Wider World by CS

More Wonders of Hua Hin

Located on an army-owned plot covering 222 rai in Hua Hin, Ratchapak Park and the statues of seven former Thai kings were constructed by the Royal Thai Army under royal permission from His Majesty King...

Just south of the resort town there is a lot more for visitors to explore ranging from forests to majestic statues

As the resort town of Hua Hin has grown rapidly over the past decade, it often has new tourist destinations and activities to offer. Strolling along the beach, swimming, sunbathing, horse riding, playing watersports, worshipping Thailand's largest statue of the late revered monk Luang Pu Thuad at Wat Huay Mongkol and enjoying beautiful sea views with cool sea breezes are what holidaymakers love to do there.

Nonetheless, if all these things are no longer interesting, tourists may want to travel 7km south from downtown Hua Hin to worship the gigantic statues of seven great Thai kings at the new Ratchapak Park opposite the tranquil Suanson Pradipat beach.
This beach won four out of five stars under the Pollution Control Department's beach quality index in 2012.
Swimming, relaxing, dining or playing golf nearby the ironwood-lined beach, strolling the adjacent Khao Tao beach and visiting the hilltop Wat Khao Tao are also recommended for those visiting the lower part of Hua Hin. In addition, tourists can visit the scenic Khao Tao reservoir and the first royally-initiated weaving project at Ban Khao Tao village. If they travel about 5km southwards, they will reach the nearby Pran Buri Forest Park where they can stroll a mangrove forest study route and a few more nature trails and stay overnight in the camping zone.
On their way back home, visitors may want to buy local products as souvenirs for family and friends. Among its highly recommended products are Hua Hin's signature Khomapastr printed cotton fabrics and Ban Khao Tao's cotton textiles which are unique for their weaving techniques and silk-like textures.
Nestled by the Gulf of Thailand in Prachuap Khiri Khan, less than 200km south of Bangkok, Hua Hin, literally meaning "rocky beachhead", was named after the rocks at the north end of the 5km-long sandy beach.
This small fishing village became the country's first beach resort after a rail line was laid in the 1920s and King Rama VII established his summer palace there. For almost a century, it has been a popular weekend getaway destination for city dwellers, royals and the elites.
"The entire province of Prachuap Khiri Khan including Hua Hin attracts 4.6 million tourists each year.
"In Hua Hin, Thais enjoy leisure tourism that incorporates resting and eating seafood. Foreigners also come to relax. They want a peaceful, not vibrant, atmosphere to take things easy," said Orasa Awutkom, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Prachuap Khiri Khan Office.
According to her, tourism in Hua Hin, however, has begun to reach saturation point and is expanding to places such as Pran Buri which have attracted more people who like slow tourism. In line with the TAT's focus on sustainable tourism, Prachuap Khiri Khan has numerous attractions to offer. For instance, Pran Buri is home to Sirinart Rachini Mangrove Ecological Study Centre and is famous for surfboarding, while sailing in Thab Sakae and diving off Koh Thalu are popular.
"Beaches in Prachuap Khiri Khan are very beautiful. Tourist attractions in military zones are well-developed and won about five stars for beach quality from the Department of Pollution Control," Orasa added.

Pran Buri Forest Park was established in 1974 by the Forestry Department after Her Majesty Queen Sirikit visited Pak Nam Pran Buri Village in Pran Buri district, saw many mangrove trees and wanted to support the growing of more trees along the coastline. This special project developed 1,984 rai of Khlong Kao and Khlong Doi forests — which consists of mangrove forests, mixed deciduous forests, coastal land and deserted land — into a multipurpose forest. Later in 1982, the department declared this area a forest park because it has a beautiful beach as well as mangrove and mixed deciduous forests running alongside the Pran Buri River. In 2003, Their Majesties the King and Queen visited Pran Buri Forest Park and expressed their concern for the forests, especially the mangrove forests. Here, visitors will be able to enjoy birdwatching, camping by the sea, trekking the dry evergreen forest on the Chao Phor Hua Laem Hill and strolling the 1km-long mangrove forest study route. This forest park has various kinds of plants and wild animals, such as monkeys, barking deer, snakes and lizards. From the 1km-long Pran Khiri beach, the scenic views of Tao and Singto islands and Khao Takiab and Khao Tao hills can be seen.

Located in Ban Nong Kae, Hua Hin, about 190km from Bangkok, the Suanson Pradipat Army Rehabilitation and Recreation Centre has been in service since 1970. It is home to a beautiful, clean and peaceful beach. It offers bungalows and a camping area for army officers, families and the general public to rent at reasonable prices. It also has a golf practising centre, running tracks, restaurants, meeting rooms and food centres. The rates of bungalows per room per night range from 110 baht for army officers and families and 220 baht for the general public for dormitories to 1,850 baht for army officers and families and 3,700 baht for the general public for a three-bedroom bungalow.

Located in soi Hua Hin 101, the Ban Khao Tao Professional Handicraft Centre was previously called the Ban Khao Tao Weaving Training Centre. It is a royal project initiated by Their Majesties the King and Queen. It dates back to 1964 when Their Majesties the King and Queen were staying at Klai Kangwon Palace, Hua Hin, and visited Ban Khao Tao’s villagers who were then mostly fishermen. After learning that the villagers could not earn their living during the rainy season, especially the monsoon period, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej ordered that a class be organised for lecturers to teach the art of cotton weaving using traditional northern looms called kee kratook for the residents of Ban Khao Tao and nearby villagers. Their Majesties the King and Queen visited the centre four times. The group currently has 25 members, eight of whom are active. Woven with fine 100% cotton thread, fabrics from Ban Khao Tao are of a distinctive quality and allow air to pass through them. Visitors should not miss the unique pha khao ma clothes woven with nine horizontal threads. In addition, handmade fabrics with floral designs (yok dok) are durable and as shiny as silk.

In 1963, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej visited the residents of Hua Hin district and noticed hardships faced by those living in Ban Khao Tao Village in tambon Nong Kae. This community was highly populated, but lacked water for consumption. During the time of high tides, farmland was inundated with seawater in the Thung Takad field in this tambon and thus crops were damaged. As the local villagers gave him a 300 rai land plot in the village, HM the King granted 60,000 baht of his personal money to the Department of Royal Irrigation for building a reservoir. This Khao Tao Reservoir Project is considered the first royally-initiated project run by this department. The reservoir initially had the capacity of keeping 600,000³ of water. HM the King also supported the construction of Wat Khao Tao in 1958 and opened this temple in 1961.