I was searching on Google for an adventure place to travel during rainy season, there are many choices but only place that catch my eyes because the name is strange. That place is “Thi Lo Su Waterfall”. I spend 2 hours searching for details about this place and find out that Thi Lo Su Waterfall is not a highest waterfall in Thailand but it’s only large and the most beautiful waterfall in Thailand.The highest waterfall located in the middle of the forest in Thailand is “Pre To Lor Zu”.
If you guys are ready, then let’s go HEWWW!.
https://www.facebook.com/PalapiliiThailand
Before we go into the story in, let’s see the T-ser first so that you guys will get emotional while reading it haha.
We have a quick skim over it. Here is the story, I live alone and surely don’t have much money because at that time I was a third year university student haha. I announced at my page and there were around more than 1,000 people give me a LIKE on this page. I wrote a status that I wanted to go to this place and asked if anyone wanted to go with me. After that there were people interested to go together and finally the target was met and then everything was ready and this is the beginning of the journey, let’s go!!!
Firstly, friends in this trip are from my announcement on my page so we don’t know each other before hahaha.
It’s so funny that we have to make friend during the trip and the problem is the appointment because no one know each other face at all. We just see others profile from Facebook haha, but finally everyone is gathering there.
We spend around 7-9 hours from Bangkok – Mae Sot. I remember that we departure around 9 pm. because we plan to reach there at daybreak hahaha.
Bus schedule and price
After we arrive at Mae Sot, we have to contact a driver for mini-bus first which at that time P’Big(our fellow trip) had contacted before.
It’s a flat rate, same price as my home mini-bus, then everyone put their stuffs on its top.
It’s a long ride, our destination is “Umphang District”
:: Summary of the costs in the first part ::
Round trip tour bus cost, Bangkok – Mae Sot : 1,226 Baht
Mini-bus cost 1,500: 150 Baht per person
:: total cost 1,376 Baht ::
After travelling for a while, there is a small houses on the valley on the left hand but I am not sure what are materials using for building these houses.
A Karen village here is a center of immigration, the driver says this community is a third party, no personal land, no nationality, no religious but they live together with Thai people for a long time.
The car stop for a while to relax our bum haha because we ride for a long hour, the atmosphere along the way is like this, at that time the weather is cool, not so hot, so comfortable haha. I really want to go there again ><
After a sideways view and eat breakfast nearby then we have to continue the journey.
There are some Karen stores on the side way. And, the most important is that in one bus there must be at least one passenger vomiting for this 1,219 curve road haha. We have a taking in the sight of the way, the scenery is very beautiful but unfortunately I did not take a any picture because I was so giddy.
When time passes 5-6 hours, I start getting dizzy of the curve way, car smoke and finally before we reach the destination, two of us have vomited haha.
After arrive Umphang, we go straight to our contacted house at the Lo Su wildlife sanctuary area.
We leave stuffs at the house and be ready to get wet. Staff send us a small meal while waiting for preparing inflatable boat on the car’s top. We departure around 12 o’clock of today and get to the inflatable boat dropping point. The distance is not far from Umphang which takes around 20-30 mins.
Here is the way we ride to Thi Lo Su Waterfall by inflatable boat, it takes around 3 hours.
Now I will post only the atmosphere along the way then : )
You guys can see “Thi Lo Su Waterfall” after time passes for 1 hour which this waterfall is located around the river we are passing through, the rocky are fulled of Moss and Fern.
Do you know that most traveler call it as a ” Rainbow Waterfall “, more important you guys have to reach there around 10.00 – 11.00 am. to see the rainbow. If you come late, the sun moves to other position and that there will be no refraction between sunlight and water vapor so you would miss the rainbow like us haha, but don’t worry I also have a sample picture of this rainbow waterfall : )
I feel bored and unafraid of jumping into the water alone at that time because I have been rafting before so I know how to keep myself floating in the turbulent floating water.
30 mins pass, we then reach to another place where passengers like to visit. Here is a small pond ” hot spring”
There is a small pond in this area. The water is very clear but not emerald like a small pond at Krabi.
The water is warm, around 50 degree Celsius, we visit here for a while and continue the trip.
After visit the hot spring and riding for a while, I then invite friends to get into the water together.
I do not think that everyone will dare to play with me haha. I remember that moment I was having so much fun there.
After time passes for 1 hour then we get to the final point of the boat route. Next we have to get on the mini-bus of the tour we have contacted and go to the wildlife sanctuary area for 9 kilometer. The staffs say that this way is very dilapidated but right now it’s much better than before and I believe that if you guys who are reading this review have a chance to go there, you would not have to ride on a long hour and pass a hardy route like us ><
We end this part with a video telling a story for the first part.
We have taken it since we gathered until we arrived here, please enjoy the video, I edit it myself : )
When we arrive at the destination, everyone bring their stuffs, greeting the officer and quickly set up a tent before the sun sets.
At this period everyone becomes closer and more familiar because we have a chance to talk when we play with water haha.
