Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติดอยผ้าห่มปก), formerly known as Mae Fang National Park and Doi Fa Hom Pok National Park, is the northernmost
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. It straddles
Fang
A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fang ...
,
Mae Ai, and
Chai Prakan Districts of
Chiang Mai Province
Chiang Mai ( th, เชียงใหม่, ; nod, , ) is the largest Province (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lam ...
. The park covers 327,500 rai ~
of the mountain area of the
Daen Lao Range
The Daen Lao Range ( th, ทิวเขาแดนลาว,
; my, Loi La) is a mountain range of t ...
, at the border with
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
. The tallest peak is
Doi Pha Hom Pok at , the second highest in Thailand. The park was established on September 4, 2000.
Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park is mostly covered with forest, where tree species such as ''
Hopea odorata
''Hopea odorata'', or ta-khian ( th, ตะเคียน), is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is a large tree reaching up to 45 m ...
'' predominate with rare plant species such as ''
Impatiens jurpioides'' and butterflies such as ''
Teinopalpus imperialis
''Teinopalpus imperialis'', the Kaisar-i-Hind, is a rare species of swallowtail butterfly found from Nepal and north India east to north Vietnam. The common name literally means "emperor of India". The Kaisar-i-Hind is much sought after by butte ...
'' and ''
Meandrusa lachinus
''Meandrusa sciron'', the brown gorgon, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It belongs to the hooked swallowtails genus, ''Meandrusa'', of the family Papilionidae. The brown gorgon is found in In ...
''. Doi Lang, located within the park, is an excellent area for
birdwatching
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...
. There are many hot mineral springs near the park headquarters in an area of 10 rai (16,000 m
2). Water temperature ranges from 90-130 °C. The largest pond has hot steam rising 40–50 meters above the ground.
See also
*
List of national parks of Thailand
National parks in Thailand ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติ) are defined as ''an area that contains natural resources of ecological importance or unique beauty, or flora and fauna of special importance''. Thailand's protected ar ...
*
List of Protected Areas Regional Offices of Thailand Since the beginning one hundred years ago, forest management in Thailand has undergone many changes, in form of reclassifications, name changes and management changes. All this has resulted in a division of 16 regions with 5 branches in 2002. Five r ...
References
External links
Tourism Thailand
National parks of Thailand
Protected areas established in 2000
Geography of Chiang Mai province
Tourist attractions in Chiang Mai province
2000 establishments in Thailand
Daen Lao Range
Territorial disputes of Myanmar
Territorial disputes of Thailand
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