Pha Taem National Park (Thai:อุทยานแห่งชาติผาแต้ม) is a

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 ...

on the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...

in Ubon Ratchathani Province, northeast

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 ...

Phou Xieng Thong National Protected Area Phou Xieng Thong National Protected Area is a national protected area in Salavan and Champasak provinces of southern Laos. This park, the country's only park on the Mekong river, is home to a wide variety of animal and plant species, some endan ...

in Laos is on the opposite side of the river. It is notable for its

Dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...

forest cover and for extensive

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...

on cliffs above the Mekong. The art is estimated to be 3,000 years old. The park also has several examples of

mushroom rocks A mushroom rock, also called rock pedestal, or a pedestal rock, is a naturally occurring rock whose shape, as its name implies, resembles a mushroom. The rocks are deformed in a number of different ways: by erosion and weathering, glacial action ...

as well as the largest flower field in Thailand. Pha Taem National Park is a popular destination for the first sunshine of the New Year to fall on Thailand. Pha Taem National Park was declared a national park on 31 December 1991, with an area of 212,500 rai ~ .

History

In the past, only a few local peasants from the surrounding region dared to access the Pha Taem area. Because it is believed that Pha Taem is a prohibited location, and the mountain is protected by the holy. Pha Taem is renowned as the "Mountain of Death," and anybody who trespasses risks becoming ill or, worse, dying. The Pha Taem region has been widely publicized. Following that, professors and students from

Silpakorn University Silpakorn University (SU.) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name S ...

Department of Archaeology researched and uncovered prehistoric ancient paintings 3,000-4,000 years old at Pha Taem, Ban Kum, Huai Phai sub-district, Khong Chiam district,

Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani ( th, อุบลราชธานี, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan (with Khorat/Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen), also known as the "big four of Isan." The city is on the Mun River in the south ...

province. In the original dialect, "Taem" refers to a drawing, painting, stamping, or any other action that uses color to create images, marks, or symbols. It is the site of prehistoric paintings dating from 3,000 to 4,000 years old, divided into four groups, the longest of which is 180 meters long and contains over 300 images. Furthermore, Pha Taem is surrounded by densely packed trees. As a consequence, they began to draft a memorandum from the department dated May 26, 1981 and requested to the Royal Forest Department that the forest and mountain in the Pha Taem zone be designated as a national park. It was designated as the 74th national park of Thailand. Pha Taem National Park is approximately 340 square kilometers in size. The district of Khong Chiam encompasses the area. Ubon Ratchathani Province's Si Mueang Mai District and Pho Sai District have fertile forest conditions. a variety of wild animals There are numerous natural beauty features in the area, including Pha Chan, Soi Sawan Waterfall, Sao Chaliang, Tham Patihan, Phu Na Tham, and others. There have also been discoveries of ancient paintings. Prehistoric times, approximately 3,000-4,000 years old, in the Pha Kham, Pha Taem, Pha Chek, and Pha Moei areas, and currently a national park. It is designated as a national park with the

, which forms the border between

and

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, is the longest national park boundary in Thailand. allowing for a view of the forest on the Laos side.

Flora and fauna

The park is covered by

Dipterocarp forest Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...

with ''

Shorea obtusa ''Shorea obtusa'', the Siamese sal, is a species of hardwood tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae, native to Southeast Asia. Distribution and habitat ''Shorea obtusa'' is native to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It grows in relat ...

'', ''

Shorea siamensis ''Shorea siamensis'' is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is native to most of mainland Southeast Asia. Uses In Cambodia, ''Shorea siamensis'' (known in Khmer as រាំងភ្នំ – Raing Phnom) is rare and most oft ...

'', and ''

Dipterocarpus obtusifollus '' D. retusus'' in Köhler ''Dipterocarpus'' is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae. ''Dipterocarpus'' is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for ...

'' the dominant species. There are some dry evergreen forests near streams. The park is habitat for

Siamese hare The Burmese hare (''Lepus peguensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Subspecies Three subspecies are recognised; ''L. p. peguensis'', ''L. p. siamensis'' and ''L. p ...

barking deer Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

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 diversity ...

s, and wild pigs and

serow The serows ( or ) are four species of medium-sized goat-like or antelope-like mammals of the genus ''Capricornis''. All four species of serow were until recently also classified under '' Naemorhedus'', which now only contains the gorals. Extant ...

, which migrate from Laos in summer. In 2005, specimens of a new frog species, ''

Fejervarya triora ''Fejervarya triora'' is a species of frogs belonging to the family Dicroglossidae. Its type locality is in Phu Chong-Na Yoi National Park, Ubon Ratchathani Province in the far east of Thailand. It is also known from Mukdahan National Park in ...

'', were discovered in the park. The park's habitat also includes wild elephants that migrate to areas of Ubonrachathani Province from Laos during February and March in search of food, especially banana leaves and fruit. Source: Thai farmers located west of the Mekong River near Bunthalik (sic), Ubon Province.

Gallery

File:SaoChaLiang 01.jpg, Mushroom-shaped rock pillars File:แสงแห่งผาชะนะได 01.jpg, Cha Na Dai Cliff, which receives the first sunshine of the year in Thailand, overlooking the Mekong River and Laos beyond File:อุทยานแห่งชาติผาแต้ม.jpg, Petroglyphs in Pha Taem National Park

References

External links

Travelfish: Pha Taem National Park
National parks of Thailand Geography of Ubon Ratchathani province Tourist attractions in Ubon Ratchathani province Protected areas established in 1991 1991 establishments in Thailand {{protected-area-stub

History

Flora and fauna

Gallery

See also

References

External links