Blessed with great natural beauty, Thailand’s UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site of Thung Yai Naresuan and Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries join up to make the kingdom’s largest protected land parcel, as well as being one of the most important and most expansive conservation areas in Southeast Asia.

Situated in Thailand’s western Kanchanaburi and Tak provinces, along the border with Myanmar and located at the southern tip of the Dawna Range, this pristine Asian rain forest is a colossal 320,000 hectares in size.

Declared a wildlife preserve in the early 1970s, Thung Yai meaning ‘big field’, is one of only a few remaining unspoiled tracts of forest cover still left in the world today, being officially recognized by UNESCO in 1991. The two adjoining sanctuaries form a huge area of the Western Forest Complex, a phenomenal swathe of virgin forest that also includes the surrounding national parks of Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary to the north, Mae Wong National Park, Srinakarindra National Park, Chaloem Rattankosin National Park, Erawan National Park, Sai Yok National Park, and Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary.

The spectacular terrain is marked with many outstanding natural features, which are home to a stunning variety of flora and fauna. As with any self-contained ecosystem, water is a vital source of life with this hilly region spawning four major rivers, gushing waterfalls, pretty fresh streams like Huai Kha Khaeng, and rocky ravines. Steaming hot springs are a unique resource that visitors find fascinating to discover, with Pong Nai Sor Spring, which was named after an unfortunate hunter that was killed by a rhino, the best known.

This continual flow of unpolluted water gives life to schools of fish, as well as forming small lakes, ponds and swamp areas that have become important habitats for an abundance of colourful wildlife. Three different species of otter frolic openly in such waterways, as well as rare herds of larger cattle including gaur, banteng, and the only wild water buffalo in the whole of Thailand.

A verdant undulating landscape with valleys, wetlands, open prairies, and mountain peaks that rise above 1,500 m., Thung Yai thrives with a diversity of trees and shrubs. From dense evergreen to bamboo forests, the sanctuary is endowed with a staggering 1,000 vertebrate species, including 153 mammal species, 490 bird species, 41 reptiles and over 100 species of fish. Many of these timid protected creatures are rarely spotted outside the sanctuary environment, but on a good day you might be lucky to see tapping woodpeckers, hornbills, and red-headed vultures flying in the skies above. Meanwhile on the ground is the hope of an encounter with a rare Sumatran or Javan rhinoceros, herds of lumbering wild elephants, as well as several endangered carnivores, such as tigers, bears, and clouded leopards.

Aside from close ups of the animal kingdom, Thung Yai contains several remote sites of great archaeological interest, which reputedly dates back thousands of years to early humans. While stone artifacts have been unearthed, there has been little research conducted to date, making the area ripe for an Indiana Jones style archaeological adventure. For present day human contact, the sanctuary is home to hill tribe villages of ethnic Karen. Wearing white and red costumes, the Karen have settled in this region for at least two centuries, with their traditional lifestyle helping maintain the delicate ecosystem of the forest sanctuary.

An adventurous journey to Thung Yai Naresuan offers visitors the privilege of being able to visit one of the few remaining virgin forest canopies remaining in the world. The sanctuary is only open to small groups, and it’s advised to obtain a visitor’s permit from the Wildlife Conservation Division of the Royal Forest Department in Bangkok, or from the chief of the sanctuary.

Feel like an intrepid explorer as you trek through vegetation that few, if any, humans have ever set foot upon. If really fortunate, you might be the first person on the planet to discover a new species living in the sanctuary, in which case you get to choose the name for this never seen organism. Thailand maybe a popular international tourist hotspot, but it is still incredibly easy to find yourself in remote locations, where the only other voices you hear are the calls of birds overhead and the jungle chorus that surrounds.

Getting There

By Bus
Buses depart daily from Bangkok Bus Terminal on Kamphaent Phet II Road to Uthai Thani. From Uthai Thani, you must arrange a 4WD to the parks.

By Car
From Bangkok, take Highway No.2 through Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Sing Buri, and Chai Nat, then turn left at Km. 26, across the bridge spanning the Chao Phraya and left on to Highway No.33 to Uthai Thani, a total distance of about 222 km.