Krung Ching Waterfall is part
of Khao Luang National Park which rises to a height of 1780
metres and covers an area of more than 570 square kilometres,
but it is the lowland forest protected at the Krung Ching
substation that remains the haunt of many birds that are extremely
scarce in Thailand due to habitat loss. The waterfall appeared
on the back of an old thousand baht note, making it famous,
and this means that there is access to it through several
kilometres of extremely beautiful, moist lowland forest, although
the trail is more than a little tricky to negotiate for those
with any mobility issues.
Krung Ching waterfall headquarters is one of the easiest to
access, high-quality areas of extensive forest to visit in
southern Thailand with an access road, campsite and trail
leading visitors through several kilometres of wonderful tropical
forest. Although the waterfall itself is quite powerful it
is a fair hike though the hot, humid forest and this is a
location for the determined birder, not a good location for
traveling with a non-birder or for casual birding.
There are a large number of really exciting birds to be seen
here but few of them give themselves up easily and birding
is frequently difficult here but rewarding for those with
patience.
With so many fantastic birds to be found at Krung Ching the
list of highlights is considerable. This is probably the best
place in Thailand to see a wide range of southern species
and it is one of the best places to for Scarlet-rumped Trogon,
Rufous-collared Kingfisher and Malaysian Rail Babbler.
Some species which are scarce or difficult to find in other
places are common here; Green Broadbill is very common and
easy to find as is Black-and-yellow Broadbill while Dark-throated
Oriole, Sooty Barbet and Wallace's Hawk Eagle will normally
be seen in open areas. Malayan Banded Pitta is frequently
seen at Krung Ching, along the trail, and this is a good site
for Maroon, Buff-rumped, Grey-and-buff, Rufous and Banded
Woodpeckers. Babblers are a group of birds well-represented
here too and although they can be extremely skulking, species
such as Grey-headed Babbler, Short-tailed Babbler, Fluffy-backed
Tit Babbler and Ferruginous Babbler make for good sightings.
The habitat at Krung Ching is really excellent and for those
birders who repeatedly visit there is often something new
to find. White-crowned Hornbill, Black Hornbill and Plain-pouched
Hornbill have been seen and Great Argus is not rare, although
seldom spotted. Other very rare birds that have been seen
here include Malaysian Honeyguide, Rufous-chested Flycatcher,
Chestnut-capped Thrush, Cinnamon-rumped Trogon and Crested
Partridge although plenty of luck will be needed to see any
of these highly-prized species.
A checklist of the birds for this location can be found here
- Krung
Ching
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
Krung Ching. The blue line shows the route from Surat Thani
airport (B) and Nakorn Sri Thammarat airport (A) to the headquarters
at Krung Ching Waterfall (C).
By Car/Motorcycle
By far the easiest way to reach this site is by private vehicle,
indeed, it is the only sensible option given how remote it
is. From wherever you are travelling from one needs to get
onto route 401 which runs from north to south along the coast
between the towns of Surat Thani and Nakorn Sri Thammarat.
Although Google Maps will try and direct you through various
roads it is best to ignore this and turn off the highway at
Tha Sala and then follow the singposts to Noppitham and then
to Krung Ching itself. The roads that Google Maps will try
and navigate you through are very narrow and rutted in areas
and it makes the journey slower and more complicated than
is necessary.
By Bus
It would be simple enough to take a bus from any large city
in Thailand to either Surat Thani or Nakorn Sri Thammarat
bus stations. From either of those there will be regular buses
running to Tha Sala and from there it would be possible to
get to Noppitham but after that it would be difficult to get
much closer and completely impossible to get all the way to
Krung Ching.
By Train
Surat Thani has a railway station at Punpin and there is also
a station at Nakorn Sri Thammarat. From these locations one
then has the problem of onward travel which is not easily
solved. It would be possible to charter local transport from
either station or with some research it would be possible
to hire a motor scooter at Surat Thani.
By Plane
Both Surat Thani and nakorn Sri Thammarat have airports with
a lot of connections with cities around Thailand and are convenient
for onward travel to Krung Ching. The airports have the advantage
over railway and bus stations in that hiring a car or taxi
is easy. Surat Thani airport has the greater number of connections
but Nakorn Sri Thammarat gives birders a shorter onward journey
to the birding.
Finding Birds
Krung Ching has one of the best bird abundances of any
Southern Thailand birding site so anywhere will turn up a
nice selection of species but the best birding zones can be
summed up in four sections; the approach road, the overgrown
trail, the campsite and the waterfall trail. Each one of these
has its own attractions and specialities.
The
Approach Road: Anyone entering Krung Ching
will have to pass along this road and with around 1.5-2kms
of quiet road passing through nice forest it offers some of
the most productive birding and certainly the easiest with
a good abundance of birds, particularly in the mornings. While
the waterfall trail offers the possibility of some great birds,
so does this access road and the walking is far, far easier
and suitable for birders of all physical abilities.
This approach road is at its best in the mornings although
do not expect masses of activity, instead one must be patient
and the birds will slowly come along. This is a particularly
good area to see most of the Malkohas that occur here as well
as Sooty (Brown), Gold-whiskered and Red-throated Barbets
and the treetops are worth scanning for Black-thighed Falconet
and Crested Serpent Eagle.
This is a good area to see many of the commoner species here
including Red-eyed, Spectacled and Cream-vented Bulbuls which
are worth getting to grips with early on so you don't have
to concern yourself with them for too long. Grey-bellied Spiderhunter,
Lesser Cuckooshrike, Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker and Black-and-yellow
Broadbill are all fairly abundant along here and it is possible
to find Green, Dusky and Banded Broadbills too.
