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The Kapong Loop from Khao Lak


Glimpses of an unspoiled local Way of Life

The Kapong Loop starting in Khao Lak is a leisurely one day trip of about 150 km with all side trips.
This route does not sound very spectacular at first glance, because the world class highlights of Phang Nga Province are not included. But this tour through a rural and natural landscape with various insights in the traditional local lifestyle was highly praised by our guests in the last few years, who did this loop by motorcycle or with a taxi and driver. 
Also travelers with a strong interest in botany will find innumerable species of plants that are completely unknown to Western tourists.
0 km: We start the Kapong Loop at kilometer stone 60 (KM60) at the northern end of Khao Lak Town (Ban Bang La On or Khao Lak Center). The first short stop is on the top of the hill where the Khao Lak - Lamru National Park Headquarters and a small Police Station are situated. On the left is a parking lot.
Three honks of the horn will guarantee a safe trip today 
Shrine
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Poh Ta Khao Lak - Attractions
Poh Ta Khao Lak (ศาลเจ้าพ่อเขาหลัก) (KhaoLak)

The Poh Ta Khao Lak is a shrine on the mountain heading south out of Khao Lak.
The so called "Shrine of the Khaolak God" is situated opposite the police station. Every car driver who knows about the existence of this shrine, honks his horn three times to honor the shrine and to ask for a good trip.
Many local people come here to make offerings in various forms: incense, fruit, firecrackers, paper money, garlands, ceramic statues. They are placed in front of the various statues that are honored here.


The shrine for a local Reussi grew over the years into several small buildings housing venerated deities. To ask for good luck in daily affairs the locals of Khao Lak come here in the early morning to present some flowers and fruits. During the day firecrackers are exploded by grateful locals whose wishes came true. Local car drivers honk their horns three times when they depart and again when they come back from any trip south. 
3.5 km: From the pass you descend southward on Highway 4 (H4) for 12 km until you reach the large turnoff where you bare left towards Thung Maphrao.
16.6 km: After a further 1.1 km take the left turn onto a country road leading to Ban Na Nai (signboard "School for Life"). 
19.6 km: In Ban Na Nai (3 km) you will see on the right an open air workshop where bamboo furniture is made for the many resorts in the area.
Activities of the Locals
Agriculture
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Rubber Plantation - Attractions
Not Rated
Rubber Plantation (PhangNga)

In Phang Nga Province rubber cultivation has a long tradition. For many families rubber is the main income. In the night between 2 and 4 am the bark is cut with a special knife so that the sap can flow. After sunrise the sap collector walks from tree to tree to pour the contents of the coconut shell container into his bucket. The white sap is taken to the processing station in a shed on the rubber property where in several steps the sap is converted into white sheets. This process can be seen at a few sheds near the road. The sheets are dried until they look brown. Then the sheets are sold to the government agent at a fixed price. The price of rubber depends on the world market price for crude oil. In the last few years it was in the range between 100 and 140 Baht per kg.


Handicraft
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Broom Making - Attractions
Not Rated
Broom Making (PhangNga)

The local grass that grows in Kapong area is very suitable for making brooms. You can watch the women making brooms by the roadside.


Local Fruits

Local Bananas - Kluay Kung

Mangos

Fruit stall
40.9 km: An asphalt road turns off H4090 to the right, NO signboard now. 
45.4 km: After a few minutes you can see on your left hand side a small super market. At the signboard "Lumru Waterfall 800m" turn right onto a narrow concrete road for Lamru Waterfall (800 m), the first one in a series of small local waterfalls. From the car park it is a 2 minute walk along the reservoir banks to the quite unspectacular Lamru Waterfall.
Local Waterfalls
Waterfall
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Hin Lat Waterfall - Attractions
Hin Lat Waterfall (น้ำตกหินลาด) (PhangNga)

Hin Lat Waterfall is not a natural waterfall, it is created by three canals merging together to form a river. The water is lovely and clear, the river is deep in some areas. A great place to swim and relax. Hin Lat Waterfall is located 8 kilometers to the east of Kapong. Local families and children come here for a refreshing bath and for tubing on the river.

