Southeast Asia's Most Popular Hot Springs

Putting together a list of hot springs and making a top 10 of this or that seems to be a popular thing to do. However quite often these lists add nothing and are based on nothing.

Lifeinthefastlane.ca has put together a list with 12 most astonishing hot springs in the world. The list has no references and seems at random. But not. Most are from North America, 4 from Japan and 3 from Iceland. Forgotten is the South Pacific, Southeast Asia and South America.
World's Top 5 hot springs by Virtualtourism.com, even selected Sankampaeng, Thailand as it number 5; due to it

hot springs cooking area

(!). Not really remarkable, cooking at hot springs in Southeast Asia is a number one past time.

Then there's a recent list on the 15 hottest springs in the world by sumberair, which surprisingly contains 17 listings. Though hottest seems an objective criteria the list once again seems arbitrary. Temperatures are not used for selection the list seems at random with bias once again towards North America.

I thought that putting a list together of Southeast Asia's most popular hot springs would not be too difficult. I have a hunch, but I used hits from Google search, flickr photo's, Technocrati and tripadvisor.com's Asia forum to arrive at a score for each hot spring. The result:

1. Poring, Malaysia
2. Sungai Klah, Malaysia
3. Ardent, Philippines
4. Fang, Thailand
5. Banjar, Indonesia
6. Maquinit, Philippines
7. Thap Ba, Vietnam
8. Pangururan, Indonesia
9. Rinjani, Indonesia
10. Tambun, Malaysia

Falling just outside the Top 10 were Asin and Mainit, Philippines and Binh Chau, Vietnam.

Though arrived at through repeatable measurement, it has to be acknowledged that there is considerable bias in the results.

• English is the main language in some countries and counts especially for Malaysia and Philippines.
• Income and thus internet use once again counts in favour of Malaysia.
• Names for hot springs are sometimes fluid, especially in Thai, where one can have many different versions for the same hot spring. In Vietnam and the Philippines this is less the case.
• Due to changes in ownership, hot springs change name which does not favour a large number of hits. See for instance Toya Bungkah, which was previously known as Kintamani, a much more often used name. And would have made the top 10.
  
• Internet is disproportionally skewed towards English. Vietnam sees relatively more non-English speaking tourists.
• Some hot springs carry easy names referring to larger places, such as Fang or regions. Banjar for instance, would have been third instead of fifth if Lovina (the name for the region) would have been used.

That said, Poring has repeatedly been mentioned on this site already as propably the most popular hot springs site in Southeast Asia, which was also the outcome. Sungai Klah is also well known for being popular. Surprises are Rinjani and Pangururan in Indonesia. Pangururan I have visited myself and it was not busy ...

Now, have I chosen the right method to ascertain popularity?

Updates for September 2009

Tinkering
A bit blatantly stated, but tinkering is what they believe will make Ranong, Thailand a

'health and wellness destination'.

Cost 4.9 million THB (just 150.000 USD). What they want to do with the dosh?

'... hire a company to study how to upgrade the province’s best site, Pornrang Hot Springs, in Bangrin sub district'.

The TTR weekly's article shows what's needed free of charge.

'There was a need to provide explanations on how the minerals benefit health and the ambient temperature at each pool. There were eight employees at the springs but none of them could communicate in English. ... To succeed provincial authorities should take a leaf out of the spa resorts’ manual on construction and landscaping. To be successful they need to balancing ambience, user-friendly facilities and quality in a manner that would justify higher entrance fees'.

Why? This well thought article continues to decry developments of hot spring resorts in Thailand.

'The dilemma for hot spring developers is that with every improvement, the natural ambiance is eroded. Often the interpretation of what visitors require from a hot springs results in tacky designs, poor maintenance regimes and ultimately a product that becomes unhygienic and less appealing as its popularity grows. Upkeep and maintenance is a crucial factor that is often overlooked, giving an overall negative impression of the facility. Left in their virgin state, hot springs are usually very appealing to the eye. But as developers move in to build tiled pools, changing rooms and toilet blocks, much of the ambiance of a natural hot spring is lost'.

