The world is filled with incredible rock formations: Australia’s enormous red monolith, Uluru; Northern Ireland’s dreamlike Giant’s Causeway; the United States’ hulking lump of granite, Half Dome. Then there’s Thailand’s Hin Sam Wan, or Three Whale Rock – perhaps the most surreal of them all.
Like a family of giant whales, the 75-million-year-old rock formation rises from an ocean of trees on a plateau high above the Mekong River in north-east Thailand.
From above, the rock’s resemblance to a family of whales (mother, father and calf) is almost uncanny – the statuesque animals’ large, bulbous heads, dark-grey bodies and white jaws perhaps making them most akin to a pod of sperm whales.
The largest of the three whales is approximately 100m long – that’s roughly seven times the size of a large (real-life) sperm whale.
A network of trails allows visitors to wander through lush forest, past waterfalls, tropical plants and singing birds, to the rock formation. From here, views stretch out across the mighty Mekong River and into Laos.
One of the best ways to appreciate just how whale-like these boulders are is from above – as this selection of striking drone photos proves.
The ‘mother’ and ‘father’ whales. Credit: tawatchaiprakobkit/Getty Images
Here, the ‘calf’ can be seen hiding in the wake of its parents. Credit: ST_travel/Getty Images
Sun sets over Hin Sam Wan. Credit: Pramote Polyamate/Getty Images
A bird’s-eye view of the rock formation. Credit: Thirawatana Phaisalratana/Getty Images
Hin Sam Wan is surrounded by tropical forest. Credit: kckate16/Getty Images
Tourists stride out along the whales’ backs. Credit: bankerwin/Getty Images
The rock formation can be accessed via a network of walking trails. Credit: NonChanon/Getty Images
The Mekong River can be seen from atop Hin Sam Wan. Credit: Pramote Polyamate/Getty Images
Drone footage captures the enormous size of Hin Sam Wan. Credit: Mr. Buddee Wiangngorn/Getty Images
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