—KAENG KRACHAN—
Gangkazhang National Park
—FORSET COMPLEX—
Thailand's Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex has recently been recognized by UNESCO as another new World Natural Heritage Site for its rich biodiversity. It is the third national park in Thailand to be listed as a World Natural Heritage Site after the Thuungyai-Huai Kha Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in 1991 and the Dong Phayyen-Khao Yai Forest Complex in 2005.
Kaeng Krachan National Park is located in the provinces of Phetchaburi and Praxiap Khiri Khan, about 60 km from Phetchaburi and about 75 km from Hua Hin. It covers an area of 2,914 square kilometers and is the largest national park in Thailand. Declared a national park on June 12, 1981, Kaeng Krachan National Park is one of the best in Thailand and one of the most diverse wildlife.
Kaeng Krachan National Park is ideal for wildlife viewing, camping, hiking, and the sea of clouds can be seen from the park's sea of clouds viewpoint. In addition to this, there are some medium-sized waterfalls and caves in the park.
Wildlife viewing
—WILDLIFE—
# Kaeng Krachan #
Gangkazhang National Park is popular with wildlife viewers, but that doesn't mean it's easy to spot wildlife here, except that you may have to hike deep into the forest, sometimes with a bit of luck, and may also be limited by the seasonal conditions of the park.
mammal
The park is home to a variety of mammal species such as leopards, clouded leopards, bears, short-tailed macaques, samba deer, barking deer, elephants, dolphins, golden jackals, white-legged bison, iguanas, yellow-throated martens, various musk cats, crab-eating mongooses and many other animals.
The white-handed gibbon is a smaller species of ape that can be seen or heard almost every day, often on the edge of camps or on the side of the road. Their singing is the most magical, one of the most beautiful calls in nature.
Porcupines and civets are easily spotted almost every night, usually near restaurants at Camp Bankerang, feeding on food. Sometimes, the golden jackal would appear at the banquet with other animals. At night, people often see rats and deer running down the riverbank from the campsite, hiding in the bushes.
During the dry months of February to May, it is easier to find mammals in ponds along the main road. After some effort and luck, elephants, white-limbed bison, deer and jackals can be seen, but leopards can also be seen sometimes. Occasionally yellow-throated mink can be seen crossing the road, and crab-eating mongooses are closer to the stream. Sometimes, lonely elephants would stay in the forest surrounding Camp Bankron and might cross the camp.
birds
As one of the country's two largest bird watching destinations, Gang Ka Chang National Park records about 480 species of birds, many of which are rare – in Thailand, for example, the Ta-tail tree magpie can only be found in Gang Ka Chang National Park. At the same time, Gang ka chang park also records all 7 species of toucans and 7 of the 14 species of hornbills in Thailand.
Bird watching is possible along the park's main roads and trails. Birdwatchers here are experts at where to find interesting birds. By asking them for advice, you can get an expert-level version of the Bird watching guide.
Bird watching spots are also set up in the park, one of which is located at the top of a hill just a few hundred meters from the small dam 18 kilometers away, where the uncommon eight-colored thrush can be seen. Walking down the same path, there are also beautiful green mountain foot partridges and grey peacock pheasants that are easy to see.
butterfly
Gang ka chang national park is also one of Thailand's most famous butterfly viewing destinations. About 300 species of butterflies have been found in the park.
Here you can see hundreds of butterflies congregating in campsites, roads or the intersection of three rivers west of Bankerang, which are mineral-rich places. Butterflies are more active during Thailand's winter and dry seasons.
Camping is natural
— CAMPSITE—
There are always 4 camping camps in Gangkazhang National Park, two of which are located in the central part of the park, one in the headquarters area and one at the Pala-U waterfall checkpoint.
Tents and accessories can be rented from the visitor centre at each camp. The price of tents per night is 120 baht (2 persons), 225 baht (3 people) and 300 baht (5 people) respectively, and the price of accessories per tent is 10 to 30 baht. If you have your own tent, using the campsite only costs 30 baht per night.
Campsites are usually lively but not crowded on weekends, and for a quiet camping experience, it's best to come monday through Friday on weekdays. During the tourist season, camps are usually crowded.
Ban Krang Campsite
The Ban Krang camp is surrounded by one of the best places in Thailand to see rare birds and butterflies. Ban Krang has two campgrounds, one near the Pran Buri River, along the main road of the entrance, and the other on a hillside a few hundred meters behind the visitor centre.
