Namtok Pha Charoen National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติน้ำตกพาเจริญ) is a national park in the Phop Phra District,

Tak Province Tak ( th, ตาก, , Burmese: တာ့ခ် pronounced ak is one of Thailand's seventy-seven provinces (''changwat'') and lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, ...

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 b ...

. Most of its area is high complex mountains of 1,765 m elevation and features a mixed deciduous forest and a coniferous forest.

Geography

Namtok Pha Charoen National Park is 30 km southeast of

Mae Sot Mae Sot ( th, แม่สอด, ; my, မဲဆောက်, ; shn, , ) is a city in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar to the west. It is notable as a trade hub and for its substantial population of Burmese migrants and refug ...

and 57 km southwest of Tak town. The park's area is 481,550 rai ~ .

Climate

As the area of the national park is affected by the southwestern monsoon, its weather is cool and can be divided into three seasons: summer (March–May), when the weather is not extremely hot because of the altitude and breezy condition of the area; the rainy season (June–October), when there are heavy and continuous rains throughout; and winter (November–February) when the weather is not much cold with the lowest temperature of 6°C. Rainfall in the park is between 1,500-2,000 mm per year.

Flora and fauna

The area has many deciduous trees, pine forest and

curcuma ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species are ...

(Siam tulip), which is a flower with big bright orange coloured petals. It blooms during July to October every year at the natural park office area. Wild animals found in the national park include

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

Muntiacus Muntjak The Indian muntjac or the common muntjac (''Muntiacus muntjak''), also called the southern red muntjac and barking deer, is a deer species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. In popular local ...

, birds,

Indochinese tiger The Indochinese tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, includin ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

red junglefowl The red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus'') is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It was formerly known as the Bankiva or Bankiva Fowl. It is the species that gave rise to the ...

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s, porcupines, masked palm

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...

s, gibbons, monkeys,

mouse deer Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only extant members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only ...

, and

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

Sights

*Namtok Pha Charoen (น้ำตกพาเจริญ) A limestone waterfall receiving water from a creek that flows into a pool of water. This ninety-seven-tiered waterfall flows year round. *Bo Nam Ron Huai Nam Nak (บ่อน้ำร้อนห้วยน้ำนัก) The water in this natural hot well measures 60˚C. There are gazebos provided by the Phop Phra District administration next to the well at its side on the Ro Pho Cho Road. *Doi Kia Viewpoint (จุดชมวิวดอยเกี๊ยะ) This is the highest point of the borderline between Myanmar and Thailand. It is around 512 m high and overlooks a forest in Myanmar. *Namtok Pa Wai (น้ำตกป่าหวาย) The waterfall originates from Pa Wai Creek where water flows all year round and many rattan plants grow. *Namtok Sai Fa and Namtok Sai Rung (น้ำตกสายฟ้าและน้ำตกสายรุ้ง) These waterfalls have spray of water which looks like a rainbow when being seen in sunlight.

References

{{authority control National parks of Thailand Geography of Tak province Tourist attractions in Tak province

Geography

Climate

Flora and fauna

Sights

See also

References