Fang Hot Springs, in Chiang Mai province,
is the site of some thermal pools as well as being the headquarters
of Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park of which nearby Doi Lang
and Doi Ang Kang are a part. Set in a open glade, dotted with
rocks, hot water pools and tall trees, surrounded by forested
hills, this is a scenic spot within which an artificial, pressurized
geyser "erupts" on a regular basis creating a rather
photogenic and memorable scene.
Although Fang Hot Springs is the headquarters for the extensive
Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park there is no access to the mountainous
parts of the park directly from here, instead the area has
the feel of a wooded park and the great pleasure here is just
slowly strolling around in the early morning, in an attractive
setting, and finding a wide variety of forest and open country
birds. While there are many species to be regularly found
here this is also a good site for finding something unusual,
particularly if the weather is cold as the warmth from the
hot springs attracts both regional and altitudinal migrants.
This thermal activity also means that while it is frequently
foggy, in the morning in the cool season, in the surrounding
farmland, the visibility is clear within the area of the hot
springs.
The abundance of birds in the early morning combined with
an attractive setting and a couple of coffee shops and simple
restaurants make this an excellent place for those traveling
with a non-birding partner although it can get extraordinarily
busy during public holidays in the cool season (December-February)
as well as at weekends, New Year and Songkran (mid April)
- definitely avoid visiting during these times.
The undoubted highlight for birders visiting Fang Hot Springs
is the flock of Spot-winged Grosbeaks that regularly spent
the "winter" months there from November to March
although it may be possible to see small numbers of them year
round. The stunning males are a fantastic sight and it is
usually possible to see this species performing some interesting
behaviour.
Plenty of other birds can be found at this site too with Eurasian
Jay being a highlight with its white face and Asian Barred
Owlet is easily found here too along with wintering Long-tailed
Minivets, colourful Golden-fronted Leafbirds and several species
of Barbet while some stunning birds can also be found along
the stream with Slaty-backed Forktail being joined by White-capped
Redstart and Plumbeous Redstart in the dry season.
One of the highlights of birding at Fang Hot Springs is that
it is a site that attracts a surprising variety of species
with lowland forest birds being joined by highland species
at unusually low altitudes and with migrant species including
Amur Falcon, Grey-faced Buzzard and even Spot-winged Starling
at the right times of the year birding here usually turns
up some surprises.
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird watching trip to Thailand,
take a look at the suggested itineraries for ideas on
creating a tailor-made trip and contact me for advice:
Thailand
bird tours.
Travel Information
Use the interactive map below to plan your route to
Fang Hot Springs. The blue line shows the route from Chiang
Mai (Blue Pin) to Fang Hot Springs (Red Pin).
By Car/Motorcycle
The easiest way to visit this location is by private vehicle.
Simply follow highway 107 heading north from Chiang Mai which
goes directly to the town of Fang. Take the Fang by-pass and
look out for the sign, in English, for the hot springs; if
heading north you will turn left at a cross roads with traffic
lights on the by pass and then very soon after take a right
hand turn which terminates at Fang Hot Springs. It is easy!
If coming from the north (Chiang Rai/Thatorn) take the Fang
by-pass and take a right hand turn at the traffic lights before
turning right to the hot springs.
By Bus
Getting to the town of Fang by bus is quite simple. Just go
to the Chang Phueak (Northern) bus station in Chiang Mai and
take any bus that terminates in Thatorn all of which will
stop in Fang. From Fang local transport should be easy enough
to negotiate for the short distance to the hot springs either
at the bus station or ask at the hotel you are staying in.
By Taxi
It is a long taxi ride from Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai to the
hot springs but if this is the way you wish to travel then
the best way to arrange it is through your hotel in either
of the two mentioned major cities or at the airports of either
one. Expect to pay a negotiated fare rather than using the
meter.
By Tuk Tuk or Motorcycle Taxi
It is far too far from either Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai to
consider these two rather slow and dangerous forms of transport
for the journey to this site from either one. However, once
in the town of Fang both these forms of transport can be found
at the small bus station and you can get to the hot springs
within 10-15 minutes.
By Train
Chiang Mai city can be reached by train from Bangkok, many
people like to make an overnight journey, the timetable can
be seen here: Train
Travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. From here you can either
use the instructions above to get to Fang Hot Springs by public
transport or private vehicle.
By Plane
Both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai airports are about equidistant
from Fang Hot Springs. From either airport it is possible
to pick up a hire vehicle which is the most convenient way
to visit the site. It is also possible to arrange a taxi to
your accommodation in Fang from either airport, and arranging
transport to the hot springs should then not be a problem.
Finding Birds
Given the relatively small size of the area to which the
public have access at Fang Hot Springs it is not really difficult
to walk around almost the whole area in a morning. However,
there are a few key spots that reliably provide good sightings.
The
Hot Springs: The area around the hot springs
is very open and provides an excellent opportunity to spot
birds perched out in the open as they catch the first of the
sunshine in the early morning. Species such as Lineated Barbet,
Coppersmith Barbet, Shikra, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Ashy Drongo
and Asian Fairy Bluebird can often be seen in this way.
Standing in this open area in the mornings will usually allow
birders to spot Eurasian Jay (split by HBW as White-faced
Jay) as they pass through, feeding and squabbling in the larger
trees dotted around the area. Flocks of Chestnut-tailed Starlings
can often be found feeding in trees here too and it is worth
looking at them carefully for something rarer - I have found
Spot-winged Starling with them in the past. In the months
November to end of March migrant Blue Rockthrushes and White
Wagtails can be found perched on the rocks in the hot spring
area while really good views of Striated Swallow can often
be obtained here as they feed on insects over the thermal
area.
