Umpang Village trek

The Umpang area is a nature lover’s paradise and offers a unique and different experience from traditional
Thai tourist domains.

The Umpang village is situated about 160 km from the town of Mae Sot in the north-western Thai administrative
province of Tak. This isolated village is the main point of departure for visitors trekking to nearby attractions.
The village is reachable by road from Mae Sot. Umpang is situated in the picturesque mountainous regions of Tak
where the Mae Khlong and Umpang Rivers meet, near the country’s border with Myanmar.

Attractions

The magnificent Tee Lor Su Waterfalls are the main attraction for visitors to the region. The falls are the
highest and most breathtaking in Thailand and are situated within the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary.

Apart from enjoying nature and the cultural aspects of Umpang’s People, you can also take pleasure in rafting
on the Mae Khlong River, foot walks and bike riding. Meals and accommodation are provided at nearby
guest houses and camp sites.

The Pajalearn waterfal

The Road to Umpang

Umpang is accessible only by road from Mae Sot. It is situated in a long valley between two mountain ranges.
One range separates Thailand from Myanmar; the other separates Umpang from the rest of Thailand.
Umpang is, therefore, an isolated community and is visited only by the more determined travellers.
A large highway, which will provide a more direct route between Thailand's Central Plains and Myanma, is
currently under construction. The highway will pass Umpang and work on this road proceeds despite
Thailand's recent economic collapse. When completed it can be expected that Umpang will be open to
the mass tourist market.

Mae Sot can be reach by a Thai Airways flight from Chiang Mai or Bangkok takes about one hour.
Tour bus from Chiang Mai takes about 7 hours and from Bangkok about 8 hours.  A trip to Umpang will
normally require a one night stopover in Mae Sot. An unremarkable, but pleasant enough, border town
Mae Sot has a few Western restaurants and hotels largely catering to those passing through or to the the UN/Aid worker/foreign teacher types that work there. The most upmarket hotel would seem to be
Central Hill Resort  which is something of a misnomer because its not central, not in the hills and not a resort.
Umpang is 160 km south of Mae Sot, a drive of some six hours. Transport by songteaw (pickup truck
converted into a mini bus) runs daily from Mae Sot. Also guest houses in Umpang or hotels in
Mae Sot can arrange transport as part of an organised trip

The road to Umpang is a long trip; but for those that are not familiar   with the scenery it can be a
joy in itself. The road tends run round the top of the mountains rather than along the valley floor.
This presents the traveller with excellent view points. The photograph of the sunset (at right) gives
some idea of what the visitor can expect. (More pictures of the road can be found here). A  proportion
of the valley is cultivated and the route passes through some hilltribe villages. Side roads lead to a number
of picturesque but unspectacular waterfalls. The Pajalearn waterfall is an example.

Umpang itself is now a tourist town catering mainly to groups of Thais of the jolly camper variety. However,
it is not so long ago, about 15 years, that it was renowned as a centre of insurgency. Local guides thrill tour
groups with tales of communist guerrillas hiding from Government troops in caves such as the Tat Kah Be cave.
This is an unremarkable, three kilometre long, dry cave (quite possibly not fully explored). Close to Umpang,
and easily accessible, the cave does have the attraction of being a candle lit walk for about half its length.
At least it was candle lit when the author visited it,  who lit the candles remains a mystery (pictures here).

Tee Lor Su Waterfall

If one could drive up to Tee Lor Su and look at it from a viewing platform it might not be so impressive - just
another chocolate box waterfall. As it is the site is inaccessible to vehicles. The route from the nearest road,
which is a dirt road only negotiable by off road vehicles, is along a muddy Elephant trail. The journey
through the forest take about an hour. At the waterfall itself the visitor is surrounded by forest.

There are no souvenir shops, no ice-cream kiosks, no litter bins - no sign of man's presence whatsoever.
"Tee Lor Su" apparently means "Black Waterfall" in the language of the local "Karen" hilltribes.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand claims that it is one of the six best waterfalls in the world in terms
of size (height) and beauty (sic). Also that it is the best in South East Asia, again in terms of size and beauty.
The waterfall is famous in Thailand and almost all well educated Thai will have heard about it. Outside of
Thailand it is virtually unknown.

Objective facts about Tee Lor Su are hard to come by. There is very little information about it in English.
It is regularly feature in Thai language, outward bound, travel magazines, but objective information is sparse.
What remains a mystery is the precise dimensions of these falls. The best authority the authors
could find was a chap in the Tak office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). He said that
Tee Lor Su was estimated to be 100 metres high and 500 metres across. The figure of 500 in breath
does not mean a solid volume of water. Tee Lor Su is a fall of the segmented type, 500 represents the
the breadth of the various cascades and plunges. These figures are only approximate.