Tham Pla – Namtok Pha Suea National Park

Tham Pla – Namtok Pha Suea National Park sits about 18 km northwest of Mae Hong Son town, and its centrepiece is Tham Pla — the “Fish Cave.” At the base of a cliff, a clear spring pool teems with sacred soro brook carp, some near a metre long, watched over by a stone hermit statue. Entry is 100 THB for foreign adults and covers the whole park, including the Pha Suea waterfall. It’s an easy, rewarding stop on a Mae Hong Son loop.

The Fish Cave and the waterfall

At Tham Pla, the fish gather where the spring emerges from under the rock — locals revere them and never fish here, so they crowd in numbers, and you can buy a little food to feed them. A short, shaded walk over a stream on stone bridges leads to the spot, with a Rishi (hermit) statue said to protect the pool. The park’s other draw is the 15-metre Pha Suea waterfall, which runs hardest at the end of the rainy season, plus the Mae Sa-nga waterfall and dam further in.

Insider Tip: Come at the tail of the rains (October–November) so the Pha Suea waterfall is full — the Fish Cave spring is worth it any time of year, but the waterfall can slow to a trickle in the dry months.

Visiting

The Fish Cave is a short, gentle walk from the car park, so it suits most visitors; the waterfalls involve a bit more legwork. Pay the 100 THB entry at the gate — it covers everything — and combine it with the drive up to Ban Rak Thai, the Yunnanese tea village near the border.

Watch out: The stone paths and stream crossings get slippery after rain, and the fish pool is a place of local reverence — don’t try to touch or take the fish, and keep noise down.

Tham Pla – Namtok Pha Suea National Park is at Mok Cham Pae, Mueang Mae Hong Son District, Mae Hong Son 58000. View on Google Maps.