Thung Salaeng Luang National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติทุ่งแสลงหลวง, ) is a national park in

Phitsanulok Phitsanulok ( th, พิษณุโลก, ) is an important, historic city in lower northern Thailand and is the capital of Phitsanulok Province. Phitsanulok is home to Naresuan University and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, as well as ...

and

Phetchabun Phetchabun is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in Thailand, capital of Phetchabun Province. It covers the ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of the Phetchabun District, along the Pa Sak River. As of 2005, it had a population of 23,823. Phetchabun lies north o ...

Provinces of

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 ...

. It encompasses substantial portions of

Wang Thong ) , native_name = วังทอง , nickname = , settlement_type = Tambon , motto = , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = ...

and

Lom Sak District Lom Sak (, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the northern part of Phetchabun province, northern Thailand. History The history of Lom Sak area dates back to the founding of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th century. The governor of ''Mueang'' Rat ...

Topography

The park consists of limestone hills, slate and hardpan at altitudes ranging from , Khao Khae is the highest point in the park. Thung Salaeng Luang is inlaid with meadows, especially in the southern portions of the park. The park is the source of numerous streams. There are large salt licks at Pong Sai in the northwest and Pong Thung Phaya in the southwest. The

Wang Thong River The Wang Thong River ( th, แคววังทอง, , , also known as the ''Khek River'') is a river in Thailand. Its source lies in the Phetchabun Mountains in the Khao Kho District, Thailand.

flows through the park.

History

Thung Salaeng Luang was proposed for inclusion in the national parks system In 1959. Thung Salaeng Luang was declared the 3rd national park in 1963, covering an area of . At the request of the Thai Army were withdrawn from the national park. That is why a "new" national park area was created in 1972. Thung Salaeng Luang was "reestablished" as a national park on 27 May 1975, covering an area of 789,000 rai ~ . From the late-1960s to the early-1980s, the park's forest was used as a base for

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...

of the

Communist Party of Thailand The Communist Party of Thailand ( Abrv: CPT; th, พรรคคอมมิวนิสต์แห่งประเทศไทย, ) was a communist party in Thailand active from 1942 until the 1990s. Initially known as the Communist Party ...

Flora

The park features numerous forest types, including hill evergreen,

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

, tropical evergreen, dry evergreen, mixed deciduous and

dry dipterocarp forest Dipterocarpaceae is a family (biology), 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 language, Greek (''di'' = two, ''pt ...

.
Plant species have a significant variety:
Evergreen species: Dipterocarp species: Deciduous species:

Flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

species:

Carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryot ...

species include: Orchids species include:

Fauna

The number of sightings in the park are:
Mammals, include: Birds, the park has some 170 species, of which some 115 species of

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

from 37 families, represented by one species: Yellow-eyed babbler (Chrysomma sinense) Photograph by Shantanu Kuveskar

and some 55 species of non-passerine from 20 families, represented by one species: Coracias affinis - Kaeng Krachan

Reptiles, include: Amphibians, include: Fishes, include: Butterflies, include:

Places

* Namtok Kaeng Song - a high waterfall. * Namtok Poi - a waterfall in Khao Krayang Forest park. * Namtok Kaeng Sopha - a 3-tiered waterfall of the

. * Namtok Phai Si Thong - a recently discovered 9-tiered waterfall. * Namtok Kuhlab Daeng - a waterfall * Lanphwai Kaeng Wang Nam Yen - a creek with hundreds of islets. * Tham Duan and Tham Dao - caves. * Tham Phra Rod-Maree - a cave. *

Tham Phra Wang Daeng Tham Phra Wang Daeng, also known as the Cave of the Monk ( th, ถ้ำพระวังแดง), is a deep cave located in Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, Amphoe Noen Maprang, Phitsanulok Province, upper central Thailand. It is the longes ...

- a long cave, habitat for millions of bats. * Tham Sai-Ngarm - a cave. * Thung Nang Phaya - a savanna, approximately . * Thung Non Son - a grassland with pinery and forest flowers. * Thung Salaeng Luang - a savanna, about .

Climate

The average annual temperature is , although temperatures often reach during late spring and early summer. The average annual rainfall is .

Malaria

Historically,

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

has been a health issue in the park.

Effects of human presence

Communist insurgents as well as

hill tribes Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

and other intruders have destroyed some of the park's flora and fauna over the years.

Location

References

{{authority control National parks of Thailand Phetchabun Mountains Tourist attractions in Phitsanulok province Tourist attractions in Phetchabun province Protected areas established in 1972 1972 establishments in Thailand