Namtok Chat Trakan National Park

Namtok Chat Trakan national park Namtok Chat Trakan National Park is located 145 kilometres away from Phitsanulok City. It encompasses about 134,178 acres of land, covering part of Chat Trakan and Nakhon Thai Districts, Phitsanulok. It was declared a national park on 2 November 1987. It consists of mountainous terrain and mountain ranges. Generally, the climate here is cold. The average temperature in the summer which lasts from March until May is 25-29?C. In the rainy season from June to October and the cold season from November to February, it is normally very cold at night.The park’s forest is composed of deciduous dipterocarp and hill evergreen forests. The first one occurs in areas with lateritic soils which are not quite fertile. Plants found here include, for example, Shorea obtusa, Shorea siamensis, hairy Keruing, iron wood, padauk and Shorea roxburghii trees. As for the hill evergreen forest, it occurs near streams and in areas with high humidity and fertile soil. Plants growing here are, for instance, Dipterocarpus alatus, mesawa, oak, Mangifera pentandra, Afzelia xylocarpa (Kurz) Craib and Thai crape myrtle trees. Moreover, there is some understory including palm, rattan palm and bamboo trees. Animals mostly inhabit the nearby Phu Miang-Phu Thong Wildlife Sanctuary. The species found here are mostly small animals such as barking deer, wild boars, red junglefowls, chevrotains, squirrels, treeshrews and different kinds of birds. To get to the park, use Phitsanulok-Lom Sak Road. Turn left at the Ban Yaeng intersection at the 68th milestone onto Highway 2013 and drive about 29 kilometres along the route, as far as Nakhon Thai. Then turn left onto Highway 1143 to Chat Trakan. Drive about 38 kilometres along the route. Before reaching Chat Trakan Town, turn left onto Highway 1237, drive another 10 kilometres and you will reach the park’s office. Alternatively, public transport from Phitsanulok City to the park is available. You can get on the Phitsanulok-Chat Trakan bus at the Phitsanulok bus terminal. Then take the Chat Trakan-Ban Na Don songthaew to your destination. One of the major attractions here is Chat Trakan Waterfall, also known as Pakrong Waterfall. It has seven levels. Besides, the cliff at the waterfall features colourful rock layers. Furthermore, between January and June, a number of bees will immigrate here and build their hives. In addition, there is a cave called the Pha Lek Cave, which possesses prehistoric art works, i.e. inscriptions illustrating something like animals on a rock. Admission fee is 300 bath for adults and 100 bath for children. The park also provides accommodations for visitors. To make a reservation, please contact the Royal Forestry Department on 0-2579-0529 or 0-2579-4842.