Khuean Srinagarindra National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเขื่อนศรีนครินทร์; ; ; " Srinagarind Dam National Park") is a national park in Kanchanaburi Province,

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 b ...

. The park, centred on the Srinagarind Reservoir, is part of the

Western Forest Complex The Western Forest Complex, straddling two countries, Thailand and Myanmar, including 19 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, is the main biodiversity conservation corridor of the region. Covering 18,730 km2, it is one of the largest pro ...

protected area.

Geography

Khuean Srinagarindra National Park is northwest of

Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi ( th, กาญจนบุรี, ) is a town municipality (''thesaban mueang'') in the west of Thailand and part of Kanchanaburi Province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327. That number was reduced to 25,651 in 2017. The town ...

town in Sai Yok, Si Sawat and Thong Pha Phum districts. The park's area is 957,500 rai ~ . At the heart of the park is the Srinagarind Reservoir, a reservoir created by the damming of the Khwae Yai river by the Srinagarind Dam.

History

The park's caves, particularly Tham Phra Prang, were used by Thai soldiers as a hiding place during the Thai – Burmese wars of the 18th century. Srinagarind Reservoir formed on completion of the Srinagarind Dam in 1980. On 23 December 1981, Khuean Srinagarindra was designated a national park.

Attractions

Khuean Srinagarindra's most popular attraction is Huay Mae Khamin waterfall, a waterfall of seven levels which eventually flows to the Khwae Yai River. The waterfall's source is in the mountains in the east of the park. Other park waterfalls include Pha Sawan and Pha Tat. The park contains numerous cave systems. The long Tham Sawan features prehistoric cave paintings. Tham Neramit is dome-like in appearance and features stalactites and

stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically co ...

. Tham Phra Prang, also featuring stalactites and stalagmites, hosts a

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

image inside. Other caves include Tham Nam Mut and Tham Phra Kho.

Flora and fauna

The park's mountain forests are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

and

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

. Animal species include

leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...

slow loris Slow lorises are a group of several species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primates that make up the genus ''Nycticebus''. Found in Southeast Asia and bordering areas, they range from Bangladesh and Northeast India in the west to the Sulu Archip ...

squirrels Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

and

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

s. Bird life includes green peafowl,

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

, parakeets,

kingfishers Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

and barbets.

References

{{authority control National parks of Thailand Geography of Kanchanaburi province Tourist attractions in Kanchanaburi province 1981 establishments in Thailand Protected areas established in 1981

Geography

History

Attractions

Flora and fauna

See also

References