Khao Yai National Park
Encyclopedia
Khao Yai National Park is a national park in Thailand
.
, at the southwestern boundary of the Khorat Plateau
.
This park lies largely in Nakhon Ratchasima Province
(Khorat), but also includes parts of Saraburi
, Prachinburi
and Nakhon Nayok
provinces.
The park is the second largest in Thailand. It covers an area of 2,168 square kilometers, including evergreen
forest
s and grassland
s. Its altitude mostly ranges from 400 to 1000 m above sea level
. There are 3,000 species of plant
s, 320 species of bird
s like red junglefowl
and green peafowl
and 67 species of mammal
s, including Asiatic black bear
, Asian elephant
, gaur
, tiger
, gibbon
, Indian sambar deer
, pig-tailed macaque
, Indian muntjac
, dhole
, and wild pig
. Its waterfall
s include the 80 metre Heo Narok, and Heo Suwat made famous from the film The Beach
. Namtok Sarika is popular with the Thais.
Recent wildlife studies show that animal ranges, particularly the few resident tigers, are impacted by human activity near the center of the park. This study has not impacted the government's call for private lodging concessions within the park itself.
However, due to its location and distance from authorities it became a refuge for criminals and fugitives. In an attempt to capture the fugitives the areas sub-district status was cancelled, and the villages relocated into the plains some 30km away.
In 1959 The then Prime Minister of Thailand
, Marshall Sarit Thanarat, Coordinated the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Interior to create a process where national parks could be established.
Khao Yai National Park was then established on September 18, 1962, declared by royal proclamation in the Government Gazette (Book 79, Section 89) as the first National Park in Thailand. A major role in its establishment was received by Boonsong Lekakul, one of the 20th century's most famous conservationists in Thailand
.
In 1984 the park was made an ASEAN Heritage Park, and on July 14, 2005 the park together with other parks in the Dong Phaya Yen mountains
was inscribed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
under the name Dong Phaya Yen–Khao Yai Forest Complex.
Lands adjacent to the national park are becoming increasingly developed into luxury hotels and golf courses for weekending visitors from Bangkok. Such development limits wildlife corridors and permanently reduces future conservation and land acquisition ability. Another kind of attraction is the numerous sighting of pig tailed maqueces. Which are a kind of monkey that appears almost everywhere around the park. people will have to be careful as these macaque can get aggressive towards tourists. It is highly recommended that people stay away from the monkeys because the males have the tendency to bite. Also the tourists should not feed the monkeys as some food may be harmful to them.
Rainy Season
Is from May to October. During this season most days have high rates of precipitation. The atmosphere is humid with average temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius during the day dropping to 13 degrees Celsius at night. Good waterfalls for travelers.
Cold season
Is from November to February. Clear skies, sunny and cool. Average temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius during the day and 10 degrees Celsius at night. Good time for hiking.
Hot Season
Is from March to April. Humid with day temperatures of 20-30 degrees Celsius and 17 degrees Celsius at night.
is present along the Dong Rek range. Sandstone
outcrops exist in the south and north of the park. Shales and schist are also present. In the South, steep slopes made of granite
and conglomerates can be seen.
, Bangkok
and beyond. The fee (per day) is 400 baht for foreigners (200 for children), and 40 for Thais or Thai residents, plus 50 baht for vehicles.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Description
Khao Yai National Park is situated in the Sankamphaeng Mountain Range, the southern prolongation of the Dong Phaya Yen MountainsDong Phaya Yen mountains
Dong Phaya Yen is a mountain range in central Thailand.-Description:Dong Phaya Yen is the southeastern extension of the Phetchabun mountains, dividing the Chao Phraya river valley of Central Thailand and the Khorat Plateau of the northeast...
, at the southwestern boundary of the Khorat Plateau
Khorat Plateau
The Khorat Plateau also Korat Plateau, is a plateau in the northeastern region of Thailand, named for the short form of Nakhon Ratchasima, an historical stronghold controlling access to and from the plateau.-Geography:...
.
This park lies largely in Nakhon Ratchasima Province
Nakhon Ratchasima Province
Nakhon Ratchasima or , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand...
(Khorat), but also includes parts of Saraburi
Saraburi Province
Saraburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Lopburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Nayok, Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya. Saraburi has been an important town since ancient times...
