Rainy season, safety and preparation
May – Oct
Phachi River — Rises fast in the rains
Half a day to overnight
Weak
6 days ahead
When to go
this week
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Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day · light drizzle possible at times
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–14:00 Little rain
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–14:00 Little rain · light drizzle possible at times
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–12:00 Little rain
Rain at times — slippery roads, allow extra travel time
Thick morning fog with visibility under 1 km — use headlights and drive slowly
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–09:00 Little rain
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 14:00–19:00 Little rain · light drizzle possible at times
Thick morning fog with visibility under 1 km — use headlights and drive slowly
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Starry sky
How likely
Scored from cloud cover at every level and tonight’s moonlight — the darker the sky, the clearer the Milky Way · tap another night below for the next 7 nights
Kaeng Som Maeo
Kaeng Som Maeo, Ban Huai Muang, Tanao Si, Suan Phueng, Ratchaburi.
- Peacocks about, cool air
- Shade and swimming
- Evening light on the rocks
Arrive 16:00
- Rock slabs in the PhachiClear water over rocksMorning
- LawnPeacocks at dawnEarly morning
- Riverside campsiteTents by the streamEvening
Gallery
Photos from Wikimedia Commons and contributors · full credits inClassic page
Good to know here
Rises fast in the rains
Slippery
- Bring your own supplies; few shops and far from town
- Do not feed the peacocks
- The river rises fast in the rains — stay out after heavy rain
- Weak phone signal
Adults 0 THB · Time needed Half a day to overnight
Cool-season weekends
- Kids Good; shallow water, close supervision
- Seniors Good at the riverside picnic areas
- Wheelchair Not on the rocks
- Pets No rule found; mind the peacocks
- Shops at the upper car park
- Honey Scene Steak, The Scenery Vintage FarmSuan Phueng, about 25 km
- Take your rubbish home
- Camp in the marked area
- Do not feed the peacocks
- No fires outside permitted spots
- The Phachi rises fast in the rains; stay out after heavy rain
- Low, warm water in the hot season
- Remote, weak signal
Best months
Tap a month on the wheel to see weather, rain, haze and crowds from 10 years of records
Best time · Oct–Jan for clear, flowing water and cool air · early morning for peacocks
Watch out · Mar–May low, warm water · Aug–Sep high water
21°Jan
21°Feb
23°Mar
24°Apr
25°May
24°Jun
24°Jul
24°Aug
24°Sep
23°Oct
22°Nov
21°Dec
Oct by the records 23–29°C · avg rain 215 mm (26 rainy days) · clear 1 days · avg PM2.5 9
The story of this place
Kaeng Som Maeo is at Ban Huai Muang, Moo 3, Tanao Si, Suan Phueng, Ratchaburi, beside rural road Rb 6007 about 25 km from Suan Phueng town. It is a broad spread of rock slabs in the Phachi River, where clear water forms shallow pools. Most sources place it in the Queen Sirikit forest park or forest-plant study centre; no source confirms that it lies in Chaloem Phrakiat Thai Prachan National Park, and the origin of the name "Som Maeo" is unknown.
Read more 3 more paragraphs
The forest park was set up around 1992 to honour Queen Sirikit's 60th birthday, and the same year a book recorded the plants of the "Sirikit Forest Park, Central Region (Ratchaburi)". It has a nature trail and plant collections.
The Phachi is an important river of the Kaeng Krachan forests. In 2012 the nearby Chaloem Phrakiat Thai Prachan National Park was declared, and in 2021 the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex, including the Mae Nam Phachi Wildlife Sanctuary and Thai Prachan National Park, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Reviews from 2019 to 2025 say entry is no longer charged and that peacocks wander near the campsite in the morning. It remains a spot for wading, picnics and camping; the water is low and warm in the hot season, and the Phachi rises quickly after heavy rain.
- 1992Queen Sirikit forest park set up for her 60th birthday
- 25 Jan 2012Thai Prachan National Park declared nearby
- 2021Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex becomes World Heritage
- 2019–2023Reviews say entry is free
- 2025Still a camping and peacock-watching spot
Check-ins & visitor photos
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How to get there
Paved rural road, winding in places
Suan Phueng, Rt 3087, then Rb 6007 · Fuel
To Suan Phueng, then rent · Per operator
Rt 3087, then rural road Rb 6007 for about 20 km
Upper car park with food shops
Suan Phueng town
Weak
About 08:00–17:00 (sources differ)
around 25 km fromSuan Phueng town
Kaeng Som Maeo
0 THB
Stays near Kaeng Som Maeo
Approx. nightly price for 2 adults (next week) · final price depends on your dates
FAQ
Before you goKaeng Som Maeo
Answers travellers want before they go — a one-minute read
Where is Kaeng Som Maeo?
Ban Huai Muang, Tanao Si, Suan Phueng, about 25 km from town on Rb 6007, in the Queen Sirikit forest park
Is there an entry fee?
Reviews from 2019 and 2023 say it is free; an older listing says 20 THB
Can I swim?
Yes, in the shallow rock pools; avoid it after heavy rain
Can I camp?
Yes, there is a campsite, and peacocks often visit in the morning
Is it in a national park?
No source confirms it is in Chaloem Phrakiat Thai Prachan National Park; most describe it as the Queen Sirikit forest park
When is it best?
Late rainy to cool season, Oct–Jan
Ready to go to Kaeng Som Maeo?
Best day this week: Friday 23 Oct · Check in when you arrive to collect a stamp