Khao Ngu

Soaring heights and monkey fights

What we say:

At Khao Ngu you'll find caves cut into the sides of a series of staggering limestone mountains that seem to rise out of nowhere out of the otherwise flat scenery. Khao Ngu (meaning Snake Mountain in Thai) has long been popular with Thais as well as hundreds of chubby monkeys that you can treat feed bananas or corn to for 5B.

Buddhist artwork in one of the caves, Phra Phutthachai Tham Reussii, dates back to the 7th century and includes an inscription in Sanskrit, the merit of the hermit with Gupta.

About 400m off the main road you'll come to a statue of a cobra protecting another of the mountains. Energetic visitors can climb up a series of 446 steps to find a small Buddhist pavilion. It's really quite a stunning view from the top, and you can easily see back to Ratchaburi and spot many temples and farmhouses dotting the countryside.

Keep going and you'll find more caves that look rather run-down. These contain various ancient stone Buddha images, often in pieces piled on the floor amongst crisp packets and coke cans. If you get bored looking at the caves, sit down somewhere and watch the frustrated local mongrels chasing the swarms of monkeys around. The monkeys have a good time even if the dogs do not.

More details

7km west of Ratchaburi on Khao Ngu Rd
How to get there: You can get there by taking a yellow songtheaw from the Ratchaburi night market for 13B-16B. Jump out when you see a gold-painted Buddha statue carved into the side of one of the mountains.

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