Passion

A larger tub located in Nong Sai Phrao, Chiang Mai province. Translation of the Thai article reveals that temperatures are 50-60°C at source (source).

A couple of picca's and a few quotes, that's what makes up this entry.

Starting off with a link to a video by Bangkok Post (Jan. 24) on (off-topic) sand bathing:

'People visit the Black Sand Beach in Trat and cover their bodies with the sand. They believe it helps reduce fatigue and symptoms of paralysis'.

Krabi, source

While in the area the Bangkok Post (Feb. 1) also visits nearby Krabi:

'From the bay, we cruise through the dense mangrove forest and turn into Sikao Canal. Hundreds of fiddle crabs rush back to their holes when Banjong jumps onto the bank. Just steps from the crabs' home is a saltwater hot spring, of which crystal clear water runs directly into the canal.

"The hot spring sits on the canal's bed, yet not many know about it until the canal changes its course and a mud deposit fills up the bank; at this point, the hot spring emerges," said Banjong. It may not be such a good idea to take a dip in this hot spring which is filled with fiddle crabs. 

Luckily, if you go a bit north into neighbouring Krabi province, you'll find the Wareerak Hot Spring Spa which is highly recommended. Wareerak is different from other spas. It has its own hot spring well hidden in huge tropical garden. Guests can take a dip in outdoor pools and get some sleep during their massages. 

"Our hot spring has warm water at 42C. It's ready to use. After getting your body checked up in traditional Thai style by a doctor, guests will enjoy a body scrub and dip in the hot spring," said Chantima Channam, the resort manager of Wareerak, describing her award-winning hydrotherapy programme'.

Now we’re having a coffee at that nice little cafe I posted not too long ago and taking our time to relax and think about amazing time we had so far! In about ten days we will leave Thailand for Laos, so need to soak up every last bit of this amazing country!

#hotspring #gopro #pai #thailand #asia #vsco #vscocam #travel #traveling #vscoadventure #adventure #lonelyplanet #tripadvisor #goworld #travelingourplanet #backpacking #igerstravel #river (bij Sai Ngam Hot Spring)

Source: yeahhright

Elevation
Less natural Kashikiri Soda Onsen and Spa is a wellness "resort" in central Bangkok which itself notes:

'Our passion for spa onsen in Japan, happened to be the 1st and the only private spa in Thailand'. 

There's no word on the origins of it's waters but it does also note:

'Elevating the onsen spa services, we strive to deliver the best minerals essence from the top sources of hot springs in Japan. The premier essence powder are imported especially from Beppu and Kusatsu directly into our baht tub ...'.

No word yet from tripadvisor ...

 

Indulge yourself with the treasure of enrich minerals from Japan hot prings and volcanic essence#privateonsen #beautifulplace #bangkok #thonglor #bts #spa #relaxing #healthylife #goodhealth #bodyandsoul #chic #skin #kashikirisodaonsenandspa #kashikiri49 #kashikirionsenbkk #kashikiri

source

Then to wrap this up, back north for two photo's , the first from Chiang mai province, the second  of Phu Klon mud, Mae Hon Song province.

  

ไคแตงโมเหลือง เอ็ดดี้ที่รัก เพพเพ่สไปซี่ดัค

Chiang Dao's cement rings, source

 

#mudmasks from 280000 year old mud #beauty #health #hotsprings #chiangmai #ITMschool #thailand

  source

Tasty

Take me back #hotsprings #rainyday #pai #paradise #thailand #naturalbeauty #thailandluxe

source

Shy

A photographic slash news update on Siam's soaking opportunities. 

An overview of Bangkok's imitation onsens by toptenbangkok (Mar. 23). Pointers: imported are (in one case) water (from Ranong), salts, concentrate and atmosphere, the former three from Japan ... 

Below an impression from from Kashikiri Soda Onsen and Spa which starts off as follows:

'Too shy for the naked shared baths at regular onsen?'

Oooh lala~~ #Onsen in Bkk [heart_eyes] 

source

Coming up later this month (24-26 Sept.) the World Spa and Well-being Convention in Bangkok with it's Hot Spring Forum:

'The organisers of the World Spa and Well-being Convention 2015 are again pleased to work with the Hot Spring industry to help further develop, educate and build the Thai Hot Spring industry'. 

Unfortunately the forum itself will be only in Thai. And by the looks of the contributors also very marketing (and male) orientated ...

