The entrance to this natural spectacle is about a three-minute drive from Dolphin Bay. The park is almost 100 square kilometers in size and contains ten distinctive habitat zones. It is home to some of the most unspoiled beaches, caves and the largest wetland preserve in Thailand. What is most noticeable about the place, however, is the craggy limestone hills that surround it, rising as high as 605 meters. The name of the park means “mountain with three hundred peaks.”

The park is best known for its fauna. There are over three hundred species of birds that have been observed there, many of which migrate from Siberia, China and Northern Europe. Among these are the white bellied sea, spotted and imperial eagles, as well as the purple heron. As to mammals, with a little effort one can see the slow loris, the Malayan porcupine, leopards, crabeating macaques, goat-antelopes (serow) and barking deer.

There are some fabulous caves at the park. The most famous of these is Phraya Nakhon, home to the Kuha Karuhas Pavilion, built for King Chulalongkorn in 1896. The pavilion sits in the floor of the cave adjacent to a massive sink hole, so it is both bathed by sunlight and offset by the limestone formations around it. There are deep tunnels and chambers at Kaeo Cave. The walls of some of the cave are coated with calcite, which shimmers like diamonds when lighted. Sai Cave is a single cavern with numerous calcified formations, some referred to by guides as “waterfalls.”

There are numerous trails that lead to every imaginable part of the park. A popular activity is a boat cruise along the Khao Daeng Canal, which passes through wetlands and mangrove swamps and gives the visitor a remarkable picture of bird and fish life in the park. There are several white-sand virgin beaches at the park, such as Laem Sala and Sam Phraya. One can rent boats and visit the limestone islands such as Kho Ram, Nom Sao and Rawing, right off the coast.