Mentioned

 

nanikaooh at Phasoet (Chiang Rai):

Onsen♨️♨️♨️ Thailand

As always there's not much to keep you up to date with. 

Sure there's the odd bit here and there, but nothing really newsworthy. Slowly the more natural soaks are evolving into what can be considered a sight to see though fortunately not on the scale seen as in for instance Vietnam. Though no doubt the wave of Chinese tourists still heading to Thailand might change this. Where moneys to be made, there goes the protection of the natural surroundings.
On the other hand it must be said with the willingness to close Maya beach in southern Thailand (source) does mean that to conservation still has a virtue in modern day Thailand. 

If you look at the lead picture, it's a pretty common way of soaking in Thailand. 
One that I fail to understand. 
Thailand is all about sharing and any great setting combined with a few (new) friends is just another reason for a party. 
So why these cubicles? 
They have an appeal of the inside of an empty deep freezer and fail to accommodate even a few friends, 3 max. So obvious it's meant for something not so Thai. An alone bath?

evabaerin alone:

Went for a swim in the not so secret secret hot springs and even boiled an egg in there! 🥚 Did I mention that I LOVE PAI? 💦🌴 #hotsprings #pai

Rustic

adrenne

#lazyday #hotsprings #ranong#thailand

TTRWeekly (Aug. 7), a well read tourist-oriented online newspaper, has a feature on Ranong, southern Thailand and it's underdeveloped potential to tourists especially considering the hot springs:

'Ranong might be known as the least populated province in Thailand, or the one with the longest rainy season at eight months, but for most of us its hot springs are iconic.
There is something about Ranong’s rustic outdoor hot springs that appeals to visitors, who will queue up for the chance to boil an egg in the piping hot water. Like all natural hot spring resorts there is a pungent smell of vaporizing minerals that prompts a few queries or jokes. But ultimately reassurances that it will impart miraculous health benefits usually win the day. We linger and dip a toe in the waters.
The closest hot springs to town are located at Raksawarin Park shaded under the canopy of rainforest trees in a forested mountain area next to a river just 2 km northeast of town.
Three natural springs are appropriately called father, mother and daughter. The latter two are cooler where visitors can wash or dangle their feet over the edge. The ‘father’ pool are where eggs are boiled.
Opposite the pools, the more up-market Siam Hot Spa is located offering a sophisticated bathing pleasure with jacuzzi, sauna, steam bath and traditional massage. There is even a small restaurant serving Thai snacks, noodles, single spicy rice dishes and local curries.
The Raksawarin hot springs were remodelled over the last few years and this in turn encouraged small boutique hotels to open close by, although the original Jansom Hot Spa Hotel remains the most popular.
Jansom Hot Spa located on highway 4 offers 150 rooms and bungalows all with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom with piping hot natural spring water pumped from the nearby spring. It claims to be the only resort to have 100% pure natural mineral water on tap flowing through the plumbing from the spring itself.
From Ranong town the springs are a pleasant walk offering an opportunity to explore the town and its forested paths around the hot springs.
There’s an impressive line up of Thai food stalls near the hot springs and one of the popular favourites is an ice cream serving in a bread bun with lashings of condensed milk.
The free hot spring pools are the most popular, but shell out THB40 and go for the luxury version that gets you a clean towel and a small cubicle to change to your swimsuit so can enjoy immersion in the deeper, clearer pools.
The water can be as hot as 65 degree Celsius in one of the pools where visitors cautiously pat the surface, or attempt to boil an egg. A river flows through the park and a suspension bridge spans the short distance between banks an attraction for children who run its length back and forth to destabilize anyone in their wake. There is also a meditation pavilion with a warm floor created by underground piping that circulate water from the hot spring. The pavilion is used for meditation, a warm snooze or energetic hot yoga classes.
Pornrang Hot Springs is an alternative, a more natural and quieter spot 11 km south of town, just off highway 4 on the road to Khao Lak. Located just inside the Ngao Waterfall National Park, there is an entrance fee of THB100.
The river running close to the hot spring is crystal clear and the trick is to take a dip in the river cool down and then transfer to the hot spring pool to warm up.
The setting is natural and just sitting in the river as tiny fish take a nibble at your toes is akin to the expensive fad that took urban spas by storm. It still goes on in Ranong, a complimentary courtesy of the river’s fish population.
1 comment:
charubun pananon August 7, 2018 at 16:13We had tried to promote hot spring in Ranong for the past many years but never achieved in the expecting level even trying to attract the Japanese hot spring investors to invest in Ranong also not successful. I assume that the weather in Thailand is too warm to do hot spring bath and noticing that hot spring bath is favorite and popular in the cold weather countries.

