Lan Sang National Park

Lan Sang was declared on 14 May 1979, Thailand's 15th national park, covering about 65,000 rai (about 104 km²) — a small park, managed by Protected Area Regional Office 14 in Tak. About 38,900 people visited in 2019.

Legend says that on King Taksin's second campaign against Chiang Mai his troops lost him in dense forest at night, and at dawn ("sang") found him on horseback in the middle of a rock plateau ("lan") surrounded by kneeling Burmese soldiers — hence "Lan Sang". A rock near the falls is said to bear his horse's hoof-print. English Wikipedia says the true meaning is unknown, so this is legend.

The park lies in the Thanon Thongchai range, highest in the west and south and sloping east, topped by Khao Um Yom at about 1,065 m. Streams include Huai Lan Sang, Huai Tha Le, Khlong Huai Sai and Huai Um Yom, and the forest ranges from evergreen and pine to hill evergreen, dry dipterocarp and mixed deciduous.

The waterfalls form a chain along Huai Lan Sang, beginning with Pha Lat, a sloping rock sheet about 25 m wide and 40 m long some 200 m from the office; about 200 m further up is Lan Liang Ma, about 5 m high, where water pours through a rock opening about 6 m across.

Lan Sang waterfall, the main fall, is about 40 m high in three cascades into a pool before flowing on to Lan Liang Ma; it is given as 200–500 m from the visitor centre. Wikipedia also lists Pha Ngoep, 19 m, flowing only in the rainy and cool seasons.

About 750 m beyond Lan Sang is Pha Phueng, about 30 m down a cliff of some 70°, and about 1.2 km further along the nature trail is Pha The, a 25 m single drop — roughly 2.2–2.5 km from the office in all. There are also Pha Noi with a deep pool, and the remote 50 m Tha Le falls; ask rangers before going.

Beyond the falls are the Khao Noi viewpoint over the forest and Tak town, reached from the shrine by the visitor centre; the Khao Saen Huang viewpoint; and Doi Pha Daeng, with a seasonal campsite open about 1 November to late February and a cycling route through hill-tribe villages. The big-headed turtle is a stand-out species, along with wild boar, muntjac, serow and flying lizards.

Hmong, Lahu, Lisu and lowland Thai communities live around the park; a 2022 study of 318 hill-tribe households found moderate participation in fire prevention.

A TCI study says about 73% of the park is deciduous forest that burns easily; fire hotspots recorded between 1 January and 31 May numbered 60 in 2017, 30 in 2018, 95 in 2019 and 122 in 2020. About 18 km away is the Tak Highland People Development Centre at Doi Musoe, where Hmong settled from 1925. The shrine on the Khao Noi trail is a local guardian-spirit shrine, not the King Taksin shrine about 20 km away.

Recent events include the widening of Highway 12 to four lanes in 2020; heavy rain on 16–17 October 2021 that sent mud over the highway at Doi Ruak, closing it and stranding some 300 vehicles; the park's reopening after the rainy-season rest on 1 November 2024; and Tak's World Ranger Day ceremony held at the park on 31 July 2026 with 212 rangers.

Admission is 40 baht for Thai adults and 20 for children, 200 and 100 baht for foreigners, plus 30 baht per car; the park opens about 08:30–16:30. There are no bins — visitors are given black bags to carry rubbish out — and soap or shampoo in the streams is forbidden. Bungalows and camping are booked through the DNP system. July–November shows the falls at their best, while November–January is cool and good for camping.