Back in November 2012 as the rain eased off the tracks dried out and we headed for the Northern section of the Pha Taem National Park and the famous Chana Dai cliff. There are all sorts of interesting approaches to the Chanadai cliff including a visit to the popular south section of the park with its sand stone rock sculptures and Neolithic cliff paintings. Travelling:
[list type=decimal]
[*]Chom Maek 2173/ 2134
[*]Right Turn 2112 (by Pass Huai Phai)
[*](Right turn 2368 for the Southern Pha Taem National Park)
[/list type=decimal]
4. If you have time then a right turn into the village of Ban Nong Phue will lead in a couple of Km (laterite) to Nam Tok Soi Sawan.
The waterfall is a nice place to swim if you get it quiet but weekends and holiday are a nightmare of drunken revellers. BUT in November you should still go as you can see the ‘flower fields’ which are an extraordinary bloom of insectivorous plants, on one level are incredible beautiful and on another Biologically fascinating (Utricularia Spp). In any other country this resources would have international fame and be a site of special scientific interest. In November on a public holiday there must have been 4-500 people swimming at the falls and I had all 6 flower fields to myself.
5. Back on the 2112 carry on to the village of Na Pho Klang and turn right through the village following the Park signs.
6. Passing through the Park gate a beautiful asphalt road climbs the hill towards a car park. Half way there is a left turn to a temple (never been). So we carry straight on.
7.From the Car Park the fun begins and is in two sections. The way ahead is shown with signs and also two parallel strips of concrete for those of us on 4 wheels. Bikers could take all sorts of short cuts around.
8. The next 7km is rocky terrain as you make your way up onto the plateau. This is pretty rocky and a fall from a bike would be painful, no soft dirt landings here. Nevertheless this is pretty special place of very dry Shorea forest. The way is shown by signs, some concrete and the marks of vehicles on the open rocky sections.
9. The second 7km is the Dong Na Taem forest and leads to the campsite at the Chana Dai Cliff. The driving (riding) is on a crushed rock/laterite surface, a beautiful section. There are lots of side trips along the way. A small river crossing leads into the Park Campsite and the last 1km to the Cliff which you can still drive or rider if so motivated but we walked.
The camping area has the usual tents for hire and a nice clean building to abandon to in times of heavy rain. The Rangers here are most welcoming. There is however no food cooked here. I met an Aussie guy here on a Honda Scooter who was touring and had to feed him but there was compensation in his supply of Jack D. The sunrise is spectacular of course and the nearby waterfall provides relief from the heat of the plateau. Drive time for the car was about 3 hours including photography and botany stops.
We returned the sameway but Google Earth shows various track across the plateau to the north and south which would be really exciting exploring. Oh for a GT-Rider Map…
[list type=decimal]
[*]Chom Maek 2173/ 2134
[*]Right Turn 2112 (by Pass Huai Phai)
[*](Right turn 2368 for the Southern Pha Taem National Park)
[/list type=decimal]
4. If you have time then a right turn into the village of Ban Nong Phue will lead in a couple of Km (laterite) to Nam Tok Soi Sawan.
The waterfall is a nice place to swim if you get it quiet but weekends and holiday are a nightmare of drunken revellers. BUT in November you should still go as you can see the ‘flower fields’ which are an extraordinary bloom of insectivorous plants, on one level are incredible beautiful and on another Biologically fascinating (Utricularia Spp). In any other country this resources would have international fame and be a site of special scientific interest. In November on a public holiday there must have been 4-500 people swimming at the falls and I had all 6 flower fields to myself.
5. Back on the 2112 carry on to the village of Na Pho Klang and turn right through the village following the Park signs.
6. Passing through the Park gate a beautiful asphalt road climbs the hill towards a car park. Half way there is a left turn to a temple (never been). So we carry straight on.
7.From the Car Park the fun begins and is in two sections. The way ahead is shown with signs and also two parallel strips of concrete for those of us on 4 wheels. Bikers could take all sorts of short cuts around.
8. The next 7km is rocky terrain as you make your way up onto the plateau. This is pretty rocky and a fall from a bike would be painful, no soft dirt landings here. Nevertheless this is pretty special place of very dry Shorea forest. The way is shown by signs, some concrete and the marks of vehicles on the open rocky sections.
9. The second 7km is the Dong Na Taem forest and leads to the campsite at the Chana Dai Cliff. The driving (riding) is on a crushed rock/laterite surface, a beautiful section. There are lots of side trips along the way. A small river crossing leads into the Park Campsite and the last 1km to the Cliff which you can still drive or rider if so motivated but we walked.
The camping area has the usual tents for hire and a nice clean building to abandon to in times of heavy rain. The Rangers here are most welcoming. There is however no food cooked here. I met an Aussie guy here on a Honda Scooter who was touring and had to feed him but there was compensation in his supply of Jack D. The sunrise is spectacular of course and the nearby waterfall provides relief from the heat of the plateau. Drive time for the car was about 3 hours including photography and botany stops.
We returned the sameway but Google Earth shows various track across the plateau to the north and south which would be really exciting exploring. Oh for a GT-Rider Map…