The Thailand National Park System

Thailand is flowing with nature and wildlife. “National parks in Thailand (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติทางบก) are defined as an area of least ten square kilometres that contains natural resources of ecological importance or unique beauty, or flora and fauna of special importance. Currently there are 102 national parks (including 21 marine national parks, อุทยานแห่งชาติทางทะเล). Often forest parks (วนอุทยานใน) are miscalled as national parks as well; however those are less protected and governed by the provincial administration.” List of all Thailand National Parks

All of these parks are well protected and maintained by National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP), which is part of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). They often offer accommodation, such as camping or even bungalows. It is noted though that you book ahead with the national park you plan to camp at just as would in any other country.

National Park Admittance Fees

Most of the national parks charge an admittance fee. They have adult and child prices they vary from 50 to 400 Thai baht. You may notice the fee also varies depending on whether your farang (anything but thai) or Thai as it does with other fees in Thailand. They have adult and child prices which vary from 50 to 400 Thai baht. However some parks can be entered free of charge. As much resentment as it might create you still have to pay it if you want to enter the park. List of entry fees

Forest at Chae Son National Park

The most popular of the parks are Chae Son National Park,Khao Yai National Park, Khao Sok National Park, Doi Inthanon National Park, Erawan National Park, Surin National Park, Ang Thong national Marine Park.

Chae son National Park is located in the provinces of Chiang Mai and Lampang and covers an area of 592 square kilometres. Flight of the Gibbon™ is also situated here. The park has an amazing climax old growth forest with some of the oldest and biggest trees in Thailand. It also has many hot springs, waterfalls, and caves. The park is home to animal such as Common Muntjak, Mouse Deer, Common Wild Boar, Asian Golden Cat, Siamese Hare, Southern Serow, Malayan Flying Lemur, Langur, Macaque, Porcupine, Bear, Squirrel and Tree Shrew. It has various birds such as White-Rumped Shama, Red Junglefowl, Woodpecker, Hawk, Bulbul, Barbet, Tailorbird, Green Pigeon, Warbler, Babbler, and Dove. source

Waterfall at Khao Yai National Park

Khao Yai is Thailand’s oldest and most popular national park. It is located in the provinces of Nakhonnayok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi, and Prachinburi. It covers an area of 2169 square km. “There are 3,000 species of plants, 320 species of birds and 67 species of mammals, including Asiatic black bears, Asian elephants, gaur, tigers, gibbons, Indian sambar deer, Indian muntjac, dholes, and wild pigs.” It is also contains many waterfalls that were featured in the film “The Beach”. More info on Khao Yai

It is also a great destination for hikers, backpackers and campers alike as they have over 40 hiking trails. If that’s not for you, you can take a guided tour by car and are almost guaranteed to catch a sight of the diverse wildlife. Khao Yai has recently become the annual location for the Thailand International Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Limestone Cliffs at Khao Sok National Park

Khao sok is located in Surat Thani province in Thailand. It covers an area of 739 square kilometers. The park serves as a home for a wide variety of wildlife such as the gaur, banteng, sambar deer, bear, Malayan tapir, macaque, gibbon, serow, mouse deer, porcupine, marbled cat, wild boar, and Asian wild dog. It also acts as the natural habitat for several for several bird species.

Doi Inthanon National Park is located on Thailand’s highest mountain in the province of Chiang Mai. Doi in Thai means mountain. Doi Inthanon has a lot of hiking trails and waterfalls and is worth a look if you’re the adventurous type. It’s also great if you’re seeking to get away from the hot weather as the park is located at a high altitude and is quite cool year round.

Shrine at Doi Inthanon

Erawan National Park is located in Kanchanaburi and covers an area of 550 square kilometers of high mountains and valleys. The biggest attractions are its waterfall and the amazing Phrathat cave. The waterfall is tiered and consists of seven levels with a total drop of 1,500 metres. There are daily buses from Kanchanaburi to the park, but try to not come on Thai holidays as it gets crowded. Some of the animals here include elephants, gibbons, Siamese hare, flying squirrels, eagles, white-eyes, king cobras or pythons.

One of the many waterfalls at Erewan National Park

Ang Thong National Marine Park is located in Koh Samui and is made up of 42 islands featuring lime stone massifs, tropical rainforests and deserted beaches. This fascinating group of islands, within sight of Koh Samui to the north and west, is geographically different from the other islands in the region. The Ang Thong islands rise from the sea as dramatic walls of rock soaring hundreds of metres high. Besides the many small coves and beautiful beaches, erosion has shaped some interesting formations. Particular features are Mae Ko (a beautiful beach) and Thale Nai (an emerald saltwater lake) both found on Koh Mae Ko. Koh Sam Sao has a coral reef and a huge rock arch as well as a hill providing great views of the surrounding area. There is a considerable amount of wildlife inhabiting the islands including the Asian long tailed monkey (langur), hair nosed otters, pacific reef egrets, white bellied sea eagles, ashy drongos, tortoises, sea turtles, lizards and pythons.The surrounding sea is also the major spawning ground for the short bodied mackerel, a tasty Thai delicacy. Snorkelling, walking and swimming are the most popular attractions of the region. The best time to visit this archipelago is late March to October when visibility is at its best. Get a few friends together and charter a boat so that you can explore the marvels of the ‘Golden Basin’ in your own time.

View from a cliff at Ang Thong National Park

Mu Koh Surin National Park (sometimes referred to as Surin National Park or Surin Island National Park) covers an area of 135 square kilometers just a few km south of Thailand-Myanmar border on Andaman sea. About 76% of the total area is sea, and rest are islands – there are 5 main islands in the park. Koh Surin Nua (north island), Koh Surin tai (south island) are the two largest islands; other three being Koh Ree (or Koh Satok), Koh Glang (or Koh Pachumba), and Koh Khai (or Koh Torinla).

Lagoon at Mu Koh Surin (Also known as Surin National Park)

Koh Surin islands are roughly 60 km to the west of Phang Nga coast, and about 100 km to the north of Koh Similan islands. These islands have been a refuge for the fishing boats during rough weather, as well as home for the sea gypsies.

Since these islands are located at deep sea far from the mainland, the environment is quite clean and almost pollution-free. The islands are covered by healthy forest and thus the amount of eroded materials entering the sea is minimum. Visibility in the water is very good.

Coral growth is healthy especially in the sheltered bays on the eastern sides of the islands. The sea around the islands are also rich in marine life. In addition to the hard and soft corals there are sea feathers, star fish, spiny lobster, giant clam and so on. Fish species found around the reefs are parrot fish, clown fish, black tip shark, lion fish, angel fish, etc.