Let’s start with the caveat that this isn’t the easiest place in the world to reach. Let’s also say it’s worth it.
Where else in the world are you going to see monkeys swimming / floating in the water, after all?
Trying to find this area was fairly difficult, even with directions from a fellow blogger’s posts about the place. I’ll credit Richard Barrow for being the first to publicize this area to the English-speaking world, but there was little help getting here via public transportation. See the end of the post for how we arrived.
Before getting on the boat, we watched as the captain maneuvered the propeller-on-a-stick through the water to make the boat come about to the dock. It’s unsurprisingly quaint — the naked engine powering the propeller — and a reminder of how far we were from the urban sprawl of Bangkok.
But enough on the pains of getting there. Swimming monkeys! Er, actually, monkeys standing in water — being this close to the shore meant they didn’t have to swim too far. Before leaving the shore one of the locals cut up some watermelon for us to throw (expect to pay for this, naturally), but you can bring whatever food you like.
One patient contender, subject to the whims of wherever we chose to throw the watermelon.
The taste of success!
In the span of 15 minutes we had unloaded two medium-sized bags worth of watermelon (the only other passenger, a seven-year-old, assisted while we photographed), and had moved on to another unannounced colony of monkeys. We had little to offer them, so we photographed and sped on.
This was the more bizarre part, personally — poles and sticks coming out of the bottom of the river. It looked as though we were approaching the end of the world. Not so much, although I never did understand what all that was about. We came close to several fishermen standing in neck-deep water, casting their nets and collecting seafood. Since we don’t particularly enjoy eating it, we smiled and moved on fairly quickly.
The tour as a whole was intriguing, and despite the difficulty in reaching was well worth the visit. It’s great for kids.
Name: A boat tour of floating / swimming monkeys
Address: The pier is near Wat Khlong Khon (วัดคลองโคน), and the closest address available is สส. 2021, Yisan, Amphawa, Samut Songkhram 75110 (GPS: 13.334688,99.965442)
Directions: Start with patience — this is not the easiest place to reach via public transportation. The first step is to reach Samut Songkhram in Western Thailand — the easiest way is via bus from Bangkok. Once in Samut Songkram, look for where the songthaews are all converged (it’s between the train station and the big market area), then ask around for วัดคลองโคน since it’s not on any of the signposts. Alternatively, take a tuk-tuk there (ours charged 200 baht for the 25 minute ride). You’ll arrive in what might look like a big parking lot next to a temple (Wat Khlong Khon / Klong Khon) and a corner with some shelter. The folks here can call over a boat for you.
Hours: unclear — best during the daytime, of course.
Admission: Boat tour cost 700 baht and lasted about an hour, but it’s best thought of as a negotiation.
Phone: if you need a phone number, try 08–6177–7942 for the nearby Mangrove Conservation Center.
Website: None.
