3D2N Khao Kho Road Trip From Bangkok – Tips On How To Get There, Where To Stay and What To Do in Less Than RM850 / SGD285

Let’s admit it, Thailand is a huge country. Beside Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, there are plenty of other places to visit. Even a visit to the ever-popular Bangkok can be extended to day trips to nearby district such as Khao Yai, Hua Hin and Ayutthaya, ranging from one day to a couple of days. But being a sucker for great mountainous view, I was drawn to another place, albeit having need to travel longer on the road – Khao Kho.

Khao Kho is a district of Phetchabun province, which is about 395km north of Bangkok. It’s a mountainous region with cool weather throughout the year, hence earning the nickname of “The Little Switzerland of Thailand”. If you have seen some photos of a campsite in Thailand being engulfed in thick fluffy fog, chances are those photos being taken in Phu Thap Boek, a very popular viewpoint in Petchabun, about 45 minutes to one hour from the center of Khao Kho. And that was what exactly drew us there last November, in celebration of the boyfriend’s birthday.

Photo credit: 9Gag

Best Time To Visit Khao Kho

Since Khao Kho is blessed with nice chilly weather all year round, it’s good to go any time of the year. However, the best month to visit this region is none other than during the winter season between November to January. During this time, seasonal strawberry farms open and fields of cosmos and verbena are in full bloom. On the way to Khao Kho, you will also pass by sunflower fields in Lopburi which blooms around the same period.

Photo credit: Thai National Parks

The famous sea fog or what commonly referred to as “sea of clouds” is also be a regular occurrence for at least two to three months between December and February. Also, in December and January, cherry blossoms may also be blooming in the area of Phu Lom Lo (more on that down below).

Note: Although the sea of clouds is easily sighted in the winter (Nov-Feb), it often depends on the weather. I’ve seen people sighting it in the month of June during the summer and with that said, you may not see any even in the winter.


Sim Card

While planning for the trip, I read that the connection at Phu Thap Boek is quite limited. Though we were only going to be there for a night, we needed to make sure that we have all the data needed to navigate our way. Upon research, we found AIS offers the best connection in that area. I purchased my sim card online through Changi Recommends for the promo price of only SGD 5. It comes with 3Gb data for a validity period of 8 days, which is not that great, but overall still suffice. I find this more convenient than buying in the airport which often is a tourist rip-off. Do check out Changi Recommends or Klook for any deals. There was a DTAS 4G sim card with 8Gb data sold for only SGD 5.70 on Klook (as of the time of writing), and based on some review, DTAS works well in the entire Khao Kho area as well.

Tip: For Changi Recommends, the sim card can be collected at their counter before boarding, while Klook one can be collected in Bangkok airport upon arrival.


How To Get There

Currently there is no direct flight from Malaysia or Singapore to Khao Kho or Petchabun. The nearest airport to Khao Kho is the Phitsanulok Airport which is only served by Nok Air, Thai Airways and Thai Asia with 1-hour domestic route between Bangkok Don Mueang and Phitsanulok. From this airport, it is another 2 hours car ride to reach Khao Kho. Therefore, most people choose to drive from Bangkok instead, and that was what we did. The whole journey takes 5 hours without any pit stop (at least 6 after considering toilet breaks and coffee break), and an extra 45 minutes to one-hour drive from Khao Kho to get to Phu Thap Boek.


Option 1: Rent a car and drive yourself (what we do)

We read that the mountain roads from Bangkok to Khao Kho are winding and steep, with sharp turns, so most people recommend renting a 4WD instead of sedan to get to Phu Thap Boek. However, having done the trip on our own, I would say a sedan is more than capable for the road trip, and it is unnecessary to get a 4WD. The road is basically that of Genting Highlands, so if you have drove to there before, it should be a piece of cake.

Our rented Toyota Yaris

We rented our car from Europcar Car Rental (website), and we got a Toyota Yaris for RM325 for 3 days. Pick up was done at Amari Don Mueang, which is just opposite the airport, and we chose to return the car at Bangkok downtown on the last day of our trip. You can also return your car at any of the Bangkok airports. You may refer to their website for more pick up and return locations.

