Sam Roi Yot Highlights

Sam Roi Yot (Thai: เขาสามร้อยยอด) is a marine national park in Sam Roi Yot district, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. It covers 98.08 km², of which 20.88 km² are marine areas. The park was established in 1966, and was the first coastal national park of Thailand.

Geography

The name Khao Sam Roi Yot means Mountains with 300 peaks, which describes the landscape of the park quite well. The limestone hills rise directly at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand, with the highest elevation Khao Krachom 605m above sea level. Between the hills are freshwater marshes. However several of these marshes were converted into shrimp farms, as only 36 km² of the total 69 km² of marshes are part of the national park. 18 km² of these marshes are scheduled to be declared a Ramsar site.

Two white sand beaches are located within the park namely Hat Laem Sala and Hat Sam Phraya. Hat Laem Sala is 17 km away from the park’s head quarters and can be reached from the village Ban Pu either by boat or by climbing up and down over a hill for nearly 30 minutes.

Rare animals in the park include the Mainland Serow (Nemorhaedus sumatraensis), Dusky Langurs (Trachypithecus obscurus), as well as many bird species. In the ocean occasionally Irrawaddy Dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) show up.

National Park

A visit to the national park is highly recommended. As well as the mountains and jungle, it has 3 famous caves. Tham Kaew, Tham Sai, and Tham Phraya Nakhon, the latter being the largest one, made up of 2 caverns and a pavilion, which was built in 1896 for a visit of King Rama V. Sam Roi Yod also includes Thailand’s largest fresh water marsh which is a favourite among bird watchers due to the more than 300 species of migratory birds that can be found there. You can also take a boat trip up the scenic river at Khao Daeng and climb to the spectacular viewpoint. There is a beautiful beach to visit at Laem Sala which is probably the best in the region. Tours can be organised or simply rent a motorbike and travel under your own steam.

Kayaking, Boat trips and Fishing

If your are more of a sea-going person why not take advantage of the kayaks available at the beach?
The beautiful islands of Koh Ram and Koh Nom Sao (amongst others) are just 20-30 mins paddle from the beach. Koh Ram is uninhabited apart from a large group of monkeys who are often found searching for shellfish along the shore at low tide. It’s a heart warming and rewarding experience seeing them interact and play on the beach. You may also be lucky enough to see the pod of famous pink dolphins that live in the bay at certain times of year. Fishing trips and island tours can also be organised.

Golf

If you love golf, or have never played and would like to try it out, you’ve come to the right place! There are a total of 6 golf courses within an hour’s drive from the gym, the closest located only 5 minutes away from the gym. Since membership is not a requirement and fees are reasonable, golfing in Thailand, and especially in Hua Hin, is an activity everyone can enjoy.