Phu Kradung National Park

Introducing Phu Kradung National Park

Capped off by its eponymous peak, Phu Kradung National Park (0 4287 1333; admission 400B; trail to summit 7am-2pm Oct-May) covers a high-altitude plateau, cut through with trails and peppered with cliffs, waterfalls and montane forests. Rising to 1316m, Thailand’s second national park is always cool at its highest reaches (average year-round temperature 20°C; dropping as low as 1°C to 2°C at night in December and January), where its flora is more typical of a temperate zone. The maple trees paint some corners red in December and January. Lower down are mixed deciduous and evergreen monsoon forests as well as sections of cloud forest.

A small visitor centre at the base of the mountain distributes detailed maps and collects your admission fee, but almost everything else is on the top. The main trail scaling Phu Kradung is 5.5km long and takes about three to four hours to climb (or rather walk – it’s not that challenging since the most difficult parts have bamboo ladders and stairs for support). The hike is quite scenic and there are rest stops with food vendors about every kilometre along the way. It’s another 3.5km to the main park visitor centre (8am-5pm). You can hire porters to carry your gear balanced on bamboo poles for 15B per kilogram.

The 359-sq-km park is a habitat for various forest wildlife, including elephants, Asian jackals, Asiatic black bears, barking deer, sambars, serows, white-handed gibbons and the occasional tiger. The best place to see them is the wilderness area, which can only be entered in April and May. The many waterfalls, including Tham Yai, which has a cave behind it, are accessible year-round.

The park is closed to visitors during the rainy season because it is considered too hazardous, being slippery and subject to mudslides. Spending the night atop Phu Kradung is a rite of passage for students, so it gets crowded during school holidays (especially March to May).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009