Zen

 

บ่อแช่มีประมาณ 15 บ่อ และนี่คือบ่อสุดท้ายที่ฟินที่สุด ห้ามพลาด #hotspring #fishspa #kanchanaburitrip #miszytravel

Rock valley, Kanchanaburi, source. 

Bangkok Post (Aug. 17) had a video on Phu Sang waterfall with this caption: 

'A jewel of an unspoiled national park in Phayao, Phu Sang is one of the only two warm waterfalls so far discovered in Thailand'.

From a not so recent posting on the blog Tasty bits. Flirty wits: 

'Then on to an Lanna Onsen or hot spring to soak in hot sulfuric smelling water'.

Chiang Rai,  could it be a rejuvenated Pha Bong hot spring they are referring too?

A write up on travelfish  (Aug. 3) concerning what I personally would consider arguably one of Thailands best hot springs, Porn Rang, Ranong:

'I’d already been to the better known Rahsawarin hot springs in Ranong town and didn’t expect the Porn Rang springs to be any better, but after arriving I found a far more extensive network of pools of varying temperatures. Unlike those closer to town these hot springs are away from any roads and set in a quiet, tranquil area filled with flowers, trees, foot paths and bridges that collectively lend a Japanese Zen garden feel to the place. Before long, what I thought would be a quick peek had turned in to a two-hour excursion'.

Likes
A strange story. The drought in Thailand has lead to extreme lower levels in lakes which has enabled lower level authorities to research a thermal vent (source). What they discovered: 

'... the thermometer showed the temperature around 38 degrees Celsius and the hot water springs out of about 3000 liters per hour'. 

They are now hoping that higher level authorities will develop a hot spring resort. 

An overview of no less than 18 hot springs in Chiang Mai province. All in Thai, but still very informative (with google translate).

 

[sparkles] バンコク最終日 [sparkles] バンコクから片道3時間程で行ける「ボークルン温泉」へ [hotsprings] 湧出量がたっぷりの天然の温泉はぬるめで長めに入れます [exclamation] ^_^内湯に露天風呂、足湯やタイ式マッサージなど施設充実 [wink] #タイ #ボークルン温泉 #boeklueng #hotspring #バンコクから片道3時間 #天然温泉 #無色透明 #苦味 #onsen #温泉アナリスト #北出恭子 #温泉ソムリエ  

source

From GT rider (Jun. 2015) a mention of Sippa hot spring, adjacent to Sankamphaeng and probably using the same waters. Nothing too special.

  

#hotspring#krabi#thailand#spa#hot#healthy#likeforlike#nice#holiday#me#myvacation#relax [relaxed] [blush] [ok_hand] [skin-tone-2] [ok_hand] [skin-tone-2] [ok_hand] [skin-tone-2] 

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A real treat

Just a few photo's to celebrate the passing of the old year.

Starting off with Krabi and a cheeky byline:

 Natural hot springs #skinnydippers #nudestspa #hotspring

source

One might intentionally take this top be true, but the following reveals [not] the dress code of Krabi's Klong Thom hot spring:

Note the difference in soaking styles, from the travelleur

Up north in Pai hot spring, Mae Hong Son province:

#tochkarazborki #Pai #Thailand #hotsprings #источники

source

Not far away, but different province:

ที่อาบน้ำแร่ #HotSpring #PongDued

Chiang Mai province, source

Then a not often mentioned soaking place, Mae Umlong Luang hot spring, 13 km from Mae Saraing, Mae Hong Son:

'And finally...A real treat for the legs, they deserve it after all the ascents of late. None of the sulfur smell that usually accompanies such places the water was crystal clear'.

source

Finally, near to Bangkok, this photo captures the soaking life of Hin Dad hot spring, Khanchanaburi:

 source

ilovewhatido

 recharge your energy at the free local tub hot spring. birthday travel #chiangdao #travelbug #ilovewhatido #hotspringchiangdoa #hotspring #seabackpacking #birthday #scorpio #october #ilocetravelling #amazinghailand #norththailand #ilovetravelling #life #explore

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Stinky
In all honesty there seems to be little to update to you: rains come, rains go, Governments come, governments go. Basically nothing changes.

Prices go up. And up.  In this case the entry prices to Thailands national parks. Which by the way host to many a natural soak.

If you are an obvious non-Thai then the authorities believe that a 10 fold entrance premium is required to see some of Thailand's natural secrets. 
But this does not mean that whatever national park / natural secret you are visiting is well-managed. Very often they are either overrun or visitor facilities are non-existent.

