The Underwater Greenland Trail in Nakhon Nayok

This past weekend I did something new that I had never done before. I joined a hiking group and went trekking through the Thai jungle! Several months ago I went on a haunted Bangkok ghost tour with a local guide named Bow. She is the leader of the Bangkok hiking meetup group. Finally, I had a weekend off, and decided to join her group on one of the out-of-town excursions. A group of 30 adventurous expats met up early on Sunday morning, boarded a trio of more or less identical white vans, and were soon on our way to Nakhon Nayok Province, about two and a half hours northeast of Bangkok,

stopping for a lunch break with our three vans

Nakhon Nayok is a province in the central region of Thailand; a relatively easy day trip from Bangkok. We arrived at a wilderness preserve attached to a dam and reservoir which butted up to the southernmost portion of Khao Yai National Park (the oldest and most famous national park in Thailand).

our boat heading to pick us up at the reservoir

After briefing us on the three hikes upon which we were about to embark, Bow led us down a steep set of stairs to the water, where a pair of old wooden longtail boats were waiting to carry us upriver and on into the Thai jungle.

boarding our two longtail boats

We alighted from the boats at our first destination, a small inlet which led to a muddy and rocky beach. It was a steep climb up the muddy slope, and immediately I had a feeling that the hike was going to be a bit harder than I had anticipated!

beautiful Thai jungle

As we climbed up into the hills on our first hike of the day, we were suddenly hit by a strong and familiar smell... mint! It turned out that the hill we were climbing was covered in wild mint!

trekking through a field of wild mint

The climb grew increasingly more difficult, and the oppressive heat and humidity of the tropical afternoon didn't help! At times, we had to use ropes to pull ourselves up over muddy inclines and mossy boulders. I began worrying that maybe I didn't have the right shoes on. I was wearing my Chaco sandals, which are meant for hiking, but almost everyone else seemed more prepared than I was. This was a bit more intense than my regular weekend walks in the city!

At times, the hike was a bit more challenging than I anticipated!

Eventually we arrived at the top of the hill we were trekking, to where a waterfall had run dry in the dry season. Because the water was low, we were able to get all the way to the top, where we reclined on huge boulders to catch our breath and cool off. While resting, we discovered a huge mostly intact snakeskin curled up on one of the rocks.

a snakeskin we found at the waterfall

The day's adventures would cover three hikes. None of the hikes would be super far, but all of them would be moderately difficult and involve quite a bit of climbing up and over boulders and steep rocky hills. A couple with two young kids appeared to be much more experienced hikers than I was. Though the kids seemed to be really good at hiking, I figured that if a 9 year-old kid could trek this trail with apparent ease, than so could I!

resting at the top of the first hike

We trekked back down to the boats, and made our way across the muddy green water to the second bank from where we would begin the next hike.

the starting point of the second hike

The second hike took place over a dry riverbed. This trail is underwater for eight months of the year, and is only rarely accessible to hikers!

trekking through "Greenland"

This was the "Greenland Trail", a stretch of Thai countryside that looked much more like Greenland than Southeast Asia! It was also one of the greenest spots I've ever seen in my life. Though the river was dry, the ground was richly verdant and blooming in wild grasses.

beautiful scenery on the underwater trail

Though it was a difficult hike, I felt extremely lucky to be there. Not many people get the chance to see this rough and untamed stretch of wilderness on the far southern border of Khao Yai National Park each year.

hiking in Thailand

Moving on along the trail, we were reminded how deep in the wilderness we actually were. Along the way we passed some piles of elephant poop! The city felt very, very far away. Bow told us that wild elephants often come down from the mountains of Khao Yai National Park during this time to lick the minerals off of the rocks which spend most of the year underwater. Since the elephants are herbivores, they need to get many of their nutrients from minerals which naturally occur around here.

trekking

The landscape here didn't look anything like I would have thought possible in Thailand.

so green!

It's no wonder that people claim that Nakhon Nayok is the "greenest province in the kingdom!"

this part of the trail is underwater for most of the year

The second trail led us up to a second waterfall, which had also run dry during the past few months, allowing us access to the normally flooded secret trail.

the trail kept growing steeper and steeper

After resting again at the top of the trail, we trekked (more tired and sweaty than before!) back down to the boats. It's amazing how good it felt to be this tired, though! Although the day was hot, there was a nice breeze which did its part to keep us relatively comfortable throughout the day.

The third hike was further across the water still, to a secret and isolated cove deep in the jungle.

the dry riverbed

The third trail led us farther than we had gone before to a secret pool fed by a still-running waterfall. I didn't bring a change of clothes, so I didn't plan to swim, but many of our adventurers were excited for the chance to cool off at the end of the hike.

heading out on the third and final hike

This trail also followed along a dry riverbed, though this one was rockier and more difficult than the previous one. At points, makeshift bamboo bridges had been constructed to span small gaps and chasms over the rocks.

a makeshift bamboo bridge spanning a small chasm

I felt a little nervous about crossing some of these bridges, which creaked, bent, and swayed as we stepped over them, but bamboo is remarkably strong, and they seemed to have been well-built.

a rickety bridge added to the sense of adventure

In the end, the bridges served their purposes, and we made it safely to our destination. The spring was pristine, fed by a natural waterfall. It was surrounded by wild Thai jungle which chirped and buzzed with life. Besides our hiking group, there was nobody else around to be seen. It was beautiful!

deep in the Thai wilderness

We rested for around half an hour at the waterfall. The mountains around us cast a shadow over where we were waiting, and the air grew a lot cooler. It ended up being a super nice place to catch our breath and cool off. I chatted with the other adventurers while some people took a dip in the natural pool.

exhausted and taking a rest at the third and final waterfall

When we finally returned to the boats, it was with a victorious feeling! Unfortunately, we realized that we still had to climb the steep steps back to the top of the dam where our vans would be waiting. By the time we made it to the top, my legs were shaking! Still, it was a wonderful feeling, and I felt so great to get out of the city for a real adventure.

I do admit that the trek was difficult for me, but I had a blast. I hope that I can join this group again sometime in the future. I know that Bow plans several camping trips throughout the year in addition to day hikes. I've always loved camping, but have never tried it in Thailand. I think that would be a fun adventure to look forward to in the future.

tired, hot, and thirsty... but victorious at the end of the day!