Hup Pa Tat: Exploring the “Jurassic” Jungle of Uthai Thani

Yes, so put like that in the intro, you're going to tell me, well a chasm isn't that "curious". But here it is anyway, due to the nature of the plants growing there and the surrounding landscape.

To go into a little more detail, Hup Pa Tat is a site located 50 km west of the Uthai Thani city, shortly before reaching the mountainous area of ​​the province. It's a funny-sounding name pronounced in French, but has an obvious meaning in Thai.

• "Hup" can be translated as valley, or even “enclosed”, therefore enclosed valley in short, which in a broader sense, defines a big hole or crater, therefore a chasm in good French.
• "Pa" means jungle or forest.
• "Tat" would be the Thai name for Arenga Pinnata, a plant of the palm family found here in abundance.

So very pragmatically, "Hup Pa Tat" simply means what the place is: "a jungle of Arenga Pinnata in a chasm".

Welcome to Jurassic Park

To sum up, Hup Pa Tat is an ancient cave whose ceiling has collapsed, preserving the fauna and flora there from almost all external (and certainly human) disturbance for millennia.

This landslide allowed the midday sun rays to penetrate the interior of the empty space of the cavity, and thus, the possibility for plants to grow. This forms a kind of microcosm with atypical vegetation, because these particular conditions, of partial sunlight and high humidity, as well as the absolute isolation of the environment, have caused a growth of unique ferns and palm trees. If these plants were common in prehistoric times, they are currently rarer and difficult to find elsewhere. This is what gives this "secret" area, surrounded by limestone cliffs, the nickname of Thai Jurassic Park (it must also be said that they like to give this kind of nickname).

To be a little more precise, the geology of these mountains is made up of gray dolomitic limestone, dating from the Permian, last period of the Paleozoic, extending between 245 to 286 million years, so well before the Jurassic in fact! When the ceiling collapsed, the plants that were on its vault ended up growing back. The limestone having decomposed, forming a layer of fine earth that could keep much more humidity in the newly formed well.

A short story of Hup Pa Tat

The place was discovered by chance by a monk, Phra Khru Santithamma Kosol, from the neighboring temple, Wat Thom Thong. The latter had decided one fine day to 1979, to explore the valley surrounding his temple. As such, he did not have to go far since the site is less than 500 m from the temple (there is also a concrete path between the temple and Hup Pa Tat).

Venturing along the steep cliff, he first climbed before descending into the cavity, which had been isolated until then. Indeed, at that time, the tunnel through which one accesses the interior did not yet exist, so one had to want to get there! He was surprised once in the chasm to discover this jungle, so he quickly noticed the abundance of a sugar palm, considered ancient, the famous Arenga Pinnata.

To simplify access to this find, he himself dug the rock in 1984, creating this 70 m passage through which people enter today to visit the site.

The same year, the site was placed under state protection to make it an ecotourism site. Today it is part of Tham Prathun Wildlife Sanctuary (Tham Prathun Wildlife Reserved Area), under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Department. The advantage is that the whole place is rather well maintained, with toilets, souvenir shop, a café, food, but suddenly, it is paid, just like a national park…

Hiking the Hup Pa Tat Trail, what to expect

Concretely, the parking lot is next to the area for eating etc. and a few meters away, next to the stairs leading to the tunnel, you will have the area serving as a reception and where you have to pay the entrance fee.

Normally it's like a national park, so a fare of 200 Bahts, and that's the rate I paid on my first visit. However, when I recently returned during the Covid period, the rate was reduced to 100 Baht. So let's see if it will continue or return to the previous rate when tourism normality also returns to Thailand. I note in passing that precisely during the pandemic, I was able to see the drop in entrance fees for several sites, but I tend to think that this will unfortunately remain temporary.

Once you have the ticket in hand, you will be invited to take a flashlight provided since The 70 m tunnel is not lit. If you don't want to bother, your phone's flashlight should suffice. It's then time to climb the few steps to the entrance of the breakthrough, which only takes a few minutes. Before researching for the article, I was actually convinced that the said tunnel was natural and it certainly has all the aspects of it. When I read that it was dug artificially, I thought we were talking about the whole thing, but in fact, it's only a very small part. In addition to a possible widening to add height, the part actually dug into the rock turns out to be only the last few meters, at the bottom of the cavity.

Anyway, here we are inside, and the least we can say is that we are greeted by the humidity, which is felt directly, in addition to a temperature naturally milder than the burning heat of summer just on the other side of the wall. We are also very quickly surrounded by the many leaves of the famous palm tree giving its name to the site. We are in the chasm, the walls that surround us are then between 150 and 200 m high.

We set off on the path and off we go. In addition to the Arenga Pinnata, we come across various species, usually with a sign indicating what they are. For example, there are ficus benjamina to banyan trees with a large trunk. As for the local fauna, you can come across small elongated turtles, which I was lucky enough to see (you have to be observant, they blend into the decor so much), the second time, I was entitled to the presence of a kind of wild pheasant, very talkative moreover. Rarer, because visible only in the rainy season, but particularly unique, we can see here pink centipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea also called dragon centipede). Not the most charming of animals, but this species (venomous to boot), discovered only in 2007, is not seen anywhere else in the world.

At one point along the path, we realize that the chasm is actually composed of two parts, separated by what remains of the original cave. The opportunity to come across some stalagmite-tite, and even an imposing column. The other part is similar to the first, so the tour is quickly done. The path runs along the cliff for a few meters, the opportunity to raise our noses and see the height separating us from the "outside".

To return to the stairs leading to the tunnel, and therefore the exit, the path passes on the other side of the chasm, making a complete loop of 700 m.

Khao Pla Ra Mountain

If you are in the area, I invite you to continue along the mountain because the landscape is pleasant to see. Khao Pla Ra Mountain is a network of 5 small mountains, all made of limestone, with an elevation above sea level varying from 100 to 529 m.

If you are looking for something to eat or take a break, apart from the Hup Pa Tat reception, you will find what you are looking for here. In recent years, several homestays, cafes and restaurants have come to settle in the area to make the most of the place.

Both times I stopped at Ban Chai Khao – Thai-Switzerland, which is also a mango orchard, in addition to being able to cook you a little something, although in my case, it was only to enjoy the view with the platform they have set up (which is free to access). I notice the difference in atmosphere due to coming in a different season (November on the left, March on the right).

To eat, I tried to stop at the Bike Camp. The choice is very limited, so it's suitable for a snack, a little hunger or failing that, coffee and dessert. But the setting is nice, well laid out at the foot of the cliff.

Otherwise, before arriving at Hup Pa Tat, as I mentioned above, you can make a short stop at the temple thanks to which the area developed, Wat Tham Thong. Here too, the change of season gives a really different effect. In March, the 2nd time, we could see the trees in bloom on the side of the road (as everywhere in the country), which is a beautiful effect.

November on the left, March on the right.

After the temple itself has little interest, but on the cliff side, you can see a cavity with a large reclining Buddha and other statues of the sage.