Moo 1, Kapong, Phang Nga 82170

Waterfall
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Saeng Thong Waterfall - Attractions
Saeng Thong Waterfall (น้ำตกแสงทอง) (PhangNga)

Saeng Thong Waterfall is a medium-sized waterfall with 11 levels.

Saeng Thong Waterfall is opposite Ka Pong Hospital and the access road to the waterfall is 6 kilometers farther on.

Moo 4 Ban Nai Nod, Mo, Kapong, Phang Nga 82170

Waterfall
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Lamru Waterfall - Attractions
Not Rated
Lamru Waterfall (น้ำตกลำรู่) (PhangNga)

Lamru waterfall is a 5-tiered waterfall and is located within the area of the National Park.






Moo 7 Kruk Krak, Takua Pa, Phang Nga 82190

Waterfall
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Ton Tham Waterfall - Attractions
Ton Tham Waterfall (น้ำตกโตนถ้ำ) (KhaoLak)




Lamru Waterfall

Hin Lat Waterfall
From the super market continue to a junction (48.0 km) and turn right on to a concrete road that ends after 3 km at Hin Lat Waterfall. This waterfall is more a series of rapids and water basins. In the afternoon and on weekends village children enjoy themselves swimming and playing in the water with inner tubes. They are for rent for 15 Baht per person.
48.0 km: Turn back and continue straight on a narrow peaceful country road (H4175) for 5 km until you reach the market town of Kapong (53 km).
Kapong
The small rural town Kapong is also the capital of Kapong District (Amphoe Kapong). Its attractions are the weekly Sunday Morning Market, Wat Inthaphum temple with a large chedi and Wat Pa Mok with a big Fat Buddha statue beside the road to the north. 
Of course there are the typical public services like a post office, a hospital, banking facilities, a police station, and a little outside a petrol station.
A Resort to stay overnight and a Lodge in a School
Bungalows
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Kapong Garden Resort - Accommodation
11 rooms  from 800 to 1,300 Baht
Tel.: 076-499666 or 089-8701814
Kapong Garden Resort (กะปงการ์เด้นท์ รีสอร์ท) (Kapong)
Rates: 800 to 1,300 Baht

The bungalow village Kapong Garden Resort is situated in the middle of beautiful rice fields not far from Kapong. From the restaurant there is a nice view over the rice fields. The resort offers free parking and free internet in public areas.

201/9 Moo 2, Tha Na, Kapong, Phang Nga 82170
Tel.: 076-499666 or 089-8701814

Bungalows
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Yaowawit Lodge - Accommodation
6 rooms  from 1,200 to 1,500 Baht
Tel.: 082-2838355 or 076-499504-5
Yaowawit Lodge (เยาววิทย์ ลอจ์ด) (Kapong)
Rates: 1,200 to 1,500 Baht

Yaowawit Lodge is integrated in Yaowawit School which is supported by the Children's World Academy Foundation. Yaowawit Lodge is situated in the outskirts of Kapong, a tiny town in the center of Phang Nga Province, surrounded by agricultural fields in the valley and pristine jungle on the slopes and in the hills. This is a rural area completely unspoilt by civilization.
The six bungalows are situated at the lower end of a slope, the upper end being occupied by the school buildings, the offices, the restaurant, and the communal rooms. The bungalows are very spacious and well equipped with a beautiful bamboo bed and ample sitting facilities. The interior is sparsely but tastefully decorated. The rooms have airconditioning and a ceiling fan as well as warm water shower. For all rooms there is one large living room. The value for money of the bungalows alone is very high. In addition the children and the teachers create a very welcoming atmosphere so that all guests feel part of the community.
From Yaowawit Lodge a lot of excursions are possible in the surrounding area, whether by foot or by bicycle. They lead to waterfalls in the jungle, to natural hot springs, to Buddhist temples, to the town and to small villages in the flat valley.
For tourists in Khao Lak it is highly recommended to spend here two or three nights away as to get a glimpse of the way of life of the rural Thai people.

