Thailand’s National Parks!

Interesting Info on Thailand’s National Parks.

To date there are some 148 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Thailand. Of this figure 30 of them are marine national parks including world famous dive sites such as the Similan Islands (Mu Ko Similan), the Phi Phi Islands (Koh Phi Phi) and Racha Island (Koh Racha). There is also the Mu Ko Surin and Koh Tarutao(Mu Koh meaning a group of islands and Koh just meaning  island)which are said to have some of the whitest sand in the world.

Thailand’s first national park and probably the most famous National Park in Thailand is Khao Yai National Park in Nakhorn Ratchasima Province. Khao Yai National Park was established in 1962 and became an ASEAN heritage site in 1982. It is also Thailand’s largest national park and covers an area of 2,165.55 km2. This provides enough viable habitat for wild Tiger, Bears, Elephant, large numbers of Hornbill and much much more! Other famous and popular National Parks include Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand’s highest mountain in Chiang Mai Province, Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi Province and Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani Province.

Combined with this wealth of natural beauty some of Thailand’s famous holiday destinations are only a stone’s throw away; Phuket, Chiang Mai,

Krabi, Bangkok and Khao Lak all offer great opportunities to visit these national parks.

Among the activities available in Thailand’s National Parks are trekking on foot, bird watching, swimming at waterfalls, canoeing, cycling and experiencing nature! The National Park headquarters offer basic facilities for all to use with many offering basic amenities such as Toilets, showers, accommodation, camping grounds, restaurants, guides / rangers and more. However, please be aware that some national parks have very basic amenities and the amount and quality can vary between different locations. Examples of where amenities are of a very good standard are Doi Inthanon & Erawan National Parks.