So though tinkering is what the authors would like to see, is that what the 4.9 million THB will recommend? Too often in Southeast Asia what happens when governors try to attract tourists is as above. Make them less appealing. I hope I can visit this spring before the developers move in.

In the mean time, let's have a look at what it looks like now:

From traveljournals.net. Now why does she have minimal wear and he oversized shorts? Something with his thighs ...? There are more photo's ...

Western thinking revisited

In July, this blog highlighted a press report from China that mentioned that soaking nudey is so western like. In response Soaking in Southeast Asia gave quite a few examples contradicting this.

From echinacities.com comes this article, originally from ifeng.com:

'Communal and co-ed nude bathing doesn’t only take place in Cancun hot tubs during spring break celebrations. In fact, for several Chinese minorities, nude bathing has long been a part of their traditions. It may not be purifying yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, but here are the best five best places in China for nude bathing; you can leave those bathing suits at home'.

It briefly describes five opportuntities to bath au-naturel complete with pixelated pictures. Do mind though, it's minorities who do this!

I also delved up these pictures which contradict aforementioned press opinion:

The first a hot springs festival (!) posted on a blog by Fusansan: in 2008

'Every Spring Festival, the Lisu people gather at the Hot Springs by the Nujiang River [Yunnan]. By taking baths and washing off dirt with sacred spring water, people hope for forthcoming auspiciousness'.

The second from Tibet (Oh, oh. There goes my theory, these are examples from western China....).

"I soaked with the friendly ladies in the hot spring until I became too hot and had to hop out".

By Solemnyeti (2008).

Then, a much older picture (1950) and from Japan and involves no hot soaking, just fishing.

"A successful launch" by Iwase Yoshiyuki.

Odd though, this focus on females ....

In the same vein?Asia Spa (printed in Singapore) July/August 2009 has an article of south Japans best baths. In the guide to onsen (hot spring) section (not online unfortunately) the author informs Japan's etiquette concerning bathing there:

'First you must be prepared to bathe completely naked, swimsuits are never worn. But Japan's baths are single sex, and in the steam and splash your naked state feels completely inconspicuous.

...
Before you enter either bath you must make sure you are clean.
...
Being spotlessly clean is essential'.

The blog world then

Malaysia

• Sungai Klah? §oŁЇtǺ®ÿ ®o§ě went there and stayed a nite at the adjacent resort. Apparently the villa's come with private pool:
  

  '* Jacuzzi - babe not included with booking of villa * This villa does not come with bikini babe. Unless you book the babe along.. You have to bring your own bikini babe. LOL!!! This a picture taken candidly by my mom'.

• More on Sungai Klah, a blog dedicated to a child who burnt herself, posts written by her mother. The burns came from cups of noodles, not from the hot spring.

• What does Paku hot spring look like? Going by photo's by Wilson Tie, it's not much, certainly not a soak site ...

• The Lost World of Tambun is a water based theme park based on a possible ancient Mayan city. It's based around a hot spring. Judging by sixthseal's blog entry the hot spring is the least interesting part of the park.

Indonesia

• Bajawa hot springs on Flores, Indonesia. By Hamroast79.

Thailand

• The Wiang Pa Pao hot spring in Chiang Rai claims to be the highest hot spring in Thailand. Not clear what they mean, they highest pumped spout or the highest located ...

Singapore

• A visit to Sembawang, Singapore by MoMo Post.

  'While we were there, an uncle came over & offered his help to ease the blue black on my wife's leg, as she had a really bad fall on Friday. He seems really helpful & the blue black really subsided after 30min of rubbing with the hot spring water. But some part of her skin on the blue black were also being "Rubbed Out" which we didn't notice until later. As we were leaving, we went over to say thanks & to our shock, he asked for a payment of $20 for his service.'

