Thi Lo Su Waterfall (Namtok Teelorsu) We thought the best of the three waterfall segments was the leftmost drop, which cascaded in several distinctive leaps. The lowest leaps had pools that we saw many people swimming in. The middle drop had a much taller and thinner appearance, which was significantly offset from the main (leftmost) section before cascading and joining the bottom of the main drop. Finally, there was a third (perhaps ephemeral) drop more to the right of the middle one. Photographing the Thi Lo Su Waterfall was difficult for us. That was because we were tempted to try to capture it all in one shot, but it was simply too wide to fit it all in. It turned out that the best photos we took of this falls involved just focusing on the more concentrated series of cascades on the left side while ignoring the thinner and somewhat separated cascades on the far right. Any time we tried to include the drops on the far right, we would only manage to capture just part of the main part of the falls.
Speaking of the crowds, that was real surprising to us given how remote it was and how much trouble we had to go through to even get here (see directions below). But we've observed that many Thais love waterfalls and that Thi Lo Su seemed to be known by just about every Thai person. In fact, they not only knew about it, they actually made it a point to come here. And this was further exemplified by the main campground complex containing a ticket office, park office, a cantine, a very busy camping area, and even a tent providing Thailand Post!
Finally, because there's not a standard way of translating Thai pronunciations to English text, there are many spellings of the Thi Lo Su Waterfall. Excluding the way we've been spelling it, there are Teelorsu, Thilawsu, Ti Lo Su, Ti Lor Su, Thi Lor Su, etc. Then, we took a songthaew (basically a pick-up truck with a cover used as a 4wd taxi; pronounced "SOHNG-tauw") for the next hour. Since it was on a rugged 4wd road, this ride was quite bumpy. This car ride ended at the car park and campground for the waterfall, which was also the trailhead for the roughly 40- to 60-minute walk to access Thi Lo Su Waterfall itself.
Speaking of which, in the wet season, the roads become too muddy and flooded for vehicular traffic so that would mean that you'll have to walk that road by foot. TRIP REPORTSFor more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCESNEARBY WATERFALLSHave You Been To This Waterfall?
Share your experience! [Back to top] [Go to next waterfall: Mae Ya Waterfall] [Go to the Thailand Waterfalls Page] [Go to the Asia Page] [Return from Thi Lo Su Waterfall to the World of Waterfalls Home Page]
|
Other factors that conspired to mess with our photos were the sun and the crowds. Around midday or early afternoon (when we arrived at the falls), we were looking directly at the sun as we tried to view and photograph the waterfall. We had to wait until late in the afternoon (good thing we camped here for the evening) when the sun hid behind the cliffs in order to take better photos. And as for the crowds, we had to really exercise our patience as there were heaps of people walking in and out of our line-of-sight while other groups would take some of the choice spots hostage. Again, it wasn't until later in the afternoon when the day-trippers had to leave were we able to have a few moments to enjoy the falls in relative peace.
From the car park and campground complex, we walked along a trail that was mostly boardwalk for about 40 minutes. Like the campground, the walk was quite busy with large groups. And given that the walk was somewhat narrow relative to the amount of traffic on it, our walk probably went slower than it could have been.
Finally, even though we ended up going with a tour based in Umphang that organized an overnight tour, there were other options. We knew there were day tours out of Umphang, and from what we could tell, there was certainly no one to stop you from going there yourself assuming you're properly equipped, have the admission fees, and arrange for transportation. We saw a group of hardy Europeans actually walk the road that we took the songthaew on. 
The road we had to take while riding the songthaew
A big rut on the road
Campground at Thi Lo Su
Walking towards the check point
On the boardwalk to the falls
One of the lower tiers of the falls allowing for swimming
Getting higher up on the waterfall providing a different look at its constituent parts
Thinner, taller plume of water comprising one of the smaller but taller segments of the falls
The uppermost tier of the falls that we could safely get close to
Looking against the early afternoon sun at the falls