Samut Songkhram’s Swimming Monkeys
One thing I love about Thailand is that after all the floating markets, kwai, the grand palace has all been done, you’ll realize that there’s so much more to see and do.
This country has been blessed with a lot of activities and surprises in all corners from north to south.
Samut Songkhram Province is fast becoming a popular eco-tourism destination for people living in Bangkok. Although this area is relatively unknown to independent foreign travelers, it has become popular with Thai people who come here to participate in various activities such as planting mangrove saplings. Here, you can also do boat tours where people could see up close the life and work of local fishermen. However, the highlight of these tours is the visit to see the sea monkeys who live along the coastline.
Who would have thought monkeys could swim?! Yes, they do.
Along the coastline, at a small community called Klong Khone in Samut Songkhram is a 90 minutes drive away from Bangkok. It will be quite an ordeal to go there without a car still possible. From there you can rent a boat up to 5 people for a tour that usually lasts around an hour or two.
During hot days, the monkeys would play in the water in order to cool off. They would hang from the branches of the trees and dive bomb into the water. In between stopping at a few spots to observe the monkeys, you can easily witness the mangrove forest and “krateng” which are fishermen huts that were built on stilts over the water.
Down the coast, there is also a small community of fishermen that also helps to protect and replant the mangrove forests. Many of these had been cut down to make way for shrimp farms and hey now realized that this was causing land erosion in the area. Some boats had come prepared with bananas for the monkeys. In no time, you can see these sea monkeys coming at your direction!
You can also spend the night at a nice resort and some homestays around the area, including a BBQ dinner and a night cruise to watch the fireflies and other local nocturnal animals. The area is located just 70 kilometers from Bangkok, which enables to visit Klong Khone as a day trip or include it in other trips to the area.
It may be difficult to come by yourself but you can also arrange a private transport from your hotel to take you there and back!