Payment is done by credit card, and a refundable deposit is required. We couldn’t remember how much but it was around RM1000-3000 range if not mistaken. The deposit is charged to your credit card, but you will see it refund to you within a couple of days after you return the car. To rent a car, you need a valid driving license, and this is to be presented during pick up. An extra fee is also required if you are to add a second driver as well.

Tip: Be sure to check your car and make sure it is in good condition before signing the documents.

Option 2: Get a car charter (what you can also opt to do)

Getting a car charter could be a good idea if you are travelling with young children or elderly, or if you aren’t too comfortable driving for a whopping 6 hours. You leave the drive to a professional driver and just enjoy the entire trip. The driver normally accommodates to your planned itinerary but also give tips on the best places to go. Do note though, that travelling by car charter (actually a van) will take longer as vans have stricter speed limits.


Option 3: Fly to Phitsanulok and rent a car from there

If sitting in the car for 6-7 hours is way too tiring for you, you can always fly to Phitsanulok and rent a car there. The flight is one hour from Bangkok to Phitsanulok and you only needed to drive 2 hours to Khao Kho.


Option 4: Bus from Bangkok

You can also take a bus from Bangkok’s Mochit Bus Station for 400 Baht but I don’t recommend this mode of transportation, as it can gets too tiring sitting in a public bus for 6 hours.


Where To Stay

As mentioned, the best time to visit Khao Kho is in the winter (without snow of course ‘cos it’s Thailand!). It is also when this quaint town sees an influx of local Thai tourists and booming foreign visitors. However, as the town is not dense, you do not find it over crowded, at least not during our trip last November. Perhaps it would be more crowded during its peak in December and January, so you may want to book your accommodation in advance. We however didn’t have any problem booking just a couple of week before our trip.

Camping

The main highlight of Khao Khao is its sea of clouds towards the end of the year when the weather is cold. With the abundance of viewpoint around Khao Kho, many people choose to camp here for the reward of witnessing the sea of clouds first thing in the morning. Though most people choose to camp at the peak Phu Thap Boek mountain and Khao Kho Post Office, there are actually plenty of camping sites around. Most campsites are private properties, but you can pitch your own tent for a small fee or rent one provided. Thung Salaeng Luang National Park is also a hot place for camping.

Campsite at Phu Thap Boek

Hotels and Resorts

If sleeping in a tent is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of hotels and resorts in Khao Kho to cater to your needs. The post popular one is none other than The Blue Sky Resort, but there are plenty of other beautiful hotels as well. The Blue Sky Resort was way over our budget, but we found a room in Akirynya Resort with mountain view (THB 2500, equivalent to RM 317 / SGD 105).

Akirynya Resort

The popular Blue Sky Resort

Tip: There are plenty of new resorts being opened as Khao Kho grows in popularity, so do check out some local thai website and you may find some accommodation which is not listed on agoda and booking.com. We found ours (Akirynya Resort) from a youtube video recommendation and booking can only be done via their own website.


Sample itinerary

We initially planned for a 3D2N road trip plus an additional 2D1N in Bangkok with the option of an extra day to Khao Kho by cutting short of Bangkok. However, I unfortunately needed to fly to Munich for a last-minute business trip so my whole duration in the Land of Smiles was only 3 days, leaving the boyfriend to tend to himself for the last two days. Not only that, I also needed to attend a conference call on our second day, resulting in a shorter time in town.

Here’s our itinerary for your reference (with costs and tips highlighted), along with some suggested improvements or additional activities:


Day 1 – (Bangkok) Don Mueang International Airport > (Saraburi) Lunch > (Lopburi) Sunflower Field > (Phu Thap Boek) Campsite

Picking up our car

The boyfriend and I took different flights (his from KL and mine from Singapore), but we planned our arrival around the same. We both arrived around 8.30am. The pick-up point for our rented car is right across the airport, but it took a while to process our booking (even though we made our booking online, there are some paper works to fill up and we need to provide driving licence for validation) before we could finally get our car around 10am.

