Sri Phang Nga National Park, in Phang
Nga province, covers an area of 246 square kilometres, stretching
along a range of hills parallel to the Andaman Sea coast.
Most of the national park is moist evergreen forest and the
low altitude of the region gives birdwatchers a great opportunity
to search for some of the difficult to find species from southern
Thailand.
Sri Phang Nga is a pleasant place to stay with some good birding
along the access track, along with a number of short trails
into the forest and a nice place for those wanting to spend
a day or two in some good quality southern forest. Additionally,
this location is a good place to relax amongst attractive
surroundings, with some nice views across the forest from
the well-kept campsite.
Sri Phang Nga's close proximity to Khao Sok National Park,
Khao Lak and Kuraburi (the departure point for Ko Surin) mean
that it is an ideal location to spend a few days at if visiting
any of these areas.
Sri Phang Nga National Park is part of a much larger complex
of forest which is still home to most of the large mammals
characteristic of the area. Although species such as tiger,
elephant and tapir are unlikely to be seen, White-handed Gibbon
and Dusky Langur are frequently spotted.
There are a few exciting species which can be more easily
seen at Sri Phang Nga than at most other locations and perhaps
the biggest draw for birders here is Malayan Banded Pitta.
This species is perhaps the most beautiful of all the Pittas
that occur in Thailand and can frequently be seen at a stakeout
along one of the trails here. It is also frequently heard
and seen at all points along the trail network too and is
usually one of the more confiding Pittas in Southeast Asia.
The streams at Sri Phang Nga contain some real highlights
too with Chestnut-naped Forktail being quite abundant and
relatively easy to see if you sit quietly in a likely area
alongside a stream. Blue-banded and Blue-eared Kingfishers
also use the stream network although getting a view of either
one of these while perched can be very tricky.
Hornbills are a highlight of any birdwatching trip and Sri
Phang Nga is home to the spectacular Great Hornbills and Helmeted
Hornbill along with Bushy-crested Hornbill which usually travels
in flocks. One has to be very lucky to actually see the Helmeted
Hornbills though.
Night birding can be productive here too. Along with both
Gould's and Blyth's Frogmouths, Oriental Bay Owl and Buffy
Fish Owl have been seen in the past, although time restrictions
and walking along the access track may prevent birders from
accessing the best night-birding areas these days.
Apart from these stand-out species Sri Phang Nga is a good
site for getting to grips with many of Southern Thailands
commoner birds by birding in and around the campsite - Crimson-breasted
Flowerpecker, Spectacled Bulbul, Cream-vented Bulbul, Orange-bellied
Flowerpecker, Lesser Green Leafbird and many others.
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 Sri Phang Nga National Park. The blue line shows the route
from Surat Thani Airport (A), Phuket Airport (C) and Kuraburi
Greenview Resort (D) to Sr Phang Nga National Park HQ (B).
By Car/Motorcycle
Sri Phang Nga National Park (Pronounced Sree Pang Ngar), although
not one of the most visited parks, is in fact easy to get
to. The entrance is clearly marked from the main Khuraburi
(pronounced KooRa BooRee) - Takua Pa (TakooWa Par)highway
(Highway 4), 30 km south of Kuraburi, or 20 km north of Takua
Pa. From the signpost for Sri Phang Nga National Park, drive
along the access road for 4 kilometres until reaching the
headquarters.
By Bus
For those without their own transport, there are plenty of
buses running along this road, coming from Ranong to the north
or from either Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga or Khao Lak to the
south; these buses originate from all nearby provincial capitals,
including Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga and Ranong and can be stopped
anywhere on the road. Ask the bus conductor to stop at the
sign for the national park, leaving 4 more kilometres to park
headquarters. Four kilometres is a bit far to walk in the
hot weather with luggage, but it may be the only option. If
a vehicle is around, try hiring it, but it may be better for
those without transport to get off of the bus at either Takua
Pa or Kuraburi where songthaew drivers will be available to
hire for a lift into the park.
By Train
There are not any nearby railway stations that are convenient
for visiting Sri Phang Nga. Those who wish to use this method
of transport are best advised to stop at Surat Thania and
then continue by bus, car hire or taxi.
