Kaeng Krachan, Thailand's Hidden Gem

Greetings Everyone,

Following our visit to the Philippines we flew back to Bangkok, Thailand on November 26.  The following morning we flew to Chiang Rai and were transferred across the border to Laos.  We stayed in a fancy new hotel but appeared to be the only guests other than the locals who rent karaoke rooms to sing and drink beer.  The plan was to do the "Gibbon Experience" where you zipline from treehouse to treehouse to look for gibbons and other wildlife.  When we arrived at the office we were by far the oldest people.  The Gibbon Experience appeared to have turned into a zipline activity for 20-year old thrill-seeking backpackers who were not interested in wildlife.  After viewing the safety video, Marc looked at me and said "Are you sure you still want to do this?"  Having never ziplined before, there seemed to be much more to think about than what friends had told me.  "Make sure your safety line is attached, if you start to turn on the line reach up and squeeze a piece of tire over the wheel but make sure you don't touch the hot cable, don't mess with your safety line or you'll get stuck in the middle, once on the other side, pull 3 times on the cable to let the next person know you've arrived so they don't come careening into you, etc."  I looked at Marc and said "No!"   Given that the gibbons were sighted on only half of the trips, it seemed like a lot of risk for little reward.

A guy in the office drove us back to the border where we had arranged for our next hotel to pick us up a couple of days early.  We checked into our room and started looking at our next adventure.  We were to look for animals in Kaeng Krachan National Park, the largest and least visited in Thailand.  The plan was to stay in a hotel the first night and camp the next 4 nights deep in the park.  I went on the Park's website to read about the camping situation and found this:

"During the week-ends the camp may get overcrowded by local tourists, especially around public holidays."

We had booked our camping stay on Friday to Monday nights and to make matters much worse, I discovered Monday was a national holiday in Thailand!  It was now the Tuesday before the holiday weekend and we frantically called our local guide to see if she could move our camping bookings up by a couple of days.  We made plans to fly back to Bangkok that afternoon after Aon our guide called us back to let us know she had made the changes.  Whew!

On Wednesday morning Aon picked us up and we drove to the park stopping at the Khao Yoi Cave to see the Long-tailed Macaques that hang out here.

Long-tailed Macaques

Besides seeing the monkeys, the cave was interesting in that it was a Buddhist temple complete with statues, monks and nuns.

Buddhist Statues in Khao Yoi Cave

We were met at the park by Toon, our ranger, and Oh, our driver, who along with Aon accompanied us during our visit.  We drove to the Ban Krang campsite where our tent had already been set up.  The campground was almost empty so we were hoping for a quiet night, not so much for sleeping, but for seeing nocturnal visitors.  We drove up the road and encountered our first mammal, a Dusky Leak Monkey or Spectacled Langur.  They are quite common in the park and don't mind sticking around to have their photo taken.

Spectacled Langur

A number of squirrel species are commonly seen in the park including this Black Giant Squirrel and the much smaller Grey-bellied Squirrel.

Black Giant Squirrel

Grey-bellied Squirrel

We drove past our campsite to some salt licks hoping to see more animals at dusk but they were empty.  When we arrived back at the campground we were dismayed to find a large school group of 35 teenagers and their teachers had moved in and set up their tents below us!  Oh well...  Aon told us that dinner was ready and that she had a surprise for us.  Behind the restaurant were 3 Malayan Porcupines, a new species for us.  They came for the food scraps that the cooks toss out after preparing meals at the canteen.  It is probably not the best thing to do but we sure had great views of the porcupines.  At one time seven had gathered and we watched them squabble over who got the most food by raising and shaking their quills.

Malayan Porcupines

We went for a night walk but didn't see much so we turned in around 10:30.  I had just fallen asleep when we were rudely awakened by people arriving at midnight despite the Park closing the entrance at 5:00!  I was grumbling when Aon and Toon showed up saying there was a bear in camp!  I threw on my clothes and rushed off to see it.  He was at the food dump looking for a free meal.  Marc showed up late, he wasn't sure where we had gone but managed to get a good photo.  Again it was probably not the best situation but to see a Malayan Sun Bear at such close range was a rare treat!