29/55 Moo 1, Maw, Kapong, Phang Nga 82170
Tel.: 082-2838355 or 076-499504-5

54.5 km: On the northern end of Kapong at the signboard "Hot springs 8 km" take the right fork leading north. You pass the temple with a big Fat Buddha on the left.
59.2 km: Turn right to Ban Bang Pang and 400 meters further on, at the school, keep right again on to the wide road (H5014) which ends after 4.4 km. 500 meters to the right from here on a bad earth road you will find the Hot Spring. 
An undeveloped Hot Spring with medicinal Properties
Hot Springs
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Kapong Hot Springs - Attractions
Not Rated
Kapong Hot Springs (น้ำพุร้อนกะปง) (PhangNga)

The Kapong Hot springs are situated in an undeveloped riverside area to the northeast of Kapong.
The mineral water bubbles out of some pools with about 67 degrees centigrade.
Then it flows for 100 meters before joining the cold water of the river. There you might go for a paddle in the warm water.
The hot water is said to relieve pain in the joints. Locals come here in the early morning when the water is a few degrees less hot in order to soak their limbs for 20 to 30 minutes.

Kapong, Phang Nga 82170

The Kapong Hotsprings are locally called Pak Phu Hotspring. The mineral water bubbles out of some pools with about 67 degrees centigrade. It flows to the nearby river and is dammed by stone barrages so that small basins with varying temperatures are formed. 
The hot water is said to relieve pain in the joints. Locals come here in the early morning when the water is a few degrees less hot in order to soak their limbs for 20 to 30 minutes. 
During the day this unassuming spot is rarely visited as the hot water flow makes the area just too hot to enjoy. The best spots for bathing are at the junction with the river.
59.2 km: Back from the hot spring turn right and drive for 6.7 km to an unassuming road to the right that leads to Wat Narai Nikaram (also called Naresuan Temple) in the village Pak Le. In the modern hall you find the Indian statues and the local museum.
A Temple with a local Museum
Museum
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Wat Narai Nikaram - Attractions
Wat Narai Nikaram (วัดนารายณ์ณิการาม) (PhangNga)

In the village of Pak Le the local temple contains not only the normal temple buildings but also a local museum and 1800 year old statues deriving from India.
Narai Nikayaram Temple (also Wat Narainikaram), known locally as Wat Khong, has stone sculpture images of Narayana (also Naraya), Laksana (Phra Lak), and Sida (Nang Sidha). They relate to "TaKoh La" town (the former name of Takua Pa) and the expansion of Indian culture into this region.
The personages of these stone carvings originate in the Ramayana Epic. The statues show the influence of Hindu culture over Takola and the Malayan Peninsula and indicate the origins of Takua Pa District around 200 AD. The Sida engraved image, carved with "Tab Hlam" stone or slate stone, is 125 cm high and 77 cm in width.
The village museum also exhibits old articles and antiques, and includes stone inscriptions 1,300-1,400 years old; these were discovered on Khao Liang.
Some archaeological "experts" believe that Kaling Kharat tribal people who once lived along the Indian Ocean Coast carved these statues. This is a very far-fetched assumption because these people had no tradition whatsoever in stone carving and no connection to the religious tradition that is necessary to carve statues in the correct way.
The most plausible and widely accepted theory is that the statues were made in India and sailed to Thailand together with Hindu merchants and their goods. Due to the monsoon and the inability in those days to sail against the wind, the merchants had to wait several months in TaKoh La for the wind to change. Here pious merchants built temples and placed in them statues that they had brought from India together with priests who could perform the correct rites with these statues.

In addition the same modern building houses an interesting large local museum with exhibits from the last century: household goods, pottery, electric equipment, cutlery and tools and many more.

Latitude 8.77412708749647, Longitude 98.44181240351566
Narai Nikayaram Temple is situated at Moo 3, Tambon Le, 14 kilometers from Amphoe Kapong office.

