Khao Yai National Park - The 'Big Mountain'
| Year of Declaration: | 1984 |
| Area (hectares): | 216,800 |
| Area and Location: |
The 216,800-hectare Park covers portions of the provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok and Prachinburi.
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| Description: |
Khao Yai National Park, which means “Big Mountain”, is the third largest natural park of Thailand. The highest peak rises1,351 meters above sea level. Established in 1962, Khao Yai National Park is the first national park in the country.
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| Habitat Types: |
Main vegetation types are dry evergreen forests, dry deciduous forests, tropical moist evergreen forests, hill evergreen forests and grasslands.
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| Unique Flora: |
Important plant species include dipterocarps like Hopea; bamboos; ferns; mosses; epiphytes like Lithocarps and Catanopsis.
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| Unique Fauna: |
Recorded species include Asian jackal, Asiatic black bear, Malayan sun bear, Javan mongoose, hog badger, clouded leopard, marbled cat, barking deer, serow, slow loris, white-handed gibbon, pileated gibbon, and birds such as silver and Siamese fireback pheasants, mountain imperial pigeon, Hodgson’s hawk cuckoo, and various hornbills.
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| Ecotourism Destination and Activities: |
Visitors can hike through nature trails and go bird watching. Other attractions are the Hew Narok and Hew Suwat waterfalls, which are both extremely popular with visitors and very accessible; other activities include elephant and deer watching; camping & trekking.
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| Biological Richness: | • 71 species of mammals • 38 species of reptiles • 23 species of amphibians • 318 species of birds • 215 species of insects |