Phu Hang Nak: A Natural Heritage in Suphan Buri Province
Visit “Phu Hang Nak” Wild Stone Garden in Suphan Buri province and learn how local people conserve and live peacefully with nature while turning it into an eco-friendly tourist attraction which brings a community sustainable incomes.
Phu Hang Nak, a valuable natural heritage of Suphan Buri province, is an ecotourism site that will take you through a garden full of bizarre-looking stones, evoking endless imaginations. We have done some research and surprisingly found a number of interesting facts about this place. We were excited to visit this large natural classroom and explore a mystery of an ancient city of U Thong.
Lying on the west side of Suphan Buri province is a mountain range of Khao Tham Thiam which is where Phu Hang Nak is located. A rush greenery as far as the eye can see is an evidence of how luxuriant a forest here is. Just a few years ago that people have started to hear about Phu Hang Nak and they are amazed by the unusual shapes of the stones. Looking closely at wavy marks and streaks on each stone, it seems like an imaginary artist has left his paintbrush lines on it. While, in fact, these lines are naturally occurred through the process of squeezing and pushing of the earth, resulting in bent and curved rock formations with tree-bark lines. This kind of natural phenomenon takes millions of years; therefore, it is awe-inspiring to witness these wonders.
Phu Hang Nak Wild Stone Garden is currently under the supervision of Phu Muang National Park. With the cooperation between local people and the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization) or DASTA (U Thong office), the area of Phu Hang Nak has been developed to become a geological tourist attraction with 3 nature trails.
Nature trail 1: an approximately 1-kilometer round trip (most popular among visitors).
Nature trail 2 and 3: a 5-kilometer round trip (visitors who take these trails are recommended to be physically-prepared).
While walking through the nature trail, it was really important to ensure that our eyes and feet were working correspondingly. We curiously explored what we saw in front of us while listening to a local guide. Yet, at the same time, we had to be careful in every step we took or we might have stepped on to flat-backed millipedes moving around the area. In some moments, we found ourselves clumsily walking and jumping as we tried to avoid these millipedes while balancing ourselves not to slip on clumps of green moss on the ground. Not only did we get to enjoy the beauty of wild plants, we also learned about geology, rock strata, local herbs, and rare plant species. Other than that, we climbed up to a viewpoint to take some rest and appreciate the wonderful scenery.
We were also told that this area was used to be an ancient religious place which was built by stacking the stones over one another. Archeologists call this man-made construction "Hin Tang" or "standing stones". It was a common tradition of prehistoric humans in the southeast Suvarnabhumi region to mark sacred areas.
Nowadays, the locals are insisting that they will continue to be travel guides taking visitors to see the wonders of this stone garden. They are hoping that, by doing this, a lot more people will realize the importance of natural resources and cherish them instead of destroying them. Ever since Phu Hang Nak Wild Stone Garden has become part of the ecotourism, it has raised awareness for people in the community to protect the garden from bad people who are trying to take advantage of them and the site. The unity of the local people is the reason why the garden and the surrounding forests are still as beautiful and abundant as they’ve always been.
For visitors like us, Phu Hang Nak Wild Stone Garden is such a spectacular sight to behold. But for the community members, this place is full of beauty and faith. That faith is leading to a mutual cooperation among the locals to protect and preserve this precious natural heritage and make it to become one of the most well-managed tourist attractions.
Contact Details
For those who are interested, you can contact 082 584 3969 (P’ Aoy) and 089 948 301-8 (Phu Muang National Park) for more details about the activities and nature trails.
Source:
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