Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy

Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy — known locally as CRMA or “โรงเรียนนายร้อย จปร.” — is Thailand’s national military officer training college, and also, less obviously, a working tourist attraction with its own dedicated tourism office. It sits at the foot of Khao Cha-ngok in Nakhon Nayok, about 14 km from town and 130 km from Bangkok, spanning roughly 3,000 rai of campus, parade grounds, and forested hillside.

The academy opens its grounds to visitors daily from 8:30 AM to 4 PM. A military history museum (10 THB entry) displays uniforms, weapons, and artefacts tracing the institution’s role since King Chulalongkorn founded it in the late 19th century — walking the grounds themselves costs nothing. Beyond the museum, the tourism office runs a genuine activity menu built around the campus’s training infrastructure: hiking trails up Khao Cha-ngok, an 18-hole golf course, a 34-foot tower jump, rappelling, a confidence/obstacle course, kayaking on the campus lake, cycling routes, and a shooting range offering real firearms, laser guns, and paintball. None of this is staged for tourists — it’s the same terrain cadets train on, opened up on a booking basis when it’s not in active use.

Insider Tip: Book the adventure activities ahead of your visit by calling the tourism office directly (0 3739 3185) — they run around the cadets’ own training schedule, so turning up expecting a same-day tower jump or shooting session often means disappointment.

Watch out: You’ll be asked to surrender a passport, driving licence, or ID card at the entrance checkpoint before you’re allowed onto campus — standard procedure for any active Thai military base, not something to be alarmed by, but bring ID or you won’t get past the gate.

This isn’t a stand-alone day trip for most visitors — it works best combined with Nakhon Nayok’s cluster of nature attractions nearby, like Wang Takrai or Namtok Sarika, or with the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School, CRMA’s feeder school and a smaller free military museum in its own right. Public transport doesn’t reach the campus directly; come by car, motorbike, or arranged transfer from Nakhon Nayok town.