  Accompanied by lots of photo's.

This blog
Added link to Spacious Planet Guide to Japanese Onsen Bath by Anna Mar.

'Can you wear bathing suits at onsen?'

Jimboche's answer:

'Rarely'.

A site with more info in the form of questions and answers as well as some photo's, though all strictly Japan.

I've also expanded the number of hot springs in Vietnam ...

Updates for August 2009

Looking for alternative energy it can occur to tap local hot springs. In the region there are already a number of countries with power plants derived from geothermal heat up and working.
Singapore is now looking into this as well. From the Strait Times (15 August 2009):

'A hot spring tucked away in Sembawang might just hold the key to Singapore's untapped geothermal power potential, and at least one geologist is going full steam ahead on the idea'.

Co-incidentally, a recent blog on Sembawang hot spring contained the following message:

'The authority should develop and make it a tourist attraction'.

Yes, why not? But it's not so bad as it is, mind you.
Then more is revealed on a comment to Temasek's finance strategy on Todayonline:

'A professor of NTU [major uni. of Singapore] is confident that with a $26m investment, he can tap geothermal heat at the Sembawang hot spring or Pulau Ubin to generate electricity for 200,000 homes'.

That's 4 times as many homes as two weeks before! Progress.

The Malaysian state of Sabah is looking into the same subject, reports the Star:

'Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Peter Pang said the idea was to tap hot springs in the Adrassy forest in Tawau [Sabah] to generate some 100MW of electricity'.

But back to real soaking. Much of the soaking is to do with health benefits. An interesting non-Southeast Asia article titled

'Clays, Muds and Dirt for Anti-aging Beauty'.

Written by Lorne Caplan it looks specifically into claims of anti-aging and mud. She clearly sets out that many skin care products containing mud can't stand up to what they claim. Lathering in mud, adds nothing it appears. Her final advice:

'We do know that therapeutic massage, when given frequently, provides a true stimulation to our immune system and lymphatic system. Or,simply roll around in the mud with your kids and you’ll find your hormones on fire in a good way. Whether you’re in Alaska, Thailand or your backyard'.

This throws the claim in a recent article on Phu Klon hot spring, Mae Hong Son province, Thailand into doubt:

'The results from the laboratory showed that the mineral contents of the mud are good for the skin and blood circulation. There are some minerals that are found in the Dead Sea mud and volcano lava mud'.

Elsewhere in Asia, there are a number of resorts offering a mud bath (see below). Not worth it now? Possibly, but isn't it just fun in the mud?

'Thap Ba mud baths in Nha Trang, Vietnam' (source).

In paradise (Bali?) there are problems with developing hot springs. The article relates to development taking place without proper permits and failure of the projects to materialize. Despite one project promoting alternative healing, it was believed that part of the project was to threaten a local hot spring's water supply.
Elsewhere, a major investment is taking place on north Sulawesi, Indonesia:

'Located in Bitung Hills, this natural 60 m waterfall is an ideal place to enjoy nature and fresh water pools at the base of the falls, just on the Beach next to the Waterfront Hotel is a Hot Spring. The plan is to connect the Hot Spring to the Hotel to develop a Beach-Spa Resort.'

What about the hot spring?

Blogs
Vietnam

• Thap Ba proved to be nice place to frolic in the mud for traveling Peacecorps duo Carrienica:

  'The whole experience was fun since you're surrounded by more vietnamese tourists than foreigners. I loved seeing how the familes were interacting and how they all had fun playing in the water. I have to say that it was an experience I won't forget'.

  Fun indeed.
  

Indonesia

• Want to know what Sari Alter hot spring looks like?

Malaysia

• Poring, arguably one of Sabah states biggest tourist attractions fails to live up to it's fame. Here another disappointed blogger by the name of perutbesi:

  'I was expecting the natural hot springs like the ones I've experienced in Ipoh! All I saw were pools with warm water. Cis. Just like my own bathroom kinda experience. Cheap thrill!'