Now once more there is a new government in place, a military one which is very careful not to suggest tough measures for their peoples: the quick fix is to tax the foreign looking visitor.

Such that the government is now proposing a new fee structure with respective parks being able to charge fluctuating fees: non-transparent. TTR (Oct. 10) lists an overview but I'm pretty unsure what you pay where. What does seem pretty clear: 

'It just stinks of greed and opportunism'.

What's this to do with hot springs? Many a hot spring in Thailand has remained public and become a national park, f.i. the popular hot spring of Pai. It means that visiting a hot spring has become more expensive and one must understand the underlying message: your welcome is only genuine if you are willing to continue to pay ...

More info on the price structure of Thailand's national parks can be found on Waterfalls of Southeast Asia, here and here.

Is the hot spring of Pai your moneys worth? Source:

Tha Pai Hot spring. #hotspring #thailand #pai #relax #picoftheday

Untrained

A short blog entry on trips to Thailand (Nov. 14) on a visit to Surat Thani's Chaiya district. Famed for it's religious temples and sorts it also has a few hot springs. His finds:

'I eventually ventured along a gravel road that lead to a temple on the top of a hill. Just at the foot of the hill, a couple of ponds had been constructed from concrete. But, again, the area and the facilities appeared deserted and unused. The mineral water overflow from the concrete ponds discolored the rocks as it made its way down hill for form a small lake. The rocks looked to my untrained eye somewhat like lava, but was in Thai named Lan Lonk Prachan'.

Trips to Thailand has also recently been (Aug 10) to Samo Thong hot spring, Uthai Thani province. No report on the soaking ...

A hot spring in Tak's, Umphang district (source):

#thailand #hotsprings ️

No cooling down
Bangkok Post (Jul. 25) has some soaking related news:

'Ranong municipality has prohibited people from taking a cool dip in a canal in front of Ranong's mineral hot springs, because a strong current could cost them their life'. 

So only hot springs in the offering here.

A little made visit to Krung Ching hot springs in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Tambralinga (Sep.) stumbles onto these while making his / her way to the waterfall with the same name. The site is a good site for natural secrets of this overlooked southern province.

Tarzan & Jane #thaiSland #day1 #junglegirl #gopro #hero4 #hotsprings #krabi #vscocam

source

Leaving the best for last?

Heading for Porn
The town, néé the province of Ranong, is synonymous with hot springs. However this link is entirely focused on the existence of Raksawarin hot spring, located not far from downtown Ranong. Developed and overdeveloped, this hot spring is hardy a natural feature anymore, even though it is a magnet for passing tourists, mostly locals.

But Ranong province is well-endowed with many other hot springs. On a relative scale. Including the above Raksawarin, Porn Rang (or Phon Rang) hot spring is the third hot spring on a 10 km stretch; Phu Lam Phi being the other. Elsewhere within the province are more hot springs with little or no information available.

Porn Rang seems to have survived the scourge of over-development or inadept development as it is located within a national park (Namtok Ngao N.P.). Though in Thailand that's not necesarily a guarantee, the hot spring of Porn Rang is certainly tastefully developed.

Hoopla
Not so long ago, much was made of pumping in more money to develop Porn. See Soaking in Siam's short exposé of last year. The ambitious Ranong Provincial Administrative Organisation chairman is quoted as hoping Porn Rang would become a major tourist attraction.

Gracefully, other than a well-signposted smooth entrance road and a big car-park, the bus loads of tourists have not added this soaking site to their stop-and-go loads of to-be-experienced sites. Because, despite all the hoopla, Porn Rang is a hot spring worth a visit. And a soak.


The car park looks ominous, but beyond the small entrance gate, one walks along a small stream towards a weir. This being late afternoon, there are many locals, but only locals.

Beyond the weir, but on the same bank, are a few sala's with really nice hot pools. After a soak, one can jump in the adjacent stream to cool off and let little fish nibble your toes, no need to order the Dr. Fish treatment here!


Crossing the weir, there are more wells and roofed pools. Downstream are some older constructions, and a new foot bath. Even further downstream is a nice section with hot pools on either side of the stream and across the stream, rocks have made a nice pool.

Just one of the pools, waiting for soakers (or simply too hot?)

Changing facilities and even toilets are located near each villa. We change and go for a soak. Problem no. 1 is the intense heat, especially in the smaller pools. On the opposite side the bigger pool is more bearable and a great soak ensures whilst the evening encapsulates the surroundings. Slowly the sun is setting.

