Thap Lan National Park Unit 11 Thai Samakkhi

Unit 11 Thai Samakkhi is a ranger substation of Thap Lan National Park, Thailand’s second-largest national park, but it’s better known by the name locals actually use for it: Pha Kep Tawan, a cliff-edge viewpoint and campground on the Korat Plateau. It sits in Thai Samakkhi subdistrict, Wang Nam Khiao district, and functions as a real destination in its own right rather than just an administrative post — this is where you go for a sunset over the plateau or a night under canvas.

The draw is the view: a rock outcrop looking west across forested hills, popular for sunset photography and, in the cool season, for the sea-of-mist effect that settles over the valley at dawn. A camping ground sits behind the viewpoint, with tent rental, a basic house-style room, and a small shop for supplies — enough to plan an overnight rather than a drive-by stop. Namtok Suan Hom, another Thap Lan waterfall, is about 3 km away, close enough to combine with a Pha Kep Tawan visit.

Insider Tip: Camping here means the sunset and sunrise views without a day-trip’s driving — arrive mid-afternoon, watch the sunset from the cliff, and you’re in position for the mist at first light without leaving before dawn.

Watch out: Thap Lan’s park fees were revised in 2026 — the roughly 200 THB foreign / 20 THB Thai figures here are what recent visitor reports describe, not an official published rate, so confirm current pricing with the ranger station before you arrive.

Unit 11 falls within Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) province, in Wang Nam Khiao district on the province’s southern edge toward Prachinburi. Reaching it means a private vehicle; there’s no public transport this far into the park, and the approach road off Highway 304 climbs into hill country that’s easy to underestimate on a motorbike after dark. Bring a torch, warm layers for a cool-season night, and drinking water — the on-site shop is basic. Outside camping trips, it also works as a half-day stop if you’re already driving the Wang Nam Khiao loop and want a viewpoint break.

Thap Lan is Thailand’s second-largest national park and part of the Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai UNESCO World Heritage forest complex, but Unit 11 sits at its western edge on the Korat Plateau rather than deep in the park’s core rainforest — the landscape here is drier, hillier, and more open than the dense lowland forest most visitors picture when they think of Thap Lan. That’s exactly why the cliff-edge view works: there’s a real horizon to look at, rather than tree canopy in every direction.