Taksin Maharat National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติตากสินมหาราช) is a national park in

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 ...

. Home to Thailand's largest tree, the park also features waterfalls, caves, and rock formations.

Geography

Taksin Maharat National Park is west of Tak town in Mae Sot District. The park's area is 93,126 rai ~ . The mountains of the Thanon Thongchai Range run through the park's centre.

History

It is believed that the Burmese King

Alaungpaya Alaungpaya ( my, အလောင်းဘုရား, ; also spelled Alaunghpaya or Alaung-Phra; 11 May 1760) was the founder of the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). By the time of his death from illness during his campaign in Siam, this f ...

used to march his army through this area. The park's original name was Ton Krabak Yai National Park, named for the park's enormous '' krabak'' tree. On 23 December 1981, the park was designated Thailand's 38th national park. It was later renamed Taksin Maharat National Park ("King Taksin the Great") in honour of King Taksin of the

Thonburi Kingdom The Thonburi Kingdom ( th, ธนบุรี) was a major Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin the Great, ...

Sights

* Ton Krabak Yai (ต้นกระบากใหญ่) The park's main attraction is Ton Krabak Yai, a 700-year-old '' krabak'' tree measuring in height and in circumference. The tree is believed to be the largest in Thailand. *Saphan Hin (Stone Bridge) (สะพานหินธรรมชาติ) Saphan Hin is a natural stone bridge spanning two cliffs with a stream flowing beneath. The formation is high and long. Nearby is the Tran Loard Krow Cave featuring stalactites and

stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically co ...

. *Namtok Pang A Noi (น้ำตกปางอ้าน้อย) This middle-sized waterfall flows all year round. It is around 20 m high, and around 2 km away from Ton Krabak Yai to the east. *Namtok Mae Ya Pa (น้ำตกแม่ย่าป้า) This mid–sized waterfall originates from Lam Huai Mae Ya Pa in a dense forest. It flows in layers along the creek into Lam Huai Mae Tho. *Namtok Sam Muen Thung (น้ำตกสามหมื่นทุ่ง) This giant waterfall of 30 m high originates from Lam Huai Sam Muen Luang and flows year round.

Flora and fauna

Ton Krabak Yai (''Anisoptera costata'') is part of the park's lower-elevation

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = f ...

forest.

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

forests inhabit the park's higher elevations. Other tree species include '' Baccaurea ramiflora'' and ''

Toona ciliata ''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Names It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), toon or toona (al ...

''. Animal species include sambar, northern red muntjac, common palm civet,

mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...

treeshrew The treeshrews (or tree shrews or banxrings) are small mammals native to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They make up the entire order Scandentia, which split into two families: the Tupaiidae (19 species, "ordinary" treeshrew ...

and

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 ...

. The park is a noted bird watching area, with species including ashy drongo,

barn swallow The barn swallow (''Hirundo rustica'') is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. In fact, it appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally. ...

, black-naped oriole, collared scops owl,

great barbet The great barbet (''Psilopogon virens'') is an Asian barbet native to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia, where it inhabits foremost forests up to altitude. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004 because o ...

greater coucal The greater coucal or crow pheasant (''Centropus sinensis''), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is divided into several subspeci ...

green pigeon ''Treron'' is a genus of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. Its members are commonly called green pigeons. The genus is distributed across Asia and Africa. This genus contains 30 species, remarkable for their green coloration, hence the common ...

olive-backed sunbird The olive-backed sunbird (''Cinnyris jugularis''), also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird, is a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia. Taxonomy In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description ...

, Oriental white-eye,

plaintive cuckoo The plaintive cuckoo (''Cacomantis merulinus'') is a species of bird belonging to the genus ''Cacomantis'' in the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is native to Asia, from India, Nepal and China to Indonesia. Description The plaintive cuckoo is fai ...

, scarlet minivet, sooty-headed bulbul, spotted dove,

tiger shrike The tiger shrike or thick-billed shrike (''Lanius tigrinus'') is a small passerine bird which belongs to the genus ''Lanius'' in the shrike family, Laniidae. It is found in wooded habitats across eastern Asia. It is a shy, often solitary bird whi ...

, forest wagtail, and

Chinese pond heron The Chinese pond heron (''Ardeola bacchus'') is an East Asian freshwater bird of the heron family, (Ardeidae). It is one of six species of birds known as "pond herons" (genus ''Ardeola''). It is parapatric (or nearly so) with the Indian pond her ...

References

{{authority control National parks of Thailand Geography of Tak province Tourist attractions in Tak province 1981 establishments in Thailand Protected areas established in 1981

Geography

History

Sights

Flora and fauna

See also

References