Wat Khao Takiap — Attraction in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province

Please keep in mind that monkeys are wild animals and this is monkey mountain, that belongs to them. It's actually two mountains that can be accessed from Hua Hin beach and by car and bike from the road beside the river.

The monkeys jump on cars because tourist guides put bananas out to attract them and give the customers a show. Don't take any food or drink in your hand, keep your belongings next to you and you will have an amazing open zoo experience, walking slowly through places full of monkeys.

If you want to feed them, keep the fruit or vegetables safely in your bag until you reach the feeding area. During daytime there are people in the cage like structure, preparing monkey food. You can also buy food from them, but it is immensely better if you let the locals feed the monkeys themselves. If you have food in your hand, the monkeys might want to fight you for it and can bite you. They are wild animals, not docile cats or dogs.

The temple on the first mountain is on ruins, but there is a beautiful small temple on the second mountain. Wear longer cloghes or cover your miniskirt/pants with the longer skirts that are available at the entrance. There are a lot of donation boxes everywhere. You don't have to donate, but you might want to, just to help the locals a bit.

I loved the monkeys, it was a great experience! As long as you are calm and friendly, they will act the same. Just keep your drinks and snacks in your bag until you are further away from the animals. If they get your Coke bottle, they can open it, but the very sugary drink/snack will...

Some may say it’s “just another temple” but I’d argue that it’s bit more exciting than that. There are multiple layers to the experience. Though there isn’t extravagant architecture, glistening spires, and bejeweled statues, there is a peaceful and enchanting view from the top. The ascent is about 128 steps from the temple’s base but it’s well worth the hike. Please note that this activity may not be suitable for those who have difficulty climbing stairs. Before going up, you’ll have to be modestly dressed. No lowcut dresses/skirts or uncovered shoulders. There are sarongs available to borrow, as well as umbrellas to protect you from the sun. In exchange, a small donation is encouraged.

Once you’re done at the top, to the left of the temples entrance is a road that leads towards the water. It’ll take you along a cliff that was once an attraction with many Chinese statues and shrines. It is no longer busy, but still accessible and offers yet another amazing view of the gulf. Do go! If you’re not steering in that direction, you may miss it altogether. There was no one when we went down and had a relaxing moment soaking in the view.

Getting there:

Take a Grab, taxi, or motorbike (these generally have set rates) Take a songtaew (10 baht per person, but will drop you off at main road and you’ll have to walk about 15-20 minutes to the temple entrance)

I recommend the first option because of the heat and sun. We took a songtaew there but Grab...

Aggressive monkeys! We just got off our scooter standing 1 metre away from it and then a monkey came and jumped onto my scooter. It started hissing when I tried to shoo it away. It then jumped off and started to play with my sunglasses that it found on my scooter. Before I could workout where to move my scooter away from any monkeys, it jumped back on my scooter and started hissing at me again. I didn't want my scooter damaged where I found a Buddhist monk who shoo it away straight away. There are now 2 small crawl marks where I hope the places I rent the scooter from doesn't notice it.

We end up leaving after this encounter. If you read the other reviews, it looks like the monkeys are aggressive here.

From research, I know never to have food, have objects, give food, make fun or be aggressive to monkeys. Staring at them or being aggressive to a monkey will make it attack you. The general rule with wild animals, it's best to leave them alone and avoid...