Visit Evergreen Forests of Kui Buri National Park in Thailand

Located near the Burmese border, Kui Buri National Park is recognized as being one of the best destinations in Thailand for wildlife viewing, especially elephants. Herds of elephants can frequently be found bathing at the watering ponds near the Pa Yang substation, which is equipped with wildlife-viewing platforms.

Established in 1999 Kui Buri National Park is located in the Tenasserim Hills in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. The forests consists of dry- and moist evergreen forests with trees such as Dipterocarpus tuberculatus, Hopea odorata, Terminalia chebula and different species of palms.

The national park is home to one of biggest population of gaurs in entire Thailand with estimated around 100 individuals and around 320 elephants. In December 2013, 24 gaurswere found dead in the national park. Clinic tests concluded that the cause of deaths are bacterial, not chemical substances. Following by this incident, the national park was closed 8 months and re-opened again in August 2014. Recently a herd of 70 gaurs has been spotted feeding near the one of ranger stations.

Although the national park doesn’t have that many mammals such as nearby Kaeng Krachan National Park, it is probably the best spot in entire Thailand to easily see few species thanks to the easily accessible open areas. Wild mammals such as gaurs, elephants, golden jackals, leopards, deers, bantengs, langurs are common in the national park.

While visitors are permitted to drive their own cars into the park, you must take a guided tour to explore protected areas of the park. Tours are given on pickup trucks or 4×4 vehicles. You can rent tents or bungalows if you want to stay overnight. If you come here between May and November, you should expect lots of rain. The driest months are usually June and July.