Ramkhamhaeng National Park encompasses the mountain adjacent to the renowned Sukhothai Historical Park (which is one of the must-sees in Thailand). With a summit reaching 1,200 m, Khao Luang mountain (a rather unoriginal name meaning "great mountain") dominates the national park and the Sukhothai valley.
A chance to immerse yourself in nature after a day exploring the ruins of the old city by bike. As a side note, the national park is named after the popular King Ramkhamhaeng, highly respected in Thailand, who initiated the development of the Thai script during the rise of Sukhothai and its kingdom.
Climbing to the top of Ramkhamhaeng National Park
Going to the national park, which could be pronounced phonetically as rame-came-heingue, is an opportunity to do some exercise in the heart of nature. To climb the 1 m and admire the view at the top of Khao Luang, you will have to travel the 200 km of the path laid out across it.
This is a short but fairly strenuous trek, because in addition to the humid heat typical of Thailand, the slope is sometimes quite steep (up to 70°). As a result, you should allow 3 to 4 hours for this hike. For this reason, it's essential to start before 13:30 pm, otherwise the park rangers won't let you begin.
During the climb, you'll find signs at regular intervals to indicate your progress. Incidentally, I should mention that at the summit, in addition to the view, there's a campsite. Most people who climb the mountain stay there overnight and descend the next day.
And because Thais can be a bit lazy despite doing this trek, and ultimately because it brings some money to the local people, they actually hire porters to carry their belongings to the top. In my case, I didn't have any belongings since I would just go up, take a few photos, and come right back down!
Points of interest on the way up
During these 3-4 hours, you will have time to take a few breaks while having something to see. This divides the route with each time a "goal" to achieve.
The first point of view
After traveling halfway, you'll be rewarded with a first viewpoint. A forested area has been cleared with rows of bamboo seats, allowing you to sit for a moment and admire the valley unfolding before you.
The opportunity to hydrate yourself, remotivate yourself and set off again on the right foot. You should know that if the path is easy to follow (in the sense that it is difficult to get lost), it is as I said quite steep in places, and mixes rocky areas with others mixing earth and roots. So it is not at all restful and apart from this viewpoint stop, there are also from time to time spaces fitted out with a bench to rest for a while.
Surrounded by nature
The whole point of this hike is to be surrounded by nature. And what's good is that you cross different areas. At the beginning, you follow a small stream, in a rather thick forest and large trees, while going up, the vegetation changes.
There are small lizards, no snakes and don't expect to see monkeys, but there is still some local wildlife present. Some areas are bamboo forests, and when you get to the top, you see big rocks, sometimes surrounded by roots of old trees well anchored on the slopes of the mountain.
The magnificent banyan tree, the sacred tree
The banyan tree is a type of fig tree, so it is sometimes called the Indian fig tree, as this is where this species of tree originated (as well as Pakistan and Sri Lanka). It is a sacred tree because in Theravada Buddhism (the one practiced in Thailand), it is under this type of tree that the 6th ancient Buddha, Kassapa, is said to have attained enlightenment (for context, he is considered to precede the historical Buddha Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism as we know it today).
Its distinctive feature is its growth into a giant tree composed of multiple trunks, each acting as a root system. Indeed, the banyan tree is what is known in horticultural terms as an epiphyte, meaning it can initially use another tree as a support. The seed is deposited by a bird that has previously eaten a fig from another tree. The aerial roots then encircle the branches of the host tree and seek out the soil to anchor themselves firmly and develop into independent stems. This method of development also makes the banyan a type of strangler fig.
What you really need to see is the result of this growth method: a tangle of interwoven branches and roots. Banyan trees can spread over enormous areas, sometimes reaching several hundred meters in circumference. The largest banyan tree (simply called "the Great Banyan"), with a circumference of 412 meters, is located in the Howrah Botanic Garden, near Calcutta in India.
A beautiful specimen in Thailand is that of Phimaï (Sai Ngam, 120 m long by 55 m wide), located not far from the important Khmer temple Prasat Hin Phimai.
Coming back to our coconut from the national park, the latter is certainly not very spread out, but because it is in the middle of nature, dominating the forest on its piece of rock, I had been particularly impressed by the aura it gave off. To reach it, you will have to cover 2/3 of the path (so about 2,5 km).
And why "the banyans" you might ask? It is a term designating Hindu traders, the name of the tree having therefore been given in reference to these merchants, because the banyans used to settle in the shade of these trees in the Persian Gulf.
The Bat Cave
Probably the least interesting spot but you have to start from the points indicated along the route. The latter is located just before the summit, where you will see a sign indicating in English "The Bat Cave", a little below the main path.
