have their own language), Thai language seems a minority language even giving Burmese more precedent.

Besides the twisting road, Umphang gains it's claim to fame by having Thailand's biggest waterfall, Thi Lo Su (Wikipedia, see also World of Waterfalls blog entry). Unfortunately world's leading travel guide book (Lonely Planet) knows exactly where the peanuts are best at which bar but does not seem to comprehend that it's more fitting info to tell readers that the access road to this Thai-class waterfall is impossible during the rainy season i.e. until November-ish.

Voting
It thus requires a raft plus a walk-in meaning a night should be spent at the foot of these falls.

Deliberation on the family front shows a slight majority in favour with a teenage son using his veto powers. Seeing his father nearly bleed to death the day before (or so it seemed) brought on by an attack of blood thirsty leeches while visiting another waterfall along the Mae Sot - Tak highway, there was no way he was spending a night somewhere outside of civilization (as characterized by the existence of wifi). Might seem like a waste.

So the alternative is a full day rafting. Which actually meant just 5 hours. But not really rafting, a float. Along the way we would be going through no less than 2 (!) rapids, pass under a waterfall, enjoy the silence of one of Southeast Asia's biggest undisturbed forests (the so-called Western Forest Complex of which Umphang Wildlife Refuge is just a small part of) and naturally the highlight of the tour a pass (and stop) at a hot spring.

Rafting down the Mae Klong river through virgin forest.

Getting somewhere
But not so naturally of course.

Setting off from the village of Umphang early morning, first up is the waterfall of Thi Lo Jau or Sai Rung (Sai Fon?). The raft floats under this waterfall and if there's any sun (from November onwards?) then a rainbow can be seen. Such it's name(s) which translate from Thai and Karen into rainbow falls.

Next up is the hot spring. Located next to a forest ranger camp (or is it the other way around?) there has been some effort been put in to make these appealing to the mostly Thai tourists. The spring itself is only located about 20m from the main river. Straight after the spring the side walls have been shored up with bamboo to prevent the sandy soil from caving in, the stream bed being 3m lower than the banks.
Roughly 5m down a number of sand bags have been placed to create a 30-50cm deep pool. Directly above the sandbags is a bridge with a bamboo ladder affording access to the soaking area.

Get in!

Toilets are available at the ranger station, 10m away. Rafts dock at the merging of the spring flow with the river. As one of the most natural springs I've yet encountered in Thailand, kudo's must be awarded to the lack of development and the natural undisturbedness of this hot spring.

That said, in season (from November onwards), hundreds of tourists file through here every morning en-route to possible better things downstream. One would hate to be here on such a day and I have seen photo's on the net with quite a few sardines packed into the hot pond complete with life jackets and all, let alone just your usual all day stinky clothes. Here one blogger recounts 25 soakers. This photo has just 19 soakers

The flow though is considerable and the temperature delightful (about 40C?), one could only wish to stay longer. Another great treat is to swim at the confluence. The streams of hot and cold alternate making this a great and exotic way of enjoying the water.

Alas sometime one does need to move on.

A sideways look from the entrance bridge.

Andy
Prominently among bloggers on this hot spring I regard the postings by Andy Daniels who whilst touring Thailand turned into a soakophile. On Mae Klong hot spring:

'Then the hot springs were wonderful. Completely natural with maybe 102 degree water and under bamboo shade. I soaked ate some breakfast and soaked some more. Another hot springer showed up with his thai girlfriend, they also set up a special trip to spend hours at the springs. I was happy not to be the only crazy farang but still got all the attenting because the locals would say this crazy farang has been hears since just past 8 am and hardly anyone could believe it. My guides actually wanted to leave at 11:30 because the message about how long I was going to be there did not get to everyone so I guess the driver had been waiting for me since 9 or 10. I ddin't want to leave and jumped in the springs quickly and when I got out my guides said I could stay and go back with the other springer I had met. He had actually set it up because he could speak thai, and the guides talked to each other and agreed that I could go with the other guys. So my guides left me at the springs. I soaked for another 1.5 hours or so and then we all left together after eating some lunch ...'.

Other blog reports feature the fact that during season snacks are available here.

