Thong Pha Phum National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติทองผาภูมิ) 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, located on 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 ...
, is part of the
Western Forest Complex protected area.
Geography
Thong Pha Phum National Park is located about northwest of
Kanchanaburi town and west of Thong Pha Phum, in
Sangkhla Buri and
Thong Pha Phum Districts. The park's area is 772,214 rai ~ .
Khao Chang Phueak
Khao Chang Phueak is a mountain 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 pop ...
is the park's highest peak at .
History
On 23 December 2009, Thong Pha Phum became Thailand's 114th National Park.
[
]
Attractions
The park has numerous waterfalls and caves. Chok Kradin waterfall descends over a cliff. Another large waterfall is Khao Yai, with three levels. Other park waterfalls include Dip Yai, Bi Teng and Huai Meuang. Khao Noi cave houses 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 ...
images. Khao Khat viewpoint offers a panoramic view over the park.[
]
Fauna
Animal species include elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
, tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
, water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...
, northern red muntjac
The Northern red muntjac (''Muntiacus vaginalis'') is a species of muntjac. It is found in numerous countries of south-central and southeast Asia.
Taxonomy
It was recently found distinct from the Indian muntjac, Southern red muntjac (previous ...
and civet. Bird life includes hornbill
Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a Casque (an ...
s, bulbul
The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical As ...
and coucal
A coucal is one of about 30 species of birds in the cuckoo family. All of them belong in the subfamily Centropodinae and the genus ''Centropus''. Unlike many Old World cuckoos, coucals are not brood parasites, though they do have their own repr ...
.
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
{{authority control
National parks of Thailand
Geography of Kanchanaburi province
Tourist attractions in Kanchanaburi province