Tak - Thi Lo Su Waterfall

Tak is most often bypassed as people head for the popular northern destinations of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai or Pai. Nevertheless, Tak's serene beauty has steadily won travellers' hearts as Umphang has a lot to offer.

Located in the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Thi Lo Su is a waterfall located 900 m above sea level with a height of several hundred meters and a width of 500 m. It is known as Thailand's largest waterfall, but locals told me there is an even higher waterfall only a few dozen kilometers away.

Thi Lo Su in Karen means a waterfall with a loud noise. Its water source comes from Klo Tho Stream supplying water for the waterfall all year round but the water will be more plentiful in the rainy season. However, access road is closed during the rainy season. 

Situated in the embrace of luxuriant vegetation, Thi Lo Su is supposedly most beautiful waterfall in Thailand and is reportedly ranked as the sixth most beautiful waterfall in the world.
Personally, I find that exaggerated.

However, since Thi Lo Su faces east, rainbows appear when water spray reflects the sunlight at a perfect angle. The air is refreshing. You can swim in its large pond with cool water. 

Camping is allowed in the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary.

To get to Thi Lo Su, most visitors sail along the Mae Klong River and disembark at Tha Sai. Then a rented  "song taew" pickup takes them roughly 12 km to the main Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary ranger station. After that, one has to walk the last 1.6 km to reach Thi Lo Su. 

For those deciding to drive themselves rather than relying on others, I have prepared a second blog because I heard so many "horror stories" before I went.  But note that automobiles cannot access the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary in the rainy season (June-October). During this period, visitors have to walk from Tha Sai to the waterfall.