There is a restaurant and two sets of toilets/shower facilities in the main camping area. There are also toilets/showers on the campsite. Tents and sleeping utensils can be rented at the visitor center.
Along the road on the east and west sides of the camp, there are several butterfly and bird watching spots, as well as many trails leading to the forest.
The restaurant is open daily from 7am to 5pm and on weekends until 6pm. The restaurant offers some light meals, and it's a favorite of regulars to have a very tasty spicy fried fish on the hidden menu, and it usually takes a bit of luck to order the food on this hidden menu.
Located 2 km east of The Ban Klang camp there is a Hua Chang Cave, accessible along a trail of almost 500 metres long, which is approximately 70 metres long. Hua Chang means "elephant head", and you can tell by the name that this cave is shaped like an elephant head. Hua Chang Cave This cave has a huge rock opening, two larger holes and several small holes. The path leading to the cave splits in several places. It is better to go there with a ranger or risk getting lost.
Pantone Hill Camp
-Phanoen Thung Campsite
Phanoen Thung camp is 950 meters above sea level, 15 km west of Ban Klang camp, 28 km from Dan Khao Sam Yot checkpoint and 49 km from park headquarters. The section of road from Bankslang is dirt roads that only more rugged terrain vehicles can pass.
Restaurants, visitor centre and toilets/shower facilities are located around the campsite. Tents and bedding can be rented from the camp visitor centre. This restaurant usually closes around 5 to 6 p.m.
Camp Phanoen Thung is very popular because it overlooks the Sea of Fog and also has several park observation decks and bird watching spots. The surrounding area is ideal for watching highland birds and the only place in Thailand to spot the tower-tailed tree magpie.
Yellow-throated martens and Malay porcupines are often seen around the camp, and some tourists have seen wild boars walking to restaurants to eat and rest, and on the way to the camp for several kilometers, people occasionally cloud leopards and sun bears.
There are three viewpoints nearby, just a few hundred yards from each other. The subjective observatory is a few hundred meters west of the Phanoen Thung campground, facing the Tanussiri Mountains on the Myanmar border, with spectacular views. The other two observation decks are next to the restaurant and the campsite. There are also two viewpoints west along the road, one a few kilometres from the camp and the other not too far from the end of the road.
HQ Campsite - HQ Campsite
There is a spacious campsite on the lake next to the park headquarters, about 6 km from the centre of Kaeng Krachan. Tents can be rented at the visitor center. There are several clean toilets and shower facilities nearby, a restaurant, a smaller kiosk and an ATM. Free WiFi is available in the visitor centre and restaurants, and mobile reception in the area works well.
There are hornbills, kingfishers, herons, egrets and other birds near camp HQ. There is also a Kaeng Krachan National Park reservoir dam to visit. The dam is outside the park, 4 km north of the park headquarters. There are almost no small islands in the reservoir, and the lake is suitable for a variety of water activities. There is a viewpoint at the top of the dam that gives a good view of the lake and the town.
The wetland is on the water side
—PONDS&SALTLICKS—
# KAENG KRACHAN #
Gang ka chang park has many artificial ponds, most of which run along the main road from about 9 km to Ban Klang camp. These ponds are not visible on the road. But when you walk in the forest, you will meet unexpectedly.
Ponds are abundant in rain during the rainy season and are an important source of water for animals during the dry season. So around these wetlands you can see some wildlife from time to time.
Pran Buri Waterfall
There are also two smaller waterfalls downstream and upstream of Pran Buri Waterfall. The trails leading to waterfalls are usually covered with overgrown bushes, fallen bamboo or trees and are not easily accessible.
The valley where the trail is located is lush for most of the year and is an interesting place to spot many animals. The area is thought to be home to bears, and tapir footprints and droppings have also been found.
Palau Falls - Pala-U Waterfall
Located on the southwestern edge of the national park, Paravu Falls has 16 cascades and is easily accessible from the Hua Hin area via Route 3219.
Pala-U Waterfall, accessible via a rocky path. Visitors often paddle in one of the many ponds here, or walk several kilometers into the forest along the waterfall's rocky trails.
The road along the National Park to Pala-U Waterfall is a major elephant habitat. Elephants along the road are common, and sometimes they visit villages.
This is what has just been listed as a World Natural Heritage Site
Beautiful
Little friends hurry up and use their fingers to collect it
Which national parks in Thailand have you also been to
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