One of the weekends I had off when volunteering in Ban Na with Worldpackers, I decided to go to this temple complex that I had been aware of for a while but didn’t have the chance to visit. It is called Thamma Park or (Ban Khao Na Nai) and is a major attraction in Surat Thani even though I think that many people don’t know about it. So I will say it is a kinda unseen treasure in Thailand as it doesn’t get many foreign visitors. This was the main reason why I went to this area, but ended up visiting more places around.
So first, I took a minivan from Ba Na to Surat Thani for 70bh. The van takes about 1 hour to get to Surat Thani Kaset 2 bus station. I planned to rent a motorbike in Surat Thani city and leave for the area where this temple is located. It took me about 1h30 by motorbike from Surat Thani to get to the place where I slept, not far from Thamma Park. I didn’t have any hotel reservation and I didn’t even know very well where I would stay the night. Near the spot where I was supposed to stay, I simply saw this sign along the street saying “resort” and that is where I stayed for 500bh 1 night. The name of the hotel is Janrawee. I chose this place because it is about 30 min away from Thamma Park and I wanted to go there for sunrise, so sleeping nearby was the focus. But I had time to visit more things during this day.
Ratchaprabha Dam
Not that far from Thamma Park is Ratchaprabha Dam that was the spot I visited that same day.
My first stop for a scenic view was Ratchaprabha Dam, the dam that originated Ratchaprabha Lake, mostly known as the Khao Sok area. I have been to Khao Sok before and I have done the lake tour by boat so this time I visited a different spot.
I went straight to where this Dam is located and there are beautiful viewpoints there. Views of the lake and surrounding mountains are really gorgeous. I went to the Chiew Larn Lake viewpoint and Ratchaprapha Dam scenic viewpoint both marked on the map and both with different, but similar views of the beautiful lake. I stayed near the dam for sunset at the lake too. Really beautiful place. If you have never been to Khao Sok, you might want to take a boat ride on the lake because this spot is where the tour boats depart from. Even if you stay in the Khao Sok area, a bus will drive you all the way here to be able to see this lake by boat. So, if you come directly here, you don’t have to book a tour. Simply show up at the pier and get on a boat.
Thamma Park
The next day I woke up at 4.40 am to go to Thamma Park and watch the sunrise at this temple with this gorgeous gate that reminds me of Burmese architecture in Mrauk-U where I also witnessed an amazing sunrise.
So, watching the sunrise at this temple is a thing. I arrived there at about 5.30 am and there were only 2 other people. It was complete darkness!! The entrance is not light up and the street to get there is complete darkness most of the time, and it is a cold lonely ride too.
I watched the sunrise at the arch gate which is iconic and mythical. The scenery is just so whimsical. Lovely! I took several pictures cause the light changes with time. As time passed by also more people arrived. The place was filled with dogs, but unexpectedly, they were not barking or scaring people away. They were very friendly dogs.
After the full daylight was on, I started to explore the area inside the park. Thamma Park is home to 6 different temples that you can visit. I went from the lowest one to the highest one. The first 3 temples are connected by the same path and I thought that I would just need to keep going until I reach the 6th one, but no. Once you reach the 3rd temple, you have to come back as the path to the other remaining temples is different. Disappointing haha and tiring.
Each temple offers a different view, and I think that visiting all 6 temples is worthwhile even though it is tiring. There are a lot of stairs until you reach the highest and 6th temple so take plenty of water with you. The views are sublime. The mountains, the temples in front. Simply beautiful! Being up in a temple might also be a good sunrise spot, but the entrance gate steals all the attention haha In total, I spent several hours in this spot.
I think Thamma Park is worth a visit and you can combine it with something else nearby for a day trip. As I rented a motorbike I had the freedom to choose what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go, so I decided to visit a place that was not very far from Thamma Park, it was about 20 minutes motorbike away from the temple’s complex…
Blue swimming hole in the jungle
I got excited to visit this place cause it looked like a beautiful blue hole in the middle of the jungle. There is a Thai name booked on the map, but if you search for Nam Rad forest, you will be able to locate this spot on the map as it is next to it. So basically these are natural swimming pools in the jungle. There is a kinda swampy area near and in this spot specifically, it appears that they clean the floor so the crystal clear waters reveal their true colors.
The parking fee is 10bh and the entrance fee is 100bh. The 150bh fee includes a rowing boat that you can use to row around the canal but I have no idea how far can you go on that boat cause the jungle looks pretty dense, so I opted for the 100bh ticket.
A locker is also provided at the entrance as they don’t allow people carrying any kind of plastic to the swimming area, you can only take a few things with you including, a phone, camera, and a small wallet.
All there is to do here is swim and enjoy the stunning water colors. Seeing some fish swimming around is also possible. When I visited the place was not crowded at all.
Staring at the water was all I did. I also didn’t have much time to spend there cause I had to return the motorbike to Surat Thani. I rented this motorbike for 300bh a day, but I have nothing to complain about it. It was the best motorbike I ever rented in Southeast Asia haha. The guy was also nice. When I delivered the motorbike he offered to take me where I was heading next, in my case was not far as I headed to Tha Kaset 2 bus station to go back to Ba Na and my volunteering spot.
Riding from Surat Thani to Ratchaprabha Dam was easy peasy. The street is great and flat. I rode the fastest ever on a motorbike haha above 90km/h… smooth.
I did all this in 24 hours cause I rented the motorbike for 1 day only and I didn’t regret my plan as it was lovely. The temples at Thamma Park were truly worth it for me, and the rest just came to add up.
I didn’t see 1 single foreigner either at Thamma Park or the swimming hole. Thailand still has many hidden gems to discover even though I thought the country is all explored already. You just have to search harder. Not that easy to find interesting untraveled places in Thailand.
