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The Beginning

The whole story started with a conversation between me and my friend.

Friend: I'm thinking of going to Khao Luang Sukhothai in August. (Then sent a link to a review of Khao Luang)

"I'm going. Who else is going? I've signed up for two people."

Friend: There are about 7-8 people now.

Me: What's the plan?

Friend: Travel back on Thursday night, stay overnight for 2 nights, and then return on Sunday.

I understand. Let's proceed.

Following that, there were ongoing discussions to prepare. The number of members decreased from 7-8 to 6, including me and my girlfriend.

Based on the reviews I've read, here's a summary of the trip.

This trip will take a motorcycle taxi tour of Sukhothai to the Bus Terminal. Then, take a bus from there to the park.

The company claims that this is the best option, but in reality, it is not as good as they claim.

In the end, everyone paid 310 baht for the tickets.

The excitement lies in booking our return trip at the Sukhothai Bus Terminal.

Travel date

After finishing work, they went back to prepare themselves and their belongings.

We need to catch the bus at Mo Chit at 10:30 PM.

Before boarding the train, please complete all personal tasks. When it is close to departure time, please wait at the platform.

At 22:35, the bus departed from Mo Chit, allowing passengers to rest and recharge. We will meet again in the morning.

This morning in Sukhothai

We arrived at Sukhothai Bus Terminal around 5:00 AM.

The atmosphere was tranquil, with only public buses and motorcycle taxis waiting to pick up passengers.

The return bus ticket counter was not yet open, so we waited.

During that time, we went to the bathroom to wash our faces and brush our teeth.

After some time, bus drivers approached and asked where we were going, offering to take us there.

However, when they couldn't agree on a price, they sat there posing for a while longer, hoping to get a discount.

A small three-wheeled vehicle pulled up, and my friend approached the driver. After a brief conversation, he secured a fare of 500 baht.

The price matched the reviews perfectly, so we immediately agreed.

We chartered a bus from the bus terminal to Khao Yai National Park.

Ultimately, I decided not to purchase a return ticket because I was too lazy to wait. This way, I could leisurely walk up the mountain and have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.

Before entering the park, my uncle took us to the market to buy some things.

We went to buy fresh ingredients and supplies to cook and eat together on the mountain.

The tranquil morning atmosphere of the quiet city exudes a captivating charm.

It's time for our Chef Bear to choose the pork to cook upstairs.

The vendors here are incredibly friendly. They offered discounts and freebies, resulting in a substantial haul.

After shopping, we went out for breakfast. I recommend this grandma's shop.

Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the shop, but it's right across from the market. It's easy to spot.

Rice porridge with crispy pork and Chinese sausage, full option, is delicious and very affordable. People will definitely ask for seconds.

After finishing lunch, we continued our journey, taking a long drive from the market to the national park.

Lush greenery and diverse architecture line both sides of the road, offering a constant visual feast for travelers.

The road is paved and passes through several villages.

However, once you pass the paved ramp, you will encounter a gravel road with a lot of dust.

There are no photos lately because of the dust. My hair is red and stiff.

The entrance to the park is right in front of you. Before entering, you must pay an entrance fee.

Once completed, you must return to the park office.

After parking inside, we unloaded the car. Before my uncle left, we talked about his car.

His uncle spoke proudly of his car, boasting about its new engine and lights.

Engaging in activities that spark passion and fulfillment is undoubtedly a worthwhile pursuit.

Waving goodbye to the uncle who drove us here.

Once everything is packed, we'll call the porters. For this trip, we'll only bring ourselves up, and leave our belongings to the porters.

Regarding accommodation, we contacted the park office.

We rented both the tent and bedding, as we didn't bring any.

Everything is ready and we are prepared to move forward.

"Oh... These two are saying they want to carry the stuff themselves. Wow!!!"

Before they could even start walking, one of them gave up and handed their bag to a porter to carry. Guess who it was! Hint: it wasn't a man.

This Sukhothai walking trail takes an average of 4 hours to complete.

