Umphang - stunning waterfalls, mountains and endless curves

Far away from Bangkok, from hurry and big noises, there is Umphang. 

Amphoe Umphang, or simply Umphang, is a county situated in the province Tak in the north-west of Thailand. This place is mainly known for its magnificant flora and fauna - crystal clear waterfalls, mountains with stunning 360° views on top, natural hot pools and elephants.

As I've already introduced you to the elephant project last time, I'd now like to give you an understanding of what to do and of what life and people are like in Umphang.

A long, winding journey

Getting to Umphang really is a little adventure. There is only one way - by songthaew, a passenger vehicle similar to a truck which is open at the back.

Doesn't sound that bad, does it?

Well, I can tell you it can be quite comfortable and fun, especially in a big group of people, .... until it gets late and very, very cold. Make sure you are prepared for low tempertures if you are on an overnight ride and bring lots of warm clothes!

By the way, the road is very curvy, too.

In the morning, close to your destination, these outlooks out of the truck will then make you forget the pain of the first part of your journey:

 

In order to give you better impressions, some first-hand experiences, I will throw in a few quotes from my travel diary every now and then. ;)

Here's one from my entry on January 12th: "We had a good talk on the bus today about Thai peoples' mood and ours: Looking into their faces, Europeans often seem stressed, angry, sad [...]. When a group of young Thai school children passed our car today, they waved and smiled at us all friendly and bubbly! We weren't expecting that [...] That gives you so much love and makes you smile, too."

What accomodation is there in Umphang? 

One big question always is: Where should we stay? What's a good and safe place?

I can warmly recommend you Umphang House, the accomodation we stayed at.

Almost the entire place is made out of wood, the area is full of green plants and places to sit together and relax. It gives you the feeling of living in a community in the jungle, even better because the accomodation is close to the village's center at the same time.

Diary entry from January 12th: "There are quite a lot of rooms (at least 12) here. Each room fits 2-4 persons, at least that is the case for our three rooms. [...] On each bed mosquito nets had already been put up - so handy! [...] The size of the room is really okay, we have even got a small terrace! We're now using it to hang out our clothes to dry :D The sun is out, so the view outside is really enjoyable: palm trees, more plants and warm weather... beaaaautiful."

Be aware that the bathroom is not like the ones you probably know from home. If you want to flash, you need to use a little bucket in order to put water from a bigger bucket into the toilet... different places, different habits. The shower is warm for a few seconds, it depends on how lucky you are and what time of day it is. ;)

It may occur to you that something small falls down from the ceiling right in front or even on top of you - don't be afraid, it's only a gecko :D

- All these little new habits might be bit strange when you first arrive. Once you've overcome your doubts and got used to them, it's time to enjoy Umphang and its benefits to the full!

So what is Umphang like?

"Umphang itself is a nice village, different from my expectations. I didn't expect to find anything here but plants, animals, maybe a few very small shops, local people of course and us. In the middle of nowhere. The middle of Umphang. 

- That's why I felt even more surprised to discover souvenir shops, clothes selling shops, a 7 eleven supermarket, a café, a massage place and more stores here. Neat!! And they're sooo close to our accomodation!"

Food and drinks were provided for us as part of our voluntary elephant project. If you stay at Umphang House and book a tour with them, you are given meals, too. If you'd still like to grab a coffee or a snack inbetween, there are nice coffee shops in the village ;)

Of course there's a temple in Umphang, too

What surprised me very positively was the sense of community I experienced at a small open air concert one night. 

In the village center everyone came together, young and old people, family and friends. They brought  blankets and chairs with them, a drink and a lot of good humour.

A special occasion to get to know people a bit better. Later we were even asked to dance with them!

What to do in Umphang

Here are some tips for day or half day trips in the area of Umphang. If you prefer somebody leading your trip or helping you with planning, Umphang House is the right place to ask! As you might have seen on the picture at the start, they offer a range of trekking, waterfall and rafting excursions.
To give you an impression, I will show you the trips we did with the Thai from Umphag House! :)


1) forest walk to natural hot springs

A great way to spend a free morning or afternoon! And the weather doesn't even need to be really warm, the hot springs will warm you up anyway, for sure!
- Getting there by car is impossible though. You can drive your car up to a certain point until the paths are getting too narrow. From there you need to walk by foot - but no worries, it is only a 1 hour walk and it'll be worth it ;)

Diary entry from January 13th: "First of all we had to walk for one hour to get there, you really couldn't have gotten there by car! We had to pass real small paths, walk through water on stones, and get rid of lots of branches crossing our way. Climbing and jumping and was also part of our walk."

fig tree

swarm of bees

The hot springs were a secret tip - nobody else was there but us. Which was good because it was only a small place surrounded by bamboo tree.

(Sorry for the quality, I don't have a better picture of the hot pools to show you...)

A few metres away there was a stream that's definitely worth a bath, too! The water is pretty cold, but at some places the ground underneath your feet is hot! 

Our way back wasn't less exciting: we had to cross the stream by that raft!

Then we continued our walk back to the car by foot:

... The second advise I can give you is to visit

2)  Waterfalls

As I told you, Umphang is well known for its breathtaking waterfalls! Probably the most famous one is Thi Lo Su, the biggest one of Thailand.

Unfortunately we didn't see that one, but let me introduce you to Palatha waterfall :)

Don't know how to spend the rest of your day? Pack your bag, put on your hiking shoes and go for a walk!! :)

3) Hiking in the mountains and watching a stunning sunset

Isn't this view worth a hike, even in warm temperatures?

At that time, in January, the sun sets at around 6 pm

- Getting inspired? :)

I hope I could arouse your interest to some of these places in Umphang!

And even though it's a loooong, long journey there and back -

... you can always make the most of it!

Have a great time! See you soon,

Love, Yoko xx