Namtok Phlio National Park

Before leaving for Chantaburi Bus Station, Pinky convinced me that we should make a detour to visit Namtok Plio National Park. I'm so glad we did!

Thailand has a really great national park system. I've been to a few, but recently I've been thinking about trying to visit more. I might take a camping trip sometime soon!

Namtok Phlio National Park

Namtok Plio means gracefully dancing waterfall in Thai. As you might guess, the waterfall is the main attraction, but there's a lot to see besides that. As we entered the park, we saw a sign for a nature trail going off into the woods. We started off along the trail, but soon had to turn back. The trail was steep and rocky, and it was more like climbing than trekking. We were both wearing sandals and carrying our backpacks- not at all prepared for hiking. Anyway, we went off to see what else the park had.

The park, in the tropical rain forests of eastern Thailand, is home to all sorts of creatures, including mongooses, tigers, porcupines, and all sorts of exotic birds, though of course they don't come anywhere near the visitors center.

lower part of the waterfall

I bought a national park passport book at the ranger's office. It's really cool! Each park in Thailand has a unique stamp that you can collect. The stamp for Namtok Plio, the only one I have so far, shows four things: the waterfall, a pyramid, a statue, and a chedi. These are the most iconic sights in the park.

The pyramid is a monument built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in honor of his beloved wife. The King apparently loved Namtok Plio, and visited many times. The pyramid holds some of the queen's ashes, and some people go there to make a wish.

the monument to Queen Sunanta

Just next to the pyramid is a statue of HM Queen Sunanta herself. The queen died in a tragic boating accident on the Chao Phraya River, and the King built a number of monuments to memorialize her across the kingdom.

Queen Sunanta

And just beyond the statue is a moss-covered chedi, a Buddhist monument. Though it's also from the era of King Rama V (late 19th / early 20th century), it feels ancient. Coming to it on the jungle path feels like you are discovering some hidden ruin.

an old chedi at the park

Then there is the waterfall, the namtok itself. It's beautiful, although difficult to capture on camera. I've been traveling a lot around Southeast Asia lately, visiting some of the big cities and famous sites in the region, but I've been wanting to travel more around Thailand. There's a lot to see here that I don't want to miss!

the waterfall behind me