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Arriving by public transport is also possible, but will incur some expense. From Bangkok take a bus to Petchaburi from the Southern bus terminal. From Petchaburi one must charter a songtaew to the National Park which should cost in the region of 600-800 baht one way. Finding a songtaew will take a little effort but walking around the bus station asking to go to Kaeng Krachan National Park should get the right response. Taxis/songtaews for charter also wait at the town clock tower and the Petchaburi Rama theatre. If communication is a problem show the songtaew drivers the Thai script for the park: Kaeng Krachan National Park Thai Script.

At park HQ, or the park gate, entrance fees can be sorted out and at weekends there are drivers who offer a taxi service up and down the mountain and I'm sure the staff at HQ can contact some of them during the week. These drivers charge 1200 baht from HQ to Ban Krang campsite and back or 1800 baht from HQ to the campsite at Km 30 and back (2004 prices). If this is not possible continue with your songtaew charter to the campsite (it will cost extra though).

For those wishing to head to the campsite at Km 30 (Panoen Tung) timing is important. From Ban Krang campsite the road is narrow and in varying states of repair and certain times are allotted for ascent and descent. Times for going up are 5.30-7.30 am and 1-3 pm. Times for going down are 9-10 am and 4-5 pm. These times are important for those with limited time. Driving up the road to Panoen Tung is best done in a vehicle with good ground clearance, not a standard saloon car. Whilst the state of the road does vary from time to time and one may read in some trip reports that driving to the top in a saloon car was possible, it is best to assume that the road will be fairly poor quality and loose stones on corners in particular can make it difficult to get enough traction. Even the dirt road to Ban Krang can be quite rutted and a car with good ground clearance is advisable, whilst attempting to cross the streams past Bang Krang campsite should be done with caution even in vehicles with good ground clearance as the entry and exits from the fords are quite steep - quite a number of visitors have ripped parts of their cars' bodywork off at these streams.

For those driving in and out of the park every day the gate opens at 5.30am and closes at 7pm, although it is advisable to be out before that due to the potential danger of elephants on the road, indeed you may find the rangers have locked the gate if you reach it after 7pm.

Headquarters: The headquarters is some distance outside the forest itself and really is not the prime birding spot for this site. However, some wetland and open-country species can be seen around headquarters and it is worth exploring a little if waiting for transport up the mountain or there has been some other delay. Egrets, Pond Herons and Pipits can all be seen here and colourful birds such as Indian Roller and White-throated Kingfisher are typical residents. Black-collared Starling hangs around here too and is quite a handsome character and even some forest species can be found with Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush and Large Scimitar Babbler can be found with luck in the thorny forest nearby.

Entry Roads: The roads from HQ to the park gate pass through farmland and forest fragments. Whilst the national park proper is the main attraction, some interesting species can be found along here. Indochinese Bushlark, Greater Coucal and Paddyfield Pipit are all quite common while Indian Rollers and White-throated Kingfishers will be seen on the overhead wires. Some of the grassier areas contain Grey-breasted Prinia, Lesser Coucal and Bright-headed Cisticola, and listen out for Chinese Francolin calling, you may be able to track one down or see it crossing one of the roads. Sooty-headed Bulbul is common and both Black-collared and Vinous-breasted Starlings are around, although not abundant. At night Large-tailed Nightjars can be seen on the road itself and Spotted Owlets are fairly easy to find too.

Access to the hide here is strictly by appointment only, so I will not give directions as turning up without booking first would cause a problem; to book yourself into this hide it is best to do so through Gunn at Ban Maka or Samarn at Samarn Bird Camp.

It costs 200 baht per person to visit Lung Sin Waterhole and flash photography is not allowed unless you want to book the whole hide out yourself as it deters the more secretive species from coming to bathe and drink.

