In the lush, emerald embrace of the Phu Sing Forest Park in northeastern Thailand, a silent, colossal family rests against the sky. Known as Hin Sam Wan, or the “Three Whale Rocks,” these monumental formations are estimated to be 75 million years old, a breathtaking relic from the Cretaceous period. Their undulating, mᴀssive forms, perfectly mimicking a pod of great whales breaching from a sea of trees, stand as one of Thailand’s most surreal and poetic natural landmarks.
Carved from ancient sandstone, these rocks are the patient work of epochs. For millions of years, the relentless forces of erosion—wind, rain, and the slow, persistent hand of time—have sculpted the hard stone into smooth, flowing contours, polishing the backs of these geological leviathans. The surrounding cliffs and hidden caves are layered archives, rich with fossilized plants and sediments that whisper of a distant past when this very land lay submerged beneath a warm, primordial ocean, a world of giants now turned to stone.
Now preserved as a protected geological park, the “whales” of Phu Sing exist at the intersection of science and soul. They are a site of wonder for geologists who read their strata like pages in a book, and a place of quiet spiritual reflection for visitors who feel their ancient, tranquil power. To stand atop their vast, weathered backs, gazing over the endless canopy of the Mekong rainforest, is to feel the slow, deep rhythm of the Earth’s breath. It is as if time itself has taken a tangible form—a living, stone creature caught in a moment of eternal ascent, swimming silently through the ages beneath the vast, open sky.