An impromptu mud bath.

Le So
Otherwise the official map of Tak province (see below) indicates another Umphang area located hot spring by the name of Le So Pong Nam Ron waterfall which is located near Le So village on the Mae Lumung river (lower right hand corner of map).
On internet I've yet to find anything while using the terms above. However the Umphang Phudoi.com has a map included on their website which refers to Liso hot spring. More info though also seems non-existent.



Getting there: From Umphang only rafts make it here so it seems.

Soaking experience: No other visitors meant having the place to one's own. A very relaxing and natural soak.

Overall impression: One of the better and natural soaks Thailand possesses, if only there were more!

Author enjoying the hot and cold.

Under water

Finding
The first day of this year saw me visit two waterfalls (Cyber and Pha Rom Yen), the day to be capped off with a visit to the local hot spring. One of the first problems with finding soaking sites in Thailand is exactly that, the finding.

From info I had printed before I knew that Samo Thong was a hot spring in Uthai Thani province. Somewhere in Tambon Khok Khwai. From highway 3282 north of Ban Rai the hot spring was mentioned to be a whopping 24 kms from the highway.

Submerged
Samo Thong hot spring had been an usual hot spring, the water gushing from the ground and flowing away. However the area around it had been flooded when a large irrigation dam was constructed, creating Huai Khun Kaeo reservoir. But a decision was made to save the springs and a earth bund had been erected around and over the springs so that they would not be flooded.

The above mentioned highway follows the northern stretches of the reservoir and the turn off (a ridiculous 150 degree turn) were clear, only 24 km to go. Surprise, surprise, it's just a km up this road. Why the disinformation?

Development awaited
After saving the springs, it was thought that the soaks would become attraction points and a larger island was created to stimulate future recreative development. Thus when one arrives there's a big car park with to your right a single restaurant. Left is an official building which it turns out sells soaking tickets, rents out bicycles, where you pay for camping and provides a massage if required.

Before purchasing the right to a soak though, let's discover what the soak entails. Along 1 shore are a number of soak cells. Still fail to grasp why they would put these at such a place with that beautiful view; if the 4 person tubs inside fail to have any view than that of the inner walls and roof which does excellent work to capture the hot air, why come here? Towards the back are bigger cells, with bigger tubs and the exclusivity of being able to access a toilet. Somewhere forlorn between the various structures is a covered foot bath which is packed this New Year's day.

Biding your time, waiting for a space to soak your feet?

The springs
Clearly it's a hot spring resort but where is the hot spring itself? In a depression one sees a pond with water bubbling up. that must be it. But on closer inspection the bubbles come from blue pipes and soon this flow stops temporarily as a mechanic is throwing some taps. Opposite this though are 2 cement rings sticky up, revealing two deep hot water sources. One distinctly has some sulfur smells.

The source?

Soaking
This being a family day we and the mother-in-law rent ourselves a cabin. The moment we take possession of our cell the tub is empty, but water flows in swiftly, but also disappears just as fast. The attendant gets down the slope of the reservoir slope turns the discharge tap and our tub begins to fill. We close the door, undress and envelop ourselves in the heat.

Your Thai soak cell.

For the faithful
After the soak we wander around the island which has a second attraction a 20m high golden Buddha. It sees nearly more visitors than the springs themselves. But that's all there is to see.


Experience discussed
I must say I enjoyed this find. But what always trouble's me is that much more could be made of the location. The reservoir continues for miles to the southwest, in the opposing direction are high mountains (the 1500m + Khao Yai). Due to it be an island seclusion, privacy is guaranteed on three sides.

Soaks should be followed by a refreshing plunge and lo and behold this lake is just meters away from the soak sites, but inaccessible. When will be a real soak established in Thailand?

Just the other day I was looking at a programme which is aired every weekend on Channelnewsasia. It involves two middle age Japanese ladies who are traveling and discovering their own country, Japan. They focus mostly on food but yesterday they also visited 3 onsens on the Izu peninsula. But hey, two onsens were really special (one added brime, the other Arame, edible sea weed) while the third had a beautiful sweeping view of the sea. Why is that not possible here?

