TonyT's 10th Thailand blog:
6 weeks in and around the country:
July - August 2026.
Page 7
NAMTOK PHLIO NATIONAL PARK and LEAMSING, CHANTABURI
MONDAY 10th:
Same sort of tiny motorcycle taxi back to our parked car. All very efficient. Got it all loaded up and entered details into the sat-nav for our 130km drive to the Namtok Phlio National Park. Arrived around midday and as soon as I stepped out of the air-conditioned car the wall of heat and incredibly high humidity hit me.
Even walking up to the entrance and ticket office knackered me. We opted for a 10 Baht/person ride in an electric taxi up to the start of the park proper.
Ambled up to the base of the waterfall with the impressive fall cascading down. Everything was dripping in moss and moisture; it literally is a rainforest with the high humidity typical of such areas.
I really did feel very uncomfortable and my shirt was soaking wet with sweat after a short time. This actually spoiled the visit for me as I felt unable to leg up and down the many steps. I would have loved to have gone down to the huge pool beneath the fall.
Most of the pools and back-eddies were teeming with fish of all sizes.
Namtok Phlio National Park is in Chanthaburi Province, The park is home to forested mountains, waterfalls, The mountains here are also known as Khao Sa Bap, a mountainous fragment of the western ends of the much larger Cardamom Mountains. The Sa Bap mountains are heavily eroded, rising to no more than 673 metres.
It's a breathtaking natural treasure covering an area of approximately 52 square miles it is renowned for its verdant landscapes, rich biodiversity, and cultural significance.
Its proximity to the coast lends the park a unique ecosystem, blending lush rainforest with cascading waterfalls and serene streams.
The park’s centrepiece is the stunning Phlio Waterfall, a multi-tiered cascade that flows into a clear pool teeming with fish, including the Mahseer Barb, a species revered by locals and visitors alike.
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TOP LEFT: Statue of Queen Sunandha Kumariratana was the wife and queen consort of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).
TOP RIGHT: The main waterfall with pool deep enough for swimming.
SECOND ROW RIGHT: The Alongkorn Chedi is a pagoda built in 1876 as a remembrance for the Queen Sunandakumariratana.
THIRD ROW LEFT: Lots of fish; mainly the Mahseer Barb and
the Pla Phluang Hin (stone-sucking carp) that gather in numbers.
THIRD ROW RIGHT: Aom cooling off.
BOTTOM ROW: A number of guest houses and administration complex at the entrance to the park.
MONDAY 10th (continued):
Once I'd got back inside our wagon with the air-con on I immediately felt better. I drove the 28 miles to our new resort (took a bit of finding). This was the Leamsing Natural Beach Resort. On arrival the car park was totally absent of vehicles and at one point I wondered if the place was actually open. It sure was and indeed we were the only guests. It was quite a large place and clearly used as a conference centre at times. Our 2 bedroom bungalow was spacious and clean.
The beach wasn't very attractive and quite wind-swept but we weren't here to swim and doss on a beach; it was purely a stop-over place for a couple of nights.
popped out in the car for some things and came across a large covered market. Bought some cooked meats; pork, liver and chicken along with some sachets of sticky-rice. got a 4-pack of Chang beer from the adjacent 7-11 and that was our evening meal sorted.
This area is well off any tourism. Not a single person we came across spoke a word of English. Every menu was written entirely in Thai; no English translation..... over to you Aom.
The resort is right alongside a long sandy beach but it wasn't very attractive. The sea was an unpleasant brown colour
TUESDAY 11th:
Breakfast was interesting. We had the entire dining room to ourselves; not surprising seeing as we were the only guests in the complex. We were served a bowl of rice soup and a second dish of 2 fried eggs, pale sausages, some slices of ham and some salad bits. Toast was available along with coffee and orange juice. Quite adequate, actually.
We decided to drive out and visit the stunning Wat Pak Nam Khaem Nu “Blue” Temple situated not far from Laemsing in Chantaburi.
It was nicknamed the Blue Temple due to its decoration, which is entirely in shades of blue and white. It has become a must-see attraction for visitors.
Unfortunately, for photographic purposes the weather was dull and heavily overcast so the vibrant colours were not viewed at their best. Even so, I was deeply impressed by this gorgeous temple.
The weather remained hot and very humid making this a very sweaty visit for me at least.
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Aom wanted to stop off at a large street market on the way back from the Blue Temple and returned sporting huge packets of dried durian (smelly) and dried fishy stuff to take back home in Surin. I treated Jack to two (yes 2) Magnum ice cream lollies from the 7-11 over the road.
A visit to a noodle restaurant situated down a country lane was enjoyed for the princely sum of 120 Baht.
Back to our bungalow to freshen-up and chill for a spell. We walked down the beach road to find somewhere for dinner. Opted for a table out on the sand under pine trees; panang curry, fish fried rice with veg was amongst the fayre today.
WEDNESDAY 12th:
Up and about at 06:00 and set about packing ready for the 400km long drive to Kanchanaburi which where we decided our next stage of our travels was to be.
This journey included a section which I vowed never to attempt which was to drive in Bangkok. I've been driven in the thick of the capital on very many occasions and witnessed the sheer chaos and volume of traffic but, as said, the thought of driving in Bangkok was viewed in awe.
However, I had little choice other than to drive right through the centre of the capital and out the other side.
Yes, it was very heavy going but we survived it without major incident
Aom took over driving for the final 130km until we arrived at the Royal River Kwai Resort at around 2:30pm.
Did some unpacking then it was out again driving the 7 miles into Kanchanaburi town followed by a mini walk on the famous bridge then we settled into a restaurant for the evening.
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