Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife Reserve at Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park
Mountain of Three Hundred Peaks
The Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife Reserve at Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park is a small coastal zone located at the narrowest part of the Thai peninsula over- looking the Gulf of Thailand. The park is a region of many contrasts encompassing sea, sand, mountain peaks, limestone caves and a forested interior but perhaps even more significant are it's mud flats and freshwater marshlands which provide a superlative breeding ground for a multitude of birds. Migratory birds fly in from as far as Siberia in northern Europe and China as well as Australia and Sumatra. Though bird watching at Thung Khao Sam Roi Yot swamp is a major draw here, there are numerous other attractions to suit the most ardent adventurer right down to the more inquisitive visitor. You may wish to embark on an extensive walk along one of the nature or coastal trails, visit one of the limestone caves, relax on one of the secluded beaches or simply charter a boat for a trip along the mangrove-fringed canals. Activities at this national park are seemingly limitless.
A Chestnut-Breasted Malkoha Bird
Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife ReserveThe Mountain of Three Hundred PeaksKhao Sam Roi Yot attributes it's name to the mountain of three hundred peaks and is best known for it's distinctive limestone pinnacles that rise vertically from the marshland and forested interior to a grand height of 650 metres (2,150 feet). The park is located just 63 kilometres or 37 miles from the popular coastal resort town of Hua Hin and covers an area 98 square kilometres or 38 square miles.You may have arrived at this page by typing in the keywords for bird sanctuary or perhaps you naturally discovered the articles of Thailand's National Parks covered on my website. Nonetheless I would like to wish you a warm welcome. You will surely enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of this particular park as well as many others should you someday decide to visit any of them as I have. For this reason I would like to show you around not only for the bird watching prospects but also for all the other attractions Khao Sam Roi Yot has to offer. However if you are coming to the park specifically for see and photograph birds, the best time would be between the months of August and April as this is the time when the birds come here to rest, feed and breed. I myself am not a bird person per-say but I do admire the beauty of these flying wonders of nature.
Inside Tham Phraya Nakhon Cave
Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife ReserveThe CavesSurprisingly the most visited attraction at Khao Sam Roi Yot are the caves once used to shelter bandits who robbed unwary travellers journeying along the coast These haunts have long since been cleared out but this form of debauchery still exists today in other parts of the world particularly around the northeast African coast. These predators are know as pirates but their intentions are the same.The caves around here are quite safe apart from monkeys who are the the only real bandits in the park. There are signs warning visitors to be vigilant. Hidden high up on a cliff-side above the sandy bay of Hat Laem Sala is a cave system called Tham Phraya Nakhon that houses a grand pavilion built for King Rama V in 1896. The cave is located at a headland, and though inaccessible to vehicles it's best reached via a ten minute boat ride from Ban Bang Pu fishing village. It is a 6 kilometre (4 mile) trip from the park's northern checkpoint.
The Walking Trail to Tham Sai Cave
Khao Sam Roi Yot National ParkTham Phraya Nakhon CavesIt is however possible to walk over the headland behind Bang Pu Temple to Hat Laem Sala. There is a five hundred metre (sign-posted) long trail leading to the cave but be aware that it is rather steep and can be quite tiring so you would need to be fairly fit to do the climb. There is another shaded trail that runs up the hillside to the caves which will take you a good thirty minutes. Most visitors opt to take the boat ride which is fixed a 200 baht for a complete round trip.The immense twin caves of Tham Phraya Nakhon are filled with stalactites and stalagmites and surrounded by seemingly endless climbing tropical plants and tall twitted trees. But more than this, the most dramatic feature here is the partially collapsed roof allowing sunlight to stream in and illuminate the interior particularly beaming down on the famous pavilion known as Phra Thi Nang Khua Kharunhad
Entrance to Tham Sai Cave
Khao Sam Roi Yot National ParkTham Sai CaveIf you love hiking, then perhaps you'll enjoy the three hour trek south from Tham Phraya Nakhon to Tham Sai, a dark and dank limestone cave complete with stalactites, stalagmites and fossilized falls. The trail to the cave offers shaded forested areas as well as some fine coastal views. From the coastal village of Ban Khung Thanot there is however a shorter trail of around twenty minutes. Ban Khung Thanot is about 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the Ban Bang Pu turnoff.Another enjoyable activity at the bird sanctuary and wildlife reserve at Khao Sam Roi Yot is to charter a boat from the park's head quarters at the southern end of the reserve and then take a trip along the mangrove-fringed Khao Daeng Canal. Alternatively you can hire a kayak for a lovely leisurely trip around the coastline.
Khao Daeng Outcrop
Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife ReserveHiking TrailsYou can also take a half hour trail trek from the park's head quarters and summit the 322 metre Khao Daeng Outcrop for a good view over the Gulf of Thailand. There are two other trails in the near vicinity. One is the Horseshoe Trail which will take you into the forested habitat of monkeys, squirrels, songbirds and who knows what else. Another is the Mangrove Trail which leads you through the swampy domiciles of monitor lizards, egrets and the crab eating macaques.A Detailed Map of the Region
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