300 Years Mosque (also known as Al-Hussein Mosque or Talo Mano Mosque) is in Ban Talo Mano, Tambon Subo Sawo, 25 kms. from Narathiwat town. Take Highway No. 42 and turn at Burangae intersection.

Mr. Wan Hussein Az-Sanawi, who migrated from Ban Sano Yanya in Pattani Province, built the mosque in 1624. The mosque was originally roofed with palm leaves and later with fired clay tiles. The mosque is different than others, as it is comprised of 2 buildings connected to each other. It is built entirely of timber with pieces interlocking with each other, without the placement of a single nail. The style is traditional Thai with contemporary Chinese and Malay. The most outstanding feature is that above the roof is a base that supports a gable. The Azan tower has a Chinese style and is situated on the rear part of the roof. The tower has wooden walls with windows. The air holes are carved with leaf, flower and Chinese designs.

This mosque is still used by Muslims. People wanting to see inside must receive permission from the village Imam, as normally visitors can only have a look outside. Talo Mano village was also a production centre of handwritten Korans.

Next to the mosque is a Muslim graveyard. Rocks decorating the grave of a deceased male will be round, while those for females would be half buried, making only half of the rock visible above ground.

Hala-Bala Wildlife Reserve is a new conservation area of Thailand that was officially established in 1996. The reserve is near the Thai-Malaysian border and has an area of around 433.16 square kilometres. It covers the Sankala Khiri mountain range, and the deep forests of Hala forest and Bala that are not connected to each other are part of the same reserve. Hala forest is in Amphoe Betong in Yala and Amphoe Chanae in Narathiwat. However, the only part open to the public is Bala forest that covers Amphoe Waeng and Amphoe Su Khirin in Narathiwat.

Highway No. 4062 (Khwam Man Khong Road) goes through Sankala Khiri mountain range, making access to the reserve easier. You can start at Ban Buketa in Amphoe Waeng, go through Bala forest and end up at Ban Phu Khao Thong in Amphoe Su Khirin for a total distance of 18 kilometres. On both sides of the road are the most verdant jungles in Thailand. To study nature here, you only have to drive through the area and you will likely see many extraordinary things from the park office on.

Approximately 5 kilometres from the office, there is a point to view wildlife. Many Banyan trees grow in the area and animals regularly come to feed off the fruits of the trees. About 10 kilometres further in is the Phu Khao Thong Protection Unit, a sub-office of the reserve. From here you can see a sea of mist. If you walk about 100 metres from the unit, you will find a gigantic Somphong (Kraphong) tree that has a diametre of 25 metres. The height of a section near the ground that supports the trunk is about 4 metres. This tree likes to grow near water and is a softwood tree that is used in making toothpicks or matches.

Along the way you will see several plants not commonly seen elsewhere in Thailand, like the Yuan tree of the bean family that stands tall proudly and can be seen at a distance from the road. It has a white trunk and can reach a height of 65-70 metres. It is regarded as the third tallest tree in the world, after the redwood and eucalyptus, respectively. It is usually used to make furniture. The Saya tree of the rubber family is the most striking of the Hala-Bala forest. From the viewpoint, you can see the tops of many of the trees. If you look carefully, you will see hornbills as the trees are their preferred nesting sites. The Hua Roi Ru Nam tree is one of the newest plants found in the country.

Wildlife here creates an ecological balance for the area. Many of the animals are now rare in Thailand, like the large black gibbon, or Sia Mang, that is totally black in colour and nearly double the size of the white-handed gibbon. There is also the agile gibbon that is usually found on Sumatra, Borneo and northern Malaysian jungles and southern Thailand. You may be lucky and find two of these creatures hanging from a branch. The area also has Thut frogs that are the largest frogs in the country. It is about a foot long and weighs over 5 kilograms. The frogs live in watershed forests on high mountains. A survey discovered that four types of protected mammals, the Sumatran serow, tapir, marbled cat, and Asian two-horned rhinoceros, inhabit the area.

The hornbill, a rare bird, is an indicator of the state of the forest. Nonetheless, the reserve has 9 out of 12 species of hornbills in Thailand. These include the wrinkled hornbill, helmeted hornbill (the only kind of hornbill that has a thick upper beak, which Indonesian villagers hunt to get the beak to carve into ornaments resembling ivory), Oriental pied hornbill, great pied hornbill, white-crowned hornbill, bushy-crested hornbill, Malayan rhinoceros hornbill, black hornbill, and wreathed hornbill.

People wishing to enter the area for nature study must write to the reserve at P.O. Box 3, Amphoe Waeng, Narathiwat 96120 or the Wildlife Reserve Department of the Natural Resources Conservation Office, Royal Forest Department, Bangkok.

Facilities : As the reserve is a sensitive area, tourists are not permitted to stay overnight.

Getting There: You can hire mini-buses from Amphoe Waeng Market or from Su-ngai Kolok train station.

The best time to study nature here is from late February to September, when there is little rain.

Sirindhorn Waterfall is not a waterfall that falls from a high cliff but is really a stream that comes down from a forest at a higher altitude. The falls feature a wide rock plateau suitable for relaxation. It converges with Khlong Aikading and is frequented by locals. Apart from the waterfall, there is the Southern Forest Flowers and Decorative Plants Survey and Collection Project under the Patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The project has more than 200 plant species that are grouped according to their natural habitat. Signs provide plant names and useful information. Plants here are both interesting in terms of local botany and breeding, to develop as decorative and economic plants. The project is open from 08.30-16.00 hrs. The waterfall is around 7 kms. from Amphoe Waeng on Highway No. 4057. Turn left onto Phua Khwam Man Khong Road for around 8 kms. and go another 300 metres from the entrance to the waterfall.