There is another tree common up here - Afzelia Xylocarpa, this is a pod full of seeds. It's an IUCN endangered tree because the bark/wood fetches such high prices.
The second cliff/karst I got up was number 2 on the picture, I was aiming for 1 but completely lost my bearings. The red line is the route I took and it was really tough, a lot of climbing... this is where that musical rock was. I think the blue line up 1 would be much easier. 1 and 3 have flags atop them, 2 doesn't, perhaps because 2 is harder to get up. I wanted to try and go from 2 to 3 but it looked too dangerous. I'm not sure how to get up 3 relatively safely.
Here are the views from 2:
Above, flag on top of karst 1.
Above, flag on top of karst 3.
Above, top left across the valley about 500m away is where I just walked from.
All these karsts are playing second fiddle to the main karst which is a few km away - the one where the group goes up every December. It's the karst directly above Pha Nok Khao Town that you can see when you drive along the road. Here is a video of that group arriving at the top that I found on Youtube, watch 50-70 seconds for the best views:
Any vertigo sufferers can probably give that one a miss! If you want to go here and want a guide, probably best to contact Phu Pha Man National Park. 043249050
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Smog was pretty bad in April, you can see the grey in my photos. I'm planning to go again in October so I will check out the caves properly and also try and do the main karst above Pha Nok Khao. I believe there are cave paintings and millions of bats in some of the caves.
In April lots of butterflies driving along the backroads to Phu Pha Man. Plenty of these flowers about also:
I think this is the route I will try (brown):