Last October I had a good friend, who I met in Queenstown, New Zealand 10 years ago coming to visit me in Thailand. After discussing with many work colleagues we set are targets on 'Khao Sam Roi Yot' National Marine Park, which translates to - mountain with 300 peaks. Who wouldn't be tempted to take a gander with a name like that?
Sorry, my long lost travelling buddy is covering over the K! And his knees are smothered with dirt, as we had been precariously crawling through narrow parts of unlit caves, leading to streams of bats flocking out and pushing me towards a fright induced heart attack!
Khao Sam Roi Yot is located in the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, which is a modest 58km south from the coastal town of Hua Hin - making it a convenient stop off on the journey down or back up. The national park covers an area of 98 square kilometres and well over a third of that land is wetlands, making it the largest fresh water area as such in Thailand.
Something special lied in waiting at Phraya Nakhon Cave, at the bottom of the cave lies a hidden temple. This temple wasn't an easy feat to reach, aiding its preservation from your regular tourists. This alluring temple lies deep down in the cave, with no man-made lighting, but can be seen clear as day. How could this be? The underground chamber has a large hole in the ceiling allowing the Sun's rays to beam down, highlighting the small temple, providing an enchanting effect upon the onlookers who made the pilgrimage to the depths of the cave.
We were welcomed upon our quest by the charming Bang Pu Village, the harbour lies just next to the area you have to pass and pay your fees to make your path towards the cavern of Phraya Nakhon.
Our route to the cave presented us with two options:
- Take a breezy boat trip around the rocks, or
- Hike over the rocks, across the proceeding beach and then make a final ascent, before plunging down into the delights of the cave.
Naturally as an explorer only one option could be taken and we set off on our way marching towards the intended spot, the first leg of our journey over the hillside was relatively easy, quite steep but nothing in comparison to the second leg of our journey. Hiking across the first hill was more than worth it, as it presented us with some idyllic views of the landscape. In all with photo snapping breaks, it took us about half an hour to reach the next stage of our journey.
The last photo in the series above was taken on the descent of the first leg of the journey, with Laem Sala beach in view. At the far end of the beach is a big sign for the cave and the start of an approximately 400 metre, 30 minute lung pressing and ankle teasing climb before making the final plunge to witness the splendour of Phraya Nakhon. The start of the climb begins with some steep, but modest steps, which soon transform into uneven, jagged ankle-piercing bullies.
From these
To these, which became progressively more aggressive!
Profusely perspiring as if we had been caught in a monsoon, we began our descent into the chamber of mystery. Caution was needed, with uneven, gargantuan rocks to be tackled to reach the mecca of this expedition. The drop of temperature as we lowered are jelly-like bodies into the cave was like a gift from the heavens and the views weren't to shabby either!
The mystical Kuha Kharuehat Pavillion was insight, the temperature had dropped further and our eyes were spoilt with visual delights of nature. Due to the gaping hole in the ceiling of the cave, the sunlight and rain were able to provide the vital ingredients for foliage to flourish.
These pictures really don't do any justice of the true beauty of the Sun's rays on the pavilion, so I have sourced a professional picture that really does it justice:
Image Credit: Blue Sky Studio/Shutterstock
Legend has it that the late King Mongkut was entertaining visitors of European descent in the 19th century in the cave, using the beautiful setting for his guests to view a solar eclipse.
This trip was a fascinating adventure and I would really recommend it to all, although the terrain is not really suitable for young children or elderly people. But as long as you are in reasonable health, it should be an attainable feat, in which you will thank yourself on arrival. One regret was not taking a decent camera and secondly not finding out the optimum time to shoot the golden rays of the Sun shining down, creating a superantural ora upon the Kuha Kharuehat Pavillion. A future visit is already beckoning!
The return journey from Laem Sala beach was far more refreshing!
Well Steemians, thank you so much for reading my blog, it is truly appreciated. If you enjoyed this, don't forget to upvote and follow to see more exploring in Thailand.
Keep exploring!
great post! go to see it do so well
@lovenews thank you for your appreciation, it is really appreciated, I will check out your blog!
Looks nice. I've been to Thailand many times but you keep showing me places I've never been.
@mojorissin, there are so many fantastic places and hidden secrets, caring is sharing and if people respect nature these places are here for everyone to appreciate!
good post
plise votes back for me..
Thank you for reading, I will have a look at your blog!
Beautiful trip...Nice bro👌👍
I assure you it is worth a visit, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic! Must've felt really good when you've finally reached your destination. That pavilion is at a quite peculiar location.
My buddies sugested the 300 peaks and we found the cave while researching the best places to visit, luckily the research paid off !
seems pretty cool!
It was a cool place, very out of the ordinary from the usual places that I go to.
Cool cave, been here ages ago but didn't go the way you went- don't recognise the steps.
How long ago did you go? I don't remember seeing any alternative routes.
Prob 2 or 3 years ago.
Did you take the boat around or walk? Maybe I mixed up the steps with the first part?
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STOPUpvoted! Love the photos! Thailand is such a beautiful country. The nature is breathtaking. You live there?
Check @ryanne to see my latest travel post about Thailand :)
Hi @ ryanne, yes I live in Thailand in Bangkok and am always searching for city escapes! I will check out your post!
Upvoted and resteemed. Do you want to know why? Visit my blog.
Thank you for sharing your photos, which are great, and also for sharing the experiences of your trip
@pf-coin thank you for taking the time to read my article and I hope to improve my photos and articles with every piece I write.
That's the idea, always improve, good luck. ;-)
Ty for your posts. Now Thailand is for sure on my bucket list! Hope that in 2018 I will have the chance to visit it and then I will put in practice your advice.
It is a great place to visit, there are so many options; I would advise coming between November and May, as after that it is monsoon seaason and the rain gets really heavy here!
This looks amazing! We actually went to the Erawan Falls when we were in Thailand. It was a lot of climbing, but so pretty.
@katrinalewis, I have been there too, what a lovely place! Did you swim in any of the pools? The fish kept nibbling at my legs!
Unfortunately, we didn't go swimming, but we did take a lot of photos. What has been your favorite destination so far?
Really hard to say, for islands I love Koh Chang and for inland and mountains, a place called Nakhon Nayoke, which is a 2 hour drive from Bangkok. I plan to travel up north in the future, I love mountain biking and it has the best spots up in Chinag Mai!
Travelling is King!
Freetime is the Queen!
.
Love to travel too. Thx for your content!
Thanks for reading, I agree we need more time for those kings and queens!
Cool, it seems Thailand has some places to hike as well, not only beaches :)
Sure, there are some great places to visit inland, I used to be more of a beach person, but these days I love the hills and mountains!
Very nice and good travel