, Prachinburi
Prachinburi Province
Prachin Buri is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Ratchasima, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Nayok.-Geography:...
and Nakhon Nayok
Nakhon Nayok Province
Nakhon Nayok is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, Chachoengsao and Pathum Thani....
provinces.
The park is the second largest in Thailand. It covers an area of 2,168 square kilometers, including evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s and grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s. Its altitude mostly ranges from 400 to 1000 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. There are 3,000 species of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s, 320 species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s like red junglefowl
Red Junglefowl
The Red Junglefowl is a tropical member of the Pheasant family. They are thought to be ancestors of the domestic chicken with some hybridisation with the Grey Junglefowl...
and green peafowl
Green Peafowl
The Green Peafowl or Javan Peafowl, Pavo muticus is a large Galliform bird that is found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia...
and 67 species of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, including Asiatic black bear
Asiatic Black Bear
The Asian black bear , also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear is a medium-sized species of bear, largely adapted for arboreal life, which occurs through much of southern Asia, Korea, northeastern China, the Russian far east and Honshū and Shikoku islands of Japan...
, Asian elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
, gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
, tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
, gibbon
Gibbon
Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
, Indian sambar deer
Sambar Deer
The Sambar ' is a large deer native to southern and southeast Asia. Although it primarily refers to R. unicolor, the name "Sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine Deer and the Rusa Deer...
, pig-tailed macaque
Pig-tailed macaque
The pig-tailed macaques are two macaque sister species. They look almost identical and are best distinguished by their parapatric ranges:* Northern Pig-tailed Macaque, Macaca leonina...
, Indian muntjac
Muntjac
Muntjac, also known as Barking Deer and Mastreani Deer, are small deer of the genus Muntiacus. Muntjac are the oldest known deer, appearing 15–35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland....
, dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
, and wild pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
. Its waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s include the 80 metre Heo Narok, and Heo Suwat made famous from the film The Beach
The Beach (film)
The Beach is a 2000 adventure drama film directed by Danny Boyle and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Alex Garland, which was adapted for the film by John Hodge. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and features Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle, Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet...
. Namtok Sarika is popular with the Thais.
Recent wildlife studies show that animal ranges, particularly the few resident tigers, are impacted by human activity near the center of the park. This study has not impacted the government's call for private lodging concessions within the park itself.
History
About a century ago the Ban Tha Dan people and the Baan Tachal people in the Nakhon Nayok Province to the south of Khao Yai built a settlement within the forest. Up to 30 households cultivated the land. The area was formally recognized by the government and classified as a sub-district known as Pak Ple.However, due to its location and distance from authorities it became a refuge for criminals and fugitives. In an attempt to capture the fugitives the areas sub-district status was cancelled, and the villages relocated into the plains some 30km away.
In 1959 The then Prime Minister of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Marshall Sarit Thanarat, Coordinated the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Interior to create a process where national parks could be established.
Khao Yai National Park was then established on September 18, 1962, declared by royal proclamation in the Government Gazette (Book 79, Section 89) as the first National Park in Thailand. A major role in its establishment was received by Boonsong Lekakul, one of the 20th century's most famous conservationists in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
In 1984 the park was made an ASEAN Heritage Park, and on July 14, 2005 the park together with other parks in the Dong Phaya Yen mountains
Dong Phaya Yen mountains
Dong Phaya Yen is a mountain range in central Thailand.-Description:Dong Phaya Yen is the southeastern extension of the Phetchabun mountains, dividing the Chao Phraya river valley of Central Thailand and the Khorat Plateau of the northeast...
was inscribed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
under the name Dong Phaya Yen–Khao Yai Forest Complex.
Lands adjacent to the national park are becoming increasingly developed into luxury hotels and golf courses for weekending visitors from Bangkok. Such development limits wildlife corridors and permanently reduces future conservation and land acquisition ability. Another kind of attraction is the numerous sighting of pig tailed maqueces. Which are a kind of monkey that appears almost everywhere around the park. people will have to be careful as these macaque can get aggressive towards tourists. It is highly recommended that people stay away from the monkeys because the males have the tendency to bite. Also the tourists should not feed the monkeys as some food may be harmful to them.