Malayan Sun Bear

The next morning our plans were thwarted by the Thai tourists who drive up the park road at 5:30 to see the Cloud Lake or "Thale Mog" at sunrise.  This meant that any wildlife on the road would be scared away so we waited for the traffic to pass before we headed up.  At the end of the road was a viewpoint at 3000 feet.  Aon told us that most Thai tourists that visit the Park come to see the cloud lake or "Thale Mog" that forms over the forest every morning.  

Cloud Lake Overlook

We were hoping to find the Banded Surili or Langur and were not disappointed.  Four were feeding on palm fruits near the viewpoint and were so preoccupied with eating that they didn't bound off.

Banded Surili or Langur

After the morning rush of "Cloud Lake Viewers" left the restaurant at the upper or Phanoen Thung campground we went to wait for the Yellow-throated Martens to show up.  While waiting a Northern Treeshrew came to inspect a banana blossom for insects.

Northern Treeshrew

We sat quietly for an hour but the martens didn't appear so we went for a short walk in the forest.  We returned to the restaurant and just as we finished lunch we got the call that the Yellow-throated Martens had arrived!  A family of 4 cautiously approached the food dump at the back of the restaurant.  We've seen these mammals before but only a fleeting glimpse or at night so it was great to have a prolonged view of them and to hear their chattering.  

Yellow-throated Marten

On the way back to our campground, we encountered a Muntjac standing on the side of the road.  At first I thought it was a common Muntjac but Aon told us it was a Fea's Muntjac, a rare species that is not often seen let alone photographed!

Fea's Muntjac

After dinner I noticed an animal sitting in a tree behind the restaurant.  I couldn't make out what it was until he came down to raid the "compost pile".  He was a Long-tailed Macaque, normally diurnal so it was strange to see him after dark.  Aon thought he may have been a pet that someone released back into the wild.  The Malayan Porcupines showed up and the macaque was successful in fending them off until he was outnumbered 5:1!

Long-tailed Macaque and Malayan Porcupines

The Malayan Sun Bear showed up early and chased everyone off for control of the food dump.

Malayan Sun Bear

The show wasn't over yet.  A Brush-tailed Porcupine made an appearance and was very small next to his Malayan Porcupine cousins.

Malayan and Brush-tailed Porcupines

The show ended around 9:00 and we went off for a night walk.  We were hoping to see civets but they weren't around.  We turned in for a relatively quiet night.  The following morning we hiked along some nearby forest trails but didn't see much.  After lunch we were fortunate to encounter some Lar or White-handed Gibbons in a tree next to the road above the campground.

Lar or White-handed Gibbon

We drove to the upper reaches of the Park where the Thai royal family has a residence.  On the way there, I almost stepped on an Oriental Whip Snake.

Oriental Whip Snake

The buildings weren't in use so we were able to check out the view from the deck and Toon spotted this cute White-browed Picolet foraging in the bamboo below.

White-browed Picolet

We returned to our empty camp since the school group had left for the upper campground and we moved our tent to the far end of the lawn in anticipation of the onslaught which would arrive tomorrow.  It was a quiet night at the "compost pile" and also on our night walk so we turned in early around 9:30.  That night I awoke to the sound of crashing trees.  I thought it might have been an elephant but didn't hear it again so went back to sleep.  In the morning Aon told us an elephant had walked right past her tent!

We drove down the road almost to the park entrance but didn't see much.  On the way back we encountered a large troop of Stump-tailed Macaques crossing the road.

Stump-tailed Macaques

When we returned to our campground it was starting to fill up.  Although there was plenty of space, a number of campers chose to set up their tents around our tent.  We went to the restaurant for lunch and were surprised to see the Malayan Sun Bear making a daytime appearance.  A group of Chinese photographers had thrown out their food scraps to attract the bear so they could photograph him.  We couldn't resist and joined them.  Everyone kept a safe distance and the situation was well under control.  I hope it remains this way.

