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| Khao Yai National Park | |||||||||
| Introduction | |||||||||
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| On the down side, this National Park is extremely popular and gets ridiculously busy at weekends and holidays; camping during these times can be a fairly unpleasant experience so visits should be timed to avoid these. It is also a sad fact that there nearly always seems to be some development project threatening the quality of this location, in the past these have included a perimeter road, dams and, frequently, tourist development. | |||||||||
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| Birding Highlights | |||||||||
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| Click here for a checklist of the birds of Khao Yai National Park | |||||||||
| Travel Information | |||||||||
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If driving from Bangkok, take the northbound highway and at Saraburi turn towards Nakorn Ratchasima - please drive with caution as this stretch of road is considered the most dangerous in Thailand with frequent accidents, be aware of very slow moving trucks crawling 3 abreast uphill. Shortly before Pak Chong there are signposts for Khao Yai National Park in English. If driving, the journey will take about 3 hours from central Bangkok, if taking public transport then 5 hours is more realistic. |
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| Finding Birds | |||||||||
Khao Yai has one of the most well-developed trail systems of any National Park in Thailand, so birders need not struggle to get into decent habitat. Even if on foot there are a lot of trails close to park accommodation, whether you decide to stay in a park bungalow or campsite. Bird waves seem frequent in the forest here so be prepared to see a lot of species; of course some species require more expertise to find than others, but even some of the specialities here can be seen without any special effort. The mixture of forest and grassland allows birders to see a lot of different species, with some of the higher elevations good places for raptor watching. Many people come to Khao Yai to see Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo which turns up at a number of stakeouts and I have often bumped into it on the trails. Siamese Fireback Pheasant is also a highly sought-after species and often appear on the roads shortly after dawn or before dusk. I have had many close encounters with this species on trail B where it seems to forms parties with Silver Pheasant. |
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Details of some of the best birding spots follow. I have abandoned the system of numbers allotted to trails as they seem to keep changing. Khao Khieo Access Road : This has been a favourite spot over the years to find Pheasants in the morning but appears to be becoming less reliable. I personally have rarely visited this area of the park having regularly seen both Silver and Siamese Fireback Pheasants elsewhere but the area towards the top of the road certainly contains some higher altitude species not found in other parts of Khao Yai, such as White-browed Shrike Babbler and Wreathed Hornbill is fairly regular along this road. TAT Pond : This sizeable pond is quite a good place to sit under a shady tree in the midday heat and watch birds come down to drink; mammals such as Barking Deer are often around here also. This spot has been reliable for Needletail Swifts for a long time now and all three Thai species have been seen here over the last few years. Brown-backed Needletail is the most common and likely to be seen, but Silver-backed is fairly regular with White-throated being the most uncommon. The open country around this pond is home to Plain-backed Sparrows (a species that no guide book seems to do justice to) and Australasian Bushlark whilst in the patches of forest it is easy to get good views of Oriental Pied Hornbill. |
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Trail B : This trail starts a little uphill and opposite the Park HQ and can be followed to the wildlife watchtower or to Wang Jumpee car park. This is one of the most productive birding trails and the one most frequented by birders searching for ground dwelling birds; there are a number of damp gullies and rocky ditches along here that harbour White-crowned Forktail, Blue Pitta and even Eared Pitta. Once again there are a huge number of species that live along this trail, although they can be a little harder to find than along trail A. Both Orange-breasted and Red-headed Trogons are common sights here and this is a good trail to listen out for Banded Kingfisher. I have seen both Silver and Siamese Fireback Pheasants along the first few kilometres of this trail in the company of Scaly-breasted Partridge on many occasions and was lucky enough to see one male Siamese Fireback performing a wing-beating display for two females only a few metres away in 2004. Given that the road to Khao Khieo is not as reliable for these species as it once was, this is probably the best place to look for them. Trail C : I have never walked this trail, but I include it as it follows the path of a river through the forest and as such probably has the potential to reveal many species. I know that many years ago Malayan Night Heron was seen along here so it might be worth taking a look if you have the time. |
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Wildlife Watchtower : There is a car park at the head of the trail to this watchtower and it can get very busy so it is advisable to get here early. Open-country birds are easily found here with Bright-capped Cisticola one of the nicest; listen out for its strange call which sounds a bit like an exaggerated kiss. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater can usually be seen along here as can Siberian Stonechat, Rufescent and Grey-breasted Prinias and Pied Bushchat whilst Brown-backed Needletails often hawk for insects over the pond. On one occasion I saw Stork-billed Kingfisher in the reeds here and even a Little Grebe which was a bit strange in this location. In the forest behind the pond Great and Wreathed Hornbills can often be seen flying from tree to tree with the Great Hornbills deep "Gok Gok" call an atmospheric sound. The main attraction to this pond and salt lick is to see large mammals and indeed once, at about 7.30 am, David Lewis and I watched a group of seven Dholes chase a large male Sambar into the water. Others have seen Asian Elephant and even tiger (very rare!) here whilst Water Monitors are a common sight. |
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| Mo Sing To Reservoir : Red-wattled Lapwing and Red Junglefowl can often be seen feeding on the far side of this small reservoir and the occasional migrating wader finds itself here; I've found Pintail Snipe on a couple of occasions. Plenty of open country birds can be seen around here and in the evening hornbills can be seen in the distance from here as they come to roost. The trail that runs uphill as a continuation of the track across the small dam is a well-known hotspot for Eared Pitta, but please be as unobtrusive as possible here as the area is frequently used as an ornithological study area. Plain-backed Sparrows seem to nest in the checkpoint barrier close to Mo Sing To. | |||||||||
| Facilities | |||||||||
Khao Yai is a well-visited National Park and the amount and range of accommodation reflects this. A number of backpackers stay in a hostel in Pak Chong which arranges trips into Khao Yai, but this is not a good way to see many birds. Many people with their own transport prefer to stay in one of the numerous resorts which line the road from Pak Chong to Khao Yai National Park. These are more expensive than accommodation inside the park, but are certainly more comfortable, although staying here means driving into the National Park every morning. The Juldis Khao Yai Resort seems to be fairly popular with birders and has the added bonus of being the home to a flock of Red-breasted Parakeets. The Duangporn Resort is also a pleasant place to stay at very reasonable prices - unfortunately their sign is only in Thai. I have always favoured staying within the National Park so that I can start birding as soon as I get up and there are a number of options here. |
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At old HQ there is also an exhibition centre and a small and seldom-used library which can be used to look up any sightings you may have made. Alcohol isn't for sale in the National Park, but can be brought in, a situation which seems to constantly change. Outside of the park any of the resorts can be visited for food, and a number of restaurants and small stores exist. There are a few places along the Khao Yai-Pak Chong Road which serve steaks and other Western food for those that have tired of rice and noodles. Park entrance fee for foreigners is 400 baht from 15 September 2006, and staff now charge the fee every day of entry - this is an expense which can mount up!. |
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| Other Related Pages | |||||||||
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Everett's White-eye Zosterops everetti found in Khao Yai National Park |
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| Photo Galleries | |||||||||
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| Useful Books | |||||||||
| Trip Reports | |||||||||
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| Related Blog Entries | |||||||||
Khao Yai -there and back in a day - posted 02/04/08 Tour of Thailand, 17 January to 6 February 2008 - posted 05/03/08 |
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