Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Frequent rail services run to/from Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station. Fares vary de-
pending on the train and class.
Getting Around
Motorcycle taxis go anywhere in the town centre for 40B to 50B.
Sŏrng·tăa·ou
(pick-up
trucks) cost about the same. It's a 20-minute walk (1km) from the train station to the town
centre.
Rabieng Rim Nam restaurant hires out bicycles (100B per day) and motorbikes (200B
to 300B per day).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Kaeng Krachan National Park
Wake to an eerie symphony of gibbon calls as the early morning mist hangs limply above
the forest canopy. Hike through lush forests in search of elephant herds and other wildlife
at the communal watering holes. Or sweat through your clothes as you summit the park's
highest peak. At 3000 sq km, Thailand's largest
national park
( 0 3245 9293;
www.dnp.go.th
; ad-
mission 200B; visitors centre 8.30am-4.30pm)
is surprisingly close to civilisation but shelters an
intense tangle of wilderness that sees few tourists. Two rivers (Mae Nam Phetchaburi and
Mae Nam Pranburi), a large lake and abundant rainfall keep the place green year-round.
Animal life is prolific and includes wild elephants, deer, gibbons, boars, dusky langurs
and wild cattle.
This park also occupies an interesting, overlapping biozone for birds as the southern-
most spot for the northern species and the northernmost for the southern species. There
are about 400 species of birds, including hornbills as well as pheasants and other ground
dwellers.
Activities
Hiking is the best way to explore the park. Most of the trails are signed and branch off the
main road. The
Nam Tok Tho Thip
trail starts at the Km 36 marker and continues for 4km to
an 18-tiered waterfall.
Phanoen Thung
(1112m) is the park's highest point and can be sum-
mited via a 6km hike that starts at the Km 27 marker. Note that most trails, including the
one to Phanoen Thung, are closed during the rainy season (August to October).