Malayan Sun Bear

We drove back down the road again and headed back at dusk.  About 2 km from the campground we encountered a roadblock.  Toon got out of the truck to see what what going on.  A lone male elephant was feeding on a tree next to the road!  It took some time for Toon to coax him off the road so that vehicles could safely pass.

Elephant on the Road!

When we reached the campground it was a complete zoo!  The lawn was jam-packed with campers preparing dinner, partying or just hanging out.  We had to wait until space became available in the restaurant to have dinner.  There were no visitors to the "compost pile" tonight.  We gave up on the idea of a night walk.  With all the commotion going on there wouldn't be an animal for miles. We went to our tent fell asleep immediately as I was so exhausted but woke up at 1:30 AM.  Some of our neighbors were still partying so we couldn't sleep.  We got up and walked around camp but didn't see any nocturnal mammals.  We returned to our tent and were kept awake all night by partiers or snoring sleeping neighbors.  At 3:00 AM people were up to cook breakfast before their early-morning run to see the Cloud Lake.  Take it from us, if you want to see wildlife don't visit a national park in Thailand over a weekend particularly a holiday weekend!

Park Campground on a Saturday Night

I wanted to leave first thing in the morning but Aon had arranged for us to visit a rangers' station deep in the park where other tourists couldn't go.  Thank you, Aon!  On the way we stopped to climb up to the Khao Pakarang Cave, a limestone cave, to see Horseshoe Bats.  

Horseshoe Bat in Khao Pakarang Cave

We didn't see any other wildlife on the way but when we arrived at the Ranger Station it was a beautiful, quiet spot.  

View from the Ranger Station

We returned to the campground for lunch before leaving the park.  On the way out we encountered a very large troop of Stump-tailed Macaques feeding on seed pods that had fallen on the road.

Stump-tailed Macaques

We spent the two nights at a resort resting up for the long journey home.  After two and a half months in Asia it was time to return to the US and face reality.  Thank you Aon, Toon and Oh for an amazing ending to our Asian odyssey!

Toon, Marc, Peggy, Aon and Oh

We hope all is well with everyone.

Peggy and Marc

  Kaeng Krachan National Park Mammal List

No.	Species	Scientific Name	Other Names  / Conservation Status
1	Dusky Leaf Monkey	Trachypithecus obscurus	Spectacled Langur / NT
2	Banded Surili	Presbytis femoralis	Banded Leaf Monkey or Langur / NT
3	Long-tailed Macaque	Macaca fascicularis	Crab-eating Macaque / LC
4	Stump-tailed Macaque	Macaca arctoides	Bear Macaque / VU
5	Lar Gibbon	Hylobates lar	White-handed Gibbon / EN
6	Malayan Sun Bear	Helarctos malayanus	Honey Bear / VU
7	Fea's Muntjac	Muntiacus feae	Rare species, conservation status unknown
8	Common or Red Muntjac	Muntiacus muntjak	Indian Muntjac or Barking Deer / LC
9	Sambar	Rusa unicolor	VU
10	Malayan Porcupine	Hystrix brachyura	Himalayan Porcupine / LC
11	Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine	Atherurus macrourus	LC
12	Yellow-throated Martin	Martes flavigula	LC
13	Black Giant Squirrel	Ratufa bicolor	Malayan Giant Squirrel / NT
14	Grey-bellied Squirrel	Callosciurus caniceps	LC
15	Pallas's Squirrel	Callosciurus erythraeus	Red-bellied Tree Squirrel / LC
16	Northern Treeshrew	Tupaia belangeri	LC
17	Brown Rat	Rattus norvegicus	Common, Street or Norway Rat / LC
18	Horseshoe Bat	Sp. ?
19	Asian Elephant	Elephas maximus	Asiatic Elephant / EN

Our route in Thailand:

    

Khao Sok - "The Light of the Kingdom"

