Kaeng Krachan is the largest national park in Thailand, a vast, rugged expanse of rainforest along the Tenasserim Hills on the border with Myanmar, and in 2021 the forest complex it belongs to was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to elephants, leopards, gaurs, gibbons and hornbills, as well as an astonishing variety of butterflies, which gather in clouds on the damp sand along the streams. It is one of the wildest places in the country, and you can feel it as soon as you enter.
Your lunch stop is near the park headquarters and the great reservoir formed by the Kaeng Krachan Dam, whose blue waters, dotted with forested islands, stretch away into the hills. There are restaurants, resorts and homestays around the reservoir, catering to visitors to the park, and lunch there comes with fish from the lake and views of the mountains. Food and drink are simple but satisfying.
Inside the park, a road climbs deep into the forest to Phanoen Thung, a viewpoint famous for its sea of mist at dawn, when the valleys fill with cloud and the mountain peaks rise like islands. The road is narrow, steep and partly unpaved, and it is usually closed during the rainy season, roughly from August to October, when it becomes too muddy and dangerous. Even in the dry season, access may be controlled, with vehicles allowed up and down only at set times, so check with the park office before setting out.
The roads to Kaeng Krachan from the coast are pleasant, crossing farmland, orchards and pineapple fields before reaching the forested hills. They are generally quiet, with gentle curves and good surfaces. Fuel can be found in the villages near the reservoir, but there is nothing inside the park, so fill up beforehand; Tha Yang, about twenty-eight kilometres away, is the nearest larger town. The best time to visit is the cool season, from November to February, when the weather is dry and the mornings are fresh.