Khao Kho Wind Farm - Romantic Wind Turbine Farm Atop The Hill

The first time I ever heard or seen a Windmills Farm was through a Hong Kong drama called “Ups and Downs in The Sea of Love”. A scene in the drama took place in Palm Springs Windmill Farms in the city of Los Angeles, where thousands of wind turbines line the valley. It was an eye-opening scene for a school girl who has never been out of Malaysia, and needless to say, I was awed. Knowing how far and expensive a trip to the US would be, I never thought I would be able to see a Windmill Farm any time soon. That is… until I get to know about Khao Kho Wind Farm.

Khao Kho Wind Farm

Located 1050m above sea level, Khao Kho Wind Turbine project is one of the many wind turbine projects in Thailand, aimed to supply clean energy using wind power. The power station has 24 wind turbines which can supply 140 million units of power, or about 20 percent of the total demand, to the province. Made by General Electric, this project was commissioned in 2016, with each turbine generating 2.5Mw power.

Khao Kho Wind Farm

Besides to supply electricity to the people using wind power, the other objectives of the project are to develop and promote clean energy use, to reduce cost of electricity management in the government sector, and to provide opportunity for the private sector to participate in the development of the country’s energy system.

Wind turbine

The Wind Farm is a great spot to capture Insta-worthy photo. Right at the entrance, there are several spots where one can take photo with the wind turbine in the background. Visitor can choose to either walk around the area for free, or take a tram for 60 Baht. Besides that, there’s also a man-powered Ferris wheel, a garden, and wooden swings. 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!)

We were supposed to drop by on our second day of our trip, after my conference call. Unfortunately, my call was delayed and by the time I was done, it was already dusk. Knowing it was too late for a visit, we skipped and headed straight for dinner. The next day, with some more time to squeeze in before we left, we dropped by Khao Kho Wind Turbine on our way to the main road back to Bangkok. As the place is located atop the hill, the drive up was a beautiful journey of its own.

You can actually see this on the way up

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). But if you have time to spare, I would definitely recommend taking the tram and spend at least a total of 2 hours here.

We didn't enter the Wind Farm, just took photo here at the viewing platform

Costs

Entrance: Free

Parking: 20 Baht (RM 2.50 / SGD 0.80) per entry

Tram: 60 Baht (RM 7.50 / SGD 2.50) per person

Best Time To Visit

With many places in town offering splendid view of the sea of clouds in the morning, I would recommend keeping Khao Kho Wind Farm for the evening. Many have visited before sunset, and I reckon the golden sunset will add on to the picturesque view. Coming here a couple of hours before sunset would give you the best of two worlds – photo in broad daylight and photo with the golden sunset background.

It would have been great to visit around sunset

How To Get There

Khao Kho Wind Farm is located in Khao Kho, a district in Phetchabun Province, about 6-hour drive from Bangkok or 2-hour drive from Phitsanulok. We rented a car from Bangkok and drove to Khao Kho, however you can also take a car charter, a public bus or fly to Phitsanulok and rent a car there.

For more info on how to get to Khao Kho, and what to do there, check out:

>>> 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

Took this shot from the trees near the car park

Once you are in Khao Kho, everywhere is reachable within an hour away. Khao Kho Wind Farm is located just 30-min drive away from Wat Phra That Pha Sorn Kaew and Pino Latte, and 15 minutes from Kanchanapisek Pagoda and Tanrak Talaymok. If you are travelling from Phu Thap Boek, you will need to drive one hour and 30 min to reach here.

Address: Thung Samo, Khao Kho District, Phetchabun 67280 Thailand

Opening hours: Daily, from 5am to 6.30pm

Epilogue

Although Khao Kho Wind Farm is at a much smaller scale than LA’s Palm Spring, it is still a beautiful place of its own that is worth a visit if you are in Khao Kho or Phetchabun. Lies atop the hill, it promises astonishing view of the surrounding mountains. It was unfortunate that I didn’t stay longer. It would have been so much fun to get on the tram ride and explore the area.

Thanks for reading :)