Greetings Everyone,

On March 20 we were to fly from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai but the smoke from all the local forest fires obscured the runway and our flight was canceled.  We piled into a van along with 6 other stranded passengers for the 5-hour drive to Chiang Mai.  Our route took us along narrow winding roads and after popping four Dramamine tablets, Marc was able to curb his car sickness while the guy next to him read on his tablet.  The draw to Chiang Mai is the 1000's of temples that adorn the city.  We chose to visit 5 of the more well-known sites.  Our guide, Arm, picked us up early the next morning so we could avoid the worst heat of the day.  Our first stop was Wat Chedi Luang (lit. temple of the big stupa).  The construction of the temple started in the 14th century, when King Saen Muang Ma planned to bury the ashes of his father there and it took until the mid-15th century to be finished.  It was then 82 meters high and had a base diameter of 54 meters, at that time the largest building in the medieval kingdom of Lanna.  In 1545, the upper 30 meters of the structure collapsed after an earthquake.

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Chiang Mai was built by King Mangrai in 1297 as the first temple of Chiang Mai.  Chedi Chang Lom, the 'Elephant Chedi', is the oldest construction within the temple complex. The square base supports a second level which has the front half of 15 life-sized brick-and-stucco elephants (not original) emerging from it.

Chedi Chang Lom

The most interesting temple was made of silver.  We're not sure of its silver quality, whether it is silver plating or even silver paint but Wat Sri Suphan had a lot of it.  Women weren't allowed inside the main chamber but it didn't matter for me as it was closed for restoration work.

Wat Sri Suphan

Our fifth and final temple was Wat Suan Dok.  This is a very important temple in Chiang Mai as there is a large gold chedi where supposedly relics of the Buddha are enshrined.  The smaller whitewashed stupas contain the remains of Chiang Mai's royalty.  

Wat Suan Dok

We went inside sala kan prian, the main assembly hall built in 1932 by the famous monk Phra Krubra Srivichai.  A large group of novice monks were attending school.  At the end of class they appeared to be taught how to tie their robes.

Novice Monks Folding Robes

The final stop on our Thailand tour was a treehouse resort, Our Jungle House, at the entrance to Khao Sok National Park.  To get here we flew from Chiang Mai to the island of Phuket and drove two hours north to the resort.  Most people come here to relax or visit the National Park to swim in its lake but our main objective was to get our last fix of Asian wildlife.  Thailand's animals are very difficult to see as they are very wary of humans and tend to stay hidden in the last few tracts of protected rainforest.  Khao Sok National Park provides a unique way to see wildlife without having to trek for hours through the dense jungle.  

Map of Cheow Lan Lake

The park was established in 1980 by The Royal Forest Department.  Two years later Khao Sok was changed forever by the construction of the Rajjaprabha Dam, meaning "the light of the kingdom" coined by the King at the opening ceremony on his 60th birthday.  At the time the future of the park did not seem so bright.  The dam blocked the Klong Saeng River and it took about one year until it completely flooded the 165 square metres (1,780 sq ft) basin.  To flood this large area, 385 families of Ban Chiew Lan village were resettled.  A resettlement of animals took place by boat and helicopter to prevent them from drowning or starving on newly created islands.  Today Cheow Lan Lake attracts tourists from all over the world and has become a bright spot for Thailand's endangered wildlife. When we got to the dock it was a zoo.  There were many long-tail boats waiting to take hordes of people onto the lake.  A big group of kids on spring break, some from the US, were already drunk.  They were yelling and using foul language.  It was not the nature experience I was expecting.  

Busy Pier at Cheow Lan Lake

Once we got out on the lake the boat traffic dispersed and it was actually pleasant.  The limestone formations lining the lake were reminiscent of Halong Bay in Vietnam, creating some pretty dramatic scenery.

Limestone Formations on Cheow Lan Lake

Most people spend a night or two on the lake in floating bamboo huts.  It took about an hour to reach our raft house, Krae Son.  

