I actually had a friend who told me that the photo (cover photo of this post) must surely have been edited extensively when he first saw it. He couldn't possibly believe that such a place existed outside of the movies and that I had actually been there! I am sure you can also understand his amazement and disbelief in the process.
In this post I will tell you about this place that I visited on my first solo trip as a traveler while staying in Thailand.
I was looking to get out of Bangkok for a few days and to be somewhere among the nature. I found information online about a National Park in Pranburi province - Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. This area is quite close to another tourist hot-spot, a coastal town called Hua Hin, which is a very good weekend trip from Bangkok if someone wants to spend time by the beach.
I researched for nice spots in the national park to visit and I stumbled upon this place called Phraya Nakhon Cave, which is incidentally the most photographed cave in all of Thailand. Surely you can understand why!
Quick fact: You can also directly go to Khao Sam Roi Yot without spending time in Hua Hin and book places to stay there for the night. There are good options alongside Sam Roi Yot beach if you like peace and tranquility for your stay.
So, I planned a trip for 2D/1N, just a weekend. I made my base in Hua Hin to spend the night and then visit the cave next morning.
To reach Hua Hin, I boarded a minivan from Ekkamai bus terminal in Bangkok which took only around 3hours as it was early morning. Being quite busy and touristy, it will be very easy to stay at any area of the town.
I rented a motorbike to get to the park as I wanted to do the trip on my own and avoid the hassle of finding transport and following strict time schedule. I left my hostel at 7 AM in the morning and started the journey which is around 60 km long and would take around 1-1.5 hours on motorbike. The road was very easy and smooth as I drove along only a highway for the whole time.
Once you get closer to the park it becomes exceptionally scenic with all the limestone mountains all around. Khao Sam Roi Yot literally translates to "Three Hundred peaks" following the scenery of this place. Driving along straight smooth roads through this beautiful landscape around you is an experience worth having.
You will get to notice the signboard for the national park when you start to enter the area. There are clear indications for Phraya Nakhon Cave as well, so you will not find any trouble in arriving to the Parking Area for people going to the cave.
Quick fact: There are a whole lot of other places worth visiting inside this huge national park. If you head to the National Parks headquarters directly you can get information of all the places and then can choose accordingly.
I parked the bike and had some cool fruit juice from one of the various shops there that offered food and drinks. It's a big parking area so it is really convenient to have all kind of basic facilities close by.
I had to pay the National Park entrance fee which is 200 Baht for foreigners, just like any other national parks in Thailand. I equipped my backpack with two bottles of energy drink as I was fully aware of the upcoming journey.
ROUTE TO PHRAYA NAKHON CAVE
I will explain how to reach the cave very clearly. There are basically two different routes which you can take. Each route is divided in two parts, the second part being common for both the routes.
First route: by water
[1] You can get on a boat from the small beach area near the ticket booth from where you will purchase your entry ticket. This boat will bypass a hill and take you straight to a plain beach side area before you start the second leg. This area has palm trees all around and there are some forest bungalows and a restaurant as well.
[2] To reach the cave you need to show your tickets to the forest officials here and they will guide you to the next section. In this, you have to climb over a steep rocky hill and get to the other side of it to finally reach the cave.
Quick Fact: The beach where the boat arrives is called Laem Sala beach. It takes about 10-15minutes and costs about 400baht per boat per one-way trip.
Second route: by land
[1] From the ticket booth, you can clearly see a trail which slowly goes up as you proceed further. This route actually goes over a mountain which rises near the coastline. This route is around 2km long, with steep sections in between. This is of course a more tiring option, but it offers some great views of the ocean and coastline and for people who love to hike.
[2] The second leg of the journey is same as the first route.
As a person who tries to find hiking trails wherever he goes, I personally took the route by land as I was alone and wanted to walk with the wind in my face. The sun was strong at that time of the day but it did little to subdue my enthusiasm.
I should mention here that even though the second section of the route is just around 500 meters it requires solid steps and steady progression. Good shoes are highly recommended. Remember my energy drink bottles? They did a wonderful job in keeping me hydrated and boosting my spirits at this time.
It is hard to describe the feeling when you lay eyes upon the sight inside the cave for the first time. After the exhausting hike for almost 2 hours, it was the reward that was presented.
You go down a few more steps at the final section and you will reach an open area of the cave where trees have grown inside and big rocks have claimed their ground. There is a small wooden bridge which goes through a not-so-big opening to another section of the cave and here you will realise why so many people had been capturing the frame that your eyes now do.
Sunlight poured through the doline above and onto a small pavilion situated inside the cave. It was built by one of the Thai Kings in the past who was really moved by the beauty of this place. The Thai style architecture of the pavilion gave the whole scene a feel of an adventure movie where someone finds something spectacular in the unlikeliest of places.
Because of the pouring sunlight and the occasional rain that can come through, life found a way to flourish inside, which if you think, is a pretty rare scene to caves. The whole ambiance of this place felt majestic. The drops of sweat on my forehead now seemed worth it.
Quick Fact: The best time to visit this cave is around 10:00 - 11:00 AM. This is the time when the sunlight shines directly on the pavilion from above. Stunning photo? Check!
HIDDEN GEMS OF THAILAND
When most people think of Thailand, what comes to mind are picture perfect island beaches with pristine clear waters and palm trees reaching out to the ocean. Many of them are completely unaware of the fact that in reality Thailand is much more than that.
As beautiful as that idea of this country is, it will present itself in ways more unexpected to people who really want to explore the land. And I really want to urge everyone to make good use of that chance if you get it.
Phraya Nakhon Cave was the first of a long list of hidden gems that I came across in my time here and I am glad for that. My first solo trip couldn't have been better!
