Khao Takiab

Khao Takiab, chopstick hill, is a low rocky headland closing the southern end of Hua Hin's beach. A road and a stairway climb it to Wat Khao Lat and a set of viewpoints over the bay north to Hua Hin town and south along the coast, with a standing Buddha figure of around twenty metres on the seaward side and a Chinese-influenced temple complex further up. The honest headline is the macaques. A large troop lives on the hill and is thoroughly habituated by decades of feeding; they take bags, food, phones, sunglasses and drinks, they open zips, and bites and scratches happen regularly enough that Hua Hin clinics treat them as routine - any bite needs medical attention because of rabies risk. Carrying food or plastic bags up the hill invites trouble. Vendors at the bottom sell monkey food, which is the root of the problem and is best not bought.

What you actually see

• The standing Buddha - about twenty metres on the seaward side of the hill.
• The viewpoints - over Hua Hin's bay north and the coast south.
• Wat Khao Lat - the temple complex on the headland.
• The macaque troop - large, habituated and genuinely aggressive.

When to go

November to February. Early morning is cooler and the monkeys marginally calmer. Avoid carrying food, bags or anything loose.

Honest expectations

The monkeys bite and steal - this is the main thing to plan around, and any bite needs medical attention for rabies risk. Do not buy or offer monkey food. The climb is steep in heat. Temple dress applies.

Nearby

Hua Hin town and its night market are north; Khao Sam Roi Yot is south.