Phraya Nakhon Cave

Phraya Nakhon sits in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, in limestone hills above the Gulf south of Hua Hin. Two of its chambers have collapsed roofs, and through the larger hole a column of sunlight drops onto a small Thai pavilion built in 1890 for a royal visit. It is a genuinely odd sight: gilded woodwork on a stalagmite floor, ferns and young trees growing where the ceiling used to be. Getting there costs effort. From Bang Pu village you either take a short boat around the headland or walk over it, then climb a steep path of rock steps to the cave mouth. The wider park holds beaches, marshland and serow on the cliffs.

What you actually see

• Kuha Karuhas pavilion - the 1890 pavilion standing in the light shaft.
• The collapsed chambers - trees and ferns growing under open holes in the roof.
• The headland climb - rock steps with sea views back over Laem Sala beach.
• Laem Sala beach - the small bay at the foot of the climb, with a ranger station.

When to go

The light beam lands on the pavilion in the late morning, roughly between ten and half past, and only when the sky is clear; earlier or later you get a dim chamber and a disappointing photograph. The cool season from November to February makes the climb bearable. Boats from Bang Pu run in the morning and stop whenever the sea is rough.

Honest expectations

The climb is short but steep, hot and slippery in places, with little shade for much of it. Macaques on the path go through bags. Miss the light window and the cave is a dark hole with a pavilion in it. Boat operators refuse to run in swell, which leaves the walk over the headland as the only way in and back out.

Nearby

Khao Sam Roi Yot's marshes, Pranburi's mangrove park and Hua Hin to the north.