Moo 3 Le, Kapong, Phang Nga 82120

In the village of Pak Le the local temple contains not only the normal temple buildings but also a local museum and 1800 year old statues deriving from India.
The statues of the Hindu personalities Rama, Sita and Laksamana are known in Thailand as Phra Ram, Nang Sidha and Phra Rak. They came to Takua Pa in Thailand on trader vessels from India. Around 1800 years ago the vessels could not sail against the wind, so the traders had to wait half a year in Thailand for the wind to blow them back to their home country.
The pious traders erected small temples by the riverside of Takua Pa River and brought some statues with them from India to set up in the temple. When one such vessel capsized in the river, the stone statues sank into the riverbed and were recovered only half a century ago. The originals are supposed to be exhibited in the National Museum of Thalang on the island of Phuket.
One copy of each figure stands in the Narai Park in Takua Pa, the second copy is in this Narai Nikaram Temple in Pak Le. Here the statues are venerated by the locals and adorned with gold leaves and silk shawls.
In addition the same modern building houses an interesting large local museum with exhibits from the last century: household goods, pottery, electric equipment, cutlery and tools and many more.
78.7 km (former 54.5 km): This time take the left fork that leads in 1.1 km to the main road H4090 where you turn left again and drive to the clearly visible Kapong Hospital on the left (2.5 km), but turn right just before into a gravel road at the large signboard "Yaowawit School".
A Boarding School for socially handicapped Children
Social Institution
>>
Yaowawit School and Lodge - Attractions
Yaowawit School and Lodge (โรงเรืยนเยาววิทย์) (PhangNga)

Die Internatsschule Yaowawit liegt am Ortsrand von Kapong, einer winzigen Kreisstadt im Zentrum der Provinz Phang Nga. Yaowawit liegt 90 km noerdlich von Phuket und 45 km oestlich von Khao Lak.
Im Jahre 2006 hat die Yaowawit School als "Public Welfare School" den Schulbetrieb aufgenommen. Nach dem Tsunami war sie von Graf Philipp von Hardenberg gegruendet worden, um die Not von betroffenen Kindern zu lindern. Heute betreut die Schule insbesondere Kinder und Waisen aus armen und sozial schwierigen Verhaeltnissen. Sie sollen eine erstklassige Schulbildung erhalten, um sie zu befaehigen, mit zukunftsorientierter und praktischer Ausbildung den Kreislauf der Armut sozial schwacher Familien durchbrechen zu koennen.
Zurzeit leben in Yaowawit etwa 120 Kinder im Alter von vier bis achtzehn Jahren sowie 30 Lehrer und weiteres Schulpersonal. Neben dem vom thailaendischen Curriculum vorgeschriebenen Ausbildungsplan erhalten die Kinder auch Englischunterricht durch Lehrer aus anderen Laendern und unterschiedliche praktisch orientierte Ausbildung. Dazu gehoeren der Anbau von Obst, Gemuese und Kraeutern sowie die Zucht von Fischen.

Moo 1 Mo, Kapong, Phang Nga 82170

Bungalows
>>
Yaowawit Lodge - Accommodation
6 rooms  from 1,200 to 1,500 Baht
Tel.: 082-2838355 or 076-499504-5
Yaowawit Lodge (เยาววิทย์ ลอจ์ด) (Kapong)
Rates: 1,200 to 1,500 Baht

Yaowawit Lodge is integrated in Yaowawit School which is supported by the Children's World Academy Foundation. Yaowawit Lodge is situated in the outskirts of Kapong, a tiny town in the center of Phang Nga Province, surrounded by agricultural fields in the valley and pristine jungle on the slopes and in the hills. This is a rural area completely unspoilt by civilization.
The six bungalows are situated at the lower end of a slope, the upper end being occupied by the school buildings, the offices, the restaurant, and the communal rooms. The bungalows are very spacious and well equipped with a beautiful bamboo bed and ample sitting facilities. The interior is sparsely but tastefully decorated. The rooms have airconditioning and a ceiling fan as well as warm water shower. For all rooms there is one large living room. The value for money of the bungalows alone is very high. In addition the children and the teachers create a very welcoming atmosphere so that all guests feel part of the community.
From Yaowawit Lodge a lot of excursions are possible in the surrounding area, whether by foot or by bicycle. They lead to waterfalls in the jungle, to natural hot springs, to Buddhist temples, to the town and to small villages in the flat valley.
For tourists in Khao Lak it is highly recommended to spend here two or three nights away as to get a glimpse of the way of life of the rural Thai people.

