Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
According to what little anthropological information is available, the villagers belong to
the Lagu or Talaku sect, said to represent a form of Buddhism mixed with shamanism and
animism. Each village has a spiritual and temporal leader called a
pu chaik
(whom the
Thais call
reu·sěe
- rishi, or sage) who wears his hair long - usually tied in a topknot -
and dresses in white, yellow or brown robes, depending on the subsect.
Evangelistic Christian missionaries have infiltrated the area and have tried to convert
the Talaku, thus making them sensitive to outside visits. If you do visit Letongkhu, take
care not to enter any village structures without permission or invitation. Likewise, do not
take photographs without permission. Overnight stays are not generally permitted.
From the
sŏrng·tăa·ou
station in Um Phang there are
sŏrng·tăa·ou
to Poeng Kloeng ap-
proximately every hour from 6.30am to 3.30pm (100B, 2½ hours). There's no regular
transport to Letongkhu, and if you're not willing to walk or hitch from Poeng Kloeng or
organise a guided visit to the village, a 4WD will do the trip from Um Phang for about
5000B.
Activities
Virtually every guesthouse in Um Phang can arrange combination trekking and rafting
trips in the area. Yet because Um Phang is dominated by Thai tourists, only a handful of
guides have experience in dealing with foreign visitors.
A typical three-day, two-night trip involves both rafting and hiking, with a popular op-
tional activity being elephant rides. The majority involve trips to Nam Tok Thilawsu and
beyond, and longer or shorter trips, and trips to other destinations, may also be arranged.
Rafting trips range from one-day excursions along Mae Klong, from Um Phang to Nam
Tok Thilawsu, to three-day trips from Palatha to Nam Tok Thi Lo Re, another impressive
waterfall. Most rafting is only possible between November and January.
Um Phang Khi is a 'new' area for rafting, northeast of Um Phang. Officially there are
47 (some rafting companies claim 67) sets of rapids rated at class III (moderate) and class
IV (difficult) during the height of the rainy season. The rafting season for Um Phang Khi
is short - August to October only - as at other times of the year the water level isn't high
enough.
Costs are all-inclusive and start at about 4000B per person (for two people) for a three-
day rafting and trekking excursion. Elephant rides and other extras will bring the price up.
Trekker Hill
TREKKING, RAFTING
