Hua Hin

 Do you know about a small town called Hua Hin? Well, let's know more.

Have you heard about a place called Hua Hin? It is a small town in Thailand, located about 200km south of Bangkok. You all might be wondering, why am I writing about some unknown small town when there are many known and famous tourist places. Well, there is a reason behind which will be revealed as I move on.

Why Hua Hin?

Thailand is known for its pristine beaches and amazing marine life. When we visited Thailand, our main aim was to go for a Scuba diving. We contacted an agent and he suggested that Hua Hin is one the best places to go scuba. Underrated and silent as this is a little unknown place and far away from the known beaches of Phuket, Krabi and Pattaya. Since we had nothing to lose, we travelled to Hua Hin. However, as luck would have it, the scuba was cancelled due to inclement weather and high tides. We didn't lose our hearts and we did something more adventurous, which I will cover further.

How to reach Hua Hin?

Hua Hin is well connected by road, rail and air. There are direct flights from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Fastest route is by road. Many cabs ply from Bangkok to Hua Hin. However, we chose the cheaper option - train. It is a 4-hour journey through the countryside of Thailand. Comfy train made us fall asleep through the journey, giving us a bit of a break too.

(Hua Hin railway station)

Accommodation:

Hua Hin is a small but a resort town. There are a lot of beach resorts and Airbnb stays available. We had booked a small condominium which was cosy and beach facing. Rocco condo sea view was our stay here.

(View from our condo)

Things to do in Hua Hin:

As I mentioned before, one of the major activities is scuba diving. Since, we did not get any opportunity to do so, we went on a hiking trip to a cave called the Phraya Nakhon cave. There are other activities here too. One can visit the Hua hin beach, Rajbhakti park, Night market, a viewpoint etc. I will show you around the cave.

Phraya Nakhon cave:

The Phraya Nakhon cave is about 50km from Hua hin, a max of an hour journey. The Phraya Nakhon Cave is located in the depths of the Khao Sam Roi Yat National Park. We booked a cab and drove towards the cave. On the way, we were lucky to see numerous pineapple plantations. The entrance of the park is by the beach. From here, you have two ways to move forward. You can either hire a boat to reach to the other side where you can start trekking a hill. Or you can trek another hill before the beach again to the same point.

As I said, due to inclement weather, we had no option of boat, so we had to start the trek sooner with the first hill. There are well laid steps, so it is not a difficult trek. It took us around 40 mins to climb up and down the hill. The views were amazing as we climbed. The hill overlay the beautiful Andaman Sea and with the breeze blowing across, it made the trek wonderful.

(Beach at the entrance of the national park)

(Pathway for climbing the first hill)

(View of the beach from the top)

Once we climbed down, we were welcomed by another beach side. Very pristine and clear beach.

We steered though the pathway to reach the bottom of the second hill.

(Pathway from the hill towards the beach)

(Pathway from the beach towards the hill)

The trek on the second hill is quite steep with uneven steps. However, you do have stop points where one can have good view of the beaches.

(View of the sea from one of the stop points)

The hill is made up of limestone deposits over the years. You can even see that with rains, some parts of the deposit are eroded. A lot of stalactites and stalagmites can be seen all through the way.

(Limestone stalactite)

(The hill)

(The pathway to the cave)

(Heart shaped opening as viewed from bottom)

After a gruelling 450m trek, about 30 mins or so, we climbed down a few steps to reach the entrance to the cave. It is a small entrance which needs to be traversed by crouching. 

(The entrance)

A short wooden path called crocodile back path, because it looks like the back of a crocodile, leads from the first to the second cave. King Chulalonkorn the Great (Rama V), who fell in love with the area’s beauty, built the second chamber in 1890. Its centrepiece, the Kuha Kharuhas (Kharuehat) royal pavilion, is illuminated by the sunlight falling from a circular hole in the saddled ceiling. Sparkling finials surround a statue of Phraya Nakhon, and bushes and trees grow inside. The temple stands on a hill surrounded by trees and vegetation.

(View as we enter the cave)

(The temple)

(Inside the cave)

(Opening of the cave - bottom view)

(Vegetation inside the cave)

This is one the best treks and worth visiting places that I have been on to. The hike and finally the view in the cave were just awesome. However, do wear proper shoes while hiking and carry water and snacks, as there is nothing available in the vicinity. The best time to visit the cave is in the morning, as you can see the illumination when the sun rays drop down on the temple. If you are visiting Thailand, then do not forget to add this place to your list. I can guarantee you would not be disappointed.