From the internet
Tourism Thailand:

'This is a small spring that sprouts up to the surface. The hot water from underground converges to form a little stream that flows down to Than Khok Khwai or Huai Khun Kaeo. The water is clear and pungent with the aroma of sulphur. The water is so hot that it can boil an egg in 5 minutes. The Royla Irrigation Department has constructed Huai Khun Kaeo Reservoir, flooding the stream and the spring itself. However, and earth levee has been developed around the spring and some landscaping has been done to create a good rest area for visitors. The spring has an area of 4,000 square metres and consists of 3 springs. A mineral bath is available for tourists and nearby is a 20-metre-high Buddha image sitting high amidst the wonderful scenery of the area'.

The only other original source is a blog on Uthai thani province:

'Formerly a natural hot spring gushing over the ground's surface, the water is clear, but with a sulfur dioxide semll. The temperature of the spring sits between 80-86 C, hot enough to boil an egg in five minutes. The hot spring has now been modified into a public park 4,00o square meter with bathing pools for visitors to enjoy a healthy bath. The public park has three hot spring wells 4-5 meters deep, with cement rimes around them one meter high. In the middle of the park sits a Buddha statue some 20 meters tall painted in gold, which can be seen from a good distance. Near the statue you'll find a reservoir. This landscape forms a beautiful scene and a pleasant atmosphere. visitors can enjoy fishing or cycling around the reservoir'.

Cement rimes?

Getting there: From Ban Rai take the 3282 highway north in the direction of Lan Sak. At km marker 41 follow the road heading due east (you'll be coming from the northeast) and follow for 1 km and you are there.

Soaking experience: This being a relatively cool day, the soak at the end of the afternoon certainly was worth the visit. That said, once inside the soaking cell, the experience is the same whether you are in Samo Thong or somewhere else in Thailand. Depends on your mood.

Overall impression: Good, the area around is certainly relaxing. Possible because of new year, business (such as refreshments and restaurants) were doing well, adding to a conducive atmosphere. A stroll around the island is possible and pleasing with sights of mountains and the lake.

Striking a pose for 2010?

Another Bo Klueng visit

A small shrine between the pools and the hot spring stream above.

Over the past New Year period I managed to visit Ratchaburi province once more. Coming more than one and half years after my initial visit I was astounded by the development the area beyond Suan Phueng was undergoing. Everywhere resorts were springing up and were expectingly looking to the upcoming holidays as most were to be packed.

I once more visited Bo Klueng hot spring and lo and behold it being a Tuesday it was once more being cleaned (prior visit had the same result but that was on a Monday). That sucks. We were not the only disappointed, there were quite a few visitors, all equally underwhelmed by the inability to soak.

Hot spring pool empty and other pool off limits as exemplified by chair with sign board.

The area beyond the pools had seen a fence being drawn up, but only for 50 m. Otherwise despite the boom witnessed elsewhere no investments had been made.

Unfortunately no soaking experience, again the impression that this is one of Thailand's best.

There is now a web site for the place (in Thai).

My family and I in the hot stream

Links to blogs on waterfalls nearby: Kao Chon (updated) and Pha Toei.

I Love?

Kanchanaburi

The province of Kanchanaburi is a well trodden piece of Thailands tourist path. Besides historical highlights (as in the Burma railway), it excels in natural highlights. In this, the Erawan waterfall meets most tourists expectations of a beautiful tropical waterfall paradise.

But there is much more nature to be discovered. Many more waterfalls and caves. So it may not be surprising that hiking and rafting are increasingly becoming popular pursuits, especially for the more wealthy middle class Bangkok citizens; Bangkok located not more than 2 hours drive from these delights.

Hin Dat hot spring
As said there are a couple of hot springs, non more well-known than that of Hin Dat (or Hindad / Hindard / Hindat / Hin Dad or formerly known as Kuimang; the name on the tickets though is Hindaad). Not only in Kanchanaburi, but Hin Dat rates as one of the more recognized names in hot springs in Thailand.