• An extensive blog entry on Selayang hot spring, located not so far from KL. Is a trip there worth it?

  'To be honest with you, in general, Selayang Hot Spring has 'nothing to shout about' ... really. .... And while you are there, you can see all sort of antics and interesting behaviour of some of the bathers. Some of them can be downright funny though...but then again...of course...they have own reasons for behaving in such peculiar manners:).

  eSa had more laughs when reading a signboard:

  'Loosely translated: Please Take Note: To all visitors, kindly adhere to these guidelines>- do not place your feet in the pool- do not wash clothings in the pool- do not wear underwear while bathing!'

  Possibly the funny part is that no one adhere's to it, everyone has that days underwear and upperwear on. Yuck!

Vaneza provided me with this shot of the welcome words to Ardent hot spring on Camiguin, Philippines.

• In my recent blog entry about visits to soaks in Thailand and Bali, it was mentioned that the springs were discovered / developed by Japanese. According to this site the Gadek spring was developed by the English. Hard to believe.

  'It was believed that local villagers discovered the hot spring in the forest after watching some English soldiers settled around the spring. After the war, visitors from far and wide discovered that the hot spring had strong healing elements unlike many that they had encountered before'.

Thailand

• Dressing up maybe the norm for locals visiting natural hot springs in Southeast Asia, but surf to this photo of a number of soakers complete with life jackets in knee deep water in Umphang, Tak province!

Philippines

• A great blog entry on Maquinit:

  'Everything seems right in place, the location of the pool, the mangroves even the scenic view around the area all conspires to make this a very unique place'.

• To add, Marinduque hot spring on ... Marinduque island! Here a link to a German blog. There are actually two soaks on the island, Mainit and Malbog.
  

I Love?

Kanchanaburi

The province of Kanchanaburi is a well trodden piece of Thailands tourist path. Besides historical highlights (as in the Burma railway), it excels in natural highlights. In this, the Erawan waterfall meets most tourists expectations of a beautiful tropical waterfall paradise.

But there is much more nature to be discovered. Many more waterfalls and caves. So it may not be surprising that hiking and rafting are increasingly becoming popular pursuits, especially for the more wealthy middle class Bangkok citizens; Bangkok located not more than 2 hours drive from these delights.

Hin Dat hot spring
As said there are a couple of hot springs, non more well-known than that of Hin Dat (or Hindad / Hindard / Hindat / Hin Dad or formerly known as Kuimang; the name on the tickets though is Hindaad). Not only in Kanchanaburi, but Hin Dat rates as one of the more recognized names in hot springs in Thailand.

Located at a fair distance from Kanchanaburi town it's just a km off the near perfect highway 323 heading west. Judging from the ample space for parking, it surely is part of the main tourist road, even a number of coach parking spaces are available. Parking outside the main gate, a small fee was required to enter, though why nationals only get charged 10 Bt and foreigners four times that amount seems a bit weird; do foreigners get more value for money?

Beyond the gate is another parking area with many stalls around, for drinks, food, tourist nick-knacks, souvenirs and orchids / plants. Tickets get checked before a bridge. From the bridge one has a good overview of the hot spring pools themselves. This being a rainy Sunday afternoon around 3 o'clock, the sides of the two pools are lined with soakers, though not many are immersing themselves. Is the water too hot? Just a meter from the pools is a swift flowing stream; it having rained during the preceding days. The banks of the stream are also lined with people half in the water.

Sunday afternoon: packed soakers.

The soak
Leaving a visit for the air-raid shelters (!) for later, I precede to the changing rooms, which are not well-maintained, but probably serve their purpose. Then down to the showers. Oddly it are mostly visitors who are leaving who are using the showers; clearly cleanliness is not an issue.

Finding a dry spot to put my things down is quite a challenge, but once found it's off to find a spot on the side of the pool to adjust to the water. Of course there is still a place available: right next to the source, which is well over 40C apparently. After a couple of minutes I slide into the hotter of the two pools. After a nice soak, I get out and cool off in the stream.

