Simple facts
Name: Hin Sam Wang, or 3 Whale Rocks
Location: Buenkan, Thailand
Coordinates: 18.250964324624285, 103.81396773139028
Why it’s unbelievable: Rock formations look like a small family of whales.
Hin Sam Wang, or three whale rocks, are natural layers of Thailand, and are named after the whale families swimming side by side. It consists of very elongated, round rocks that look like giant whales floating in a sea of trees.
Long-term erosion and structural uplifting have resulted in three whalelocks formed about 75 million years ago. The wind and rain have been sculpted and smoothed the sandstone of northeastern Thailand into the shapes we saw today.
The formation is located near the border between Thailand and Laos and in a forested nature reserve called Pusing Forest Park. The network of hiking trails leads to three whales, but only the larger “mama” and “daddy” whales are accessible on foot. “Baby” whale – the smallest of three – is generally closed.
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According to National Geographic, the view from the “back” of the two largest stone whales extends to the Mekong River and mountains in Laos’ Packading district. The whales sit on a high ridge and protrude above the forest canopy, reinforcing the illusion that they are sea creatures in their natural habitat.
The three Whale Rocks and surrounding areas are part of Khorat Plateau. This area of uplifted sedimentary rocks retains fossils containing dinosaur evidence until the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years ago) and the Cenozoic period (currently 66 million years ago).
Pusing Forest Park and its stone Leviathan are protected as a natural and cultural heritage.
