Kaeng Krachan National Park

[Spaniel]

We are thinking about going to Kaeng Krachan NP next week and spend a couple of nights in the park. The NP website shows small bungaloos available for B1200 per night in zones 2 and 4. We arn't familiar with the park so don't know if zones 2 & 4 are a good location or not. Or would it be better to look for something outside the park? Any advice from anyone who has stayed there would be appreciated. Thanks.

[ESB7]

Dont forget the double pricing entry system 400 baht foreigner and 40 baht Thai and if you got dual National kids they dont know what to charge. You can stay just outside also with a restaurant and get a boat trip that goes around Monkey Island.

[nickupton]

Dont forget the double pricing entry system 400 baht foreigner and 40 baht Thai and if you got dual National kids they dont know what to charge. You can stay just outside also with a restaurant and get a boat trip that goes around Monkey Island.

It's 200 baht per adult per day, for foreigners, to enter Kaeng Krachan NP. If you have Thai driving license you will be admitted for the Thai price.

There are no bungalows in the park, only camping at Bang Krang which is in lowland forest and at Panoen Tung which is at an altitude of about 1000 metres and has great views in the early morning over the surrounding forest and "sea of fog". Tents can be hired at both locations and simple food is available at both too. The NP bungalows you refer to are outside the park.

If you are looking for activities such as boat rides, playing in the river I suggest staying at one of the many guesthouses at the foot of Kaeng Krachan dam which is about 45 mins from Petchaburi town and 15 mins from the park entrance.

If you want to get out and enjoy the forest then I suggest either camping or staying at Ban Maka, a guesthouse a little outside the park - http://www.banmaka.com/ the owners speak good English and are friendly people who know the park well - they have a tame hornbill which likes to pester the guests.

Seeing wildlife in the park is not so easy but hornbills, monkeys and gibbons are not uncommon and there are many birds, if somewhat tricky to find. Right now the masses of butterflies that are collecting at many places along the park's dirt road, stream crossing and campsites are a real spectacle. Over the last 12 months I have also seen Gaur, elephant, leopard, dhole, civets, deer and a number of other small mammals, but you must be lucky and visit frequently to have a chance at seeing these animals.

Avoid going at weekends or holidays when it gets busy as there are no walking trails, just a dirt road and it gets quite unpleasant and dusty when there are lots of vehicles on it at weekends.

[Spaniel]

Dont forget the double pricing entry system 400 baht foreigner and 40 baht Thai and if you got dual National kids they dont know what to charge. You can stay just outside also with a restaurant and get a boat trip that goes around Monkey Island.

It's 200 baht per adult per day, for foreigners, to enter Kaeng Krachan NP. If you have Thai driving license you will be admitted for the Thai price.

There are no bungalows in the park, only camping at Bang Krang which is in lowland forest and at Panoen Tung which is at an altitude of about 1000 metres and has great views in the early morning over the surrounding forest and "sea of fog". Tents can be hired at both locations and simple food is available at both too. The NP bungalows you refer to are outside the park.

If you are looking for activities such as boat rides, playing in the river I suggest staying at one of the many guesthouses at the foot of Kaeng Krachan dam which is about 45 mins from Petchaburi town and 15 mins from the park entrance.

If you want to get out and enjoy the forest then I suggest either camping or staying at Ban Maka, a guesthouse a little outside the park - http://www.banmaka.com/ the owners speak good English and are friendly people who know the park well - they have a tame hornbill which likes to pester the guests.

Seeing wildlife in the park is not so easy but hornbills, monkeys and gibbons are not uncommon and there are many birds, if somewhat tricky to find. Right now the masses of butterflies that are collecting at many places along the park's dirt road, stream crossing and campsites are a real spectacle. Over the last 12 months I have also seen Gaur, elephant, leopard, dhole, civets, deer and a number of other small mammals, but you must be lucky and visit frequently to have a chance at seeing these animals.

Avoid going at weekends or holidays when it gets busy as there are no walking trails, just a dirt road and it gets quite unpleasant and dusty when there are lots of vehicles on it at weekends.

Thanks for the info. We live in Bangkok and usually go to Kho Yai but thought we would visit Kaeng Krachan for a change. We will take our tent and maybe just spend a couple of nights camping.

[sundaypsychos]

Wow, you saw a leopard, thats extremely lucky!

Did you see it at night time or??

Ive only ever seen leopards in Africa, but my dream is to photograph them wild in Thailand.

[MRToMRT]

Theres a black and white picture of a leopard at Bang Krang at

http://www.whiteheadimages.com/blog/articles-2/all-articles/146-kaeng-krachan-leopard

[Gally1]

We would also like to visit the park but there is not a lot of information available on the web. If you did go Spaniel then we would be interested in hearing how you got on re accommodation etc. We do not have our own transport which makes it a bit more complcated to get there and back. I read in an earlier posting that a mini van leaves from Victory Monument but the post was a couple of years ago so not sure if that still happens or whether a van is available for the return trip. We have the chance of going now or later in the year - if we go now we only have three days but the time available to us later in the year, although longer, may fall in the rainy season (or should I say the more rainy season!) so the park may be closed. We don't have a tent.The web site address given in this posting for the Ban Maka Guesthouse doesn't work so I am not sure if the gueshouse is still operating.

Any advice on getting there and staying there, whether 3 days inclusive is enough, and how the weather will impact at this time of year, would be much appreciated.