The bank of the stream has been lined with steps of flagstones and though the river current is strong, it's a great pleasure to enjoy a natural cooling off. By the time I'm ready for a second round, the pools are starting to clear of their visitors, possibly having to return to the big smoke. But without the crowds, the soaks are even more enjoyable. A few more rounds follow and to top off a short massage is required. All 'n all a great soak.

Soaking Thai style.

After wrestling back from swimwear to clothing, I walk around the site that includes a number of private soaking bungalows, a temple and the aforementioned air-raid shelters which remained from the second World War. What better protection would you need when soaking?

Background
As stated above Hin Dat is a well-known soak, why remains a mystery. Possibly it's accessibility together with the beautiful location of springs next to swift running stream.

However most mentions of the hot spring concern tourist web sites mentioning the possibility of soaking. Some credit the Japanese occupiers (during WW II) with finding and enhancing these springs:

'.. discovered beside a stream of cool water by Japanese troops during WWII and two cement wells were then constructed at the site'.

Both pools are still there. However there is also the following mention:

'This hot spring has a long history and has been with the local villagers for over 150 years'.

It does seem logical that the hot springs were there before the Second world war, why the Japanese get the credit for discovering them is beyond me. Though no doubt they did enhance and popularise them.

But it does seem that not much has changed since. The site has been enhanced with ample parking spaces, a bridge, changing rooms, toilets, ticket vending office and private pools. The latter though don't seem to be too popular, but they are located on the hill overlooking the site, without access to the stream and thus probably provide a less superior experience. They also cost the foreigner a foot or more, upto 1,000 Bt (~$US 30). Pay more, get less.

Other bloggers mention

• AbsoluteBangkok.com:

  'Well, what else you need when you got large hot water tubs lined with natural stone - and a clean (!) fresh mountain stream two meters away to cool you down again. You could rent private bath tubs, but what would you need narrow walls and a roof for when the sky’s the limit?
  ...
  And don’t trust the name of the nearby Green World Hot Spring & Golf Resort. They have no access to the hot spring water, but talk about repairs and broken pipelines and … screw them.
  All they have is a rotten jacuzzi in the cellar. Go for the real thing at the public bath. The only thing to worry: I always wonder when visiting a public bath in Thailand why you won’t find cleaner toilets than in a Thai public bath. As nobody uses the toilets'.

• Bluestar guesthouse:

  'the springs are a God send'.

• caryn:

  'This one is rather simple, yet it attracts numerous tourist'.

• andydaniels:

  'The springs were really nice, big pools that fit a lot of people and were deep'.

After four: quiet and serene.

Other information
There is also a Hin Dat hot spring festival, each year in November:

'In the festival, there are booths of agricultural products and tourism exhibition of Amphoe Thong Pha Phum'.

The waters are said to have as a healing property for various ailments such as beriberi and rheumatism [1], holy water that can cure diseases [2] and gout [3].

There are two locations to stay overnight nearby: the above mentioned Green Valley which might be more appealing to golfers and the Phatad Valley Hot Springs resort, which actually is still a couple of kms away and has nothing to do with the hot springs!

Nearby are also the Pha Tad watertfalls, probably a great place for a swim. As it is a national park, entry is a hefty 100 Bt, unfortunately during my visit three was too much water to make a swim possible. This site has more info on Pha Tad which are only located some 10 km from Hin Dat.

Gushing waterfalls of PhaTad.

Furthermore it should be pointed out that the hot spring is open til 22.00, which means that a late nite soak and picnic are available. Always good to know in hot Thailand.

Then just a mention about the name, the official name is Hindad, however by far most internet links refer to it being Hin Dat. Can someone explain?

Getting There: Traveling from Kanchanaburi town, one only needs to continue on the main 323 highway towards the Burmese border. Past the entrance to Sai Yok National park, the well signposted hot springs are just off the main road at km marker 123.