Car rental: RM 325 (about SGD 108 / 2571 Baht) for 3 days with a refundable deposit upon return
Toll fee: 180 Baht (RM 23 / SGD 7.50) for a return trip
Petrol: 1960 Baht (RM 249 / SGD 82) for 3D2N

Lunch - Rommai Chaynam Restaurant

After checking out that our car is in good condition, it’s finally time to start our road trip. The car came loaded full tank, so we only dropped by a 7-11 to get some snacks and we were ready to get going. We knew it’s a long drive (6 hours according to google map) so we planned to have our lunch along the way. With no plan in mind for where to have lunch, we left the decision to Waze. We started searching for restaurant long our drive as we reached Saraburi (2 hours from Bangkok) and found a place called Rommai Chaynam Restaurant. The menu was in Thai and the owner and staffs doesn’t speak English, but we survived with some google translate and body language.

Tomyam seafood, stir-fry kailan, pork basil

Cost: 420 Baht (RM 53/SGD 18) for tomyum seafood soup, stir-fry kalian, and pork basil.

Tip: No plan is sometimes a good plan. We do like to explore local restaurant whenever we travel, and you can do the same by using google map or Waze. We normally use these app to identify restaurant within a certain radius along our driving route, making sure they are not too far of a detour. The review on google map helps us in selecting which one to dine. A rating of 4.0 and above is normally good although in this case, we pick a 3.9 one.

Pit-Stop – Lopburi Sunflower Farm

We dropped by Saraburi for lunch, however the most popular pit stop for this road trip is actually Lopburi (although Saraburi also has its share of sunflower fields), where most people came to see the famous sunflower fields. We weren’t in luck that day, as we didn’t see any sunflowers in bloom, so we missed it. Though it is mainly reported to be bloom from November to February, the blooming period varies from year to year and the best bet is generally in December. Though we miss it, we did end up seeing some blooming on our way back two days later. It was a different sunflower field, and we didn’t stop by for photos (sadly!).

Photo credit: Bangkok Beyond

Tip: You can check with Tourism Thailand on the date of the yearly Lopburi Blooming Festival. Before my trip, I was aware that the festival starts on 15th November 2018 so having passed by Lopburi on the 14th, I had already expected not to be able to catch the flowers in bloom. Just never thought that the bloom date is predicted so accurately.

Coffee Break – Chanan Coffee

The rest-stops along the highway petrol stations are facilitated with clean toilets, convenience stores like 7-eleven, as well as cafes and fast food restaurants. Though we made a couple of brief pit stops at those petrol stations for toilet breaks and for the boyfriend to get his coffee fix, we decided to drop by a café, sit down and enjoy some coffee instead of rushing through our journey.

Chanan Coffee

Chanan Coffee was strategically located along the main road towards Khao Kho, with minimalist design and good quality coffee.

Cost: 80 Baht (RM 10/SGD 3) for two cups of coffee

Tip: A 6-hour drive could be exhausting to the driver, so do consider making lunch break / coffee breaks along the way, if there is no second driver to take over the wheel. Make a brief stop at the petrol stations for a quick nap if necessary.

Phu Thap Boek (also spelled Phu Thap Berk or Phu Tub Berk)

After a 6-hour long drive we finally made it to Khao Kho. However, from the heart of the town, we still needed to drive for another hour to reach Phu Thap Boek, our final destination of the day.

Phu Thap Boek

The sun has set by the time we arrived. After booking a tent and renting the required sleeping bags, mattresses and pillows, we took a shower before having Thai mookata for dinner. Nothing beats a hot pipping Mookata in cold alpine weather and we love that they use charcoal which give the grilled meat some smoky taste.

Campsite

Camping: 500 Baht (RM 63 / SGD 21) for a 2-men tent and 400 Baht (RM 51 / SGD 17) for rental of 2 sets of mattresses, pillows and blankets.
Camping (own tent): 50 Baht (RM 6.40 / SGD 2.10) per person
Facilities: Shower 20 Baht (RM2.50 / SGD 0.80) Toilet 5 Baht (RM 0.60 / SGD0.20) per use
Mookata dinner: 450 Baht (RM 57 / SGD 19) for a 2-person set

Mookata dinner

Tip: At 1678m above sea level, Phu Thap Berk is also a good spot for star-gazing at night when the sky is clear, since there is no light pollution from city lights and the peak is unobstructed.


