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| Northern and Northeastern Thailand, 28th June - 21st July 2007 | ||
| Introduction I visited Thailand in July 2007 with a plan to see the central and northern provinces. The website Thaibirding.com was well used with the right information for independent travel. Although I almost never read them myself, I thought to contribute a trip report because the site was so helpful. My travels covered Khao Yai, Nam Nao, Doi Inthanon and Doi Chiang Dao National Parks. The rainy season may not be the best for birding, not for migrant species and it’s too late for breeding residents, yet I was satisfied. There were “missing” species out of season and some immature birds were confusing. The weather was not bad. Other birdwatchers are rare at this time of the year and there are less tourists in general. Like past experiences from Malaysia, visiting Thai National Parks is easy and does not have to be expensive. Yes, the 400 Baht entrance fee is expensive - it’s more economical to stay a few days. The popular national parks have tents for hire and camping saves Baht for more travelling. The park restaurants have fair to good local food at reasonable prices. In the highly visited parks hitch-hiking is easy, I could get around without hiring transport. Unless on a guided tour from outside, you will have to entertain yourself in Thai National Parks and that suits me. Bird-watching in Thai forests can be difficult without regional experience and local knowledge but I am quite happy to blunder through the bush and see what I can find (feathered or other). Other people expect a Safari-like experience. In KhaoYai I met two Dutch backpacker types and they were disappointed that there was no English-speaking guide. They were already gone the next day when I returned from my morning walk and I bet they were not satisfied. I have submitted my complete bird lists in this report and I think they are more useful than “highlights”. I don’t detail specific sightings and locations; I wouldn’t consider myself a twitcher. |
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| Khao
Yai National Park, 28-30th June 2007 Like most visitors to Thailand, I arrived in Bangkok to discover they have a new airport (opened 2006 I think). From here I took a bus into the city where I stayed two days. I didn’t find Bangkok good for bird watching: the parks and gardens are too manicured and there are hordes of people exercising in the mornings. My departure to Khao Yai was delayed after many beers the night before and then it took quite a while to get to the Mor Chit bus station. Stepping off the bus at Pak Chong, a tout offered accommodation at one of the lodges near the National Park and some taxi drivers offered transport; after this there were no more hassles. I took lunch and waited about an hour for the songthaew to depart. The ride to the national park gate didn’t take long. I payed the 400 Baht entrance fee and hitch-hiked into the visitor’s centre, by this time it was late and drizzling rain. I stayed two nights in one of the bungalows near the visitor’s centre, convenient to the walking trails in the area but not cheap (800 Baht/night, sleeps two). The staff offered dormitory accommodation at 50 Baht/night but I had no sleeping mat or bedding. I think they will offer this accommodation option judging on your appearance and mode of transport. Being the rainy season, leeches were abundant in the wet gullies. Walking the Wang Jumpee trail, it was futile to stop and pick them off because dozens more would come out of the leaf litter. I came out into the dry scrub on top with some 58 leeches feasting on my feet. They appear to feed cooperatively and communally, crowding in groups and injecting blood thinning agents that left my feet bleeding for some time after. Then I bought leech socks (50 Baht at the Visitor’s Centre). These are close-weaved stockings that are impervious to leeches. I didn’t see many leeches after my purchase to field test the socks but they seem to be de riguer with all serious bush walkers wearing them. The visitors centre also has a handy topographic map for sale although I was soon to leave and didn’t purchase one. It was packaged with a booklet about mammals but the shop attendant offered to separate the map. As expected there were no bird checklists available and little information for bird watchers. From the headquarters I moved to Pa Gluay Mai campsite where I camped Friday, Saturday and the place did not get too crowded. The hire tent was good with four way ventilation and did not leak (185 Baht for a roomy 3 person tent and a sleeping mat). I noted 42 species in Khao Yai during my visit: Red Junglefowl |
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| Nam
