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| Park entrance |
There are so many national parks in this country that some are totally unknown and rarely visited by foreign tourists.
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| Access map to the park |
This is the case of Nam Tok Huai Yang National Park. It is part of the Tennasserim Range that runs across the Malay Peninsula. Therefore, it stands at the border with Myanmar, at about 36km south of the town of Prachuab Khiri Khan.
It is off the main road that links the northern part of the country to the South. The country road that leads to the park entrance is a dead end, which accounts why so few visitors come to this park. As a matter of fact, the entrance fee to the park is a mere THB100/per adult and just a little more if you drive a car.
The first impression is that you have come to a beautifully tended park: this is where the park headquarters and all the facilities are. Apparently, the park is well organized for campers and it seems that junior camping is a regular activity. But when I was there, despite it was during the rainy wet season, I was the only foreign visitor with only a few other locals.
This is a typical mountain rain forest with streams and waterfalls. The park main attraction remains
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| Butterfly |
the Huai Yang seven-tiered waterfall. The hiking trail is well marked and in excellent condition. Besides the tropical flora, the number of exotic butterflies fluttering around is absolutely amazing. There are squirrels and you can see or hear a great number of colorful birds. There are a few pools on the way uphill, where bathing is possible but then you can see scores of Masheer Barbs, which are a native fish species.
I did not see any other animals when I was there, although the park has a population of tigers, leopards, porcupines barking deer, sun bears, hornbills, reptiles and a colony of gray langur monkeys a rare Indian subcontinent primate.
There exists another trail going to a viewpoint but it is quite stiff and long to go up and get a view of the countryside.
Christian Sorand
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| Spectacular roots |
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| Forest tropical tree |
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| Spiny palms |
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| A lower part of the forest |
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| Natural pool |
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| Waterfall |
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| Mountain view from the trail |
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| Strange setting: a forest shrine revealing animist ceremonies |
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| Waterfall upper view |
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| Another animist practice |
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| Forest plant |
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| A glimpse on the mountain forest |
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| Viewpoint |
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