Starting today, tourists will not be able to travel to Khoa Panern Thung, a popular mountain-top tourist attraction to watch a “sea of mist” blanketing surrounding mountains, for more than a year as a section of the only dirt road leading to the mountain top in Phetchaburi province is closed for major repairs.

The Kaeng Krachan national park has decided to close a section of the earthen road from kilometer marker 15 to 36 kilometre marker from Ban Krang camp site to Khao Panern Thung for 560 days.

However, the Ban Krang camp remains open to tourists.

Besides the misty sea which is a “must see” for most tourists to the mountain top, tourists may be able to see horn bill, an endangered bird species, if they are lucky enough.

Major repairs of the dirt road to Khao Panern Thung has been opposed by environmental groups fearing that the improved road condition will encourage more tourists to the area and this may endanger wild animals there from speeding vehicles.

However, the Kaeng Krachan national park in the central province of Phetchaburi has defended the road maintenance, arguing that the earthen road has been in use for about 30 years without major repairs and it is in poor condition with potholes, land subsidence and mudslides.

The park was allocated with 88 million baht funding to pave the 15-kilometre road section surface with asphalt which will facilitate road patrolling by park rangers.

However, the width of the road will not be expanded.  It remains a one-way traffic road with separate time schedules for cars to travel up to and down from the mountain.