Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park

Phu Hin Rong Kla sits on the Phitsanulok and Loei border at up to about 1,820 metres, and its landscape is distinctive: Lan Hin Pum, a broad expanse of sandstone weathered into thousands of knobs and pits, and Lan Hin Taek, a plateau of the same rock split into deep crevices, with pine forest and cliff viewpoints around them. The other half of the park is historical. From 1968 to 1982 this was the main base of the Communist Party of Thailand and its armed wing - the terrain, the crevices and the remoteness made it defensible against repeated military assaults - and a field hospital, a political school, a rice mill and other structures survive and are open, with a museum. The insurgency ended under an amnesty in the early 1980s and the park was declared in 1984. Nights are cold and the road up is steep with tight bends.

What you actually see

• Lan Hin Pum - the field of knobbled sandstone, weathered over ages.
• Lan Hin Taek - the plateau split into deep crevices.
• The insurgency sites - field hospital, school and mill from 1968 to 1982.
• The cliff viewpoints - over the forest and valleys below.

When to go

November to February for cool clear weather; nights on the plateau are cold. The road is steep and unpleasant in heavy rain. Accommodation at the park needs booking.

Honest expectations

Steep mountain access road. Cold at night. The historical sites are presented from the state's perspective and interpretation in English is limited. Facilities are basic and book out at cool-season weekends.

Nearby

Nam Nao is south-east; Phu Lom Lo, on the same range, is east.