Located at a fair distance from Kanchanaburi town it's just a km off the near perfect highway 323 heading west. Judging from the ample space for parking, it surely is part of the main tourist road, even a number of coach parking spaces are available. Parking outside the main gate, a small fee was required to enter, though why nationals only get charged 10 Bt and foreigners four times that amount seems a bit weird; do foreigners get more value for money?

Beyond the gate is another parking area with many stalls around, for drinks, food, tourist nick-knacks, souvenirs and orchids / plants. Tickets get checked before a bridge. From the bridge one has a good overview of the hot spring pools themselves. This being a rainy Sunday afternoon around 3 o'clock, the sides of the two pools are lined with soakers, though not many are immersing themselves. Is the water too hot? Just a meter from the pools is a swift flowing stream; it having rained during the preceding days. The banks of the stream are also lined with people half in the water.

Sunday afternoon: packed soakers.

The soak
Leaving a visit for the air-raid shelters (!) for later, I precede to the changing rooms, which are not well-maintained, but probably serve their purpose. Then down to the showers. Oddly it are mostly visitors who are leaving who are using the showers; clearly cleanliness is not an issue.

Finding a dry spot to put my things down is quite a challenge, but once found it's off to find a spot on the side of the pool to adjust to the water. Of course there is still a place available: right next to the source, which is well over 40C apparently. After a couple of minutes I slide into the hotter of the two pools. After a nice soak, I get out and cool off in the stream.

The bank of the stream has been lined with steps of flagstones and though the river current is strong, it's a great pleasure to enjoy a natural cooling off. By the time I'm ready for a second round, the pools are starting to clear of their visitors, possibly having to return to the big smoke. But without the crowds, the soaks are even more enjoyable. A few more rounds follow and to top off a short massage is required. All 'n all a great soak.

Soaking Thai style.

After wrestling back from swimwear to clothing, I walk around the site that includes a number of private soaking bungalows, a temple and the aforementioned air-raid shelters which remained from the second World War. What better protection would you need when soaking?

Background
As stated above Hin Dat is a well-known soak, why remains a mystery. Possibly it's accessibility together with the beautiful location of springs next to swift running stream.

However most mentions of the hot spring concern tourist web sites mentioning the possibility of soaking. Some credit the Japanese occupiers (during WW II) with finding and enhancing these springs:

'.. discovered beside a stream of cool water by Japanese troops during WWII and two cement wells were then constructed at the site'.

Both pools are still there. However there is also the following mention:

'This hot spring has a long history and has been with the local villagers for over 150 years'.

It does seem logical that the hot springs were there before the Second world war, why the Japanese get the credit for discovering them is beyond me. Though no doubt they did enhance and popularise them.

But it does seem that not much has changed since. The site has been enhanced with ample parking spaces, a bridge, changing rooms, toilets, ticket vending office and private pools. The latter though don't seem to be too popular, but they are located on the hill overlooking the site, without access to the stream and thus probably provide a less superior experience. They also cost the foreigner a foot or more, upto 1,000 Bt (~$US 30). Pay more, get less.

Other bloggers mention

• AbsoluteBangkok.com:

  'Well, what else you need when you got large hot water tubs lined with natural stone - and a clean (!) fresh mountain stream two meters away to cool you down again. You could rent private bath tubs, but what would you need narrow walls and a roof for when the sky’s the limit?
  ...
  And don’t trust the name of the nearby Green World Hot Spring & Golf Resort. They have no access to the hot spring water, but talk about repairs and broken pipelines and … screw them.
  All they have is a rotten jacuzzi in the cellar. Go for the real thing at the public bath. The only thing to worry: I always wonder when visiting a public bath in Thailand why you won’t find cleaner toilets than in a Thai public bath. As nobody uses the toilets'.

• Bluestar guesthouse:

  'the springs are a God send'.

• caryn:

  'This one is rather simple, yet it attracts numerous tourist'.

• andydaniels:

  'The springs were really nice, big pools that fit a lot of people and were deep'.

After four: quiet and serene.

Other information
There is also a Hin Dat hot spring festival, each year in November:

'In the festival, there are booths of agricultural products and tourism exhibition of Amphoe Thong Pha Phum'.

