Namnong Hot Spa, offering hot and cold pools, lounge chairs and a shower. We share our baths with a handful of friendly Thai ladies bathing in sarongs and plastic shower caps. It’s not comparable with the luxurious spa therapies elsewhere in the world, but it’s an authentic experience and worth exploring for the vigorous Thai massage alone. The spa opens from 10.30am to 7.30pm, and costs less than £1. Play: There are two relatively easy walks up to the 1,500-metre waterfall that crashes down the mountainside in the Ngao Waterfall National Park, but the humidity means that all but the fittest hikers will work up a sweat. Although we only see butterflies and birds on our visit, our guide says that monkeys and even elephants live here. This is a protected area, and while you do need a guide to enter,


there is no extra charge for this service, and it doesn’t need to be arranged in advance. Entrance fee, just under £5. It’s a little-known fact that


you can stay overnight in all of Thailand’s 127 national parks, and adventurous types can even camp in treehouses. These can be booked online for £18 per night.


w BEACH LIFE AND SNORKELLING Pause: Vast stretches of soft, white sand slink into the distance both in and around Chumphon, proof that you don’t need to go to Thailand’s more famous – and overcrowded – islands for downtime on the beach. We don’t see a single other


western tourist, though at weekends, the seafood shacks that line the shores become crowded with local families. Krua Junjira is one of the best, and we feast on stir-fried shrimp, seabass


48 travelweekly.co.uk 2 August 2018


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