The Princess Mother Memorial Park

The Princess Mother Memorial Park sits beside the Lang Suan River in Chumphon’s Lang Suan district, about 75 km south of Chumphon town, at the foot of a limestone hill locally called Khao Ngoen (Silver Mountain). It’s free to enter, open daily from roughly 08:00 to 17:00, and built as a royal memorial rather than a general botanical garden — one of ten identical parks constructed nationwide to mark Princess Srinagarindra’s 80th birthday, and formally opened by her daughter Princess Galyani Vadhana on King Bhumibol’s behalf.

The memorial statue of the Princess Mother sits at the park’s centre, close to the riverbank where the Lang Suan River runs along the park’s eastern edge. Behind it, a forest trail climbs Khao Ngoen through mixed native vegetation — wild rambutan (mafai pa), wild galangal, and several species of forest aroid line the path on both sides. The climb ends at two points of interest: a replica Buddha footprint shrine on the summit, and Tham Roi Khwai, a small cave whose name translates to “Buffalo Footprint Cave,” reached via a short side path. Neither is large, but the combination of riverside memorial garden and hillside forest walk gives the park more to do than a typical roadside park stop.

Insider Tip: Go in the early morning if you’re planning the hill walk — the trail has limited shade and the limestone gets warm fast once the sun is up, especially outside the cool season.

Watch out: There’s no public transport directly to the park, and Lang Suan district sees far fewer foreign visitors than Chumphon’s coastal attractions, so signage is mostly Thai-only. A car or motorbike, and ideally a Thai-reading map app, makes the visit considerably easier.

The park works best as a stop for travellers already routed through Lang Suan rather than a dedicated day trip from Chumphon town — pair it with Laem Son Temple or Khao Kriap Cave, both in the same district, if you’re spending time in this part of the province.

More of the province is on the Chumphon hub.