The waters are said to have as a healing property for various ailments such as beriberi and rheumatism [1], holy water that can cure diseases [2] and gout [3].

There are two locations to stay overnight nearby: the above mentioned Green Valley which might be more appealing to golfers and the Phatad Valley Hot Springs resort, which actually is still a couple of kms away and has nothing to do with the hot springs!

Nearby are also the Pha Tad watertfalls, probably a great place for a swim. As it is a national park, entry is a hefty 100 Bt, unfortunately during my visit three was too much water to make a swim possible. This site has more info on Pha Tad which are only located some 10 km from Hin Dat.

Gushing waterfalls of PhaTad.

Furthermore it should be pointed out that the hot spring is open til 22.00, which means that a late nite soak and picnic are available. Always good to know in hot Thailand.

Then just a mention about the name, the official name is Hindad, however by far most internet links refer to it being Hin Dat. Can someone explain?

Getting There: Traveling from Kanchanaburi town, one only needs to continue on the main 323 highway towards the Burmese border. Past the entrance to Sai Yok National park, the well signposted hot springs are just off the main road at km marker 123.

Soaking Experience: The natural surroundings and the possibilty to cool down in the adjacent stream make Hin Dat are great place to soak. Also the possibility to stay until well into the night add to a great way to soak. The pools are deep, though the bottom is uneven.

Overall Impression: Positive. A great place to while away a few hours preferably on the day edges, as midday sees many visitors. The food stalls even have western food and the masseurs work full time, such is their appeal.
But I always have doubts about hygiene. Currently in Thailand you can sanitize you hands at every reception desk, though it's disputable whether the swine flu can be obtained over the counter. However without batting an eyelid, all soakers jump in in their already-worn clothing to soak; somehow missing out on the hygiene lessons. Outside of Southeast Asia though, customs (based on hygiene) determine that rigorous cleansing should take place before soaking ...

A you tube on Hin Dat?

Bo Klueng: End of the road

Worth it?

Besides Pong Krathing hot spring, Ratchaburi province has another hot springs site: Bo Klueng hot 'stream'. These springs are situated in the Suan Phueng area, a recently approved accessible area of Ratchaburi province quite near the Burmese border. It used to be off-limits to all but locals due to the Thai-Burmese border relations or lack of relations more probabbly.
The area is now seeing quite a lot of tourism related construction: due to the amount of natural attractions, it’s ease of access to Bangkok (two hours if you fail to take your foot off the accelerator), it’s slightly cooler climate (due to it’s higher elevation) and enchanting natural surroundings (or did I mention it already?). Recently finished are a number of resorts / restaurants with others set to open in the near future. Roadside stalls specialize in selling plants (esp. orchids) and ‘souvenirs from Myanmar’ the politically correct name for the politically incorrect country of Burma.

How to get there
From the town of Suan Phueng to the hot springs site of Bo Khlueng is a distance of roughly 15 km. The scenery changes markedly from gradual rolling hills to medium high mountains covered with (pristine?) forest and small valleys with swift flowing streams flowing between the remnants of valley forests and more recently planted fruit orchards.

The (re-)sources
Located just 1 km before the end of the road (a side road of highway no. 3087), a small car park is situated off the left before a small booth with barrier. After paying 5 Baht to a disinterested receptionist and taking a short stroll of 100 meter or so along a large pond, one comes to an intersection of paths.
Here are situated a number of restaurants. To the left is a large concrete lined pool (7 x 15m) which during my visit is empty and receiving a well-needed scrub from a number of hard working ladies. This pool, created by damming a stream, is situated at the end of this stream with an overflow to the previously mentioned pond. The water coming from the stream is warm. Some would say hot, but it is not too hot. When filled, this pool must be quite attractive as during its construction considerable effort had been made to retain a certain naturalness: huge boulders are located in and along the side of the pool. The water depth maintained would be about 1 meter.

Traveling all the way out here only to discover the main pool is getting a scrub.

From this pool I walk further upstream, the increasing heat evidence of becoming closer to the source of the hot stream or was it just the soaring mid-day heat? About 200 meter from the pool there are a number of streams coming from small holes in the red-hot rock bed of the stream, obviously the source of springs. These springs are also way too hot to be considered ‘bathable’.

