Sai Yok National Park

Sai Yok National Park
อุทยานแห่งชาติไทรโยค
Khwae Noi river in Sai Yok National Park
Park location in Thailand
LocationKanchanaburi province, Thailand
Nearest cityKanchanaburi
Coordinates14°23′20″N 98°44′50″E / 14.38889°N 98.74722°E / 14.38889; 98.74722
Area500 km2 (190 sq mi)[1]
Established27 October 1980[2]
Visitors67,698 (in 2024)[3]
Governing bodyDepartment of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation

Sai Yok National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติไทรโยค) is a national park in Sai Yok district, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, near the town Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi. The park, home to mountains, waterfalls and caves, is part of the Western Forest Complex protected area. In 1978, the Russian roulette scenes of the film The Deer Hunter were filmed in the park.

Geography

Sai Yok National Park, with steeply limestone mountain in the Tenasserim Range, is 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Kanchanaburi town. The park's area is 312,500 rai ~ 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi)[1] and neighboring (from north clockwise) Thong Pha Phum National Park, Khuean Srinagarindra National Park, Erawan National Park and Tanintharyi Division of Myanmar. The park's highest peak is Khao Ro Rae at 1,132 metres (3,714 ft).[4] The Khwae Noi river ("River Kwai") runs through the park.

History

Within the park are remains of a bridge on the Burma Railway and of a camp used by Japanese troops during World War II. The establishment of the national park was declared the 19th national park in the Royal Gazette on 27 October 1980.[2]

Climate

Average high temperature is 31.1 °C (88.0 °F), average mean temperature is 27.0 °C (80.6 °F), average lowest temperature is 15.4 °C (59.7 °F). Rainy season is from mid-May to October, average rainfall is 975 millimetres (38.4 in)/year. Cold season is from November to mid-February and summer is from April to mid-May. April is the hottest month of the year.[5]

Flora

The main forest type is mixed deciduous forest with 85%, dry evergreen forest with 13% and the least common type is dry dipterocarp forest with 2%.[6][7][8]

Mixed deciduous forest

Dry evergreen forest

Dry dipterocarp forest

Fauna

Mammals

The number of sigthings of mammals in the park include the following species:[9]

Sai Yok is home to Kitti's hog-nosed bat, a rare bat species considered to be the world's smallest mammal (weighing around 2 grams). The bat was first spotted in 1973 and is found only in some limestone caves of the park (including Tham Kang Kao) and surrounding areas in Kanchanaburi Province and nearby Myanmar.[10]

Birds

The park has 209 species of birds from 61 families.

Passerine

114 species of passerine from 33 families, represented by one species:[11]

Non-passerine

95 species of non-passerine from 28 families, represented by one species:[12]

Reptiles

The sightings of reptiles in the park include the following species:[13]

Amphibians

The sightings of amphibians in the park include the following species:[14]

Fishes

The sightings of fishes in the park include the following species:[15]

Attractions

The park's major attractions are its waterfalls, including Sai Yok Yai waterfall which flows into the Khwae Noi river. Sai Yok Yai Lek waterfall lies south of Sai Yok Yai along the Khwae Noi. The park also contains numerous caves, the largest of which is Tham Lawa with a length of 500 metres (1,600 ft). This cave complex consists of five large caverns, each containing large stalactites and stalagmites.[16] Another cave system, Tham Dao Wadueng, is 100 metres (330 ft) long and was discovered in 1972 and consists of eight chambers of stalactites and stalagmites.

Sai Yok Noi Waterfall

Sai Yok Noi, also known as Khao Phang Waterfall, is the most popular attraction of the Sai Yok National Park. The waterfall consists of the limestone cliffs collapsing and that became the origin of the name "Khao Phang Waterfall”. The upstream falls from the mountain and flows along the limestone cliffs about 15-meter high. It is popular among domestic and foreign tourists alike, in part because it lies next to the province's trunk road alongside which there is ample parking space.

The Krasae Cave, a small Buddhist shrine next to a section of rail tracks of the Death Railway and the Dao Wadueng Cave, a secluded collection of stalactites, are located near the waterfall. Hellfire Pass Memorial, a museum and tribute to those lost during the construction of the Death Railway's cuttings and trestle bridges, lies about 35 km to the west of Sai Yok Noi falls. A small market geared toward travelers is also nearby. Sai Yok Yai waterfall, some 40 km to the west lies offset from the valley's main road, adjacent to the Sai Yok National Park Headquarters. It comprises a 10-metre (32 ft) picturesque cascade which drops directly into the Kwae Noi River.[17]

Location

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sai Yok National Park.

References

  1. ^ a b "Sai Yok National Park, Area Size". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Sai Yok National Park, Background". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  3. ^ "สถิตินักท่องเที่ยวที่เข้าไปในอุทยานแห่งชาติ ปีงบบ่ระมาณ พ.ศ. 2567" [Statistics of tourists visiting national parks in fiscal year 2024]. Department National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) (in Thai). Retrieved 20 August 2025. , PARO 3, no.17 Sai Yok, 67,698
  4. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Landform". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Weather". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Mixed Deciduous Forest". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Dry Evergreen Forest". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Deciduous Dipterocarp Forest". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Mammals". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Wildlife Resources". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Passeriformes". Avibase - The World Bird Database. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Non-passeriformes". Avibase - The World Bird Database. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Reptiles". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Amphibians". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  15. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Freshwater Fish". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  16. ^ Williams, China; Beales, Mark; Bewer, Tim (February 2012). Lonely Planet Thailand (14th ed.). Lonely Planet Publications. pp. 184. ISBN 978-1-74179-714-5.
  17. ^ "Sai Yok National Park, Attraction". Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Sai Yok National Park". Department National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). Retrieved 7 November 2025.
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