The Vajirathan waterfall on Doi Inthanon, formerly called 'Tat Khong Yong', Vajirathan Waterfall on Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai province was named after His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn Mahidol. It is one of the largest and highest waterfalls in Thailand. Vajirathan is about 750 meters above sea level and 90 meters high. Opposite the waterfall is a tall cliff, called Pha Mon Kaeo, which is sometimes referred to as Pha Waen Kaeo.

Because of the gigantic size of this waterfall, the water makes a tremendous noise as it falls from the cliff, especially during the rainy season. A cloud of spray comes up from the waterfall and spreads everywhere, making the atmosphere cool and moist. The wooden bridge leading to the cliff is wet and slippery all the time. Scenic points with excellent views of the waterfall can be found from place to place on the mountain.

During the rainy season, visitors are suggested not to swim in the stream at the base of Vajirathan Waterfall because of the very strong current. Slippery stones around this area are also dangerous. If visitors want to swim, they should do so at Mae Klang or Mae Ya waterfall in this province during the dry season.

When somebody mentions the 'Thai nation', religion comes to mind because it plays such important role in Thai life. Although there is complete freedom of worship in Thailand, with almost all religions propagating their faith here, Buddhism casts a strong influence over the Thai people. It is not surprising, therefore, that Buddhist merit-making ceremonies prevail in all parts of the country, from north to south.

Lamphun, a small province in the upper north, hides on the Ping River basin, and traces of strong Buddhist faith have surfaced in this area since ancient times. The province was formerly known as Hariphunchai City, and boasted a flourishing civilization at the center of the northern region for more than 600 years, even before Chiang Mai.

Legend has it that a hermit named Watsuthep built a new city on the banks of the Ping River and invited Chammathewi, a daughter of the King of Lawo, to rule the city as the first queen of the Kingdom of Hariphunchai. Subsequently, Queen Chammathewi introduced Buddhism into the city of Hariphunchai, Hitherto, the people ion this area remain deeply related to Buddhism.

Not so long ago, until as recently as the 1930s, you had to ride an elephant to get there – across rugged mountains and through dense forests. Only when an airstrip and the first sealed road were built in the 1960s did the provincial capital stop being a real struggle to reach. Mae Hong Son is Thailand's most inaccessible province, such that until relatively recently it was a kind of Siberia for miscreant government officials who had blotted their copybooks elsewhere; the dreaded message would arrive 'You are transferred to Mae Hong Son.' Today, with several daily flights from Thailand's northern 'capital' Chiang Mai and numerous connections from there to Bangkok, that's not so much of a punishment. For tourists, it's sheer delight easy access to a sleepy valley in the mountainous Burmese borderlands where modern creature comforts nevertheless await.

Four elements combine to give Mae Hong Son its unique character: mountains, mists, forests and Burma. No other Thai province has so much mountainous terrain or such extremes of temperature and none so much Burmese influence. The result is temple roofs shrouded in morning mists against forested mountain backdrops. Add colorful hill tribe people, working elephants, fast-flowing rivers, huge caves and high waterfalls and you have a potent touristic brew.