First of all, if you plan to take a look, it would be best to have a flashlight. Secondly, don't expect a majestic, mysterious cave in the middle of the mountain or the lair of a masked knight. No, in short, it's just a cavity with bats inside.
The top
We've reached the summit. You'll be relieved to see the clearing where the tents are located, as well as a small "mini-market" offering a few snacks, and, most importantly in my case, water! Trying to travel light, I had neither a pack nor the desire to lug around a water bottle. Obviously, don't follow this example; it's not sensible. Luckily, the person I was with that day had given me some of their water.
I took two minutes to catch my breath and continued my walk. The campsite isn't actually the summit itself. You'll see several paths leading off from the campsite. There are three distinct "summits."
The true summit, reaching 1,210 m, is accessed via a path branching off to the left. It's an excellent vantage point offering panoramic views of the entire mountain and the valley below. A secondary path, after approximately 500 m, leads to a "second summit" at 1,170 m, offering a more southerly view.
For my part, as I was not staying overnight and therefore still had to take the time to go back down before nightfall, I headed towards the "smaller summit", taking the path going off to the right after the camp. I then only had an additional 400 m to walk to reach the peak of Na Rai (while the summit is then at 2 m).
I don't regret my choice at all (which I wasn't entirely sure about) because with these rocks overlooking the valley, it's a very photogenic spot. I wasn't the only one there, but it wasn't overcrowded either, so it didn't spoil the experience at all. Plus, it was a group of young people more interested in admiring the view than taking selfies (which is always welcome these days). It's a shame, though, given the season (February), that the view was quite hazy. Between the burning of the fields and the heat drying out the forest, it's unfortunately typical at this time of year.
Some people wanted to leave a trace of their visit by building small homemade chedis or placing a Buddha statue next to them, or failing that, leaving a few coins there. After enjoying the place for about half an hour, where the temperatures were also more pleasant than down below, it was already time to retrace our steps.
Camping at Ramkhamhaeng National Park
No need to bring your own equipment if you plan to sleep there. At the summit, you can usually rent everything you need (usually outside of peak season). A two-person tent costs only 225 baht; you can reserve one at the park headquarters down below rather than waiting until you reach the top only to be told they're sold out.
You will then be given a receipt to show to the ranger stationed at the campsite near the summit, who will then set up the tent for you. You will also have a sleeping mat by default, but don't expect any comfort. In any case, you will need a sleeping bag.
At the headquarters downstairs, you have bungalows available for 1,200 ฿ and 1,800 ฿ per night.
Rainbow Waterfall
I should mention that if you don't wish to or are unable to make the climb, you can still enjoy the national park by visiting its waterfall, Sai Rung Waterfall, which translates to Rainbow Waterfall. It was given this name because on sunny days, rainbows can be seen when the sun's rays hit the water of the falls between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. (especially noticeable at the 16th level).
Although it is part of the same national park, the latter is located in a completely different area than the access to the summit, 35 km to the south. The waterfall itself is spread over 4 levels, the first of which is 800 meters from the entrance, the second at 900 m and finally at 1 m and 160 m respectively.
West Zone of the Historic Park
The area west of the historical site contains the ruins of several temples that were built at the foot of this same mountain, and even on top of it. The most famous of these is Wat Saphan Hin, with its stone path leading to the remains of the structure that once dominated the plain where the old city is located.
Getting to Ramkhamhaeng National Park
While the national park is 22 km south of the historical park, it may be easier to get there from the new city of Sukhothai, itself located 12 km east of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I have already detailed in my article on Sukhothai Information on how to get there is available, but to summarize, there are buses departing from Mo Chit station in Bangkok, and you can also get there from other major cities like Chiang Mai. Alternatively, there's the train, but the closest station is in Phitsanulok, 60 km from Sukhothai.
If you arrive by bus, the advantage of being directly in the city also allows you to take advantage of local transport. Getting back to today's topic, you can take a songthaew for the day and enjoy the national park. However, this isn't the cheapest option, as it costs around 1,000 baht. If you are authorized to do so (international driving permit + motorcycle license A if French, for more details, see my [link/section/etc.]). article about driving in Thailand), you can rent scooters right next to the bus terminal for ฿200-250 per day.
In addition to being less expensive, this will allow you significantly improved freedom of movement. Head south of the city, following National Road 101 (direction Kamphaeng Phet normally), you will have to cut off at one point by following the transverse road 3024 then join the 1319. But the simplest thing, I suspect, is to use a GPS or, failing that, this map:
Did you like the article? share on Pinterest!