Nao National Park, 2-4th July 2007 Nam Nao was the least busy of the Thai National Parks I visited. I arrived on Monday from Khon Kaen and was the only person camping. On the advice of this website I chose the larger tent (250 Baht with bedding). It was similar but not so well ventilated like the tents at Khao Yai. Nam Nao is a different place with some birds not seen at other locations and comfortable hiking in the pine forests. Trails 1,2,3 and 4 are the most accessible and all good for bird watching. I saw the entrance to trail 5 overgrown but I walked it anyway until it vanished and then I proceeded to bush-bash in the general direction of the highway. Back at the visitor’s centre, a ranger informed me that trail 5 was closed because there are many elephants in that area. I didn’t see them but their “roads” were obvious. There were more signs of elephants on the track to Dong Paek (Suanson Banpag) and I heard them calling from the forested gully but still I didn’t see them. It was easy to hitch-hike up to the start of this road with a man driving out to work early in the morning. All-up, I recorded 59 species in Nam Nao: Red Junglefowl
(Female with half-grown chicks) |
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| After Nam Nao I took a break from birding and travelled through Laos: over the Friendship Bridge to Vientiane, by bus to Luang Prabang and up the Mekong River on a slow boat into the Golden Triangle. I re-entered Thailand at Chiang Khong and caught a bus down to Chiang Mai. | ||
| Doi
Inthanon National Park, 15-17th July 2007 At first it appeared easy to get to Doi Inthanon, there are yellow Songthaews to Chom Thong every 10 minutes or so opposite Chiang Mai gate. From Chom Thong, the remaining 8 kilometres to the main gate was more difficult. I couldn’t find shared transport (in the morning), I disagreed to charter a vehicle and, walking along the road in to Mae Klang, passing motorists did not stop to offer a ride. In hindsight I would suggest paying transport to the main gate at Mae Klang and hitching from there. I did eventually catch a ride with a local, straight through the main gate. I first stayed overnight with the friendly driver, birding the Vachirathan waterfall area. On the next day I caught a lift up to the headquarters and Mr Daeng’s Birding Centre. The accommodation was adequate and free to birders, I spent only for meals and supplies. Hitch-hiking within Doi Inthanon is easy up to Checkpoint 2 with frequent through-traffic on the route to Mae Chaem. Above checkpoint 2 there is less traffic, mostly minibuses on tour and government vehicles (radar station on top), neither of which are going to stop for a bird watcher in the fog. I walked up to the Twin Chedis on my last day and satisfied to see some of the high altitude species despite the clouds and rain. It was 16 degrees Celsius and windy. The best bird watching was around Checkpoint 2 and along the km 37 trail. Get here early in the morning and you will see many birds appearing at the checkpoint itself and along the roadside, they really go hyperactive. The guards see many birders and are cool. Descending in altitude, the jeep track at km 34.5 looks good but both times I visited the afternoon drizzle would set in. I don’t rate Siriphum Waterfall but I liked the local restaurant in the village with cheap noodle soup and rough alcohol to warm me up on my return. The varied habitats of Doi Inthanon resulted in 58 species seen, more than any other location on my tour around Thailand: Vachirathan
Waterfall, 14-15th July 2007 HQ
up to 34.5 km Jeep Track, 15-16th July 2007 Checkpoint
2 and Twin Chedis, 16-17th July 2007 |
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| There are 13 National Parks in Chiang Mai and several more in adjacent provinces. I would like to explore some more if I had more time. They can be researched on the Thai National Park website http://www.dnp.go.th although the information is limited. Other information on birdwatching throughout Thailand is located here: thaibirding.com, birdwatching locations. | ||
| Doi
Chiang Dao, 19-21 July 2007 The local bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao town takes only 1.5 hours, not 2.5 as I had read on this website. I took a late breakfast in town before starting to walk to Doi Chiang Dao. It seems more than 6 kilometres and I was not halfway when a passing Songthaew stopped and took me to Chiang Dao Nest together with a couple from Spain who had booked an airport transfer form Chiang Mai. Chiang Dao Nest is a more up-market and most guests were couples. I walked next door to Malee’s which I found to be a friendly place with a home stay atmosphere. There are several other places to stay in the area and a cluster of signs at the crossroads on the new bypass. Bird watching at Doi Chiang Dao in the wet season was unspectacular. The popular track up to the DYK substation was closed (wet season) and I didn’t feel motivated to explore deep into the reserve. I birded mostly around Malee’s with a good diversity of species in the forests and farmland and no fees to pay in the temple area. I thought it a good idea to put some Baht in the monk’s donation box and as the sign on top says “The giver is always so happy.” On the other side of Chiang Dao town I quite enjoyed cycling through the rice fields. I recorded 34 species in Doi Chiang Dao and surrounds: Doi Chiang Dao, 19-20st July 2007 Doi Chiang
Dao rice fields, 21st July 2007 Stephen Totterman |
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| Click
for more information on Khao
Yai National Park Click for more information on Nam Nao National Park Birdwatching Tours |
Click for more
information on Doi
Inthanon National Park Click for more information on Doi Chiang Dao National Park |
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