Climate
Khao Yai National Park has three main seasons, with an annual mean temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, though this varies greatly with the seasons.Rainy Season
Is from May to October. During this season most days have high rates of precipitation. The atmosphere is humid with average temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius during the day dropping to 13 degrees Celsius at night. Good waterfalls for travelers.
Cold season
Is from November to February. Clear skies, sunny and cool. Average temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius during the day and 10 degrees Celsius at night. Good time for hiking.
Hot Season
Is from March to April. Humid with day temperatures of 20-30 degrees Celsius and 17 degrees Celsius at night.
Geology
LimestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
is present along the Dong Rek range. Sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
outcrops exist in the south and north of the park. Shales and schist are also present. In the South, steep slopes made of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and conglomerates can be seen.
Drainage
There are four drainage areas in the park which are vital catchments for four river systems. The Takhong River drains from the central Khao Yai area and runs in a North-Easterly direction into the Mekong. The Sai Yai system drains from the Eastern Basin, turning sharply into the Southern Floodplains and on to the Gulf of Thailand. The Nakhon Nayok river system drains from the South-West watershed into the Nakhon Nayok Province to the South. The Saraburi Province drainage system drains Westward from the far West of Khao Yai.Services
The park is often visited by travelers from IsanIsan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
and beyond. The fee (per day) is 400 baht for foreigners (200 for children), and 40 for Thais or Thai residents, plus 50 baht for vehicles.
- Food is available from private concessions within the park.
- Bicycles are available for hire from the park. Ask at the visitors center and they will direct you.
- Kayaking and rafting services are also available.
- Night-time "wildlife spotlighting" is available via pick-up trucks in the early evening. Animals sighted usually are limited to deer and civet cats, and only rarely include elephants.
- Slide shows at the visitors center are available on weekends and public holidays at 10:00am, 14:00pm and 16:00pm.
- Meeting rooms are available with audiovisual equipment for seminars and workshops.
- Camping is permitted in camping zones. You may bring your own tent or rent one at the camping ground.
- Lodges and cabins are available for singles and groups. Reservations are required.
Attractions
- There are over 50 km of hikingHikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails. From easy to hard, one hour to three days. There trails on the map from the visitors center will only have the easier trails. Maps do come with English instructions. A guide is recommended for most trails if the tourist has no experience. - KayakingKayakingKayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and rafting. - Night time wildlife spotlighting.
- Observation towers at Nong Pak Chee or Mo Sing. Early morning is the best time to view the Great Hornbills, gaurGaurThe gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
, and sometimes elephants. GibbonGibbonGibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
s are most active in the early morning. - At about 5:30 at night thousands of wrinkled lipped bats emerge from a cave 3 km outside the northern gate to begin night time feeding. The bats fly in a ribbon pattern across the sky.
- Klong Pa Kang-Wang Haew-Dinosaur Footprint. Four day trek to see a dinosaur footprint!
Waterfalls
- Haew Narok Waterfall - The Haew Narok waterfalls are the largest waterfalls in the park. It is a three tiered structure that extends 150 meters from the top tier to the basal lake. The waterfall is located about 10 kilometers from the south gate along the central road through Khao Yai.
- Haew Suwat Waterfalls - This waterfall runs over a 20 meter cliff into a large pool below. It is located to the about 8km east of the visitors center and can be visited easily by car along one of the main easterly roads. It can also be reached by a 8 km hike from the visitors center (walk number 4) which takes about 4–7 hours. It is made up mainly of multiple layers of sandstone conglomerates with large interbeds of basalt.
- Haew Sai Waterfalls - Haew Sai Waterfalls are located a 700 meters north of the Haew Suwat Waterfalls. It is 8km east of the visitors centre and can also be reached vias car or by hike.
- Haew Pratoon Waterfalls - Smaller waterfall that is about 1 km north of Haew Sai waterfall.
See also
- Dong PhayayenDong Phaya Yen mountainsDong Phaya Yen is a mountain range in central Thailand.-Description:Dong Phaya Yen is the southeastern extension of the Phetchabun mountains, dividing the Chao Phraya river valley of Central Thailand and the Khorat Plateau of the northeast...
- Khao Yai Forest Complex