Day 2 – (Phu Thap Boek) Campsite > (Khao Kho) Pino Latte > Wat Prasat Phasornkaew > B.N Farm and The Front > Akirynya Resort > Boranniyom Khao Kho Restaurant

Cloud Carpet and Sunrise

The main highlight of Khao Kho trip is none other than the sea of clouds. We woke up at 5am to wait for the promising view of cloud carpet which we previously saw on social media.

We expected this (Photo credit: Bangkok Best Travel)

Sometimes called sea of clouds or cloud carpet, this surreal view is actually fog formed during the winter when moist, warm air makes contact with the cooler surface air. Water vapor condenses to create fog and the mountains prevent the dense air from escaping. As the sun rise in the morning, the temperature rises, and the fog slowly dissipate.

But we ended up with this

In the month of November when we went, the fog isn’t as thick as we expected, so maybe we were just unlucky.

Tip: Sunrise in Khao Kho is 5.30am (GMT +7) local time, so be out of your tent before that.


More on
   ➢ Effortless Camping At Phu Thap Boek : Catching The Sunrise Amidst The Sea Of Clouds


Pino Latte for Breakfast (alternative for sunrise)

Our next destination is none other than the number one café (also a hotel) in town, perched at a cliff with a fantastic panoramic view of the "Thai Alps" with Wat Phra That Pha Sorn Kaew in the background. This is the perfect alternative spot to catch the sea of clouds, if driving one hour to Phu Thap Boek is too far for you.

Pino Latte

They are plenty of outdoor seating where you can feast your eyes with the mountain view, but the best one is none other than the one perched at the cliff, at the left side of the café compound. You certainly won’t miss this as there is a big Pino Latte signed right in front of it, with wooden high stool and table facing the valley. 

Best seating

Even when we didn’t see any sea of clouds at the time of our visit (late morning), the entire place is full of insta-worthy photo spots for feed your social media. 

Act cool

Entrance: Free

Food: Pino Latte from 80 Baht (RM 10 / SGD 3.40), breakfast set from 230 Baht (RM 29 / SGD 9.60)
Accommodation: From 6000 baht (RM 760 / SGD 253), but do keep a look of their promotional rates via Agoda and Booking.com

More on:
   ➢Pino Latte Resort & Cafe: More Than Just A Café


Wat Prathat Phasornkaew (Temple on Glass Cliff)

View of the temple from Pino Latte

A visit to Pino Latte is not complete without a complementary visit to this temple, and the same is true vice versa. Located less than 5 minutes away from each other, Wat Prathat Phasornkaew, meaning temple on glass cliff in Thai, is a Buddhist monastery built 830m atop the hill. Listed as one of the most unique temple in Thailand, the temple is likened as an Antoni Gaudi-inspired architecture as the main pagoda and surrounding buildings are adorned with over 5 million pieces of colourful mosaic tiles.

Wat Prathat Phasornkaew

Beautifully decorated

5 all-white sitting Buddha statues at ascending heights lined up at the other side of the temple, resulting in astonishing view from every angle you look at it. Photographers and photo enthusiasts will especially have fun trying to capture a shot of the temple at every different angle.

5 ascending Buddha statue sitting in a row

Cost: Entrance is fee. Nearby private carpark for 30 Baht (RM 3.80 / SGD 1.30) per entry

Tip: Visitors are required to cover their shoulders and knees to enter the temple. Sarongs are available for loan at the entrance.

More on:
   ➢Wat Phra That Pha Sorn Kaew : Colourful, Mosaic Temple On The Glass Cliff


B.N. Farm and The Front

We had some time before checking in to our hotel and before my conference call began (damn you work!), so we made a short trip to B.N Farm and The Front, B.N. Farm for fruits and ice cream and The Front for its flower fields.

