Take Me To… is an ongoing series of travel recommendations provided by the experts – Peace Corps Thailand volunteers who have been there! If you’ve traveled to or live somewhere interesting in Thailand, submit your recommendations to us at pctm.stickyrice@gmail.com.
Teresa Derr, 134 YinD
Over the Makha Bucha holiday weekend (Feb. 24), my host sisters and I hiked one of the most well-known (at least among locals) mountains in Thailand, Phu Kradueng in Loei province. This vaguely heart-shaped mesa was an extremely fun trip, one I’d definitely recommend to people wanting a bit of easy camping, but also something challenging enough to make you feel accomplished afterwards.
The very first thing we saw after exiting the visitor center was a sign that seemed a very appropriate greeting for me! “Hey, [Peace Corps] Volunteer, your trail starts that way!” Of course, it was referring to a volunteer program that takes place regularly, but it still felt like an appropriate greeting for me!
Day 1: Summiting
While Thailand does have some mountains (most famous, of course, being the ones around Chiang Mai), they aren’t necessarily what I, who grew up nestled between the Cascades and Olympic Mountain ranges where jagged peaks topped in snow were visible on the horizon in most directions all year round, would call large. Still, while Phu Kradueng might not be the highest of mountains, the trip up to the flat top is no joke! Almost 1000 meters in elevation gain over a measly 5 kilometers meant that we were walking what felt like straight up for almost the entire first day. There were built-in stairs, platforms criss-crossing the mountain to ease the burden at some of the steeper parts, and, in one exceptionally noticeable place, a “staircase” so steep everyone climbed it like a ladder. The time required to trek up to the top (while giving yourself chances to take breaks) means that the park doesn’t allow people to start their trip up past 1pm, so if you go, plan accordingly!
If you feel like such a steep trip is a bit much while also lugging all your material goods needed for camping, never fear! There are people you can pay to carry bags up the mountain. It costs 35B/kilo, but these people were incredible. Men lugging 80kilos, women with 45 kilos, there were even a few children practicing with 12 kilos hanging from their sticks. I measured my bag, when I got home, just to see. I barely had 4 kilos of stuff. I can’t even imagine the strength these people have!
After our long day of hiking, we were rewarded when we got to the campsite. There were probably a couple of hundred other people at the top with us, and the park made sure we all had everything needed for a comfortable stay. Heated showers, Moo Grata restaurants (which is the tastiest dish in Isaan), preset tents with pads, pillows, and blankets – if you can make it up the mountain, the glamping is worth it. Of course, everything costs about three times as much as it does at the base of the mountain because the restaurants have to pay the porters to haul all of the ice, food, drinks, and literally everything else up those incredibly steep trails. That definitely deserves the price increase, in my mind!
Day 2: 20km Loop
There are lots of fun things to see at the top of the mountain, so my sisters and I spent two nights on the mountain to leave us with a full day to go exploring. The first thing we did was wake up early – about 5am – to walk the short kilometer (in the dark) to Nok Aen Cliff and watch the sunrise. Maybe if you’re there during the beginning of the cold or rainy season there will be less smog so you can actually see the sunrise. Our morning was a fog-covered, unimpressive gradual lightening of the sky until the sun got high enough over the clouds to show its orange face.
More fun was had wandering around the 20km loop after breakfast. The attraction of Phu Kradueng is its waterfalls and cliffs, and I could see why! Though there was no water in the waterfalls (due to it not being anywhere near rainy season), I could see enough of the rocky cliffs to picture water tumbling over them. The smog also obscured some of the view from the cliffs, but what was there was still breathtaking! The walk was a lovely, flat trek, easy enough even for those who aren’t used to walking that much (a stark difference from the steep elevation gain of the hike up!). There were even (similar to the hike up) stations every couple of kilometers with water, fresh fruit, snacks, and lunches… We carried a pack of water but it was very light because we could buy what we needed! Expensive, but handy.
Day 3: Returning Home
Of course, before we went home, we had to check out the souvenir shop. Anything people might possibly want to memorialize their time at the top of the mountain, we could find it! Key chains, stickers, bags, magnets, and all manner of classic souvenirs. But the most unique/fun one is the ability to send a postcard – to yourself, to a friend – it’s a fun way to record your presence at the top of Phu Kradueng!
After that, the last day went very quickly. We were wanting to get home in time to go to bed at a reasonable hour so that we could be as well rested as possible for teaching the next day. We got up at 6am (practically sleeping in after the sunrise hike) and got packed up to be on the trail home by 8am. Descending was a lot easier than climbing up, of course. We practically flew (or maybe fell) down the mountain as gravity drew us home. What had been a 7-hr. trip up was a 3-hr. trip down, which left us with plenty of time to drive home. Just like the summit had showers, I discovered that the base of the mountain did too, so we didn’t have to make the long drive all sweaty! We rinsed the sweat off, changed into comfy clothes, and rode home in style. Go us!
All in all, well worth the trip for anyone wanting to check it out. There weren’t even any leeches, like there are during the rainy season!
Sticky Rice 
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