Porn Rang really is an exceptionally (for Thailand) attractive place for an evening soak. It's odd that tourists are yet to wash up here, why on earth would masses head for cemented-over imitations of what was originally there? Beats me.

Two of the springs

It may seem odd, but the above mentioned web-links are actually the only info available on the internet ...

Getting here: From Ranong town, head south on the main highway 4 for roughly 6 km and take the signposted turn towards the hills. The road winds itself up into the rolling foothills about 1,5 km away. The road finishes at the hot spring car park (see below). Follow the link on panoramio.


Soaking experience: With the wide choice of different pools, all very clean and the opportunity to soak in the adjacent stream this must be heaven. However if clothing optional were even a distant dream, heaven would have been a step closer. For me that is.

Overall impression: Well-organized, well thought through, not over run, excellent experience, a must.

The river

Not so samui?

Provincial bliss?
Surat Thani is a well established province for tourism, though the fact that all this tourism is concentrated on the boutique island resort of Samui and the full-moon party island of Phangan means that the mainland part of the province is often by-passed, neglected even.

Surat Thani town itself is another typical Thai provincial town: a transfer part to the rest of the province without much charm and acting as a center of purchase symbolized by the Tesco-Lotus or Big C. Nothing in common with either island mentioned before!

Anyway, there is another side to Surat Thani province; away from the coast are extensive jungles and a national park or two (including the upcoming national park destination of Khao Sok), while the coast fringe has it's own blend of fishing villages, agricultural communities and forests.

Into the unknown
Part of the provincial unknowns is the existence of quite a few hot springs. My own list had six links, most linking to the (temporarily defunct?) Thai geothermal database site.

More intense (and time consuming) searching revealed the following. There is Chaiya hot spring (or two), Kaper hot spring (at Kaeng Krung national park) , Bo Nam Ron, Khao Tok and Po Nam Ron (Kanchanadit).

Khawdee et al. (2007) actually list 9 unnamed hot springs within the province though with no names. They refer to Chaturongkawanich (2001) who studied 8 (?) hot springs in Surat Thani.

Finally, I did find a selected and translated Thai geothermal database on the Russian language site Горячие источники в Таиланде (Hot springs in Thailand). It lists seven hot spring sites in Surat Thani, three of which are in or near Chaiya, others listed are near Wat Tharnnamron (Tashang tambon, another link), Wanghin (Nasarn village) and Kauplu (Naderm village).

And then there's Tha Sathorn.

Disappearing
Complete with it's own Facebook page, Tha Sathorn is probably the best accessible hot spring, located not too far away from Surat Thani town. And it seems quite a bit of public funds have found their way to this soaking site. Entrance is free and it seems the natural spring has been transformed into a sterile park.

Other internet info from a blog entry by Andy. He adds that it also has pool, which may have evaporated since.
Bluechizont has another entry, but only in Thai language which appears to be Tha Sathorn, with pool as well. It also has more on another unnamed soak, looks a lot more pleasant too.
More photo's on panoramio, back when the site was less developed ...

Tourist information at Tha Sathorn.

Footy
One factor overlooked are signposts leading one to the hot spring. From the 401 from Surat Thani take the 4248 which tends to head to Tha Satorn town. After crossing the railroad near Tha Sathorn take a road inland for 1 or 2 km. In all honesty there are large billboards but with Thai language and hardly any pictures.

So after a couple of wrong turns and many questions asked, we arrive at the grand entrance on a hot day at a parking area with no shade, yea!

Is this it?

Possibly.

We walk to the left, past a building and something that looks like a ticket stall with no one around.

It's a Sunday and there are quite a few people milling around, an ice-cream stall is open. Beyond are changing rooms, modern but deserted, certainly none of the other visitors are using this.

Walk beyond this and there is a moat around a raised walkway. One can get on this walkway and within the circle is a large hot spring. We walk half way round this spring and once off the walkway on the opposite side is a 3m wide bassin, possibly a foot deep but shaded. Some locals are having a foot soak.

Perpendicular to this is another similar set up but with better shade and more people taking the waters.


Apparently that's all there is to this soak, a spring, two foot bassins and a walkway. Why the changing rooms?

Getting there: About 20 km from Surat Thani town down road 4248, turn away from the rails just before Tha Sathorn. Keep asking .....

Soaking experience: Apparently made for footbathing only.