So much for pushing Ranong. It is though a very interesting region to visit, with nature galore. 

More Ranong by melinaillustrations, but it's the text which sells the sketch:

So recently, I went on holiday and stopped by a hot spring called Pornrang near Ranong with my family. The hot water is directed into pools for people to soak in then emptied back into streams where the water cools down.
There was only enough time to sketch the stream, the colors were added later so they aren’t faithful. I tried to recreated a warm atmosphere rather than use realistic colors.
Further up the stream I drew was even a spot with doctor or nibble fish, they nibble at your dead skin and are used as a spa treatment in some places. It was really weird to see them in nature and not a tank, they’re a lot bigger and definitely not as gentle. It’s surprising how they repeatedly slam into you but it doesn’t actually hurt.

Powder
Tatsuo Ura reports on Facebook on developments at Doi Saket / Doi Saked (Chiang Mai). Translated and followed by a photo of the building site:

'On February 18, 2018, from the afternoon to the of hot spring. By Car, about 1 hours from Chiang Mai.
The Guide was unwilling to drive a slope and a winding road, so we drove on the way. International License!The car was changing to ford since June 17 The front car is Toyota.As a rumor, I can't take a bath during a large-scale construction.The construction started on September 9, 2017, and it was completed on may 3, 2018The amount of investment is 1,867 million baht (1 baht per month). It seems to be capital of Bangkok. 
For more details, I'd like to take a look at the next visit. I'm impatient to hear from the interpreter'.

Bangkok Post (May 8) enlightens on us on the onsen wave slowly taking over the country's soaking country:

'The popularity of onsens has been bubbling up in Thailand, even though it is a tropical country, says one wellness brand. Thai onsen lovers no longer need to fly to Japan to enjoy a hot soak as onsen services are available across the country, particularly at major tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Bangkok -- specifically on Sukhumvit Road and at the K Village retail complex on Rama 4 Road.
Panpuri, a leading wellness brand, is set to open its first onsen on the 12th floor of the Gaysorn complex on Ratchaprasong Road next month, aiming to tap fans of the bathing ritual.
"It is the first onsen downtown. Apart from shopping in the area, onsen will be an alternative activity for visitors," said Vorravit Siripark, chief executive at Puri Co, the operator of Panpuri Wellness and Spa.
Onsen will be one feature at the 100-million-baht Panpuri Wellness and Spa, which entails a variety of services, including organic spa, wellness bar, studio, body massage and meditation.
There are 10 onsen pools separated by gender and two small individual pools.
The company has hired a consultant from Japan to design the onsen system, with hot springs imported in the form of powder [really?] from several Japanese cities. This wellness centre was soft launched last December.
"We've had better than expected responses, and about 60% of our customers are foreigners from China, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong," said Mr Vorravit, a self-described spa and massage lover. Mr Vorravit first opened a Panpuri store in a 120 square metre space at Gaysorn Complex to sell organic spa products for body care.
He opened the space shortly after returning to Thailand from Italy in 2003, where he was studying for a master's degree and was inspired to realise his entrepreneurial ambitions.
"I had a chance to try spa treatments at famous hotel chains. Their services are excellent. But there are no Thai products available there. This inspired me to create my own health and wellness services, without imaging they would one day become part of a global trend," said Mr Vorravit.
He said there is huge potential for spa and wellness centres in Thailand, with foreign tourist arrivals reaching 35.4 million in 2017. Thailand is ranked No.1 globally as a spa-holiday destination, generating revenue of 32 billion baht from foreign customers in 2015.
...
In addition, the company also operates luxury organic spas in Park Hyatt Hotel Bangkok and Eastern and Oriental Hotel Penang. "We opened the first flagship store in a 70 sq m space in Ginza district, Japan last year. There is a huge demand for quality and natural products from Japanese customers. After setting up shop in Japan, we can go anywhere in the world," said Mr Vorravit'.

enjoy_sadoodta with a more sedate soak near Mae Kasa, Tak province:

Onsen in Thai style 🇹🇭 #Tak#Thailand #amazingthailand #onsen#explorertheworld #blogger​ #travelblogger#girlsborntotravel#travel #trip #journey #vocation

Tense
Phuketnews goes soaking (Jun. 30):

'The Hotspring Beach Resort and Spa has very spacious grounds, dotted with pools that capture the hot water as it flows up from the depths of the earth. There are two hot pools, both with a decidedly hot temperature of about 40ºC. There are also two cold pools, the coldest of which is about 16ºC – a stark contrast to the hot pools'.

ryseva.vv at Hotsprings Resort:

В Директ сегодня много написали с расспросами об источниках, решила что можно рассказать сразу всем 🤗 В отеле The hot springs resort and spa есть возможность погреться в тёплом источнике :) Среди полезных свойств этого источника отмечают улучшение работы почек, улучшение состояния кожи, снятие стресса и напряжения, облегчение мышечной боли, поднятие общего жизненного тонуса. Быть постоянцем отеля не обязательно. Взрослый билет стоит 400 батт, детский 200 батт (старше 5 лет). До 22 сентября можно пройти в 2 раза дешевле, т.к. один из бассейнов на реконструкции (не лечебный). Ехать с Пхукета на машине примерно час. Ехать определенно стоит, нам очень понравилось 👍🏻 На входе выдают воду, а вот покушать лучше заранее и с собой взять что-то перекусить, поесть там толком не где 😊

Translated it goes sort of like this: 

'They wrote a lot today in Direct with questions about sources, decided that you can tell everyone at once tension, relief of muscle pain, raising the general vitality. Being a permanent hotel is not necessary. An adult ticket costs 400 Baht, a children's 200 Baht (over 5 years old). Until September 22, you can go 2 times cheaper, because one of the pools is under reconstruction (not medical). Drive from Phuket by car in about an hour. It is definitely worth the ride, we really liked it вы They give out water at the entrance, but it’s better to eat beforehand and take something to eat with you, it’s not really where to eat 😊' 

Highondreams (Apr. 7) visit Wareerak hot springs (Krabi) and publish an extensive photographic overview of the experience. Just one of the photo's:

Once again bare (!) with the translation by google:

'Down the hot spring I have to put on a cloth that I love. I like the uniform. I do not have to sit on the porch like onsen in Japan , I do not go to this size, it will not go down to me anyway. I changed the dress to it.We like that the shape of each pond is FREEFORM and play like step ladder. There is a seating area that will allow you to soak up your feet, soak up your waist, soak up your chest or soak up your neck'.

The Bangkok Post (Oct. 4) goes upcountry to Lampang:

'Blessed by nature, the national park [Chae Son National Park] is located in the area of the hot springs in Muang Pan district. Covering the forest area of 480,000 rai, the park also has waterfalls, caves and walking trails for those who love outdoor activities.
Most tourists visit the national park during cool season, although visitors can travel to the park all year round. Last year, the park welcomed about 230,000 tourists, up from 160,000 visitors five years before.
"Our visitors love hot springs. I want to upgrade our service standard, products and facilities so we will have something new to offer tourists. My plan is to make our park the centre of wellness and spa tourism in the North," he said.
To achieve the goal, the national park has worked with Suan Dusit University.
...
The team has recently introduced prototypes of skincare products based on the mineral water of Chae Son National Park.
...
While the food was cooking on the stove, which took about 30min, Phonnabphan wanted us to try spa sum kai, or a herbal sauna in a bamboo chicken coop. We walked to the house of Kabkham Wannasuwong.
She already prepared the herbal sauna for us. A clay pot was put on a charcoal stove. Inside the pot, many types of fragrant herbs were boiling and that included pandan leaves, ginger, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, flowers and shavings of phang (sappanwood). "The herbal steam was originally prepared for a mother who's just given birth to sweat out so that she can regain her strength quickly," said Kabkham. When the community [of Ban Sam Kha] launched its tourism years ago, she introduced the service to the tourists.
She told me to sit on a small wooden stool next to the boiling herbal pot. Phonnabphan and a kid helped lift the chicken coop over me. Only my head popped up from the centre of the dome cage. The smell of boiled herbs was very pleasant. I also felt the heat inside the coop.
"The herbal sauna is good for health. It helps detox your skin," said Kabkham. One course comprises two sessions. Each time should be about 10 minutes. The herbal steam can make you sweat like sitting in a sauna room.
...
Lampang is gearing up for the booming business of wellness tourism'.

Back where we started but not in Chiang Rai but indeed it's Chaeson hot spring. Good guess: 

pnutz_pk

Come on babe 💕

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

source

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

#naturally

Wow, no updates for ages. Here's a quick tour of Thailand: 

Free spa from a natural hot spring in #chiangdao.#hotspring #chiangdaohotspring #nature #asean #amazingthailand 

Chiangdao hot spring, Chiang Mai, source

Hot springs with these babes #hotsprings #Chiangmai #spellyonameltc #fnez

Pong Dued, Chaing Mai, source

#kanchanaburi#onsen#hotspring#family

Rock Valley, Kanchanaburi, source

#hotsprings #pai #hotspringspai 39degree natural spring 

Pai hot springs, Mae Hong Son, source

"Natural Hot Spring" 

Mae Klong, Umhang, Tak, source

 

Betong, source

오늘은 #핫스프링 #투어 #hotspring #krabi #끄라비 

source

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.