We separate our duty, one group set up tent, another group find firewood and another group prepare for cooking.
Everyone looks excited and responsible for their duty very well, food stuffs and rice are well prepared from home.
Each of us brings an eating equipment according to what we plan before. Water using for cooking is filtered from a river nearby the tent. This trip has just began but it start to have fun now haha.
We then take a baht while waiting for cooking group to finish cooking.
The place we take a bath is the river nearby where we set up the tent hahaha.
Time goes, the weather keeps cooling down, the sky starts getting dark and the rice is well cooked. YEAHH haha.I believe that you also feel hungry like me, normally we go to the store and order for only 5 mins if I feel so tired like this but at this place we have to set up fire first haha and then cook things step by step. Oh my Goddess! but I want to say that this is very classic haha.
and this is a picture of the cooked rice and a dry food we bring from home, so simple and without irritated haha.
I remember we eat up all food in not more than 7 mins and here is the picture below haha.
:: Costs for the second part :
Cost for the first part (comment 3 ) 1,376 Baht
Inflatable boat is 2,000 Baht/Boat : 400 Baht/person
Round trip Mini-bus, Thi Lo Su 2,000 Baht : 200 Baht/person
:: Total costs for the second part is 1,976 Baht/person ::
2 nights and 1 day end, why does anyone wait for me, feeling so touchy ><
Good morning on the second day, the weather is very good. Last night I sleep very well maybe I am too tired haha
Today we will go to Lo Su waterfall, it sounds crazy but we will go hiking to see butterflies in the area.
We live like yesterday, wash our face, brush our teeth with water from the same source and prepare the food
but the strange thing is our fellows get bitten by mosquitoes, it looks very curious haha, don’t forget to bring mosquito repellent with you.
OK, today we live in a wildlife sanctuary area for the whole day, let’s see what are interesting things to see here : )
Tomorrow I will continue writing the review, so sleepy now T T
Now let go on, today is the second day of this trip according to the plan we will stroll around the area and feel-good atmosphere as much as possible and also visit the most beautiful and biggest waterfall name ” Thi Lo Su”, I can say that the atmosphere along the way is beautiful and worth visiting. Please see the pictures below : ).
Walking around 1 – 2 kilometers, we will see Thi Lo Su waterfall, we have a sight seeing and take some photo here. As I am restless, so I jump into the water right away haha and after that there is officer come to scold at me and say that the area is jumping prohibited, who knowww?? I jump into it before they inspect the area. I don’t know that it’s my fault or their fault but anyway I am getting wet hahaha.
Here is the peak point, around 7 – 8 meter high, estimate the height from my body’s height, I have 170 cm. tall, if measure the height of the waterfall, It’s around 4 – 5 times higher than me . I try to get over my fear then I get cramps haha but I often get cramps so I know how to relieve it and do it right there. I don’t know what is waiting down there. It’s not anybody guilt If I get dash by a rock then let it be. I decide to jump by myself, therefore let jumppppp!!! ><
I recommend you to watch my edited video and you will be more excited .
link : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=423427421073116&set=vb.339207546173031&type=3&theater
After playing in waterfall, I can say that we feel so tired of jumping, swimming and diving maybe because the area we are playing in no matter you swim well or not, please do not jump if your have chicken-heart or not confident in yourself because the water that falls above you will push you dive deeper than jumping into a normal pond and then you would feel difficult to swim up from the water. If you are not confident in your strength at that time, please do not try or if you really want to try please wear a life preserver.
We have a normal life in the evening; cooking, taking a bath, eating dinner and getting ready to sleep.
But since we are teenage, before we go to sleep we just want to find L drink and have some chit chat and then we feel that the tent beside us have what we want and seems like they are having fun. So, we send our representative to buy a beer but that group of people then give us a free beers with an invitation to join them ” come on come on, let’s drink together” wowwwww that’s my way hahahaha.
Anyway don’t forget to drink Karen hooch. They boil it themselves, it tastes strength and tastes like Sa-to in E-sarn area but it’s very delicious. One cup of drink is not enough, we pour it in bamboo drinking glass like what you see in the picture. Karen hooch originally has good smell but when it’s serve with bamboo drinking glass, the smell becomes sweeter. Hmmm….. it’s such a good time and then we take some picture at the end for our memorial.
Do you believe that now I still keep in touch with people who set up a tent beside me and if we have a chance, we would definitely go travel together haha.
This is an advantage of travelling, we often make new friends in life during the journey : )
I have to say Good Night to you guys for the second night of this trip. Tomorrow we have to wake up early and hurriedly departure to the next station, climbing a mountain which is named Doi Ma-muang Sam-muen to see the highest waterfall in Thailand “Pre To Lor Zu” and conquer the peak point of Doi Ma-muang Sam-muen. Good night.
Good morning the third day of the trip : )
Today we wake up in the morning and hurriedly pack up stuffs and prepare to departure from Thi Lo Su and go to another aim.
We give farewell to officers of the wildlife sanctuary and also give farewell to the place, hopefully it is unforgettable.
