5 places to visit after completing a TEFL internship in Hua Hin
The one-week orientation program that kick starts our TEFL internship in Hua Hin could whisk you away from the nine-to-five and down to the palm-shrouded beaches of the Thai coast. After sessions learning the local lingo, unravelling the fascinating culture of ancient Siam, and getting to grips with the Thai school system, you’ll be able to explore some of the most amazing parts of the fabled Land of Smiles. Here are just some enticing spots that could be on the itinerary.
Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park
Thailand’s answer to Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay is a wondrous medley of great peaks, all gnarled like curled fingers over vast tracts of wetland and marshes. You’ll find it huddling around the coast of the Thai Gulf just south of Hua Hin, encircled by the boundaries of the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. Within, hidden treasures await in the Phraya Nakhon Cave, where a gold-glimmering shrine sits in a solitary beam of sunlight a short trek from the nearest ticket office. A duo of white-sand beaches also adds to the draws, while countless lookout points make for some excellent selfies with the craggy karst summits in the background.
Khao Hin Thoen Stone Park
You could choose to venture away from the body-packed beaches and into the foothills of the Tenasserim mountains when you’ve finished your TEFL internship in Hua Hin. Doing that might bring you to the curious Khao Hin Thoen Stone Park, which straddles the lower ridges to the west of the town. A few trekking routes wiggle up the slopes here, past bulbous boulders and towering stacks, all before opening onto rock-studded fields with views of the surrounding province and the glittering Gulf of Thailand.
Prachuap Khiri Khan
If you’re looking for a taste of authentic Thai coastal life, the little fishing village of Prachuap Khiri Khan can oblige. It’s quieter, smaller and way more off the beaten track than Hua Hin itself, sat some 90 kilometers south of the city between green karst mountains and wide, sandy bays. In the mornings, you’ll be able to watch the local fishermen hanging out their catches to dry in the steamy sun. The sandy beach of Ao Manao, fringed with lines of pines, is a great place to top up the tan and swim. And then there’s the so-called Teak Temple, Wat Ao Noi, carved entirely from timber with its elegant dragon-shaped filigrees and gabled roofs.
Kaeng Krachan National Park
Spreading out across vast tracts of land just to the north of Hua Hin’s province is the single largest national park in the whole of Thailand: Kaeng Krachan. It covers nearly 3,000 square kilometers as it runs along the jungle-clad hills that rise to meet the border with Burma. Misty peaks of more than 1,500 meters in height crown the horizon, while breathtaking sights like the roaring Pala U Waterfall lurk in the woods below. A typical adventure here starts at the campgrounds of the Sam Yot checkpoint, which is the main entry point to the reserve during the dry season. Venturing inside usually means hopping on a 4X4 to navigate the waterlogged roads – just keep your eyes peeled for wild elephants, guars, clouded leopards and langurs as you go.
Ko Singto
The remote little island of Ko Singto sits just off the coast from Suan Son Beach. It’s named Lion Island on account of its silhouette, which resembles the outline of a sleeping beast above the sea. Day trips can be organised from the town center itself, which is great news if you were hoping for a little diving or snorkelling after completing that TEFL internship in Hua Hin. The waters and rocky reefs that surround the place are teeming with marine life and underwater creatures.
If all the above has tickled your wanderlust and you’re thinking about a TEFL internship in Hua Hin, be sure to get in touch. If you’ve already visited this corner of the Land of Smiles and have something amazing to add, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below.