Phu Langka National Park sprawls about 50sq km across both Buengkan and Nakon Phanom Provinces. It’s caves, waterfalls, cliffs, reservoirs and outcrops are home to an abundance of wildlife, with temples and pagodas sprinkled around the base and hidden within the mountain.
Lucky for us, there are also plenty of meandering trails just waiting to be explored!
This whole park is pretty well taken care of by monks, and, in combination with a generally low number of overnight visitors, it is a very clean area. There are rubbish bins along the trails, they aren’t overflowing, and they are usually small and discreet. In recent years many of the trails have become very well marked although it is still possible to venture off into unknown corners!
Thai’s dont mess around when it comes to climbing mountains, and while there are a variety of ways to get up Phu Langka, you are always going to be faced with a very steep set of stairs. Once you get beyond the stairs the trails even out and slope a little more gently during your explorations around the park.
Whether we go with volunteers or on our own, the Mundo crew enjoys spending the night on top of the mountain near the large pagoda. It is usually a bit windy but it’s a welcome relief from the heat, and you are at the perfect vantage point to see both the sunrise and sunset.
We camped on Phu Langka earlier last month for Joan’s birthday. The first day we spent a lot of our energy hiking to the pagoda and setting up camp, but we did manage to find a path that took us down a bit along the ridgeline and back up to the peak of another mountain nearby. Stunning views, not too hot, surprise caves along the way….it was a great day!
After a long day of hiking around and exploring new trails, it’s always nice to come back to your temporary home sweet home and a fire to boil water for coffee and dinner!
We woke up early the next morning to catch the sunrise, despite the haze it was still quite beautiful!
Before packing up and making our way back home, we decided to start the day off with a little bit of exploring. We followed meditation paths, lakes, and caves to an unmarked (and at first glance unrearkable) path. This trail ended up leading us over boulders, deep into a forest, and through butterflies!
We can certainly find this path again, but we’ll never tell! It’s a secret location, you will have to come join us in Buengkan to find out where and experience it for yourself. 🙂