Before embarking on their journey, they stopped to pay respects and pray for a safe trip.

The Khao Luang trail is quite steep and there are not many flat sections to rest your legs.

There will be rest stops with benches to sit on and water pipes to drink from.

However, on the day we went, there had recently been a wildfire, which meant we had no water to refill our supplies along the way.

Therefore, it is necessary to prepare water from below and carry it up oneself.

After more than two hours, the relentless steepness began to take its toll.

We are not very strong walkers, so we take frequent breaks. Fortunately, the trails here are well-defined, so there is no need to worry about getting lost.

No need for a guide, we can walk at our own pace.

We have finally reached the viewpoint, which marks the halfway point of our journey.

The view is already breathtaking halfway up, and I can't wait to reach the summit.

Despite the fatigue and the increasingly steep incline, we continued to take frequent breaks, even though our minds were already far ahead.

Here, nature is relatively intact, but due to the recent wildfire,

The entire path is still scarred by the burn marks left by the wildfire.

Heavy rain last night caused trees to fall and block the road.

As the first group of the day, Chef Bear took it upon himself to chop down the tree with his knife.

It truly evokes a sense of adventure.

We walked intermittently until we reached a rest stop called Sai Ngam.

In a flash, the peddler caught up with us. OMG!!! His legs were pure muscle.

Despite our exhaustion, our uncle smiled and casually led the way.

We decided to take a break, but we couldn't stay long due to the overwhelming number of mosquitoes. If you plan to visit, remember to bring mosquito repellent.

We continued walking, and soon we reached the place called "Nang Nak's Chimney." This meant that we were almost there.

After a challenging 4-hour trek, we finally reached our campsite, covering a distance of 3.7 kilometers.

However, I was extremely hungry. In fact, I had bought fried chicken to eat during the day on the way.

Exhausted from the journey, we decided to skip the restaurant and enjoy our meal back at our accommodation.

We enjoyed eating chicken together, accompanied by chilled Coke from the office's own small shop. Blissful!

Despite the price of 35 baht per can, they still buy it for every meal (because they want it).

After setting up the tents, packing away our belongings, and changing our clothes, we gathered around the campfire to prepare dinner together.

However, before the fire could be properly lit, the rain came down in torrents, forcing us to take shelter in the tent.

The heavy rain caused my tent, which was pitched in a less than ideal location, to collapse.

The tent leaked, making it impossible to sleep. We had to move our campsite to the pavilion.

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After moving, they started a new fire, but again, nothing had time to cook.

The rain fell again, and as a result, we were unable to build a fire on the first day.

In the end, we had to ask the officials for their stove to cook rice.

For today's simple meal, I'm having instant noodles with vegetables, pork, and egg. You could call it instant noodle soup with vegetables, pork, and egg, or sukiyaki with pork, egg, and instant noodles.

After finishing their meal, they went to their tents to rest.

Trekking around Khao Luang

Good morning from the first day on Khao Luang.

The spot where I pitched my tent was located at a higher elevation than the local villagers' residences.

Pitching a tent here offers a million-dollar view right in front of your tent, making for a truly unforgettable experience.

Waking up early, no need for small talk, grab your camera and let's go see the view.

No need to worry about restrooms and showers here, as there are separate, well-maintained facilities for both men and women.

We then hiked up to the "Naraian Peak" to see the sea of mist. The hike from the camping area was not too far.

It was the first time I saw the sea of fog and got goosebumps. It was so beautiful.

It's absolutely amazing! The weather is perfect and the view is stunning.

Despite the arduous climb, the breathtaking beauty made it all worthwhile.

No matter how I take the picture, it's not as beautiful as what I see with my own eyes.

Note: I captured a timelapse, but I couldn't find a good GIF converter, so this is all I could manage.

The picture speaks for itself.

We continued walking for a while until we reached the Golden Pagoda, a place of worship on this peak.

After soaking in the atmosphere, we descended to enjoy a cup of coffee.

