Namtok Mae Surin National Park

Mae Surin Waterfall drops around 80 metres in a single sheet into a pool in the mountains of Khun Yuam district, Mae Hong Son — one of Thailand’s tallest one-tier falls and the centrepiece of the 397 sq km national park that takes its name. The falls run fullest from October to December, just after the rains; by April the flow thins to a fraction of its wet-season roar.

Past the falls, the park’s other draw is Doi Pui, a grassy, pine-covered summit at 1,722 metres whose plateau of meadows is often compared to Phu Kradueng further north — wildflowers carpet it in the hot season, and the air stays cool year-round. The Huai Mae Sakuet trail runs beside a small lake favoured by birdlife, and a 12 km gravel track (passable only in the dry season, roughly November to April) leads from the falls to Nong Khiaw, a flat grass ridge with a natural inlet. Near the park office, the Queen Sirikit Wildlife and Plants Preservation Project doubles as a nursery for endangered species and a rescue centre for animals confiscated from the wildlife trade.

Insider Tip: The Nong Khiaw side trip requires a park ranger as a guide — arrange it at the office when you pay your entrance fee, not once you’re already at the trailhead.

This is a genuinely remote corner of Mae Hong Son, well off the Mae Hong Son Loop that most visitors drive. From Mae Hong Son town, it’s about 38 km south on Highway 108 to Khun Yuam, then another 40 km east on Highway 1263 into the hills — allow at least 1.5 hours each way, longer in the wet season when the final stretch can be slow. There’s no public transport to the park gate, so a rented car or motorbike is the only realistic option.

Watch out: The access road climbs and switches back constantly; it’s manageable on a scooter in the dry season but unpleasant in rain, when sections can turn slick.

Entry is 200 THB for foreign visitors (100 THB for children) and 40 THB for Thai nationals, with the gate open daily 06:00–18:00. The park runs seven simple lodges plus a campground near the falls car park — worth booking ahead through the Department of National Parks, since there’s little accommodation nearby otherwise. For an easier, closer day out in the same subdistrict, the Bua Tong wild-sunflower fields at Doi Mae U Kho bloom gold from mid-November to early December; back in Mae Hong Son town, Wat Phrathat Doi Kong Mu on its hilltop is the usual pairing for a loop that also takes in the waterfall.