Some of the most sought-after species can take a lot of effort
to find but species such as Red-bearded Bee-eater, Banded
Woodpecker, Maroon Woodpecker, Crested Jay, Rufous-collared
Kingfisher and White-crowned Hornbill are seen here fairly
regularly and at night this is a good area to search for Blyth's
Frogmouth. With patience and persistence many of the species
that are found at Krung Ching can be seen along here and I
have even seen malaysian Honeyguide close to the "helicopter
pad".
The so-called helicopter pad is a good place to scan across
the forest canopy for White-crowned Hornbills and Silver-rumped
Spinetail or anything else that might be sitting up on exposed
perches to catch the morning sun or to dry out after rain.
Campsite:
This small campsite provides a nice clearing in the dense
forest which makes seeing many species fairly easy. A number
of fruiting and flowering trees in the campsite always seem
to attract some birds in particular the attractive Scaly-breasted
Bulbul, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Red-throated Barbet and many
other fruit-eating birds. This is a great spot to get to grips
with both Greater Green and Lesser Green Leafbirds, Green
Iora and Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker as they come down into
low trees. The very similar and drab Spectacled, Cream-vented
and Red-eyed Bulbuls can be found and studied here at close-quarters
while Thick-billed Green Pigeon is usually seen here too.
These fruiting trees can attract migrants at the right time
of year too and over the years I have seen Blue-and-white
Flycatcher, Orange-headed Thrush and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
to mention a few.
Krung
Ching Waterfall Trail: Lowland moist forest
is one of the most endangered habitats in Southeast Asia and
this trail gives birders access to around 4km of some of the
best remaining lowland habitat in Southern Thailand. However,
there is a catch. After around 500 metres the trail becomes
very steep and the surface is very difficult to keep upright
on, quite frankly it is dangerous for a stretch of a few hundred
metres until it levels out to a gently undulating trail. Going
up never seems to be the problem but very many people have
taken heavy falls on the way down and I would suggest that
anyone who is overweight, unfit, has knee or ankle problems
or any type of mobility issue will potentially have an accident
on the way down unless taking extreme care; a rubber-tipped
walking pole is advisable, unless you are young and fit, along
here.
For those who do make the effort to get along here the trail
proceeds through several kilometres of good lowland forest
with a great selection of birds to look for. Birding is never
easy along here and patience is essential but species such
as Green Broadbill, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Grey-headed Babbler,
Fluffy-backed Tit Babbler, Fulvous-chested Jungle-flycatcher
and Black-throated Babbler are regularly seen.
This trail takes birders deep into the forest and it is along
here that a wide selection of southern birds can be found
such as noisy Maroon Woodpecker, skulking Black-capped Babbler,
Rufous-winged Philentoma, smart Ferruginous Babbler, Dusky
Broadbill, secretive Short-tailed Babbler, Moustached Babbler
and many more. Here is the domain of some of the most sought-after
species, those birds which are rare and elusive and as such
it takes a lot of work and numerous visits to see species
including Malayan Banded Pitta, Maroon-breasted Philentoma,
(Southern) White-crowned Forktail and a huge amount of luck
will be needed to achieve more than just hearing Great Argus.
Rail Babbler occurs here too but never gives itself up easily
while Crested Partridge, Chestnut-capped Thrush, Cinnamon-rumped
Trogon and Diard's Trogon are all possible but very seldom
seen; Black Hornbill is also ocassionally encountered too.
The
Overgrown Trail: Beginning at the helicopter
pad is a trail leading off into the forest which is somewhat
overgrown. It can be followed for some distance although I
have never followed it to its conclusion so cannot comment
on how far it proceeds but it is a good trail for single birders
although it would be very hard birding here in a group. Dusky
Broadbill, Banded Woodpecker, Rufous-collared Kingfisher and
(Southern) White-crowned Forktail can be found here and it
is worth exploring for many of the other species characteristic
of this location.
Facilities
At the HQ itself there are very few facilities at all.
There are a couple of chalets to stay in but they have not
been maintained well and are fairly rustic. There is no restaurant
at park HQ although food can be arranged with the park staff
but they will provide your dinner at about 5pm if you want
to arrange this. If you stay in the park itself it is better
to take your own food in, buying it from the large supermarket
at Tha Sala. There are public toilets and a small car park
at the HQ area.
Suk's Homestay
A few hundred metres along the access road to Krung Ching
is Suk's homestay which is a simple house converted to have
four guest rooms each with their own bathroom/shower and efficient
air-conditioning. Suk serves delicious home-cooked meals and
can provide an early breakfast and a packed lunch for those
spending all day in the forest.
Alternatively there is the Krung Ching Hills Resort which
is a little further west than the area covered on the sketch
map as well as the Ruean Krung Ching Resort. Both have pleasant
rooms with ceiling fan cooling and both provide food within
a short drive of the birding site.
Further away there are several places on the beach near the
town of Tha Sala which is about 1 hour away from the HQ by
car, suitable for those who are traveling with non-birders
who like to rest at the beach - Tha
Sala Accommodation. Tha Sala is also the nearest place
with a supermarket where you can stock up on supplies if you
are camping or staying in the national park bungalows. There
are banks, pharmacies and a small hospital in Tha Sala too,
although if you need medical help then a clinic at Noppitham
is closer.
Some Useful Books
The
Ecology and Conservation of Asian Hornbills This informative book has everything a birder would
want to know about the ecological importance of Asian
Hornbills in their forest habitat. A wonderful reference
book for birders interested in these iconic birds.
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:
Krung Ching is one of Southern Thailand's
premier birdwatching locations and is a must visit site
on any Thailand birdwatching tour to the south of the
country. At its best between January and July this is
the most accessible site in Thailand for many rare southern
species and is very rewarding with patience.
Download
a full 
