Introduction
National marine park in Thailand
Khao Sam Roi Yot National ParkIUCN category II (national park)Harbor, Bang PuMap of ThailandLocationPrachuap Khiri Khan Province, ThailandNearest cityPranburiCoordinates12°10′57″N 99°56′54″E / 12.18250°N 99.94833°E / 12.18250; 99.94833Area98 km2 (38 sq mi)Established1966Visitors164,735 (in 2019)Governing bodyDepartment of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant ConservationRamsar WetlandOfficial nameKhao Sam Roi Yot WetlandDesignated8 January 2008Reference no.2238
Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาสามร้อยยอด, RTGS: Utthayan Haeng Chat Khao Sam Roi Yot, pronounced [ʔùt.tʰā.jāːn hɛ̀ŋ tɕʰâːt kʰǎw sǎːm rɔ́ːj jɔ̂ːt]) is a marine national park in Kui Buri District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. It covers 61,300 rai ~ 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi) of which 13,050 rai ~ 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) are marine areas. The park was established in 1966, and was the first coastal national park of Thailand. The park includes Thailand's largest freshwater marsh.
looking south at sam roi yot
Geography
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The limestone hills are a sub-range of the Tenasserim Hills that arise at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand, with the highest elevation being Khao Krachom at 605 meters (1,985 ft). Between the hills are freshwater marshes. Several of these marshes were converted into shrimp farms, as only 22,000 rai ~ 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi) of the total 43,000 rai ~ 69 square kilometres (27 sq mi) of marshes are part of the national park. A portion, 11,000 rai ~ 18 square kilometres (6.9 sq mi), of these marshes are scheduled to be declared a Ramsar site.
Two white sand beaches are in the park, Hat Laem Sala and Hat Sam Phraya. Hat Laem Sala is 17 km from park headquarters and can be reached from the village Ban Pu either by boat or by climbing up and down over a hill for nearly 30 minutes. Five uninhabited islands lie just offshore.
The park is approximately 58 kilometers (36 mi) south of Hua Hin.
The origin of the name "Khao Sam Roi Yot" is undetermined. Local lore has it that it means 'mountain with 300 peaks', or the range had been an island where 300 survivors from a sinking Chinese junk sought refuge, or the range was named after a local plant called sam roi yot.
Phraya Nakhon Cave[edit]
Main article: Phraya Nakhon Cave
Phraya Nakhon Cave (ถ้ำพระยานคร) is about 500 meters (1,600 ft) from Laem Sala Beach, approximately 17 kilometers (11 mi) north of park headquarters. Visitors can go to the cave by renting a boat or by walking across Tian Mountain. After that, there is a climb up the mountain about 430 meters (1,410 ft) to reach Phraya Nakhon Cave. Its most famous early visitor was King Chulalongkorn.
There is a water well at the foot of the mountain known as Phraya Nakhon Well. It is made of baked clay bricks in a trapezoidal shape.
Phraya Nakhon is a large cave which has a hole in the ceiling allowing sunlight to penetrate. At the top of the hole, there is a stone bridge known as "death bridge" because many wild animals have fallen to their deaths from it.
Khuha Kharuehat pavilion, Phraya Nakhon Cave
Khuha Kharuehat Pavilion (พระที่นั่งคูหาคฤหาสน์) is a historic site built for King Chulalongkorn's visit to the region in 1890. At certain times during certain months, the sun will shine directly on it. The pavilion has since become the symbol of the Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. Later kings also visited the cave, including King Vajiravudh and King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Klong Khao Daeng[edit]
Klong Khao Daeng is a 4-kilometer-long (2.5 mi) stream running deep into mangrove forests at one end and at its mouth freshwater and seawater collide. The mangroves consist of the samae thalay (grey mangrove), kongkang bai lek (true mangrove), kongkang bai yai (red mangrove), and chakhram (herbaceous seepweed).
