We headed for Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, which is situated north of Khao Sok National Park. It has some amazing caves and mountain hikes, as well as a mangrove that sustains crab-hunting makaks and a wide range of birds.
As we arrived we were welcomed by the beautiful mountains and stumbled upon a temple with a stunning backdrop.
The lighting on the mountains was not that great so I decided to go back in the morning for some proper shots with the drone.
That afternoon we decided to go on a little mangrove river tour very close to the Wat Khao Daeng Temple, which lasted an hour. We had to pay 200 Thai Baht each for the National Park fee, which I felt was very cheeky seeing that we only spent about 20 minutes in the ‘natural’ mangroves accompanied by river banks littered with plastic. The fee for the boat ride was 500 Thai Baht total for the three of us.
After 10 minutes of heading upstream, we turned around, to our surprise. As we cruised we discovered mud-skippers on the banks, which are fish that can crawl and skip on hard mud. They are one small piece of evidence that demonstrates the evolutionary adaptation of water-borne organisms moving on to land.
It was difficult to get good photos of them in the low light conditions so I had to push the limitations of my camera’s capabilities.
Further downstream past the bridge, we came across the fishing village. There were plenty of boats docked outside houses, and some dry up on the river banks.
The furthest extent of the ride was at the river mouth into the ocean. The beach was covered with small sea birds, with sun-kissed mountains in the background.
On the way back upstream we came across a large water monitor lizard swimming across. Note the spray in the last photo after the lizard had retracted its tongue.
I had large expectations to cruise the river for an hour in the wild mangroves. It was rather disappointing, but worth seeing the mud skippers though, which I found interesting as I studied Zoology in university and had never seen them before. It was also great to see the King Fisher with a crab in its beak as well as the water monitor. Unfortunately I did not see the monkeys fishing for crabs, although it is possible if you are lucky!
Based on my experience, I am not sure if it is worth it for the little boat cruise. It depends what you enjoy!
The following morning we woke up early to head back to the temple. The view from the air at sunrise was beautiful!
After flying for 20 minutes and being eaten alive by mosquitos, it was time to have breakfast.
After eating, we headed off to the most wonderful cavern I have ever seen!
Stay tuned for the full story in the next post..
Also, check out my other most recent post:
https://steemit.com/travel/@pierrehugo/cheow-lan-lake-khao-sok-national-park-a-must-see