Kade enjoying a boat ride in Thailand. On the way to Monkey Island!

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Khao Dang (Red Mountain)


Our second full day in Sam Roi Yot we went back inside Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park to hike up Khao Dang.  If you have the right gear (flashlights especially!) and have researched it thoroughly, a hike up to catch the sunrise or sunset would be superb.  I knew going in we wouldn't do that.  There were too many unknowns, besides not having all the gear we'd need.  Instead, we went with the next best option, and that was to climb up not after the sun had come up.  Our driver picked us up and took us to the trailhead. We were thinking we could hike up without getting national park tickets, but there's a strict requirement now.  Just make sure you research ahead of time, and that you get tickets in advance. Luckily for us they let us start our hike while the driver ran somewhere to get the tickets we needed. The hike up was pretty steep, and the trail, although marked well, was mostly stones, big and small. Proper footwear and even a hiking pole would be smart.  Down near the trailhead, just behind a large boulder, other hikers have left hiking poles for others to use.  Grab one, use it and then leave it for others when you're done.  Other than that, I would recommend plenty of sunscreen, a hat and more than enough water.  In all, the hike up took us about 45 minutes max.  We stayed at the top for about 15 minutes - it was getting hot - and then made our way down. Coming down is when you need really good hiking shoes. Tweaking a knee or turning an ankle is a possibility.  

A couple of notes about the video:  One, you will see we spotted some monkeys when we arrived at the trailhead.  Apparently they come down to rummage through the garbage.  Some folks have seen monkeys on the hike itself, so keep your eyes peeled.  Two, the 360 degree views were spectacular.  I had seen and researched this hike for several weeks before we departed for Thailand, and the experience more than lived up to expectations.














then we started our descent






Click here for one of the videos of Khao Dang that inspired me to give it a try.  And click here for absolutely stunning drone images of Khao Dang and the amazing scenery of the area.

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