Pretty in pink
At this time of year only, the beautiful wild flowers of Chaiyaphum are in full bloom
Chaiyaphum’s famous wild flowers are in full bloom. Thick mist covers the forest. At a 20m distance, I can see only the faint shape of trees scattered in the green field. I wait for a long time until a morning breeze softly blows and sweeps away the mist, revealing the wild flowers that blossom over high grass. Their pink colour stands out from the lush green background. The mist lingers above, adding a dreamlike atmosphere and makes visitors shout in full delight.
The sound of pleasure makes me look around. I find myself among the crowd that densely packs the narrow walkway in Pa Hin Ngam National Park to admire krajiao flowers ( Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb.) and bua sawan ( Curcuma alismatifolia) that are in full bloom one time in the year.
Monsoon season in Thailand has begun. Rainfall wakes the wild flowers up from a long sleep through dry season to grow and blossom, normally from July to August. Their blooming definitely attracts a number of visitors to Chaiyaphum province, particularly during the long holiday period.
On the elevated walkway that runs through flower field, I find myself in a long line among thousands of holidaymakers. I carefully squeeze through groups of visitors who are happily taking pictures to find a less crowded corner. It is quite difficult to find a peaceful place during such a time. Usually, it is not this crowded. On weekdays, you can roam the place alone. Easy access and various facilities attract a lot of visitors to Pa Hin Ngam National Park. The park can be reached by car. From the parking area, you can find a number of local restaurants and outlets providing food and souvenirs. The camping ground is steps away. Well paved roads lead to the flower fields — all you have to do is follow the crowd to the field and enjoy it. If you find walking a few kilometres uphill is a big task, a shuttle service by truck and tram is available at 30 baht per adult and 20 baht per child for a round-trip.
The park has limited parking space, which cannot cope with thousands of cars during weekends and long holidays. Anyway, there are privately-owned parking spaces available on the way to the park.
Some tourists prefer Sai Thong National Park, which features more fields of bua sawan flowers but with fewer visitors.
“We want to limit the number of visitors. So, we leave some parts of the road to the flower fields unfinished,” Woraphol Deeprasai, the chief of Sai Thong National Park reasons.
From the park’s headquarters, the flower fields can be accessed via a 9km-long, well-paved road. However, one missing link is a bridge to cross a kneedeep stream. All motorists are required to drive through it. But this is not a big problem for those travelling with pickup trucks.
At the road end is a parking space. From there, visitors have to trek for 2km to the flower fields. They can slowly stroll along the cliff-side trail to enjoy scenery, or make a detour to visit the field of krajiao khao ( Curcuma Parviflora Wall.) in glorious white. In total, you have to walk 4-5km for the flowers. Bua sawan here flowers two weeks after Pa Hin Ngam National Park. This August it will be in full bloom. There is over a month to go if you plan a trip to enjoy the flowers in Chiayaphum. But it will be better to avoid the long holiday period when the parks are overcrowded.