We had been planning another road trip in Thailand for a while, especially with the long weekend holidays from May 5-8. But we weren’t so sure where we want to go. We’ve gone East (Chanthaburi), we’ve done the North (Chiang Mai) and even the South.

While doing some research, we came across TakeMeTour, a tour agency that focuses on experiencing Thailand through the local’s eyes. This seemed quite interesting since they were offering tours across Thailand – and it had many destinations we hadn’t really heard of.

We searched through their website based on location and interest category until we came across something we liked – Prachuap Khiri Khan, a province in the western part of Thailand, just a few hours south of Hua Hin. This province had everything – culture, history, adventure, scenic landscape and the beach! Where else can you find it all?

But why go with a tour and not go ourselves?

Well firstly, the tour was only planned for 1 day out of our 4 day trip. Also, with a local tour guide, we would learn more about the destination better than we would by ourselves. It’s like having a local friend showing you the best hidden spots. Finally, TakeMeTour is more like an online marketplace that connects travelers with locals who know the place very well. The first impression we got that it was like an Airbnb for local tours rather than a traditional tour agency. So it was definitely worth a try.

Although our first choice was not available for our visit period, we went with ‘Spot the elephants and wildlife in Kui Buri’ tour. Booking the tour was easy via credit card and we got to know communicate with the local through their website. Upon payment, we shared each other’s phone numbers (you can’t do that before the payment).

Within minutes, the local guide, Khun Thatree (Pai) called me. He asked if I wanted to do anything else other than his itinerary and if I have any special dietary requirements. He was very friendly, polite and professional. I mentioned to him that I wanted to add hiking and see a particular cave. He agreed instantly without any hesitance.

We were quite impressed.

Hiking to a Cave

At sharp 8:30, Khun Pai came to pick us up from our hotel. He had come with his wife, which was nice. The first place we visited was the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park (which literally translates to “Mountain of 300 peaks”, where Khun Pai took us to the renowned Phraya Nakhon Cave, home to a majestic royal Pavilion and a symbol of Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

To get there Khun Pai explained us that we could either hike through the first leg, which takes about 30-40 minutes or we could take a long-tail boat around the mountain to the beach. He further noted that since we have to hike quite a bit from the beach to get to the cave anyways, the boat is a better option.

We agreed. Who is to argue with a local, right?

Note: For foreigners, the entrance to the national park is 200/person and the boat is 150 baht/person. 

On we went on the boat and within 10 minutes we were on the other side of the mountain, on the beach and walking towards the hiking trail. It was going to be a 400 meter, slightly steep route so he insisted we prepare ourselves with water and a deep breath.

Thank God for the halfway point and this beautiful view. We welcomed the short break and on we continued soon after.

Several minutes and a few shortness of breath later, we reached the cave summit and you know what? It was absolutely and undeniably worth it!

Khun Pai explained the history and significance of the pavilion. His stories were evident by the number of locals and Thai tourists who brave the physically demanding hike to be in awe of this place.

The story goes that in the late 19th century, Thailand’ King Rama V, HM Chulalongkorn was traveling by sea and was caught in a storm. He came across this cave and took shelter in it. The pavilion in the main cave chamber was built in his discovery. The work was carried out by craftsmen in Bangkok and the pavilion, known in Thai as ‘Khuha Karuehat’, was then transported and assembled inside the cave in 1896. The cave has also been visited by HM King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) and HM King Bhumibol (Rama IX).

The cave is made of two chambers and features two sinkholes that collapsed because of erosion and weather beating. As it was early in the day, the sun was peaking through and illuminating the hallway with a golden hint. This was absolutely breath-taking for us. We have seen things like this only in movies and blogs so it was an amazing sight. Large surrounding limestone rocks and dangling roots were also very interesting to see.

After exploring about for a bit longer, we made our way back down to the beach and to our boat. Sweaty, tired but thrilled, we sat in Khun Pai’s car and drove off to the next destination.

Local Experience

He then took us to a local temple, Wat Kui Buri. He explained anyone who comes through this part of town must come to this place. It is the oldest temple in Kui Buri and revered by locals and Thais from all over. We took the time to pay our respect and went through the worshipping process.

First we lit incense, then the candles, attached gold paper to a Buddha image and finally made a prayer. It was a very humbling experience and one we were so glad we did.

By now we were all starving from the hike and the heat beating up on us. Khun Pai drove us to what he called a ‘local hangout’, which overlooked a reservoir. We were excited!

Delicious food with a great view. What more could we ask?

We talked about many things during lunch. Comparing Bangkok with Kui Buri, his life, our life, our aspirations…oh so many things. It was wonderful, to say the least.

Spot the Elephants

After a heart meal, we made our way to the final spot – the Kui Buri national conservation park. Here we got off his car and transferred to a pick up truck that led us through the national park in search for local wildlife. We noticed that security is tight and they make every precaution necessary to ensure the animals are safe in the park. We loved that the conservation of wildlife is very active here.

In Kui Buri you can expect to see (but not always): elephants, gaur, deers, tigers and even leopards. The last two are VERY rare. The journey was very interesting as we rocked side to side, laughing, talking and enjoying the views. We, especially, Kanika had an amazing time. She’s a huge wildlife-lover and safari fan while I’m more of a hiking, thrill-seeking kind of person.

That’s why I climbed this tree-house type of thing.

We were lucky enough to see many elephants but only on our way back. This is because we went in the middle of the day when elephants are hidden in the jungle and only come out when the sun starts coming down a bit. It was really exciting to see them come out of the thickets and back in again – wow – they are fast creatures for their size.

Note: The entrance fee is 200 THB for foreigners (children 100 THB) and 40 THB for Thai citizens (children 20 THB).

Overall feeling and experience

We were really glad that Khun Pai and his wife were our guide. They not only made things so easy and gave us a local insight to the town but they were an amazing couple who provided us with great company. It’s like we made new friends! We definitely recommend fellow travelers looking to discover Thailand in a unique and local way, to go on their tour or any other tour from TakeMeTour. We’re surely ready for round 2 very soon.