Mysterious beauty in deep cave and the king's gilded temple
About 177km south of Bangkok, Thailand, Phraya Nakhon Cave was chosen by the royal family to build a gilded temple for the Rama kings to rest.
Located in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Phraya Nakhon Cave was discovered by a local about 200 years ago.
Impressed by the natural beauty here, in 1890, the Thai Royal Family built the gilded Kuha Kharuehat temple on a mound of land located right below the sinkhole in the cave.
This temple was dedicated to King Rama V as a resting place. Kings Rama VII and IX also visited here.
Today, Phraya Nakhon Cave is open to the public. Due to its rugged and difficult terrain, not all visitors can visit it.
By pageIt's better in ThailandTo get to the cave, visitors must rent a boat to Laem Sala beach, or walk about 30 minutes through the hilly road to the beach. Boat tickets range from 150 to 200 Baht (over 100,000 VND) per person.
If you go by boat, you can visit the nearby Monkey Island first. Once you reach Laem Sala, you need to continue to find a rocky and very steep path for another 430m to reach the cave entrance.
At Laem Sala beach, visitors can find rustic restaurants to stop and enjoy local cuisine after completing their exploration of Phraya Nakhon Cave.
Before that, visitors had to buy a 200 Baht ticket to enter the national park. Locals said that climbing up to the cave entrance from the outside was quite a strenuous walk, so they needed to conserve their energy and not walk too fast.
Near the cave entrance is a steep path leading down into the cave. Phraya Nakhon Cave has a sinkhole like a giant skylight inside, so it always maintains light and fresh air.
Visitors should visit the cave during the dry season, from December to May of the following year. It welcomes visitors from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The cave is suitable for a half-day tour. In the remaining time, visitors can continue to explore Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Monkey Island, Bang Pu fishing village...