The source of the intense heat: coming from between the rocks

Surprisingly for a Thai hot springs site, no one has come up with the innovative idea of cooking eggs in the springs; maybe it's more a northern Thai / Cambodian thing to do. But it also happens in Malaysia...., ah, it's possibly a long established tourist kind of custom, developed through generations of exposure to unattractive and boring hot springs ("I'm sure we can get hot water straight from the tap back home").

The hot water stream flowing downwards. Besides the water being hot, so are the rocks!

Back at the intersection, a small side path leads to an office-like structure which proves to be the entrance to a separate pool / bathing area. During the week (as now) use of these facilities is free, however during the weekend a fee of 80 Baht (by the time of publication nearly 3 $ US) is required, which local Thai residents might consider steep. It gives access to changing rooms, showers and a 5 meter round and shaded hot pool with a few loungers / chairs on its fringes.

And the non-natural soaking pond: actually not too bad for a dip during the cooler months or in the evening.

A cooler soak
An interesting side trip, is to take the footpath beyond and above the hot stream. It continues up and onwards ending near Pha Daeng (or Kao Chan?) waterfall. This waterfall lies in a wide but steep valley through which the river flows in a succession of waterfalls, though few are really spectacular. Maybe that changes during the rainy season but now at end of March, before the real drought onslaught, at best the waterfalls are just OK. Along the waterfall, going downhill, the path continues until it ends at a huge and empty car park. Possibly the emptiness is different with the weekend influx, but I can’t believe that Bangkokians will or have ever arrived in such numbers. Then again, near the car park is such an accumulation of refuse, that certainly must come from somewhere. Just near the car park are a couple of stalls.
The upper levels of the waterfall though are deliciously unpolluted and at that moment unvisited, great for an all-natural dip.

Pha Daeng or was it Kao Chan waterfall? Whatever, for late March it still made a pleasant dip.

Overnite
The day is drawing to an end and distant thunder is rumbling ever closer. Moving onwards to Kanchananburi, Ratchaburi’s northern provincial neighbour, seems a bit too far fetched and I decide to seek accommodation nearby; there is some choice to be had and the surroundings here are certainly crispier and more natural than a downtown Kanchanaburi hotel.
I drive back a couple of kilometers towards Suan Phueng, take a right turn and drive down to the reception of the Scenery.

"No, we are fully booked this evening",

says a receptionist, clad as a pristine nurse,

"but you’re welcome to tour the grounds".

She is very persuasive though not really um, ... real or genuine. As I start to wander further, she insists on leading the tour and asks me to hop on her golf cart which she uses to drive me along a duck pond with sparkling white spacious bungalows beyond it. At the end of the drive the artificial scenery gives way to a shaded forest along a 30-40 cm deep stretch of a river. Chairs are conveniently located in the stream as well as some swings, originating from the overhanging trees. What a beautiful place! But no rooms tonite.

My nurse advises me to stay at the near the entrance located, white washed Nagaya, which she assures me, has several rooms vacant this evening. After close inspection, I must say that it does miss the magic of the stream, but it does have a better backdrop / view than its neighbour. The rooms are quirky: each different and carrying names such as 'naked' and 'nude'. One might expect a clothing optional resort but, this being Thailand, the names are meant as a teaser, alas. Nagaya provides bikes, but the tracks beyond Nagaya are equally enjoyed on foot: following and crossing the river and meandering through fruit orchards, especially when the threatening thunderstorm finally unleashes itself, drenching me to the skin.

After this partially involuntary soaking, I change into drier clothes and head back over to the Scenery, as they are only resort within walking distance with a restaurant. It only now dawns on me that, there being no accommodation vacant at this resort, might have proven to be an advantage: on every tree a speaker has been mounted from which Frank S. is crooning. I manage to pass the reception without requiring the assistance of a golf cart to face the 100 meter stretch to the restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant sound system is not rigged to the tree sound system and though the meal is excellent the intermittent jazz / Sinatra takes away from the meal.

The Nagaya, something not so Thai. Pity of the pond. But still well worth a stay.