Homemade ice cream at B.N. Farm

The two locations are by the same owner but located opposite each other along the road. We first dropped by B.N. Farm which is famous for its instagrammable bamboo entrance and homemade ice cream. I was hoping to also see some strawberry farms but a stroll around the garden only resulted in disappointment. There were no strawberries in sight, so maybe they don’t have it there? We then head over to The Front. Located at the road side, you will a beautiful café and large cosmos flower field located behind it.

Flower field at The Front

B.N. Farm : Entrance is fee. Ice cream selling for 45 Baht (RM 5.70 / SGD 1.90) per scoop
The Front : Entrance to the flower field is 30 Baht (RM 3.80 / SGD 1.30) per person, opens daily from 8.30am to 5pm.

Tip: Though Khao Kho is generally chilly in the morning, the afternoon sun could be scorching hot, so apply your sun block or bring an umbrella. Your skin will thank you!

More on:
   ➢B.N. Farm and The Front – Strolling Across the Cosmos Field For a Romantic Afternoon Date

Akirynya Resort – check in

After burning ourselves silly under the sun we head to Akirynya Resort for check-in at 2pm and prepared myself for a conference call.

View from Akirynya Resort

Cost: Nighly stay from 2500 Baht (RM 317 / SGD 105)

More on:

   ➢ Akirynya Resort : Budget-Friendly Resort With An "Atas" View

Other suggested activities:

Unfortunately, the conference call took the whole afternoon. Although we didn’t go anyway, I recommend the following activities:

Bang Rachan Islet : For only 200 Baht per boat (max 4 persons), take a two-hour boat ride at the Bang Rachan Islet down the Khek River. As you float along the river, look out for fishes, butterflies and rare freshwater jellyfish which can be seen only in 4 other countries than Thailand. The jellyfish however is best sighted in the summer, from March to May.

Photo credit: Tripcanvas

Kanchanapisek Pagoda : History buff may wish to pay a visit to this pagoda built to pay homage to the martyrs who fought against the communist rebels. Built in the year 2000, the pagoda is 69feet high, marking the 69th birth anniversary of his majesty the King. The pagoda houses relics collected from all three eras of Sukhothai, Ayuthaya  and Ratanakosin. Entrance is free.

Itih Military Base : If your kids are big fan of weapons or museum, you may bring them to the Itih Military Base, a war museum which in the past used to be a military base during the 1981 war against the communist. Weapons of several kinds are presented there such as fighter planes, cannons, infantry fighting vehicle, remainder of tank, tractor, and bunker. The view was also said to be pretty amazing up there. The entrance fee is only 10 Baht.

Photo credit: Dreamstime

Sri Dit Waterfall : If mobility is an issue (with elderly and young children) but you would still love to see waterfall, Sri Dit Waterfall is where you should head to. Only 600m from the car park is a single-level waterfall with streams flowing through the cliff and rock layers, looking like curtains of waterfall. There is a large basin on the ground level where visitors can play in the water. Opened daily from 8am to 5pm with an entrance fee of only 50 Baht for adult and 10 Baht for children, you can easily come here for a picnic.

Cafehopping : The Thais love café as much as we do and there is no shortage of instagrammable cafes in town. Check out Jolly Café, Takmoh Coffe, Le Bonheur, Moai, and Story Cup by Coffee Hill with each of them having their own theme to boast.

The Blue Sky Resort : Even if you are not staying in this resort, I would still suggest stepping into this picturesque place. Step into the garden compound and imagine yourself living in a fairytale. They also have a floral-decorated café where you can sit down and chill.

Blue Sky Resort

Khao Kho Wind Turbine Farm : Khao Kho Wind Turbine project is one of the many wind turbine projects in Thailand, aimed to supply clean energy using wind power. A tram (60 Baht per person) takes you all over the huge farm, where the 24 wind turbines are, and they have giant swing set for some added fun. Entrance is free.

Khao Kho Wind Farm

Tip: Plan your visit in the late evening where you can also catch the sun sets against the horizon afterwards, as I heard it was pretty surreal up there at that hour!

