Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [66]
Um Phang Wildlife Sanctuary (Click here) Thailand’s biggest, most beautiful waterfall.
Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, Phetchabun/Phitsanulok (Click here) Massive grasslands are home to carpets of flowers (after the rainy season) and varied wild animals and birdlife.
Khao Yai (Click here) A dense monsoon forest famed for its waterfalls, and bird and monkey populations; it is best visited November to April.
Phu Kradung (Click here) A popular mountain hike rewarded with sunset views and lots of camping camaraderie; it is best visited January to May.
Kaeng Krachan (Click here) An energy-sapping 6km hike delivers you to the summit of Phanoen Tung for breathtaking views of misty morning valleys.
Khao Sok (Click here) A pristine southern rainforest, well-suited for jungle safaris and kayak trips; monkeys and hornbills are commonly spotted and if timed just right so is the rafflesia; it is best visited February to May.
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Animals
In the northern half of Thailand most indigenous species are classified zoologically as Indo-Chinese, referring to fauna originating from mainland Southeast Asia, while that of the south is generally Sundaic, typical of peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. An extensive overlap between the two zoogeographical and vegetative zones, starting around Prachuap Khiri Khan on the southern peninsula and extending north to Uthai Thani, provides habitat for plants and animals from both zones.
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Thailand’s rainforests are so luxuriant that 200 species of trees have been found growing on a single 100 sq metre plot.
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Thailand is particularly rich in birdlife, with over a thousand recorded resident and migrating species – approximately 10% of the world’s bird species. The cool mountains of northern Thailand are populated by montane species and migrants with clear Himalayan affinities such as flycatchers and thrushes. The arid forests of Khao Yai National Park in northeastern Thailand are a favourite for hornbills. Marshland birds prefer the wetlands of the central region, while Sundaic species like Gurney’s Pitta flock to the wetter climate of southern Thailand.
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Thai Birding (www.thaibirding.com) is a great online resource for bird-spottings and trip reports.
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Besides abundant birdlife, visitors to the country’s national parks are most likely to spot monkeys. Thailand is home to five species of macaque, four species of the smaller leaf-monkey and three species of gibbons. Although they face the same habitat loss as other native species, monkeys sometimes survive by living in varying states of domestication with humans. The long-armed gibbons were once raised alongside children in rural villages and macaques can be found living in small wooded patches or unused temples in the midst of human population centres. Monkeys are also used to harvest coconuts in family plots. But Thais’ relationship with the monkey see-saws between generosity and cruelty: food is often given to resident monkey troops as an act of Buddhist merit-making, while it isn’t unusual to see a monkey kept in a small cage as an ignored pet.
Other species found in the kingdom’s parks and sanctuaries include gaur (Indian bison), banteng (wild cattle), serow (an Asiatic goat-antelope), sambar deer, muntjac (barking deer), mouse deer and tapir – to name a few.
Thailand has six venomous snakes: common cobra, king cobra, banded krait, green viper, Malayan viper and Russell’s pit viper. Although the relatively rare king cobra can reach up to 6m in length, the nation’s largest snake is the reticulated python, which can reach a whopping 10m. The country’s many lizard species include two commonly seen in homes – úk·gaa, a reclusive and somewhat homely gecko that is usual heard in the early evening coughing its name; and jîng·jòk, a spirited house lizard that is usually spotted on ceilings and walls chasing after bugs. The black jungle monitor, which looks like a miniature dinosaur, lives in some of the southern forests.
The oceans on either