Raft Houses at Krae Son

At 2:00 PM we left with our guide, Dang, for our first boat safari into Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary deep within the Park.  It was still hot so we weren't seeing much except for birds: Osprey, Lesser Fish Eagle, White-bellied Sea Eagle and lots of swifts/swallows.  We saw elephant tracks along the lake and then suddenly an elephant appeared.   A lone male was bathing in the mud near the shore.  We got a little too close and he disappeared into the forest. 

Lone Male Elephant Mud-bathing

We continued to the far reaches of the reservoir where we stopped to wait for the sun to get a little lower.  While waiting I spotted some macaques on the far shore.  We went closer and could see they were Pig-tailed Macaques.  There were also 2 Wild Boar, Dusky Leaf Monkeys also known as Spectacled Langurs, a Gaur or Indian Bison on the far shore and Long-tailed Macaques.  The animals were beginning to reveal themselves.  

Gaur or Indian Bison

Unfortunately, we had to head back to the raft house before it got dark.  Navigating these waters in the dark can be treacherous due to the many submerged trees and logs.  On the way Dang spotted another elephant along the shore and we headed straight for him.  I thought for sure he would run away like the previous elephant but he appeared to be approaching us!  Dang explained that this elephant is Kankluy and that he was orphaned at the age of 3.  No one expected him to survive but against all odds he did.  Over the past 9 years he has been adopted by the rangers and guides who bring him pineapples.  Dang had brought a pineapple which he tossed to the waiting elephant.   

Dang Offering a Pineapple to Kankluy

Kankluy is still a wild elephant so you have to keep your distance but it was amazing to watch a wild Asian Elephant that had grown to trust humans and to even seek their company!

Kankluy Eating a Pineapple

The next morning we went to search for Lar Gibbons whose wailing calls we could hear from our raft house.  The Lar Gibbon, also known as the White-handed Gibbon, is an endangered primate classified as a lesser ape.  They are true brachiators, swinging from tree limb to tree limb using only their arms.  They were quite low but hidden in the vegetation.  We waited and a youngster showed himself and then we got a quick look at mom.  

Lar Gibbon

After breakfast we headed for the mountainous side of the Lake.  Here limestone cliffs towered above us creating beautiful scenes.  

Limestone Pinnacles near Pra Kay Petch Cave

We turned into a small lagoon and docked at Pra Kay Petch Cave or Diamond Cave.  We were the only ones there.  We climbed up some rocks then up some metal steps to enter the cave.  

Pra Kay Petch Cave

There were many small bats and a cave spider protecting her egg sac with spiderlings emerging inside.

Bats in the Cave

Cave Spider Protecting her Egg Sac

We returned to "Our Jungle House" for the night but had already made plans to return to Cheow Lan Lake the following day and stay at the Klong Saeng Raft House deep within the Sanctuary.  The following morning we drove with our new guide, Ed, to the dock where it was even more of a zoo than on Friday.  We met our boat driver, Pau, who was with us on our first visit and cruised to the Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary.  Being mid-day we weren't expecting to see much but there were 2 Gaur or Indian Bison on the shore.  As we neared the raft house we ran into 2 elephants, the one with tusks was new to us.  

Elephant with Tusks

The one with the missing tail tassel was named Cha Ba Kao whom we had seen on our first visit was also there.  We got to the raft house around 1:30 and were shown to our cozy bamboo hut.

Our Bamboo Hut at Klong Saeng

At 3:00 PM we headed down the same channel that Dang had taken us down two evenings ago.  We didn't see much at first but then the Wild Boar, Long-tailed and Pig-tailed Macaques, Spectacled Langur (one with a baby) and Sambar Deer started to show up.  

Mother and Baby Spectacled Langur

We also saw a few new birds: Black-capped and Stork-billed Kingfisher, Rufus Woodpecker, Red-wattled Lapwing and Greater Coucal and Water Monitor lizards.  We stopped at a sandbar and waited for darkness so we could head out with spotlights to look for nocturnal mammals.  It was tricky navigating through the dead trees killed by flooding the basin back in 1982.  We didn't see much except for Sambar Deer and a Buffy Fish Owl on the bank.