We live here together for 2 nights and 2 days now, so we love this place very much, I promise that I will come back here again T T.
Everyone arrange their belonging and put it on the back and roof top of the pick-up. It’s a sign that we are ready to go on our journey…
Here we are moving to the 2 rd part of the video, let continue and you will feel it apparently : )
Then after we spend almost 2 hours riding out of Thi Lo Su, now we will go back to stay at home stay of our staff that we have contacted for vehicle. For this time we have to contact a mini-bus for taking us to Gui Ler Tor village. Karen of this village are employed to be our assistant. We plan to employ 3 of them which cost 250 baht/person/day but if you negotiate with them, the cost would be more cheaper but I consider it’s as a remunerative since they guide the way and help us carry our belongings.
Travelling from Umphang to Gui Ler Tor takes around 3 hours and there are many routes to get there.
There are gravel road, broken road and crack road, also you can see valleys in some area, it’s very dreadful.
The worst thing is a rough dusty road, that is the most terrible part of the trip.
If you come on rainy season, the road will be really wet and muddy.
Let continue calculating basic costs while travelling : )
:: Summary of the costs for the third part ::
The cost of the second part ( from comment. 13) is 1,976 baht/person
The round trip mini-bus from Gui Ler Tor to Umphang is 300 baht/person
Employing an assistant cost 225 baht/person for 3 days 2 nights
Estimate food cost is 300 baht/person/day
:
:: Total costs of the third part is 2,801 baht ::
Three hours passes by, I feel so tired but when we look back to the right side of the road, we then see the valley we have to conquer named ” Doi Ma-muang Sam-meun”. I feel so excited, it strikes everyone eyes and now let’s see the destination we have to climb over.
The driver leads us to the village and meet Karen men there.
We ask them if any Karen are able to be employed, we stipulate the day, price and the destination. When both sides agreed then now we are going to start the journey!!!!
credit : water, sky, forest,mountain
You can see, I use data from the blog named water, sky, forest,mountain and then follow the way from the map.
We will hike for 3 days 3 nights
The first day spend around 4 hours and walk around 6 kilometers to set up the camp at the end of the waterfall.
The second day morning, we conquer a heart shape waterfall, this is the destination for this trip. In the late noon we will move to camp 2, setting the camp above the waterfall on a mountain ridge at the way leading to Doi Ma-muang Sam-meun and spend time in the late afternoon-evening seeing the scenic view at camp 2.
In the morning of the third day, we drink in the beautiful of the dawn above the mountain ridge on the camp 2.
and then we pack all belongings and walk down through another route, the distance is 6.4 kilometers.
Do you roughly understand our plan now? : ) if you are ready, let’s go now!!!
There are both steep and plane way alternatively along the way we go through.
The distance is around 6 kilometers but we spend time hiking for 4 hours, imagine how bad it is then.
This period, not many beautiful view point so we just take a rest when feel tired and eat when we feel hungry.
But you will see the real atmosphere of the forest which barely see it anywhere else.
I really have no feeling for photo taking at that time because I am so tired hahaha
Due to we departure from Gui Ler Tor in the late noon so by the time we arrive the first camp is almost dark.
Everyone takes charge of their duty; set up tents, cooking and finding firewoods in hurried.
We separate our duty and do the same things like we do at Thi Lo Su. The one who finish their duty first will go to take a bath. The water we use for drinking and taking a bath is a water from the waterfall.
This period is the time we know our fellow habit because the route we pass through is very terrible.
My group also has some argument but at the end we can understand each other : )
We dining together after bathing
We speed eating since we feel so tired and hungry and then we have time to talk with our assistant
Our assistant can easily fall a sleep, no need a tent just only a cradle tied with a tree can makes he fall a sleep.
It seems that he often comes to this place, he takes a gunny-bag and tie with a tree to make a roof, protecting from rain and wind. After talking for a while, he persuades us to catch a frog. It is so strange that we can easily catch a frighten frog in the forest haha. A frog here has a big fascia which is different from our home. After we kill, bring the intestine out, cut the tongue then he shows us how to roast it as you see in the picture.
The first piece I try, I feel Errrr Hwwww… so sweet hahaha
Good morning haha
Today we will go to camp 2 and visit Pre To Lor Zu. This time, it is not far in distance but so steep and deep like a valley.
( The period I go is dehydrated so I would like to take other picture to post here instead)
After seeing the waterfall, then we move to the camp 2 but we change some plan.
We will not go back through the new route but we will go back to the same way we pass through which we will go conquer Doi Ma-muang Sam-muen directly. And we will go back to sleep at the first camp and go back in the morning.
There is nothing much after this, unlucky we go in the wrong season so we don’t have many beautiful pictures of the atmosphere to show you guys.
Let the rest of pictures tell a story themselves. Thank You for follow me up to this point : )
Video for part 3, the end : )
hi, just you know that what they cold center of immigration or karen village is a burmese refugee camp, and most of the population is not specially karen.