Khun Phawo National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติขุนพะวอ) 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 the

Mae Ramat District Mae Ramat ( th, แม่ระมาด, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the northwestern part of Tak province, western Thailand. History The area of Mae Ramat was occupied by Karen people for 100 years. Many people from northern provinces of T ...

Tak Province Tak ( th, ตาก, , Burmese: တာ့ခ် pronounced ak is one of Thailand's seventy-seven provinces (''changwat'') and lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, ...

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 ...

Geography

The national park, with an area of 247,957 rai ~ consists of mountains of 350–905 metres elevation. The park is the source of many streams, including Huai Mae La-mao, Huai Mae Charao, Huai Phrawo, Huai Mae Kasa, Huai Mae Kit Luang, Huai Pha-so, Huai Sa-muen Luang, Huai Samae, and Huai Mae Ra-mat, which flow into the agricultural areas of Mae Sot District and

History

The park was originally called "Mae Kasa National Park" and was later changed into "Khun Phra Wo National Park" in honour of Phra Wo, a

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

soldier in the

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ...

period. He was appointed as the head of La Mao customs house to defend his nation's independence till his death on the battlefield which was in the area of Khun Phra Wo National Park.

Climate

It is cool and breezy throughout the year at an average temperature of 21 °C. The average highest temperature is 20 °C. The lowest temperature is 8 °C. The average rainfall is 1,676 mm per year.

Flora and fauna

There are various kinds of forests within the area of the national park, including mixed forests, virgin forests, and dense forests. Major plants include Indian mahogany, teaks, ''

Dipterocarpus tuberculatus ''Dipterocarpus tuberculatus'' ( Khmer ''khlông'',DY PHON Pauline, 2000, Plants Used in Cambodia, self-published, printed by Imprimerie Olympic, Phnom Penh Indian English ''gurjuntree''Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, 1952 ...

'' (pluang), ''

Lithocarpus cantleyanus ''Lithocarpus cantleyanus'' is a tree in the beech family Fagaceae. It is named for a superintendent of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Nathaniel Cantley. Description ''Lithocarpus cantleyanus'' grows as a tree up to tall with a trunk diameter o ...

'' (kor), ''

Lagerstroemia ''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia ...

'' (tabaek), ''

Terminalia chebula ''Terminalia chebula'', commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of ''Terminalia'', native to South Asia from India and Nepal east to southwest China (Yunnan), and south to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Vietnam.Flora of China''Term ...

'', ''

Afzelia xylocarpa ''Afzelia xylocarpa'' is a tree from Southeast Asia. It grows in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma in deciduous forests. It can reach 30 metres tall with a trunk up to 2 metres in diameter in a mature specimen. Uses The seeds are harv ...

'', ebony, '' Millettia pendula'' (ka-jaw), ''

Terminalia arjuna ''Terminalia arjuna'' is a tree of the genus '' Terminalia''. It is commonly known as arjuna or arjun tree in English. Description ''T. arjuna'' grows to about 20–25 metres tall; usually has a buttressed trunk, and forms a wide canopy at the ...

'' (rokfa), and ''

Xylia xylocarpa ''Xylia xylocarpa'' is a species of tree in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae. Description and properties This perennial tree is very conspicuous in the flowering season owing to its bright yellow flow ...

'' (redwood plants). Wild animals found in the park include Muntiacus Muntjak,

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

langur The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications spli ...

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...

gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...

s, cobra, king cobra,

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

squirrel 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 ...

tree shrews The treeshrews (or tree shrews or banxrings) are small mammals native to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They make up the entire order Scandentia, which split into two families: the Tupaiidae (19 species, "ordinary" treeshrews) ...

red junglefowl The red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus'') is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It was formerly known as the Bankiva or Bankiva Fowl. It is the species that gave rise to the ...

s, and

Asiatic golden cat The Asian golden cat (''Catopuma temminckii'') is a medium-sized wild cat native to the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China. It has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2008, and is threatened by poac ...

Sights

*Namtok Khun Phawo (น้ำตกขุนพะวอ) A large waterfall around 100 m high and an origin of Huai Mae Charao (Mae Charao Creek). *Huai Mae Lamao (ห้วยแม่ละเมา) This large creek is in an unspoiled forest, offering whitewater rafting on rubber dinghys. *Nature Trail (เส้นทางเดินศึกษาธรรมชาติ) The walking path goes up and down the fairly steep hills, and passes along the river upstream and a small waterfall. During the period of change from the rainy to cool season, colourful wild flowers can be seen. The greenery is dotted with strikingly red Krathue (Boesenbergia prainiana) and yellow Mexican sunflowers. *Namtok Pha Thewa (น้ำตกผาเทวะ) It is on the nature trail and the most remarkable waterfall of the park. With a height of 150 m, the powerful flow falls against boulders and the pool below. In the woods, there is a pagoda containing cremated bones of a heartbroken woman who hung herself. *Tham Mae Usu (ถ้ำแม่อุสุ) This cave is around 12 km from the

Tha Song Yang District Tha Song Yang ( th, ท่าสองยาง, ) is the northwesternmost district ('' amphoe'') of Tak province, western Thailand. History Tha Song Yang was a minor district (''king amphoe'') of Mae Sariang district, Mae Hong Son province. It ...

Office to the north. To the west, there is a gigantic hollow rock. In the afternoon, rays of sunlight illuminate the cave. *Namtok Thung Nang Khruan (น้ำตกทุ่งนางครวญ) A medium-size waterfall with small layers of flowing water amid a shady forest. It receives water from a canal beside rice fields.

References