Petchaburi - Wat Huay Mongkol

Wat Huay Mongkol is home to the largest statue of the immensely popular Buddhist monk Luang Pu Thuat who is famous for his miracles. Luang Pu Thuat lived some 400 years ago.

Wat Huay Mongkol temple is located west of Hua Hin and was founded 60 years ago.

In 1994, the abbot of Wat Huay Mongkol started to collect funds to build a large statue Luang Pu Thuat thus elevating the profile and status of the temple. The statue of Luang Pu Thuat was completed in 2004. An opening ceremony attended by the Queen was held coinciding with the Queens 72nd birthday. The actual statue stands a whopping 11.5 meters high from the base and is 9.9 meters wide.

The temple's amulets and blessings are said to provide good "protection" to travelers, so they are popular among drivers. Frequently, posters displaying horrific road accidents and telling tales are told of how some people managed to survive the carnage due to amulets adorning their neck or vehicle.

Prachinburi - Kaeng Hin Phoeng

These beautiful and challenging whitewater rapids are in the Sai Yai River at Nadi District, Prachinburi Province. They are inside the Khao Yai National Park. Sai Yai later merges with the Bang Pakong River and its waters end up in the Gulf of Siam.

The rafting trip takes almost two hours to run through the rapids of four and half kilometers plus around 40 minutes to walk from the parking lot to where the rafting starts.

The best time for this adventure is the rainy season between July and October. During this time, the water level is high, providing a faster flow and cleaner rapids. After the rainy season, Kaeng Hin Phoeng becomes a large rock terrace.

A rafting trip starts with the Kaeng Hin Phoeng section, which is the most difficult one. After that, Wang Nam Lom (a slow and wide section), Wang Khon, and Wang Look Sua, where it is possible to take a breather. Some rafters chose to leave their rafts here and enjoy a swim at Wang Yao where the current flowed slowly.

The last section (Wang Sai) has fast rapids and then one arrives at the destination, Kaeng Ngu Hao.Rafting is at most a one-day trip, but another day can easily be spent in the Thap Lan National Park nearby.

Petchaburi - Kaeng Krachan

Thailand's biggest national park is not Khao Yai.

The largest park is actually Kaeng Krachan National Park (2,915 square km) and it stretches along the Tanaosi Range (part of Thailand's border with Myanmar) in the Petchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces. It is the origin of two large rivers (Petchaburi & Pranburi), two dams/reservoirs (Kaeng Krachan & Pranburi), is host to large stretches of forest and has an impressive biodiversity.

In fact, 80% of the park area is covered in dense forest and the park is considered very important for wildlife conservation.

Activities in the park include trekking, bird watching, sailing/fishing, rafting, butterfly watching, and off-road driving. Most tracks (nature trails) require more than one day to complete, so first-timers should be accompanied by a park ranger. Butterfly watching is best in the dry season and preferably along the Wang Won - Phanoen Thung route.

The most popular nature trail is roughly 40 km long from Wang Won to Namtok Tho Thip. At km 30, you can detour to climb Khao Phanoen Thung - at 1,200 meters, it is the highest peak in the park.

The national park provides lodges and tents in case you don't bring you own tent or in case you don't prefer more luxurious accommodation in the resorts near the park.