Overall impression: Pro's: in general a nice place; con's: ai, it's been developed and turned into a hotspot. Not enough shade. And where are soakers supposed to soak?


Notes:
Khawdee, P., W. Lohawijarn, H. Duerrast (2007) Geophysical model of Ban Na Doem Hot-spring in Surat Thani Province, Thailand. Seventh National Graduate Research Conference. Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand.

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.

Etiquette of soaking in Thailand

One of the trickiest aspects of enjoying hot springs and (commercial) spa's in general is how to blend in, each county having different 'rules'. Naturally Thailand has it's own.

However the way Thai enjoy their hot springs are very rule free, so it seems. It's nothing like the rules set in Northeast Asia nor the different conventions in Europe. Failing any specific guideline for enjoying hot springs in Thailand, what follows are this blogs view of what the rules are and the the background to these rules.

In general, Thai never take a shower before hitting the hotter springs, don't ask me why. Otherwise extremely meticulous in cleanliness matters, the Thai attitude to hot springs (and bathing in natural water bodies in general) seems quite the opposite. No showering, no cleaning, that's not too difficult to remember.

Though this aspect might be OK for lakes, sea's and rivers, I can imagine some are already put off soaking. Therefore I ask you not to proceed ...

Bathing attire in Thailand is nearly non-existent. But not in the sense that the Thai love a skinny dip, it's quite the opposite. Taking the waters means doing so fully clothed! In some cases you will see soakers change on forehand, but most continue to jump in with the same clothes they have been using all day. Yuck! Quite unThai.
Therefore it's advisable to avoid well visited bathing places, the water can only be a cesspool. Remember that sanitary quality is at it's best, very poor here.

But when researching for this article I can across many websites of famous commercial spa's where nudity is de-rigeur. Six Senses, Katathani, Banyan Tree and Pimalai (as examples) all have photo's featuring naked (but tastefully avoiding anything revealing) local ladies (what about us gents?). So can one conclude that such practice only exist on private land?

Probably. Even toplessness (but naturally (not!) this only applies to half of the world population) can be prosecuted if taking place on/in a Thai National Park.

Looking into the etiquette of bathing in general the following (from Wikitravel) is an often repeated paragraph:

'Swimsuits should not be revealing — many Thais swim in full clothing. Women should never go topless on the beach, especially beaches in national parks, as this is illegal and most Thais consider it offensive in the extreme. Women are sometimes advised to wear a T-shirt over their swimming gear; this is more important at primarily-Thai beach resorts, and will be almost entirely ignored at the most heavily westernized areas'.

Couchsurf:

'When swimming at the non tourist areas it would be polite for women to wear shorts and a t-shirt, not bikini'.

Others add:

'Now imagine this, Thais don't sunbathe topless, in fact they don't sunbathe at all, if they did you can bet it wouldn't be topless. Imagine what they would think seeing you with your breasts exposed to the world, or worse still, going for a skinny dip!'

Asiatours.net:

'Revealing clothing, worn by either men or women, is a little disgusting to most Thais. Short shorts, low cut dresses and T-shirts and skimpy bathing suits come into this category. Shorts are considered improper and low-class attire in Thailand, only acceptable for schoolchildren, street beggars, and common laborers …not wealthy tourists! Except at beach resorts, you should never wear skimpy shorts, halter tops, low-cut blouses, or anything else that will offend the locals'.

Or into.asia.com:

'Is it okay to go topless / nude on beaches in Thailand ? This is frowned upon in Thai culture, and you will almost never see a Thai doing it. Nevertheless, going topless on some beaches on Ko Samui, Phuket, Ko Pha-Ngan and other very touristy islands is commonplace. The locals here are used to foreigners and don't care so much. In less touristy places, particularly where there are Thai families on holiday, it is considered rude and offensive. Going nude at beaches is illegal in Thailand, and is impossible pretty much everywhere. If you really want to do this, your best bet is to find somewhere remote where you are not sure not to be seen'.

These all lead you to believe that even wearing bathers would mean a cultural faux-pas. But is that really the case?

A faux-pas possibly, but not necessarily a cultural one. From Thaivisa.com forum:

'Against Thai culture? So a topless statue and this mural at the Grand Palace are no longer appropriate? It was only 50-60 years ago, when Thais were being persuaded to move away from their "topless culture" to dress more Western. ...
So 50 years ago, we have a government encouraging Thai women to put their shirts on. Today we have culture 'experts' trying to tell you that it's in line with "Thai Culture" to dress modestly'.

