Khao Khalok Hidden In Plain Sight
Hi explorers! We found you another lovely place where you can fall asleep on a perfect beach to the sound of gentle waves lapping at your feet, and hike over a jungle covered mountain with stunning views, all in one gorgeous spot.
Khao Khalok Hidden In Plain Sight
An unexpected delight we came across while aimlessly driving from Paknampran village in Pranburi along the beach road south towards Samroiyod.
We often just jump into the car and decide which direction to go, and turn whenever we feel like it. No fixed plan, sometimes no particular destination. But we always end up finding somewhere memorable.
Anyway, we were feeling hungry, and saw a row of street food shops opposite a cliff, so we stopped and had an unexpectedly good meal at the weirdly named “Garfield”, a wooden open air place with lovely staff and great food.
While sitting there we realised that there was an entrance to a beach right next to the cliff, which we discovered was Khao Khalok, with the beach of the same name.
They’re both part of a National Forest Park which covers a much larger area.
Khao Khalok reaches out past the beach, jutting into the sea for about 200 meters. At the beach entrance (free) there were some trees which gave some shade, while the base of Khao Khalok had some small caves, which were a popular spot for selfies and Instagrammers, although one or two are considered unstable. The beach was spotless, with soft sand stretching back towards the north for quite a long way.
Why Go There
While there were plenty of people around (mostly Thais) it didn’t feel crowded, and a short walk would bring you to an area with almost no one around. It’s perfect for meditating on the meaning of life – that is, doing nothing and having a nap!
Walking a short way around the base of Khao Khalok, we found a trail up the mountain, steep and rough, which as you get higher splits into two. One trail leads you to one of those beautiful Instagram viewpoints, while the other goes right over the mountain and down the other side, where another surprise awaits.
I took the trail up to the viewpoint while my other half checked out the beach lol. It wasn’t a trail with smooth steps and the handrail (when there was one) was very rickety. You have to watch your step but if you’re halfway fit you can manage it.
Once at the viewpoint it was well worth it, with stunning vistas of the coast and the sea lit up by a burning hot sun. As is often the case, the walking or stumbling down the trail was a little bit more tricky than climbing up.
A Word To The Wise
If you’re going to Khao Khalok and it’s beach, you should pack a small backpack with a few bottles of water, some snacks, a hat, sunglasses, sun cream, maybe a pack of those wet baby wipes, towels to sit on, and a good pair of sport or trail shoes if you decide to tackle the mountain. Do not attempt it wearing flipflops!
Across the beach road, there is a row of street food eateries as well as a couple of shops selling some of those items I mentioned. On the beach there are no vendors and there is not much shade; and the sun, even during the so called ‘cool’ season, can get you dehydrated and roasted pretty quickly if you’re not careful.
Moving On
After a couple of hours, we decided to drive around Khao Khalok to the other side, to see what there was to see. We followed the road curving to the left around this huge jungle covered hunk of granite, then came to a sharp left-right curve.
There, partially hidden by trees, appeared an unusual but beautiful temple on the right-hand side. Directly opposite the temple was a small reservoir, and the end of the trail that goes right across Khao Khalok from the beach we’d been on a few minutes ago. It’s known to most people as Wat Khao Khalok because of where it is, but it’s proper name is Wat Sumanavas.
The temple has an overall golden colour with two ‘Yuk’ (mythical giant) guarding the entrance to the main chapel, which houses an image of the temple’s first abbot, and Prince Chumphon, the father of the revered King Rama V. The unusual architecture is said to be influenced by both Thai and Khymer styles. This temple is well worth seeing as it’s only a few minutes drive from Khao Khalok beach.
From here we continued to follow the beach road south, but that’s another story for another day…
Getting There
Khao Khalok is on the beach road in Paknampran Subdistrict of Pranburi district, in Prachuapkirikhan province. It’s shown on Google Maps but search ‘Khao Khalok Pranburi’ to find it. From Huahin it’s an easy pleasant drive if you have access to a car, or go on a tour.
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