Culture of Ban Khlong Muang. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Muang is a relatively small beach resort, which does not have many historical landmarks. Those who love excursions usually go on sightseeing trips around the island of Krabi. It’s easy to get to remarkable tourist attractions from the resort. One of the main values of the region is Buddhist sites, which are visited not only by curious tourists, but also by pilgrims every year.

The Tiger Cave Temple is one of the famous attractions. The ancient cave temple is never empty. There are lots of visitors even on the days when no Buddhist holidays are held here. The temple was founded in a small cave, but now it is a large complex with a monastery, meditation centre, and a few other buildings.

Architecturally, the temple is of great interest. Many valuable relics are preserved here. A few years ago, a small hotel was opened for tourists on its territory. Everyone can stay here for a few days and do meditation courses. The temple is surrounded by a vast area with a garden, where souvenir shops work. There are also several great observation platforms. To get to the main viewpoint, you need to climb a staircase of 1,237 steps. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Near Muang, there are lots of interesting natural sites. Shell Fossil Beach is one of such places. It is a unique rock formation that appeared over 75 million years ago. The surface of the rock is covered with a layer of shells; there are only a few formations of such kind in the world. You can see the petrified shells of prehistoric molluscs on the rock, which is of great interest from a research point of view. No special measures are currently being taken to preserve the natural site. The rock is gradually going underwater, and researchers can’t predict how many more years it will exist. The rock is located in a picturesque natural area, and there are several hiking trails nearby. There is also a souvenir shop where you can buy interesting shell crafts.

One of the favourite places of those who love nature is the picturesque Khao Pra Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary Park. Its main feature is a beautiful lake filled with rich azure water. The bottom of the lake has special mineral deposits which give the water this fantastic shade. Apart from the beautiful lake, the park is notable for the variety of rare plants and inhabitants. You can take an excursion and admire exotic flowers, see rare insects, and watch birds.

In the vicinity of Muang, there are several first-class thermal centres, which will also be nice to visit during your holidays. The Saline Hot Spring Khlong Thom complex is one of the largest ones. It offers visitors swimming pools, recreation areas, as well as massage services. The complex is remarkable because it is located on the territory of a beautiful park, so it is surrounded by exotic plants. Until recently, it was possible to use the services of the thermal centre for free, but now you need to pay a small amount to enter it.

The Khao Phanom Bencha park, declared a national reserve in 1979, is located in a beautiful hilly area. These areas are considered valuable due to the variety of rare plants and animals, as well as unusual geological formations. During the tour around the park, you can admire beautiful cliffs, peek into hidden caves, and see the waterfalls located in remote corners of the park. Many tourists’ favourite activity is climbing to the top of the mountain, which is 1,397 metres high and has the most attractive observation deck at the top.

Visitors to Muang can go on interesting excursions to nearby farms raising commercial fish species. For example, one of the farms breeds catfish. There are artificial ponds for fish with conditions close to natural ones. Visitors are allowed to walk around the farm, and there are informative excursions organized for them, during which they can feed the fish and even touch them. The main visitors to such farms are tourists with children; there are beaches and a lot of interesting entertainments prepared for them. Muang will be a great holiday destination for those who want to combine sightseeing activities with walks around natural sites.