'A Thai government poster from the Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram
era (1938-1945) promoting the "civilized" form of dress'.

Left walking around in a lungi (man and woman topless) not allowed anymore.

One can imagine that back in the time before the poster was printed bathing au-naturel had little of the supposedly cultural baggage it has nowadays. Probably there are still remote villages where bathing in the river (half) naked still takes place. At least I know this is not uncommon in neighbouring Lao which shares a similar cultural.

This (dissenting) voice is re-inforced through the very good Thaiworldview website. In this posting it produces a number of examples of how woman's dress is on the agenda in recent politics, though the views of the government represent a conservative view whereas the modern status is:

'Dressing is an individual's right'.

Elsewhere the author states:

'Skin darkness is not appreciated by Thai people because it is the symbol of the peasant. If one has its skin dark it means that he is working outside. Symbol of beauty is the skin whiteness that is why Chiang Mai girls are so reputed for their beauty. On the contrary "ISAN" women (northeastern part of Thailand), particularly near Cambodia, are not in the standard of the beauty because they have a dark skin. A Thai proverb says "black as a Cambodian". Thai people are puzzled by topless foreigner women on the beach. A normal Thai woman never has such a behavior!'

So not cultural nor religious. It also has racial connotations. Though we could argue that these are his (and my) personal views, the site receives much positive feedback.

And it draws parallels with the study on Bali, Paradise Created by Adrian Vickers, in which he explains how social elites try to distinguish themselves by imitating the then colonial elite and refraining from over exposure by the sun. Thus the lighter one was, the more one was to be part of the elite, i.e. one is not working on the land. This elitism though eventually trickles through the society and refraining from nudity thus becomes the local folklore. However with the advent of tourism, the dress code of the visitors is now reversing this, the less one dresses the more one is showing off that one does not need to work for money and as such this would be the new form of elitism.

'Spring Break Thai Style'

(source).

Goddess of the Confluence:

'Many of the places where I have traveled in Asia, such as Bali and Thailand, seem to be modest and have dress codes where your shoulders and feet must be covered in certain situations, yet women there can be seen walking bare-breasted down the street. It does not seem to be sexual to anyone but foreign tourists from repressed countries'.

So where does this bring us? Unfortunately not very far. The local Thai practice is to soak clothed and anything can be frowned upon, though it's not culturally, nor religous. We can expect changes to happen as affluency permeates the society and western views of society lead to change.

Public hot spring sites are to be taken clothed, the degree to which is dependent on the individual.There is an alternative though, most hot spring sites in Thailand rent out individual cubicles, mostly claustrophobic they contain a tub which gets filled once one pays for the use. Thus one can still take the waters as one would take a bath at home. At least that's my train of thought. However I suspect that groups rent these facilities not to enjoy a fun time letting their hair down, but to avoid having to enjoy the public facilities and thus guaranteed of more sanitary conditions ...

From Kats' Window (on Burma and Thailand) a posting entitled Mind your Manners

'Thankfully, Thai people are the most non-aggressive, friendly, and accepting bunch I have ever come across and are experts at acceptance. When half-naked sunburned backpackers roll into town, it looks extremely bizarre. When visitors have a day of fun sunbathing naked in Muslim areas of Thailand, Thais are not so rude as to point and laugh. But they are disturbed. They view these visitors to their country as being rude. The other side of the coin is that the visitors have money, and money is really important. Millions of tourists bring millions of dollars and are tolerated all the more because of this'.

Though I might have had a private naked dip in one of the aforementioned cubicles, rest assured never in a public hot spring. Then again I have often made use of solitary waterholes (rivers, waterfalls) to enjoy Thailand's natural surroundings as natural as possible. Unseen!

From Tropical Rambles.

A final thought:

'Can skinny dipping save the planet?
The Bite:
Believe it or not, it helps. Swimsuits require energy and transport to produce, while birthday suits require none. But if swimming in the buff just isn't your style, try on some eco-swimwear for size...

The Benefits:

• Sexy style. Give Sports Illustrated's swimsuit models a run for their money in eco-bikinis. Planet-friendly.
• Eco-suits are made from organic and recycled materials, and 1 lb of organic cotton averts 1/3 lb of pesticides and fertilizers.
• Eco-suits offer an eco-friendly, non-nudist way to keep sand from getting into uncomfortable places'.

Btw: Did anyone notice that the to be broadcasted Canadian travel programme , Skinny Dip, has nothing on Thailand nor on Southeast Asia ...