Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [350]
You can camp (50-100B) at the sanctuary headquarters at any time of year, although it’s best to book ahead from November to January, when the falls are a particularly popular destination for Thais. This is also the only time of year when food is generally available at the headquarters, and if you visit at any other time you’ll have to bring your own.
The vast majority of people visit the falls as part of an organised tour, but it’s also possible to go independently. If you’ve got your own wheels, take the turn-off to Rte 1167 just north of Um Phang. After 12km, turn left at the police checkpoint onto Rte 1288. Continue 6km until you reach the sanctuary checkpoint, where you’re expected to pay the entry fee. It’s another 30km along a rough road to the sanctuary headquarters.
If you’re without transport, it’s easy to book a truck just about anywhere in Um Phang (round trip 1400B to 1600B). Alternatively, you can take a Poeng Kloeng–bound srng·ta·ou to the sanctuary checkpoint (30B, every hour from 6.30am to 3.30pm), and organise transport from there, although it’s not always certain that trucks will be waiting. Another option is to get a ride south of Um Phang towards Ban Palatha and get off at Km19; there’s a jungle path to the falls via Mo Phado village. It’s said to take about four hours, but we wouldn’t advise taking this unmarked trail without a guide who knows the area.
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POLAMAT, 30
How long have you been a working with elephants? Since I was 12. I started by helping out and feeding. When I was 15 or 16 I really started working with the elephants by taking tourists to the waterfalls and things like that.
Are the elephants in Ban Palatha still used for work? Nowadays elephants are only used for tourists. Sometimes we use elephants to move firewood, but not for logging or other hard work.
How many elephants do you work with? I look after one elephant, a male. My dad was the first to take care of this elephant. When he was too old, I took over.
Tell me about your elephant. He is called Plona. In Karen this means ‘torn ear’, which is how he was born. He is about 23 years old now. This is not old; he’s a strong adult.
Is it hard looking after elephants? You have to be careful with the males, especially when they’re ready to mate. They’re just like people, sometimes they’re grumpy.
How do you communicate with your elephant? I use Karen. Some elephants also understand Thai, it depends on how they’ve been trained.
How many elephants are there in Ban Palatha? There are about 30 elephants here. We have the most elephants in Um Phang District.
Do your children want to work with elephants? My son is only nine and he told me he wants to be a mahout. But when he grows up, who knows? He may change his mind.
Polamat is a mahout from Ban Palatha, Um Phang District, Tak
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AROUND NAM TOK THILAWSU
From Ban Mae Klong Mai, just a few kilometres north of Um Phang via the highway to Mae Sot, Rte 1167 heads southwest along the Thai–Myanmar border. Along the way is the extensive cave system of Tham Ta Khu Bi, which in Karen apparently means ‘Flat Mango’. There are no guides here, so be sure to bring your own torch.
After 12km, turn left onto Rte 1288, which leads to the checkpoint for Um Phang Wildlife Sanctuary. Past this point the road deteriorates in quality, yet continues more than 70km, terminating in Poeng Kloeng – a Karen, Burmese, Indo-Burmese, Talaku and Thai trading village where buffalo carts are more common than motorcycles. The picturesque setting among spiky peaks and cliffs is worth the trip even if you go no further. From the srng·ta·ou station in Um Phang there are frequent srng·ta·ou to Poeng Kloeng (100B, 3½ hours, every hour from 6.30am to 3.30pm).
Four hours’ walk from Poeng Kloeng along a rough track (passable by 4WD in the dry season), near the Myanmar border on the banks of Mae Nam Suriya next to Sam Rom mountain, is the village of Letongkhu. According to what little anthropological information is available, the villagers,