Phukhao Ya (Grass Hill)

Phukhao Ya is a run of grass-covered hills beside Highway 4, about 12-14 km south of Ranong town in Ngao subdistrict. It’s free to visit, open daily roughly 08:00-18:00, and the site is also known as Khao Hua Lan — both names describe the same treeless, grassy terrain rather than two separate summits.

The hills are the attraction: three to four grassy rises run continuously north to south, visible from the highway as a distinctive bald green (or brown) stretch among the forested hills around them. There’s no tree cover at all on the slopes, just open grassland, which is unusual enough in this part of southern Thailand to have earned the site its “bald mountain” nickname. A walking trail climbs from the roadside to the ridge, where the open ground gives a 360-degree view over the surrounding jungle and, on a clear day, out toward the coast and the Kraburi River valley.

Insider Tip: Time the visit to the season, not just the weather. In rainy season (May-October) the grass turns a deep, photogenic green, sometimes with morning mist settling in the valleys below. By dry season (November-April) the same slopes have dried to a golden-brown — still worth seeing, but a completely different look, so check which version you actually want before planning around it.

Watch out: There’s no shade once you’re on the open slopes, and no facilities at the top — no shop, no water point. Ranong’s heat builds fast in the middle of the day, so carry water and sun protection rather than relying on finding either on site.

There’s no public transport to the site, so a rented car or motorbike is the only practical way to reach the base before walking up. Combine the stop with Namtok Ngao, a roadside waterfall a few kilometres further along the same highway, for an easy half-day loop out of Ranong.