By Plane
Surat Thani and Phuket airports are about equidistant, around
an hour and a half's drive away. As a major tourist destination
Phuket airport has lots of cheap flights to and from lots
of destinations all over Thailand with airlines Air Asia,
Nok Air, Thai Smile, Thai Airways, Orient Thai, Bangkok Airways,
Thai Lion Air & Vietjet Air. From both airports car rental
is available as are private taxi, minivans and bus transfers.
By Taxi
Any hotel in Phuket, Khao Lak or Surat Thani should be able
to arrange a taxi to Sri Phang Nga National Park headquarters.
This would be fairly cheap for those staying at Khao Lak but
quite costly from Phuket or Surat Thani. For those staying
at Khao Sok and moving on to Sri Phang Nga it is possible
to organise transport from a guesthouse - just ask the staff
at the guesthouse you stay in.
Finding Birds
A number of trails and tracks offer good opportunities
for general birding at Sri Phang Nga, with the campsite and
the track from headquarters to the picnic area being particularly
good. However, as with any location, there are a few spots
that provide the best chances of encountering some of the
highlights.
Campsite:
The large, open campsite area is a good place to get excellent
views of the surrounding forested hills and is a nice spot
to have a rest while looking for flying hornbills and raptors.
Before 8am birders are restricted to birding this area as
park staff do not currently allow people through the barrier
that gives access to the dirt track and trails. Fortunately
there is plenty that can be seen here and the magnificent
Great Hornbill is regularly observed from this campsite in
the early morning; listen out for their "Gok, Gok"
call to locate them. Helmeted and Bushy-crested Hornbills
are both sometimes seen in flight over the hills from this
spot and Wallace's Hawk Eagle is a regular in this area.
There can be a good amount of bird activity in and around
the campsite in the early morning with many smaller birds
feeding, and several fruiting trees can attract large numbers
of birds to feed in them. Many species of Bulbul can be seen
here including Black-headed, Spectacled, Cream-vented, Red-eyed
and Black-crested Bulbuls are common and Streaked frequently
comes to feed here too. Lucky birders might even come across
the very handsome Grey-bellied and Scaly-breasted Bulbuls
too as I did in April 2016. Flowering trees in the campsite
also attract Orange-bellied, Crimson-breasted and Yellow-breasted
Flowerpeckers as well as Little and Grey-breasted Spiderhunters.
In the early morning Banded Woodpecker can often be heard
calling here and it is possible to track it down for a sighting
of this beautiful bird. This is probably also the best spot
to get a view of Gold-whiskered and Red-throated Barbets as
they call from isolated trees or feed on fruit.
Behind the accommodation block has been a favourite place
to look for Blyth's Frogmouth at night and in the trees here
a White-throated Rockthrush has spent the winters of 2013/14
- 2015/16.
Dirt
Track: Birding along this flat track can
be rewarding, although like most forest birding in Southern
Thailand it takes patience to make the most of it. Purple-naped
Sunbird seems unusually common along here and in the bamboo
stands Yellow-bellied Warbler, Rufous Piculet and even Bamboo
Woodpecker occur, although seeing the latter will require
some luck. Flocks of birds along here will include most of
the commoner Bulbuls and these are likely to be joined by
species such as Chestnut-winged Babbler, Raffle's Malkoha
and Rufous-fronted Babbler. If they are vocal both Green Broadbill
and Rufous-collared Kingfisher are wonderful birds that there
is a chance of finding in this area.
Flycatcher
Trail: This small and, initially, steep
trail is a spot where I was told there had been a number of
sightings of Large Blue Flycatcher and indeed I found a male
here in late 2015. Sri Phang Nga seems to be the most reliable
site in Thailand for this little-known species. A very short
way into the trail is also a good spot to look for Gould's
Frogmouth.
Pitta
Trail: A small but easy-to-follow trail
proceeds alongside a small stream, crossing it several times;
shortly after the fourth crossing is a stakeout for Malayan
Banded Pitta, one of the most stunning birds to be seen at
Sri Phang Nga. Alongside this stream is also one of the best
spots to see Chestnut-naped Forktail and although it is a
shy bird, sitting quietly will usually result in a sighting
of this lovely bird. Blue-banded Kingfisher also races up
and down the watercourse, listen out for its high-pitched
call as it flies past - only a very lucky few ever get to
see this species perched. Other species likely to be seen
along here include Abbott's Babbler, Chestnut-winged Babbler,
Raffle's Malkoha and Brown-cheeked Fulvetta; listen for the
call of Rufous-collared Kingfisher which has been seen along
here too. The trail veers away from the stream and heads uphill,
forming a loop trail back to the picnic area; this trail is
the steep trail.
