Emerald Pool : สระมรกต
Emerald pool or 'Sra Morakot' in Thai is a truly wonderful natural pool in the middle of the forest filled with glistening clear spring water. The Emerald Pool is situated in Khao Pra - Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary, locally called Khao Nor Chuchi Lowland Forest at Ban Bang Tieo, 18 kms along the public road No. 4038 from the district office of Klong Thom.
Upon arrival, most visitors can’t wait to leap into the clear emerald green fresh water of the pool and enjoy a refreshing swim.
Sra Morakot is almost a round pool about 1-2 meters deep and 20-25 meters in diameter. The color of water changes into pale green or emerald upon the reflections of the sunlight.
The water of Sra Morakot comes from the spring-fed pool known as “the Blue Pool”, 600 meters away on the hill. Sulfurous, alkaline water from the Blue Pool wells up and flows through cracks in the rocks to cascade down to Emerald Pool. Consequently, the water is always clear because of the high calcium carbonate that makes all the suspended particles settle to the bottom. In addition, algae cannot grow in the water.
A Balinese-style thatched cottage was built and was exclusively reserved for the Royal Family visits years ago.
Nature Trails to Sra Morakot
There are three nature trails to access the Emerald Pool.
Main Forest Road
The entrance road is graveled and 800-meters from the main entrance to Emerald Pool.
It is wide enough for a car but visitors are not allowed to reach the Emerald Pool by any vehicles. An official at the entrance informs visitors that noise may disturb wild animals especially birds. However, the path is the shortest access way that most visitors use.
Shady and evergreen forest on both sides along the forest pathway is full of trees and vines including palms and rattans. This spectacular environment will make the walk well worth it.
The Thung Tieo – Sra Morakot Nature Trail
The second nature trail, namely ‘Thung Tieo-Sa Morakot’, is 1,400 meters long. It is a narrow forest walkway full of nature at it best. It is the most popular guiding route because there are a lot of things to see and to do.
Some parts of the trail challenge visitors by walking along a wood-stump walkway.
Visitors may have to slip through hanging rope-like stem vines from time to time along the trail.
Quite often hikers have to walk carefully keeping themselves away from thorny palm trees. One of the most common palms in the area is the Salacca (Thai name - Rakam). It has vicious spines and tasty sour plum-sized fruits which are collected by local people during April to July. They are also eaten by many animals.
A number of large Dipterocarpus trees known as Ton Yang have blackened holes cut out of their trunks. Local people tap this kind of tree for their resin or creosote, dark-brown oily tar. Creosote is used for caulking wooden boats and used for certain varnishes. To collect this tar the villager has to make a hole in the tree trunk and a fire is lit inside to stimulate the resin flow. After a few minutes, the fire is put out and the hole covered with a palm leaf. The collector returns in two or three days to collect the accumulated oily resin. One slot should be dug in the tree and burning can be done once a month, otherwise the tree may die.
Wild tree lizards are commonly found in this forest. Their color looks similar to the tree bark, thus the visitors who do not take look carefully may miss them.
Cicada
Cicada, a loud noise maker of the forest, is an insect that can be barely seen but heard. The cicada makes unique sounds. Therefore, while hiking along the nature trail in the tour site, the visitors will hear a forest cicada’s song much different from those in the mangroves.
Some hardwoods are up to 30 meters tall or more and amaze hikers to see their straight upright trunks.
On the ground wild orchids in an attractive form add to the beauty of the area.
Tall trees growing along this large swamp fed by slow-flowing clear water are nature at it best.
Sra Kaew is a clear shallow water pond only for viewing and taking photographs. Visitors are not allowed to swim and small fish can be seen swimming in the clear water.
The Tina Joliffe Nature Trail
The nature trail commemorates the British naturalist, Mrs. Tina Jolliffe, who has financially sponsored and granted support to establish the Khao Pra-Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary in 1993. Through her charity project assisting an evolving education program at Khao Nor Chuchi and working with children, she created the forest trail where people could see and learn about nature.
The beginning of the Tina Joliffe Nature Trail is 200 meters from the entrance on the first left of the main forest road to Emerald Pool. The trail is a 2.7-kilometer detour through low-land rainforest and ends at the Emerald Pool. It is designed to have 18 spots for information. At every stop there are nature trail signs and many trees along the