Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary

Description

Khao Yai National Park (Thai: เขาใหญ่, pronounced [kʰǎw jàj]) is a national park in Thailand.

Khao Yai National Park is situated in the Sankambeng Mountain Range, the southern prolongation of the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains, 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 forests and grasslands. Its altitude mostly ranges from 400 to 1000 m above sea level. There are 3,000 species of plants, 320 species of birds like red junglefowl and green peafowl and 67 species of mammals, including Asiatic black bears, Asian elephants, gaur, tigers, gibbons, Indian sambar deer, crab-eating macaque, Indian muntjac, dholes, and wild pigs. Its waterfalls 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.

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, 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.

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.

Limestones are present along the Dong Rek range. Sandstones outcrop 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.

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 the Khao Yai.

The park is often visited by travelers from Isan, Bangkok and beyond. The fee (per day) is 400 baht for foreigners (200 for children), and 40 for Thais.