I brought a coffee grinder and a dripper with me, so we can enjoy freshly brewed drip coffee.

A simple breakfast of porridge with sausage and fried fermented pork sausage.

They cooked rice to eat with grilled pork they had brought and made a canned fish salad.

While cooking, the officer approached and offered me some porcini mushrooms.

The officer said that there were a lot of them in the area, so we could share them. So we cooked them in a spicy soup and ate them.

There were chili plants nearby, so we picked some to add to our tom yum soup. We picked a lot.

After finishing our meal, we took a short break to let our stomachs settle before embarking on a hike to various scenic viewpoints on the mountain.

Khao Luang Sukhothai offers scenic viewpoints for visitors to explore.

This trip, we stayed for two nights, giving us one day to explore the city on foot.

The mountain trail is a loop, and we can enter from another direction.

Then exit the other way and loop back to the campsite.

A short walk away, we reached the first point, "Chedi Peak".

In the beginning, everyone was still energetic and took some photos.

Our destination is the sunset viewpoint at Khao Phuka.

Along the way, we were greeted by a sea of mist.

Although the weather is cool, the sun is still very hot.

However, this did not hinder taking pictures.

We have reached a junction to go to Khao Phuka.

After calculating the walking time, we had plenty of time left, so we continued our journey.

We took photos and rested along the way.

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And then we arrived at Khao Phuka, but we couldn't see the sunset.

Due to the heavy fog and the approaching rain clouds in the distance,

Therefore, we decided to quickly walk back to our accommodation, as it would be dangerous if it started to rain.

However, in the end, we were not able to walk fast enough to avoid the rain, which started to fall again.

I took the raincoat with me, so my camera survived.

However, my friend's belongings were significantly damaged as they were unable to collect them in time.

As we walked back, the rain stopped, so we stopped to take pictures of the sky after the rain near the top of the Chedi Kon mountain.

After dinner, they sat down to chat for a while before retiring for the night.

This trip, I didn't get to take any pictures of the stars because the sky was overcast both nights.

In the morning, we had breakfast, packed our belongings, and quickly walked downstairs.

As we haven't booked our return trip yet, we need to hurry a bit.

The descent also takes 4 hours due to the steepness of the terrain, which slows down the descent.

Upon arrival at the office, they showered and then found a vehicle to depart.

I remember the uncle who dropped us off. Actually, we asked for his number, but my friend only saved his name, not his number. Haha.

As a result, I had to find a new way. Luckily, a police officer happened to be inspecting the work at that time, so I asked for a ride to the bus terminal.

He was very kind and took us out, but he asked to stop by the polling station first.

The day we went was election day, and we gave up our right to vote in order to hike up the mountain.

At the polling station, the villagers invited us to have lunch with them.

Though it was just a simple meal, it was incredibly delicious. The kindness of the villagers was evident, and we all ate until we were full.

And then the police officer dropped me off at the bus terminal. Before I could even thank him, he drove away.

This photo is a token of my gratitude.

We were shocked and immediately rushed to find a car to return.

Most of the buses were full, but luckily, there was still space available on the Phitsanulok Yanยนต์ Tour bus.

We need to stop by Phitsanulok first, but we're okay with that. We just need to get back to Bangkok.

We arrived back in Bangkok around and then went our separate ways home. That concludes our trip.

Those who want to verify this can go and see for themselves. It is not dangerous.

There is a high chance that we will go again.

Expenses

• Transportation:
  • Roundtrip bus fare to Sukhothai: 310 Baht per person
  • Transportation from Sukhothai Bus Terminal to the park: 500 Baht (shared)
• Entrance fees:
  • Park entrance fee: 40 Baht per person
• Food:
  • Food expenses: 1400 Baht per person
• Porters:
  • Roundtrip porter fees: Approximately 2200 Baht per person (25 Baht per kilogram)
• Camping equipment rental:
  • Sleeping equipment rental: Approximately 1200 Baht per person

Estimated total cost per person: Approximately 1500 Baht