Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, in Narathiwat
province, is made up of two sectors; Hala sector and Bala
sector. Hala sector is mountainous and inaccessible, currently
completely off-limits to visitors due to the violence in the
area. However, Bala sector can be visited with caution and
a narrow road through the beautiful lowland forest here makes
access easy.
The Bala sector of this Wildlife Sanctuary consists mainly
of lowland forest on the border with Malaysia making it just
about the only place in Thailand where many lowland Sundaic
species can be found. In addition to this, the forest is exceptionally
beautiful with lots of mature trees and clear streams and
these, together with the remote location, give visitors a
real sense of wilderness. There are a number of short trails
within the Wildlife Sanctuary for those that like to walk,
but simply birding along the road can prove very productive.
The survival of so much forest is unsual in Southern Thailand,
with most habitat having been converted to rubber and palm
oil plantations, but Hala-Bala owes its existence to extended
periods of insurgency and separatism; indeed there have been
problems in this area for hundreds of years. The Widlife Sanctuary
was designated in the 1990s when there was a period of peace
but since heavy-handed political shenanigans in 2004 there
has been another round of violence which continues although
over the last few years has been much reduced. Since 2020
peace seems to be threatening to break out in this region
with talks seemingly actually getting somewhere but there
are still occasional bomb attacks although Narathiwat province
seems to mostly avoid this nonsense. The area close to the
Bala sector of the Wildlife Sanctuary has no history of violent
problems and as long as visitors plan their journey properly
it is safe to visit, although it is essential to know which
route to travel on and to avoid driving at dawn and dusk (and
certainly not at night). I would not want my advice
to be responsible for people getting into trouble in this
area so it would be wise to research the situation yourself
close to the time if one wants to travel to Bala.
Birding Highlights
There
are so many birding highlights here it is difficult
to know where to start. Javan Frogmouths regularly nest
near the headquarters, making it probably the easiest
place in the country to see this species. Bat Hawks
also have a conveniently viewable nest from almost the
same spot providing two fabulous species within a few
minutes of your arrival. Hornbills
are a constant feature at this location, and for me
are among the most memorable birds in the whole country.
Rhinoceros, Helmeted, Wrinkled, Bushy-crested, White-crowned,
Wreathed and Plain-pouched Hornbills can all be seen
in the vicinity of HQ, with Great and Black Hornbills
present too.
Chestnut-naped
Forktail is another species that draws birders to this
location, with views almost guaranteed. The lowland
forest in this region is also the home of some of the
most elusive and sought after ground dwelling species;
Garnet Pitta, Giant Pitta and Rail-babbler have all
been seen in recent years.
If
these species don't whet your appetite then the profusion
of Bulbuls, Babblers, Woodpeckers, Barbets, Kingfishers
and more should ensure that in three or four days your
species list should easily exceed 100!
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird
watching trip to Thailand, take a look at the suggested
itineraries for ideas on creating a tailor-made
trip and contact me for advice: Thailand
bird tours.
Travel Information
Getting
to the Bala Sector of Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary is
not as difficult as one might think. I would recommend
going by car, hiring one in one of the southern towns;
they would be widely available from Phuket or Krabi.
The main highway south goes to Narathiwat and from there
signposts to Sungai Kolok should be followed. If travelling
by public transport, there are plenty of buses from
the southern bus terminal in Bangkok to Sungai Kolok.
The journey takes in the region of 16 hours. From Sungai
Kolok follow the main road to Waeng and from there continue
along the road which heads to the border. Shortly after
leaving Waeng, Bala Wildlife Sanctuary is signposted;
simply follow these.
If
arriving in Sungai Kolok by public transport one would
have to look around for transport to the park; the border
crossing to Malaysia would be a starting point for this.
However, I wouldn't advise attempting to arrive by public
transport without having a car to drive to the park,
particularly when security is an issue in this part
of Thailand. Having a private vehicle will also allow
birders to properly enjoy the birding hotspots around
the park which are long distances from each other and
could not all be reached on foot.
Finding Birds
Simply hanging around the Research station will allow birders
to see many species of Hornbill, Bat Hawk, Javan Frogmouth
and Black-thighed Falconet to mention a few, but by moving
around many more species can be found.
HQ
: A
number of flowering trees here allow good views of many
Bulbuls, Flowerpeckers and Spiderhunters, with most
of the southern specialities being fairly easy to find.
Research
Station : Some
birders spend the whole day in and around the research
station, and many excellent species can be found in
this way. A stake-out for Bat Hawk and Javan Frogmouth
exists behind a shed where tools and vehicles are kept,
just after the turning which goes down a steep slope.
The Frogmouth sits in a tree slightly to the right of
this shed and can be seen at close quarters. The Bat
Hawks nest in a large distant tree and can be viewed
through a telescope when at the nest. The staff at the
research station are happy to spend a few minutes helping
visiting birders locate both
of these species.