Road to Bang Krang: This road passes through disturbed forest which is worth spending some time in for the more common birds and a few of the less common ones. In the early morning there is usually a lot of bird activity along this road and it offers a good opportunity to see Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Black-naped Oriole, Greater Flameback, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Greater Yellownape, Hill Myna and Golden-crested Myna. Black-thighed Falconets can often be found at a couple of points along this road - look out for them perched upon dead snags. Areas of forest near water along here are the best places to see Black-and-red Broadbill which is a fabulous bird. Fruiting trees along here attract Green-eared Barbets, Asian Fairy Bluebirds, Oriental Pied and Great Hornbills, Stripe-throated Bulbuls and Hill Mynas to mention but a few and when a tree which is bearing fruit is found it is worth waiting some time to see what turns up.

It is also worth driving out of the park an hour before dusk so that there is time to stop along this road when birds are spotted. Woodpeckers seem to be active right up until dark and several species can often be found along here at this time including Lesser Yellownape, Common Flameback and Streak-breasted Woodpecker.

Several species of woodpecker can often be found here, with Greater Yellownape, Common Flameback, Heart-spotted Woodpecker and Greater Flameback all being frequent and during the breeding season Silver-breasted and Banded Broadbills can sometimes be found. Whatever the time of year, though, a morning here is excellent for getting aquainted with many of the commoner forest birds and photographing them.

From the campsite a track crosses the stream and provides access to a seldom-visited part of the forest. At the stream crossing itself a small flock of White-rumped Munias are often to be found and along the track sightings of Black-and-red Broadbill are frequent. This is also a good area to look for Puff-throated Babbler, Violet Cuckoo, Orange-breasted Trogon, Streak-breasted Woodpecker and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush. From the clearing at the "Youth Camp" it is often possible to see Grey-rumped Treeswifts flying around as well as many of the birds that also occur in the campsite.

At night the campsite can be good for those that like night birding. Large-tailed Nightjars are common; listen for their call which sounds like a resonant "chonk, chonk" and Great Eared Nightjar can sometimes be seen cruising around just before it gets dark. Other night birds here include Asian Barred Owlet, Collared Owlet, Brown Hawk Owl, Collared Scops Owl and, for some lucky birders, Oriental Bay Owl and White-fronted Scops Owl (see below).

Stream Crossings 1 to 3: Shortly after passing out of the campsite some moist forest is entered, which continues past the third stream crossing to the point at which the road begins to climb uphill; this is where many of the "best" birds are most regularly encountered. Tickell's Brown Hornbills often frequent this area and it is probably the best area of the park for seeing Orange-breasted Trogon which can often be seen sitting quietly out in the open.

This stretch of forest has a good helping of woodpeckers that can be seen, although thick vegetation and high trees can make them hard to see. Many species of woodpecker in Thailand join flocks and if you locate groups of Lesser and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes there is a decent chance that a woodpecker or two may be with them. Streak-breasted Woodpecker often joins these groups and sometimes any of the following may also join the party: Rufous Woodpecker, Buff-rumped Woodpecker, Greater Flameback, Common Flameback, Greater Yellownape, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Banded Woodpecker, Heart-spotted Woodpecker. This is also a great area to find Great Slaty Woodpecker; a bird which is very reminiscent of a Pterosaur!

Ochraceous Bulbul is a bird that is common here and due to its restricted range you may not see it anywhere else; other bulbuls which are frequently seen along this tretch are Grey-eyed, Black-crested, Black-headed and Stripe-throated.

In the dry season bird abundance can sometimes be high along here in the morning with small species flocking together to feed. Swinhoe's Minivet, Blue-winged Leafbird, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Sulphur-breasted Warbler, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Pin-striped Tit Babbler, Asian Paradise Flycatcher are just a few of the species which can be seen in most flocks. These flocks start to disappear as species begin to migrate and pair up to breed.