And there's more
After a good (non air-conditioned) sleep, I decide to discover more of the Suan Phueng area. Highway no. 6070 heads southwest from Suan Phueng towards the border with Burma. There might be a couple of waterfalls accessible, though the waterfall to Pachundara is blocked.
At Kaeng Som Maew / Queen Sirikit Forest Park (25 km from Suan Phueng, then a left side road for another 2.5 km) the waterfall is actually a rapid with a lot of opportunities for recreation (read picnic). Surprisingly, I only learnt after the visit that there is much more to be seen, it's a nature study center.

The Kaeng Som Maew rapids, lie near a nature study area with a royal hut.

However, Bo Wi waterfall (15 km from Suan Phueng, then in Bo Wi village a right hand turn before crossing the river, continue upstream for another km) is much more worth a visit. Located in a narrow valley this is again a multi-level (seven?) waterfall. Go up a couple of levels and on this week day, a pleasant skinny-dip can be had.

Objective met, time to return to the world, to Bangkok.

Bo Wi waterfall, great place to really cool off and spend a pleasant time in complete solitude (as you can see)

Discovering more

A bit of surfing on the i-net, has revealed more. As usual, there's a seemingly unending list of alternative names for the hot springs: Bor Klueng, Bo Khlung, Bo Klung, Bo Khlueng and probably many more variations; I settled on Bo Klueng as the first picture reveals (above this post entry): the fact that the place itself uses it.

There are some more visitors / sites who have posted their views / additional info:

• Bangkokmum:

  'there are two springs at Bor Krueng , a cement pond located outside for all to see and a swimming pool higher up … we went for the swimming pool cuz it’s shallow enough for kids to waddle in … people there jump in wearing t-shirts and shorts so i looked a little over the top in my swimming suits … it was quite relaxing , just soaking in the hot water and watching butterflies fly by …'

• Chomphrai reveals the history of the hot springs: prior to 1960 it was a mining area which explains why it is now private property. He / she also comments on butterflies and does more exploring nearby.

• The official Tourism of Thailand site mentions the temperature of the water and adds a couple of good photo's.
  

• On this travel agency site ('Thailand Travel Tours') they mention both Pha Daeng waterfalls ('riddled with leeches') as well as Bo Klueng ('nice place to relax').

• Extensive information on, not only the direct surroundings of Bo Klueng / Suan Phueng, but the whole of Ratchaburi province is to be found on wikitravel.

  'In winter, in the morning, the hot stream will combine and form a terrific fog'.

  It also provides more info on the trail between the hot springs and the waterfall:

  'Route 2: Start from the office and walk along the waterfall, passing Bo Khlueng Hot Stream and turn back to the office, taking 3 hours'.

  It also mentions the nearby 'Natural Science Park' from which the trail originates. It also refers to the waterfalls as 'Kao Chan' rather than Pha Daeng.

• Finally, a German language wiki mentions the waterfall (Kao Chan) having 9 levels.
  

Getting There: From Ratchaburi city, take highway no. 3087, just north of Ratchaburi on motorway no. 4. The 3087 bypasses the town of Chombung and after a gradual climb you'll find yourself in the town of Suan Phueng. Highway 6070 towards Bo Wi and Kaeng Som Maew / Queen Sirikit Forest Park is a left hand turn in town itself.
Bo Klueng however is a well signposted left turn, 5 km further out of Suan Pheung still on the same highway, 3087. The hot springs are about 10 km from this intersection, on your left.
The Pha Daeng / Kao Chan waterfalls are at the end of this road, 1 km beyond the hot springs.

Soaking Experience: Tough luck for me, the natural (free) pond was being cleaned, which of course deserves a very positive review. The hot stream itself has been kept natural, but simply too hot for anything other than a burn. The artificial pool is not enticing enough, but in the cooler part of the year certainly worth a try, especially if you can avoid the more busier weekends / Thai holidays

Overall impression: However, with the delicious natural setting and attractions around, Bo Klueng hot springs are certainly worth a very pleasant visit. Stay longer, it’s worth it!

Visited April 2008.

December 2009 update here.