Steep
Trail: It's been said that this trail
isn't for the unfit, but it does provide a good opportunity
to get into the forest for those who like a bit of a hike.
Take plenty of water if walking this trail as the high humidity
will make you sweat a lot. Great Argus and Helmeted Hornbill
are heard frequently from the area that this trail goes through
although seeing either of them will probably require a huge
amount of luck.
Picnic
Area & Wier: These small open areas
within the forest and next to the stream adjoin each other
and form one of the easier spots to see birds within the forest.
Although I have never seen a huge abundance of birds here,
by hanging around and revisiting this location several times
over the course of a morning it is possible to get good views
of a number of exciting birds including Black-and-yellow &
Dusky Broadbills, both of which seem to be regular here.
The open sky here is a good place to spot Swifts including
small numbers of Silver-rumped Needletail which sometimes
come down quite low. Brown-backed Needletail, Pale-rumped
(Germain') Swiftlet and Pacific Swift are also frequently
seen and Whiskered Treeswift seems to favour the treetops
in this area to launch its hunting sorties.
In the past the weir has been frequented by Buffy Fish Owl
but has not been seen regularly for some time, but the abundance
of large fish in the stream would suggest that it would be
a good place to look for this species' I have also had excellent
views of Wallace's Hawk Eagle in the trees here as have others.
A number of small fruiting, flowering and seeding trees around
here attract small birds such as Spectacled Bulbul, Grey-breasted
Spiderhunter, Plain Sunbird, Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
and many others while flocks of foraging birds are likely
to include Crow-billed Drongo and sometimes even Grey-and-buff
Woodpecker.
Waterfall
Trail: This slightly undulating trail
goes through some nice forest but finding birds is difficult
due to the thick foliage and noise from the rushing water
in the nearby stream. Green Broadbill and Rufous-collared
Kingfisher are possible in this area of forest while I have
seen Bushy-crested Hornbill and Banded Woodpecker along here.
Streaked Bulbul was unusually common on this trail on one
of my visits and Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Eastern Crowned
Warbler, Chestnut-winged Babbler, Plain Sunbird and many others
are all likely.By mid-morning this trail can get quite busy
with day-trippers visiting the waterfall.
Nocturnal Birding:
For those wishing to look for nocturnal birds it will be necessary
to stay in the national park bungalows or camp. Currently
birders are not allowed along the dirt track at night and
so are restricted to birding around the campsite where several
species can be found including Blyth's Frogmouth.
The campsite at Sri Phang Nga is a pleasant and spacious
affair with public toilets provided, although campers must
bring their own equipment. For those without their own tents,
there are a few clean and comfortable bungalows available
for rent, negotiate these with the park staff on arrival or
you could attempt to organise them in advance using these
contact details: Tel. 08 6952 5246, 08 9473 5007, E-mail reserve@dnp.go.th.
Good luck if you try that, you'll need it. Food and drink
is available at the cafe at the campsite but it does not open
until after 8am and close at 5pm although if you arrange it
in advance the staff will cook a packed dinner for you to
eat later.
There are several local guesthouses along the Takua Pa-Kuraburi
highway that would be cheap and fairly comfortable places
to stay outside of the forest and I would expect that tasty
local food would be available at these locations too; Ban
Khun Ta Resort would seem to be a decent option. However,
I often stay at Good
Morning Hotel in Takua Pa which is very comfortable
and reasonably priced. They usually provide a simple breakfast
at reception and a small family-run restaurant 50 metres away
serves some of the best food in Thailand.
In the past Kuraburi
Greenview Resort was a great option for birders
to stay in, not far away from the national park HQ but it
closed down some years ago and does not seem to be reopening.
Some Useful Books
Kingfishers,
Bee-eaters & Rollers This book details all of the kingfishers, bee-eaters
and rollers of the world in a series of well-illustrated
plates. With a wealth of kingfisher species in southern
Thailand this is a really nice work of reference to
have.
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.
Birdwatching
Trips: Sri Phang Nga National Park is a great
location to see a few species that are scarce or difficult
to see in other sites. It is also a far more accessible
site than many locations making it an ideal addition for
both long and short Southern Thailand birding itineraries
with Malayan Banded Pitta and Chestnut-naped Forktail
being the main attraction.
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