29/55 Moo 1, Maw, Kapong, Phang Nga 82170
Tel.: 082-2838355 or 076-499504-5

Yaowawit School is a school for children of socially disadvantaged background.
Yaowawit is highly recommended for a visit. It is situated in a beautiful rural landscape next to pristine jungle.
With the beautiful bungalows in the school compound and all the activities they offer for active tourists this is a destination not to be missed for tourists with social and cultural interest.
82.3 km: From the school entrance road turn back toward the north, head to the junction beside the petrol station and turn left following the road signs "Takua Pa 32 km" and "Ranong 163 km" for 9.2 km passing sometimes a beautiful river landscape.
94.0 km: Turn left on to the rural road H4032 signposted "Takua Pa 16 km" and "Khao Lak 49 km" (the latter number is not correct). Continue for 1.6 km to the white entrance gate of Wat Khuan Niyom on the right. 
A local Temple with a nice View across Takua Pa Valley
Temple
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Wat Khuan Niyom - Attractions
Wat Khuan Niyom (Wat Khuan Niyom) (PhangNga)

South of Bang Sai along the road to Kapong a large white gate on the left forms the entrance to Wat Khuan Niyom. This large temple is built on a hillock that affords a nice view over the Takua Pa River. The temple compound houses all necessary buildings of a complete Buddhist temple. As a special attraction there is a shrine with elephants on their knees.

Tam Tua, Takua Pa, Phang Nga 82110

Wat Khuan Niyom sits on a small hill surrounded by fruit gardens. It consists of several buildings fulfilling the religious needs of the local people. 
It is quite surprising to see a shrine with an elephant and a monkey in front revering the inhabitant of the shrine. 
The Fat Buddha has a small roof over his head to protect his bald head from the scorching sun.
The head monk is very educated and highly revered by the local people as far as Bang Sai and Takua Pa.
99.2 km: Just 5.2 km further is the turn off for Khao Lak that you should give a miss for now in order to proceed to the old town of Takua Pa. The Chinese temple (300 meters further on the left) is quite interesting but comes to life only during festival time, e.g. for the Vegetarian Festival in October. Behind the bridge you enter the old town Talad Takua Pa which is best explored on foot.
Talad Takua Pa -- an old Town with Character
Historic Site
Takua Pa Old Town - Attractions
Talad Takua Pa is known under various names:
Old Takua Pa, Talad Yai, Old Town.
The town is full of character with the old arcade houses, built in the Chinese style, still to be seen. About every second house is closed because it is owned by locals who live in Bangkok now. They only come back for important festivals and have no real interest to renovate.
Every second or third year in September the town centre gets flooded for a few days to a depth of around a meter. There is a lot of flood damage to be seen on the buildings but this doesn't detract from the overall morbid charm.
99.2 km:  We recommend to trace back to the junction and turn right on to Pakweep Road. (A little past the junction is a new Petrol station on H4032
Pakweep Road
This country road has the full name Pakweep - Dok Daeng Road. It is well maintained and gets a new surface every few years, but often shows a few treacherous pot holes. Still it is a regional tidbit running through beautiful landscape. The road leads past hilly forest, plantations and lakes to the west for 17 km until arriving at the Phetkasem Highway H4 (116.2 km). 
If you still have time and energy you may turn off after 11.4 km to Ton Tham Waterfall in a beautiful valley that ends at a solitary meditation monastery, Wat Pa Dok Daeng. 
A Waterfall, two Lakes and a Monastery
Waterfall
>>
Ton Tham Waterfall - Attractions
Ton Tham Waterfall (น้ำตกโตนถ้ำ) (KhaoLak)



122.4 km:
Now only 11.8 km on Phetkasem Highway H4 are left before arriving in Khao Lak.
On this remarkable day you covered a total of 134 kilometers plus side trips.
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