However, it is Spot-winged Grosbeak that most birders will
come here to see and they can usually be found in the early
to mid morning in the region of the geyser. When this "erupts"
it covers some trees in water and salts which the Grosbeaks
usually descend upon and lick up. Between November and March
the flock of Grosbeaks can number up to around 70 birds, particularly
if the weather is cold. This location is far below the altitudinal
zone in which field guides state that Spot-winged Grosbeak
occurs, so presumably they use the area when the weather is
colder at higher altitudes. Having said that I have seen a
small number of Grosbeaks here even in the middle of the wet
season so it is always worth checking the site for this scarce
bird. If there are fruiting trees in the area this can be
a good location for seeing Pin-tailed Green Pigeon and Little
Cuckoo Dove, both of which will also come to the ground to
take minerals.
Mae
Jai Stream: The area where one can park next
to the stream and alongside a pond can be interesting in the
early morning with Coppermsith Barbet, Asian Barred Owlet
and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo usually making themselves
obvious. Scanning the big trees here and in the distance can
often turn up interesting species such as Blue-throated Barbet,
Pin-tailed Green Pigeon and even Great Barbet while minivets
can often be roaming in the treetops here including resident
Scarlet Minivets with migratory Long-tailed Rosy Minivets.
Along the stream itself a trail runs into the forest, along
a track, giving birders the opportunity to see species such
as Slaty-backed Forktail and Blue Whistlingthrush all year
round as well as some migratory birds at the right time of
year including White-capped Water Redstart, Plumbeous Water
Redstart, Grey Wagtail and White Wagtail. Most White Wagtails
here will be the subspecies leucopsis but it is worth
checking for other subspecies which occur from time to time.
Once every now and then, in the coldest weather further north,
Brown Dipper is sighted here; don't expect to see it but in
December/January it is not impossible.
Bird
Watching Tours in Northern Thailand: Fang Hot
Springs is an excellent location to add to any Northern
Thailand birding itinerary and can be included in 3-4
days to Doi Lang and surroundings. Northern Thailand
is at its best in December to February for migrant species
but at all times of the year a large number of excellent
resident birds can be seen.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com
Alongside the stream trail there is lowland mixed forest
right down to the water's edge and species such as Blue-throated
Flycatcher, Striated Yuhina, Grey-eyed Bulbul, Little Spiderhunter
and many others can be found; this area is seldom birded and
is a good spot to add a number of lowland forest birds to
the site list.
Ticket
Booth & Entry Road: As one drives into
Fang Hot Springs an area of forest is passed through before
reaching the ticket booth. This area is somewhere I have never
birded but it looks quite promising early in the morning and
it will probably contain a good number of the commoner lowland
forest birds such as Grey-eyed Bulbul, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher,
Green-billed Malkoha, Asian Fairy Bluebird and it could be
a good spot for migrant species in autumn and spring as well
as perhaps a few surprises in winter.
Facilities
Facilities near Fang Hot Springs are excellent. There
are some national park bungalows set in the attractive grounds
and it is also possible to camp here but with a good selection
of cheap and pleasant hotels just down the road in the town
of Fang it hardly seems worth going through the complications
of booking the bungalows or putting up with sleeping in a
small tent. However, as well as the bungalows there are several
small shops selling simple Thai food, two coffee shops, toilets
and a small souvenir shop all on site. The site also has some
sort of spa facility which I have never investigated.
Food Outlet at Fang
Hot Springs
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
The town of Fang is just a few kilometres away and has a
number of good guesthouses/hotels that make a comfortable
base for the hot springs and other nearby birding sites including
Doi Lang and Doi Ang Kang. Tangerine
Ville Hotel is probably the largest in town and has
very comfortable rooms, a large car park and a restaurant,
although the food is good rather than great. Although breakfast
does not officially start until 7am if you ask the staff nicely
they will provide a simple breakfast earlier and even a packed
lunch. The Sleeping
Tree Hotel is also very nice and while it does not
have a restaurant it is within walking distance of food outlets
and breakfast can be arranged very early. There are lots more
hotels
in Fang for a variety of budgets.
This town has a large supermarket where more or less anything
can be purchased and a hospital, which I have had to use,
in which I found the service and help there to be very good.
Close to the entrance to the supermarket car park there is
a pet shop where mealworms can sometimes be purchased. There
are plenty of restaurants and shops in Fang as well as a number
of banks and cash machines; more or less anything you require
can be found in this small town.
For a bit of fun it is possible to buy eggs on site to cook
in the hot springs with chicken eggs taking around 25 minutes
to cook and quail eggs around 10-15 minutes.
Entry to Fang Hot Springs is 300 baht per person for foreigners
and 30 baht per vehicle although I have never been charged
for the vehicle.
Books I Recommend
How
Birds Migrate This is one of the most informative books on birds
that I have ever read. Covering all aspects of bird
migration this is a great read for broadening your knowledge.
There are usually some cheap second-hand copies available
through the link above.
Birds
of Thailand This field guide has set new standards in identifying
birds in the wild in Thailand. With the most up-to-date
taxonomy of any publication this is the book you need
if you are birdwatching in Thailand. Forget all of the
older guides and buy this one.
Bird
Watching Trips:
Fang Hot Springs is a nice spot for a morning of birding
as part of a short or long trip to Northern Thailand.
This location combines well with nearby Doi Lang, Doi
Ang Kang and rice fields as part of a 3-6 day birding
trip to the area or as part of a much longer itinerary.
Download
a full 