More on:
   ➢ Khao Kho Wind Farm - Romantic Wind Turbine Farm Atop The Hill

Boranniyom Khao Kho Restaurant

It was almost dinner time by the time my conference call ended, so we headed out for the boyfriend’s birthday dinner.

Boranniyom Khao Restaurant

Boranniyom Khao Kho Restaurant is a local thai restaurant which serves very good authentic thai cuisine at affordable price. I initially planned to take him to Gaggan in Bangkok if not for the change of plan, so I guess that will be a future plan shall we fly to Bangkok again.

What we ordered

Cost: 940 Baht (RM 119 / SGD 40) for tomyum seafood soup, fried pork belly, chilli prawn, and mushroom omelette.

More on:
   ➢ Best Eats In Khao Kho – Boranniyom Restaurant & Tanrak Talaymok


Day 3 – (Khao Kho) Akirynya Resort > The Blue Sky Resort > Wind Turbine > Tanrak Talaymok > (Bangkok) Big C Supermarket > Thonkrueng Restaurant > Suvarnabhurmi International Airport

The Blue Sky Resort

Blue Sky Resort

 Though we didn’t stay at The Blue Sky Resort, I managed to persuade the boyfriend to drop by to see what the fuss is this place about. We drove into the resort, parked our car, and started exploring the place as if we were one of the guest. The resort was huge and is built with a rural English countryside theme. There is even a huge garden in the resort which is a popular pre-wedding photoshoot location. Having dropped by and see the place for itself, we agreed this is the most instagrammable accommodation in town.

In front of an English-style cottage

To the garden

One of the section in the garden

More on:
   ➢ The Blue Sky Resort - A Step Into An European Fairytale Resort In The Heart of Khao Kho


Khao Kho Wind Turbine Farm

With some more time to squeeze in before we left Khao Kho, we dropped by Wind Turbine, which we missed on our second day. It’s conveniently on our way to the main road back to Bangkok. The turbines are located 1,050 meters above sea level with 24 wind turbines, so the drive up was a beautiful journey of its own. We didn’t take the tram as we aren’t sure how long the trip will take so we just walked around the area for some photos before heading back to Bangkok. After all, we weren’t sure if there will be any traffic and I certainly cannot afford to miss my flight to Munich that evening (business trip).

Khao Kho Wind Farm

Entrance fee: Free, opens daily from 5am to 6.30pm
Parking: 20 Baht (RM 2.50 / SGD 0.80) per entry
Tram: 60 Baht (RM 7.50 / SGD 2.50) per person

Tip: We read that they also have strawberry farms and cabbage farms in there, so do look out for opportunity to pluck some strawberries (at a fee of course!)

Brunch – Tanrak Talaymok

We had our last meal in Tanrak Talaymok, one of the popular restaurant in town. Food were great although we preferred Boranniyom but the view here is a gem. Perched at a cliff, the restaurant offers picture-perfect view of the mountains. It is no surprise that the place is named Tanrak Talaymok as talay means sea and mok means cloud in Thai.

Photo credit: Tripcanvas

We reckon a visit here during sunset or sunrise would be pretty amazing given the vantage point advantage it possesses. They also have a flower garden which is equally as beautiful as the ones at Pino Latte, so go ahead and pose for your Instagram feed.

Cost: Entrance fee is 330 Baht (RM 42 / SGD 14) for a plate stir-fry pork with rice, a plate of fried calamari and a glass of drink.

More on:
   ➢ Best Eats In Khao Kho – Boranniyom Restaurant & Tanrak Talaymok

Thonkrueng Restaurant

We reached Bangkok around 4pm, so we dropped by Big C supermarket for some last-minute shopping for snacks before driving to Thonkrueng Restaurant for dinner.

