Khuean Srinagarindra National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเขื่อนศรีนครินทร์; ; ; "

Srinagarind Dam The Srinagarind Dam (''also known as the'' Srinakarin Dam; th, เขื่อนศรีนครินทร์; ; ) is an embankment dam on the Khwae Yai River in Si Sawat District of Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. The purposes of the dam ...

National Park") 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 ...

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 bo ...

. The park, centred on the Srinagarind Reservoir, is part of the Western Forest Complex protected area.

Geography

Khuean Srinagarindra National Park is northwest of Kanchanaburi 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

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

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 A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

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

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, 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 ...

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, which ...

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, aft ...

. 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, slow loris, squirrels 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 bi ...

s. Bird life includes

green peafowl The green peafowl or Indonesian peafowl (''Pavo muticus'') is a peafowl species native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2009 because the global population has been declining r ...

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 A parakeet is any one of many small to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers. Etymology and naming The name ''parakeet'' is derived from the French wor''perroquet'' which is reflected in ...

, kingfishers, orioles and

barbets Barbet may refer to: * Barbet (dog), a dog breed * Various birds in the infraorder Ramphastides ** African barbet, part of the bird family Lybiidae ** New World barbet, the bird family Capitonidae ** Asian barbet The Asian barbets are a family ...

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