Most visiting birders are keen to see Pittas but it should be known that these are extremely difficult birds to see. Outside of the breeding season the only Pitta that there is a realistic chance of seeing is Blue Pitta and even that is seen very infrequently until it begins calling in late February to March. From late April to early May Blue-winged Pittas and Hooded Pittas begin to arrive from further south and are fairly easily seen as they will call loudly from perches in trees. In the heart of the breeding season (June/July) Eared Pitta usually becomes findable and of course we can all dream of seeing Giant Pitta along here, and for the vast majority that is all it is - a dream!

Green Magpie is a bird straight out of a child's colouring book and it can usually be found along this piece of road, although it can be remarkably elusive considering how noisy it is. Crested Jay is an uncommon prize here too but it is seen on a semi frequent basis in this area.

Whilst there are many great birds to be found along this stretch of road I do not want to create the impression that you will see many of these species on any one visit. Most of these birds are very hard to find and it will take many visits to see even half of them and at times it is possible to walk for several kilometres and see virtually nothing.

Panoen Tung Campsite: There are some magnificent views over the forest from this altitude and lots of birds too. Ratchet-tailed Treepie is the star bird to look for here but plenty of other species can be found here too. This is a great spot for Barbets with Blue-throated and Blue-eared very easily seen and Great Barbet can often be observed calling noisily from treetops but plenty of other interesting birds can also be found such as the attractive Grey Treepie, Blyth's (White-browed) Shrike-babbler, Dark-sided Flycatcher and Black-throated Laughingthrush.

There is a short nature trail which starts here which can often turn up some nice species such as Rufous-browed Flycatcher, White-browed Piculet and Collared Babbler. There is plenty for visitors to discover in this area and a couple of days at this altitude would be well-spent if time allows. Other high altitude species to look for up here include Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Red-headed Trogon and Long-tailed Broadbill.

The restaurant here has a nice view over the forest at the back of the shop and sitting here whilst having lunch frequently provides views of White-browed Scimitar-babbler, Streaked Spiderhunter, Blue-throated Barbet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Flavescent Bulbul and Orange-bellied Leafbird.

Km 34-36: The road continues past the campsite for a few kilometres to a trail to TorTip waterfall; the section between kilometres 34 and 36 being perhaps the best and the open areas afford some lovely views over the forest providing the opportunity to scan for raptors - Rufous-bellied Eagle is seen more often here than most places, Grey-headed Fish Eagle is rare but Mountain Hawk Eagle, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Crested Goshawk, Grey-faced Buzzard are all frequently seen and when raptors are migrating other species, particularly Chinese Sparrowhawk, Japanese Sparrowhawk and Black Baza, are highly likely.

It is worthwhile looking out for bamboo which has reached the flowering stage as this is favored by Pin-tailed Parrotfinch. In most years there is a clump of bamboo which flowers for a few months before dying and this always attracts these colorful little birds which are extremely difficult to see otherwise.

A few pairs of the stunning Red-bearded Bee-eater occupy this area, they are easiest to locate when breeding but can show up at any time, and other species such as Yellow-vented Green Pigeon, Wreathed Hornbill, Great Hornbill and various barbets will turn up in the fruting trees along here.

Most of the reports of Plain-pouched Hornbill come from this area; in my opinion the vast majority (all?) of these reports are misidentified Wreathed Hornbills. It can be very hard to see the stripe on the pouch of some Wreathed Hornbills and many of them also show the brownish base to the bill that the field guide suggests is an id feature. I was once fooled into thinking I had seen a Plain-pouched Hornbill here due to this feature but a photo was obtained and when we zoomed in we could see the stripe on the pouch which confirmed it as Wreathed Hornbill.

The trail to Tortip waterfall goes through some nice forest where some of the southern species at the northernmost limit of their range are sometimes seen with Streaked Bulbul, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Red-throated Barbet and Maroon-breasted Philentoma all having been seen.

Birdwatching Tours/Guiding

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4 Day Trip: Kaeng Krachan, Tung Bang Jak & Khao Yai - posted 15/05/08

A Quest for Broadbills - posted 26/03/08

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