Many
Hornbills can be encountered around here too. Rhinoceros
Hornbill regularly comes to feed on nearby trees and
is quite a fabulous sight. The rare Wrinkled Hornbill
sometimes passes by in small flocks and Wreathed Hornbills
often fly overhead. Plenty of smaller birds frequently
show up here also; Collared Falconet is a much photographed
highlight which can usually be seen perched on bare
branches; Brown and Gold-whiskered Barbets are often
found in the larger trees and Long-billed Spiderhunter
is usually easy to see feeding on flowering ornamental
trees.
A track runs down a steep slope from the accommodation
at the research centre into a river valley. Down here there
is a circular, paved trail which can be a great place to see
Babblers, with Short-tailed Babbler being particularly numerous
on my visit. Next to the river is a small shelter which is
a good place to have lunch and is a stake-out for Kingfishers.
Another trail crosses this river and goes through some excellent
lowland forest where a number of highly sought-after species
have been seen including Rail-babbler, Garnet and Giant Pittas,
Short-toed Coucal and Rufous-tailed Shama. When I visited
in March 2003 I also saw Bushy-crested and White-crowned Hornbills
in this area. Probably the worst aspect of this trail is the
fact that it is infested by leeches; I was covered in them
by the time I got out of the forest here and my socks saturated
in blood - leech socks would be very helpful!
Sirintorn
Waterfall : Many Whiskered
Treeswifts can be seen as one walks down the road towards
this waterfall, and Orange-backed Flowerpecker is frequent
in the smaller trees. However, the main reason to visit this
waterfall is to find Chestnut-naped Forktail which is frequently
observed at the base of the waterfall. Look carefully as it
can be surprisingly easy to miss! Mornings and late afternoons
are the best time to see this species as sometimes visitors
play in the water here during the day; not a bad idea when
it gets very hot!
Viewpoints
: These
two viewpoints, where there are shelters in rather a poor
state of repair, provide some of the birding highlights of
the Wildlife Sanctuary as well as views across some very beautiful
forest. Hornbills can often be seen flying over the forest,
with Helmeted and Rhinoceros Hornbills being regularly seen
and providing a fantastic sight. I had a lot of success with
Woodpeckers at these locations in 2003, seeing Buff-rumped,
Buff-necked and Olive-backed Woodpeckers within a few minutes
of each other.
Lots of other southern specialities can be found feeding in
trees in these areas with Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler,
numerous Bulbuls, Minivets and the rather unspectacular Brown
Fulvetta all occurring. The first of the two viewpoints provides
the best vistas across the forest making it a good place to
look out for soaring raptors, Blyth's and Wallace's Hawk Eagles
being the regional specialities.
Temple
: A short trail runs from the back of this forest temple,
along a small stream which leads to a small pond and eventually
to a village. There is some nice forest along here and it
is quite moist, attracting many exciting lowland specialist
species such as Temminck's Sunbird, Chestnut-rumped Babbler,
Spotted Fantail and Little Bronze Cuckoo. Some birdwatchers
have been lucky enough to find Malaysian Rail-babbler along
here and there have been a few reports of Daird's Trogon from
the small pond, but I'm not sure how reliable these are as
they came from local youngsters. However, this is certainly
a good spot to sit and wait for birds to come down to drink.
Facilities
The
facilities at this Wildlife sanctuary are few but sufficient. It
is possible to stay at the research station where there are
some simple but comfortable rooms, although I understand that
these aren't usually available to the public. However, when
I turned up with my girlfriend we were allowed to stay in
one of the unoccupied rooms and it was left up to us how much
we donated for using this. Most people, if arriving independently,
are left to use the campsite which is downhill of the guest
rooms. There is no food available at the research station,
one must bring food, water and cooking equipment sufficient
for the stay.
Some people
have preferred to stay in Sungai Kolok and drive into the
forest every day and whilst there are some decent hotels there
I wouldn't recommend this for security concerns and for the
inconvenience of the journey. However, all sorts of food and
drink provisions can be bought in Sungai Kolok for one's stay
at Bala and there is a border crossing for travel into/from
Malaysia.
Kingfishers,
Bee-eaters & Rollers This book details all of the kingfishers, bee-eaters
and rollers of the world in a series of well-illustrated
plates. With a wealth of kingfisher species in southern
Thailand this is a really nice work of reference to
have.
Birds
of Thailand This field guide has set new standards in identifying
birds in the wild in Thailand. With the most up-to-date
taxonomy of any publication this is the book you need
if you are birdwatching in Thailand. Forget all of the
older guides and buy this one.
Bird
Watching Trips:
Bala sector of Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary
is almost certainly the best birding site in Southern
Thailand and adventurous birders can make a visit here
the core of their Southern Thailand tour before moving
on to more frequently areas.
Download
a full 
