Hiking the Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." - John Muir

When you are the type of person that you get more energy from a heavy hike and you consume to reach the top, then it probably means that you are a bit of a hiking addict :) and so everywhere I go I look for a hiking opportunity. In this trip I ended up on the Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill or Dragon Crest as it is also know. 

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Getting there
It's a 23 min car ride from Ao Nang. A lot of people choose coming by scooter. If you do come by car, expect about 1500 baht (approx 45 Euro). 
Entree Fee: 
It's free of charge, but you have a ranger that has a table at the entrance where you can give your name/phone number & they would keep an eye you come back. There is also a donation box, so you can leave some tip behind 
Starting time: 
They "open" at 8:00 but you can be there a bit earlier. We arrived a 7:45 and you could start the hike. So go there early as the later it get's the warmer it becomes. 

Facilities: 
There are toilets at the beginning of the trail, make sure you use them, there are no other opportunities during the hike

Trail info:
There is a map at the beginning of the trail which can help you to guide yourself during the hike.
Distance: The trail is 3.7 km to the cliff (7.4 round trip)
Time: 3h 45 min - round trip including pictures & break at the top 

Difficulty level: difficult 

What to bring with you: 

• Proper hiking shoes - I used trekking Adidas shoes and they did a great job. 
• Sport wear - I had long pants to avoid scratches, but you should be fine in shorts 
• Water 
• Energy Bars/Banana - something that would give you energy 
• A bag to collect all your garbage - leave nature as you found it
• Sun Cream - there are areas with sun so ensure you use protection 

The Hike

Let's start with the beginning. 

The first part of the trail - about 2 km looks like a continues HIIT workout with here and there some small breaks. 

That being said, don't get discouraged as even if it will feel at times that it's like a never ending uphill, you will reach the top.

During your uphill you have 2 areas of stairs at the end of which there is a bench 

And several of the uphills have some rope next to it to help you pulling yourself up 

After the first 2km, you will still have uphills but they will be shorter and there will be longer periods of straight surface 

Once you are super close to the top you will have different view points from where you can take nice pictures - giving you a feel of being an top of the world 

The View

The access to the famous cliff - is closed with barbed wire and marked as dangerous. 

It would be hard to say how stable that cliff is, and probably the best advice is not to cross the danger markings. I did go under the wire and on the cliff, but most of my friends preferred not to take the risk (which was for sure wiser). 

There is another cliff that can get you a great view and actually the place from where the pictures of that cliff are taken.

Remember

Take all your garbage back with you. There are bins where you can recycle your garbage at the beginning of the trail.