Thonkrueng Restaurant in Bangkok

We were interested to try this place as we read that they use recipes inherited from an ancestor who was in the Royal kitchen in the King’s Palace. A royal cuisine for the birthday boy? Of course, I couldn’t resist. They are over 200 items on the menu, but we went for their top selling dish. Food were pretty average in my opinion and nothing to shout about, except the following:

Hor Mok Khanom Krok – fish curry pudding baked and served in a ceramic Khanom Krok pan (top left)
Ice Cream Kah Thi Khao Neeo Mamuang - coconut ice cream served with sticky rice with mango (top right)

After dinner, the boyfriend dropped me at the airport to catch my flight before returning his car downtown, checked in to his hotel and continued his solo wander in Bangkok for the next two days.

Cost: 900 Baht (RM 114 / SGD 38) for a fish curry pudding, signature fried chicken, stir-fry kangkung, ice cream with sticky mango rice, a slice of cake and drinks. 


Suggestion: Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park / Phu Lom Lo

If you aren’t rushing to the airport like I do, I would suggest leaving Khao Kho only after lunch (but that means reaching Bangkok at night), so you can see more of the Khao Kho. The Wind Turbine in my opinion certainly deserves more attention, but I would recommend putting that in the evening of the second day, leaving your third day morning slot empty for a trip to Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park and Phu Lom Lo, the cherry blossom heaven of Thailand.

Photo credit: อ้ายกึ่มมักเล๊าะ

I didn’t plan my trip here as it was November and the chery blossom has yet to bloom. For more info, check out this lovely blog which has written down the detail on how to get there and the beautiful photos which have been included! Technically, it’s located in Loei (bordering Petchabun, Loei and Phitsanulok) instead of Petchabun, 2 hours further north of Khao Kho, but if you have time, I don’t see why you should give this “sakura” a miss.

Tip: If you come in the wrong season, you can still consider doing an easy hike in Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park which has many great viewpoints and unique granite rock formations.

Estimated cost: 500 Baht (RM 63 / SGD 21) per entry for tourist


Cost breakdown (for 2 pax)

Exchange rate (as at Nov 2018):

SGD1 : THB23.81  | RM1 : THB7.88 | SGD1 : RM3.02

Camping fee (1N)       ➢THB 900 / RM 114 / SGD 38

Accommodation (1N) ➢THB 2500 / RM 317 / SGD 105

Meals (3D2N)             ➢THB 4464 / RM 592 / SGD 196

Car rental (3D)            ➢RM 325 / SGD 108

Car petrol (3D)            ➢THB 1960 / RM 249 / SGD 82

Toll and parking          ➢THB 285/ RM 36 / SGD 12

Simcard                       ➢SGD 5 / RM 15

Total excluding flight and shopping:

For 2 persons                     ➢RM 1,648 / SGD 546

For 1 person ➢RM 824 / SGD 273

Flight (KL – BKK – KL return ticket) per pax ➢ RM 290 / SGD 96

Flight (SG – BKK – SG return ticket) per pax  ➢ SGD 120/ RM360

Our entire trip costs less than RM850 (that’s equivalent to SGD285) excludes flight, as it really depends on where you are flying from. Besides that, we saved a lot since we rented a car and drove on our own instead of chartering a car with professional driver (around RM1400/SGD467 for 3D2N or RM2300/SGD770 for 5D4N) therefore saving us more than RM1000/SGD300 on transport itself. Besides that, we also spent one of the night camping which only costs RM114/SGD38 for 2 persons. If you bring your own tent, you only needed to pay a camping fee of 50 Baht (RM6/SGD2) per person which is even cheaper!

Happy face because we spent so little

Epilogue

Our 3D2N trip only scratched the surface of what Khao Kho has to offer. If you have time to spare and a nature lover, you may extend your trip to 4N3N or 5D4N for more stargazing and higher chance of sighting thick sea of clouds, as well as cherry blossom sighting at Phu Lom Lo.

Where's the "cotton candy"?

I wasn’t sure if it was just luck wasn’t on our side or that we were too early in the season (after all we went in mid-November), but photos don’t lie. If the local Thai people can get the view of thick fluffy sea fog, so can you. Maybe there’s better luck in December and January, and you might be in time for the cherry blossom as well! *wink*

Love you all for reading

Have fun planning, and I wish you get to see this place before it turned into a mainstream tourist destination. However, the upside to that is that there may be international flight to get there, so you may steal a great deal?