Buffy Fish Owl

The next morning was very quiet.  The scenery was beautiful with the mist rising from the lake but there weren't many animals.  

Morning Mist over Cheow Lan Lake

We saw the usual wildlife:  Wild Boar, Sambar, Long-tailed Macaque and Spectacled Langur.  We heard the Lar Gibbons but did not see them. We headed up the main channel and found a fruiting fig tree where a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills were feeding.  We watched as a troop of Long-tailed Macaques walked along the bank and climbed up to eat the figs.  We went to see if Kankluy was home and he was.  He was almost completely submerged in the lake but came out as we approached and Ed gave him 2 pineapples.

Kankluy in Cheow Lan Lake

On our last afternoon boat safari we spotted some Pig-tailed Macaques on the bank.  We stopped to take some photos and noticed a troop of Long-tailed Macaques nearby.  The two groups appeared to be interacting, something Ed claims does not happen.  Surprisingly a male Pig-tailed Macaque approached a female Long-tailed Macaque and proceeded to mate with her!  

Male Pig-tailed Macaque and Female Long-tailed Macaque

What on earth is going on?  This female mated with at least 2 different young Pig-tailed Macaque males.  She even groomed one.  If I'm interpreting their behavior correctly when a young female Pig-tailed Macaque displayed herself to one of these young males she was aggressively chased off by the dominant male Pig-tailed Macaque.  A group of female Long-tailed Macaques comforted an infant that was clearly frightened by all the commotion.  It was very interesting behavior to watch!

Long-tailed Macaque Females and Babies

When we returned to the raft house I did some research on whether or not Long and Pig-tailed Macaques interbreed (yes, even in this remote location we have access to the Internet!).  I found an article written by a professor at  Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok that implied that they might.  I found that she was on Facebook and sent her a message.  Almost immediately she replied, confirming that it was possible.  Ah - the marvels of modern technology!  We carried on an electronic conversation.  She was deeply touched that I had reached out to her and offered to send her photos even though I didn't know her.

On our last morning boat safari we returned to the fruiting fig tree.  There were a few langurs and macaques still feeding but the gibbons were in a tall tree behind.  Two youngsters were swinging through the trees while an adult rested nearby.  

Lar Gibbon Juveniles

We thought they had finished eating but as we were getting ready to leave one of the adults, came back to the fig tree to feed.  

Lar Gibbon Adult

We returned to "Our Jungle House" where we showed our photos to some of the staff.  They were amazed at the wildlife we saw.  Most tourists that go to the lake don't venture far enough into the Sanctuary or take the time needed to spot wildlife.  We gave Nat many photos to use for their marketing materials:  Facebook, their web site and possibly a poster of the Park's wildlife.  Hopefully Marc's photos will inspire others to seek out Thailand's elusive mammals and provide incentive to protect this unique haven of nature in Khao Sok National Park.  Thanks to our wonderful guides Dang and Ed for showing us some of  Thailand's amazing animals.  Thanks to Pau who drove us all over Cheow Lan Lake day and night in our wildlife quest.   Finally thanks to Nat, Mandy and all the staff at "Our Jungle House" for taking such good care of us and for accommodating our wildlife watching whims!

We hope all is well back home,

Peggy and Marc

Our route:

      Khao Sok National Park Mammal List

No.	Species	Scientific Name	Notes
1	Asian Elephant	Elephas maximus	Khao Sok
2	Gaur	Bos gaurus	Khao Sok
3	Southern Pig-tailed Macaque.	Macaca  nemestrina	Khao Sok
4	Wild Boar	Sus scrofa	Khao Sok
5	Spectacled Langur	Trachypithecus obscurus	Khao Sok
6	Long-tailed Macaque	Macaca fascicularis	Our Jungle House, Khao Sok
7	Lar Gibbon	Hylobates lar	Khao Sok
8	Bat	Sp.?	Khao Sok
9	Sambar Deer	Rusa unicolor	Khao Sok
10	Himalayan Striped Squirrel	Tamiops  macclellandii	Our Jungle House