Soaking Experience: The natural surroundings and the possibilty to cool down in the adjacent stream make Hin Dat are great place to soak. Also the possibility to stay until well into the night add to a great way to soak. The pools are deep, though the bottom is uneven.

Overall Impression: Positive. A great place to while away a few hours preferably on the day edges, as midday sees many visitors. The food stalls even have western food and the masseurs work full time, such is their appeal.
But I always have doubts about hygiene. Currently in Thailand you can sanitize you hands at every reception desk, though it's disputable whether the swine flu can be obtained over the counter. However without batting an eyelid, all soakers jump in in their already-worn clothing to soak; somehow missing out on the hygiene lessons. Outside of Southeast Asia though, customs (based on hygiene) determine that rigorous cleansing should take place before soaking ...

A you tube on Hin Dat?

Huh?

Follow the signboards

Saw a sign along the road in Namtok town, Kanchanaburi province. It indicated a left turn to go to Wang Krachae hot spring. It was only 4 kms which was fine, couldn't be too much of search.

It turns out Wang Krachae was also the name of the sub-district. Went past the sub-district office, completed the 4 km, only to find another sign, slightly different to the first one which was placed along the 323 highway, headed for Burma. A right turn this time was required to get to 'Wangkrajae hot spring'. Distance was 3 km. Fine again, getting closer.

The road then slowly deteriorated as well as it got steeper and nearer to the mountainside. Finally the hot spring! But it was eerily silent.
A large car park area was obvious. There were also some small sturdy buildings and the contours of a pool. But much was overgrown.

Where's the hot water?
Getting out of the car disturbed a sunning rat snake; the only sign of life. It slithered away in the direction of two pools. Delicately I went up to the two pools. The greenish water in both of the pools was cool. The two buildings were open and revealed facilities (toilets), both of which could be described to be in a reasonable state of affairs. Looking further around revealed a temple-like structure, in disrepair.

Wang Krachae's not so hot spring: beware of snakes!

Then finally a smaller roofed structure proved to be the hot spring. The source was clear and was hot. However no outlet, so where does the water go? For sure not to the pools. There was also no one around to ask. Will it remain a mystery?

Looks like it, internet is of no help. Only one site, by a Japanese soaker has been able to put a slight mention of Wang Krachae hot spring up on the internet. However translated it reveals less than I discovered:

'Without I find a signboard called "WANGKRACHAEHOTSPRING" along terminal / Nam Toku Station outskirts of the train, R323 on the way and I listen considerably and turned around, but I am good, and understanding it'.

????

Provincial soaks
Prior to heading off for Kanchanaburi, I'd looked into more detail concerning the hot spring sites of the province.

The previously posted Rock Valley I failed to find out about on forehand. Hindad (next blog post) though, is very well-known and a highlight of Kanchanaburi province, so it seems. Others I obtained from a Thai language hot springs list (starts at KC 01 and continues on next page) These are: Toong Chang, Pong Rong (twice (!), but in different locations, one in Sai Yok district, the other in Nong Prue; Pong Rong translates as hot water), Kao Pang (or Khao Pang, otherwise known as Sai Yok Noi waterfall) and Don Lamyai.

Then there are two apparently in Sri Nagarindra in National Park:

'Huai Mae Kamin: there are 2 hot springs, suitable for bathing'.

I've tried to put up links to these two, but Thailands Department of National Parks website somehow fails to be linked deeply. Find your own way around our site, it seems to imply. Which is a great loss to them. Fancy putting all that information on internet and making it near impossible to find, nor to link to! Oh well, I suppose they have their reasons. Unseen Thailand indeed!

The source itself revealed: a roof, four walls, hot water inside and a fence structure.
But what happened? And where does the water go?

But none of these sources revealed Wang Krachae hot spring. Obviously it had seen better times and not so long ago either. But what had changed lately? Does anyone have some answer?