Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
SAM PHAN BOK
Visit Sam Phan Bok (3000 Holes) and you'll feel as much like you're on another planet as in another country.
Eons of erosion have made Swiss cheese of this narrow, rocky Mekong bend, creating one of the most stunning
moments of the river's epic journey. Water drowns it during the rainy season, but when it's fully exposed (usually
between December and May) you can explore for hours. Even in the shoulder months, when it only partly pro-
trudes, it's worth the trip. There's no shade out here, so early-morning and late-afternoon visits are best. Boat
rides beyond Sam Phan Bok are also very rewarding for the bucolic scenery.
Sam Phan Bok is north of Pha Taem National Park, and there's no public transport. You can camp there, and a
few people even hire tents in the busy season. There's now accommodation, but we prefer the simple and friendly
Song Khon Resort
( 08 7256 1696;
www.songkhonresort.com
; r 500-700B; ) overlooking Hat
Salung, a lovely stretch of river in its own right, in the nearby in the village of Ban Song Khon. Where ever you
stay, definitely book ahead on weekends and holidays during Sam Phan Bok season.
Pha Taem National Park
Up the Mekong from Khong Jiam is a long cliff named Pha Taem, the centrepiece of awe-
some but unheralded
Pha Taem National Park
( 0 4531 8026; admission 200B)
. From the top you
get a bird's-eye view across the river into Laos and down below a trail passes prehistoric
rock paintings dating to at least 1000 BC. Mural subjects include
Ъlah bèuk
(giant
Mekong catfish), elephants, human hands, geometric designs and fish traps that look
much like the huge ones still used today. The second viewing platform fronts the most im-
pressive batch. A
visitor centre
(
5am-6pm)
here contains exhibits pertaining to the paintings
and local ecology.
North of the cliff is
Nam Tok Soi Sawan
, a 25m-tall waterfall flowing from June to Decem-
ber, the same period as all the park's waterfalls. It's a 19km drive from the visitor centre
and then a 500m walk, or you can hike (with a ranger) for about 15km along the top of the
cliff if you arrange it in advance. What the park calls
Thailand's largest flower field
(blooming
November to February) lies near the falls.
The northern half of the park holds more waterfalls, ancient art and wonderful views.
Pa
Cha Na Dai
cliff offers Thailand's first sunrise view (Pha Taem is about one minute behind
and also has the first sunset view), and amazing
Nam Tok Saeng Chan
waterfall flows through
a hole cut naturally into the overhanging rock. Scattered across the 340-sq-km park are
many oddly eroded rocks, including four sites known as
Sao Chaliang
, which are mushroom-
shaped stone formations similar to those found in Mukdahan's Phu Pha Thoep National
Park.
