Phuket
Travel Guide -> Sightseeing -> Jungles and
Waterfalls
This
tour takes you to Khao Phra Thaeo National Park (Phuket`s only jungle
park), two waterfalls and the Gibbon Reserve. The National park
is located in the north of Phuket Island. If you start from Patong or another
of the southern beaches, drive past Phuket Town in northern direction on
the highway No. 402 (the airport road) to Thalang, a small town.
At Thalang, turn left at the intersection and drive another 4 kilometers down a lovely road that runs through rubber plantations. At the end of the road is a Forestry Department checkpoint, where you can turn right into the Khao Phra Thaeo National Park. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.You must leave your vehicle in the parking lot. If you want to, you can walk five kilometers (on a dirt road) through the jungle to the town of Pa Khlok on the east of of Phuket but that would require a lot of stamina. You can enjoy the scents, the sounds of birds and other animals and the trees and flowers and butterflies just as well on a short walk to Ton Sai Waterfall. From the parking lot just follow the signs. You will come across a pond and lots of jungle trees until you reach the waterfall. It is about 250 meters high (there are steps) and cascades into a brook The waterfall can be very impressive, especially during the monsoon (less in the dry season). You can also cross the brook and walk a little bit further into the jungle, but for a longer tour you will need a guide. After your visit to Khao Phra Thaeo National Park turn back to Thalang and drive south on highway No.402 until Heroine`s Monument. The monument shows two women with swords in their hands. It represents two women of Phuket, Chand and Mook who played key roles in winning a important battle against the Burmese in the year 1785 A.D. (See details and a picture in Overview of the History and Geography of Phuket). At the intersection turn right and drive north on highway No. 4027. After Pa Khlok (at kilometer 8.4) turn right and drive one more kilometer to the Bang Bae Waterfall. There is a parking lot where you can leave your vehicle and walk about 300 meters until you reach the falls. Located on the
way is the entrance to the Gibbon Reserve. In Thailand, gibbons
(a very pretty, furry, small kind of monkey that lives under natural
conditions high in jungle trees) are often captured and kept in households
or bars or restaurants as pets, mostly under pitiful conditions. The aim
of the operators of the gibbon reserve is to enable the animals to return
to their natural environment and to survive there on their own. This is
done in a slow step-by-step program that starts with familiarizing the
gibbons again with life in the trees and food gathering, continues with
setting them free on uninhabitated islands, and ends with bringing them
back into the jungle where they can start families and, hopefully, live
again undisturbed in their natural surroundings.
As the aim of the reserve is to allow the gibbons to live on their own, without humans, care is taken not to expose them to visitors; except for the "newcomers" who are accommodated in large cages near the entrance (where you can watch them while they practice climbing in the trees and listen to their melodic "songs"). You can read all about the steps involved in the return of the gibbons to nature on tablets in front of the reserve. The Bang Bae Waterfall is not very steep and cascades into a number of shallow pools. If you like to (and have brought a swim suit and a towel) you can take a refreshing bath. The place is a favourite destination for the locals on sundays and holidays and you can see complete families, including babies, washing themselves and splashing around in the cool water (the ladies always fully clothed) and enjoying themselves. After you have enjoyed the falls and the pools of cool water, return to highway No. 4027 and drive back to your hotel. |
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