|
Amphoe Pak Chong
Chokchai Farm
 Location:
169 Mu 2 Thanon Mittaphap, Amphoe Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130.
Tel. 044 – 328485. Ext. 116, 044 328386, 044 361770-4. Head
Office tel. 02 5322846 – ext. 135, 02 5239103.
Chokchai Farm is a fully integrated dairy farm perched on a vast
stretch of plains amidst a scenic surrounding. An agro-tourism farm
where visitors can learn about milking, making of fresh milk ice
cream, animal feed plant, and several other activities. Superb tourist
facilities provided.
The farm opens on Saturdays, Sundays and Official holidays.
Open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a group visit of at least 30
persons.
There are 3-5 rounds of tours, each taking approximately 3 hours.
Khao Yai National Park
The park, which covers an area of 2,168 square kilometers
in the Phanom Dong Rak mountain range, stretches over 4 provinces
including Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, and Prachin
Buri. Khao Yai became Thailand’s first national park on 18th
September 1962 and is also originally recognized as the National
Park Heritage of Asian Group Countries.
The park is comprised of mixed forests and rainforests with some
wide plains and grasslands interspersed with verdant forests. There
are many valuable plants, including commercial plants, scented plants
and herbs. In addition, there are several mountains with peaks ranging
from 800 to 3,000 meters above sea level making Khao Yai a cool
climate area, even in summer.
The most popular time to visit Khao Yai is during the cool season
or from October to February. In the rainy season, the area is refreshingly
green with overflowing waterfalls, sending echoes all around.
Popular activities in the park include butterfly and bird watching,
animal watching and trekking. The Park has numerous butterflies
and birds as surveys indicate that over 293 species of birds use
Khao Yai as a feeding ground while Khao Yai is the habitat of over
200 species. In addition, the park is home to an abundance of wildlife.
The most frequently spotted animal is the deer that grazes on grass
plains and sometimes come to be fed around the park office. Other
animals spotted include elephants, sun bears, wild boars, monkeys,
tigers, gaurs, and mountain goats. To facilitate animal watching
the park built 2 wildlife watchtowers at Mo Singto and Nong Phak
Chi. Visitors are allowed up there between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. In
addition, those who want to go on a night safari by car must contact
the park office before 6 p.m. Moreover, Khao Yai has over 20 trekking
trails for visitors to choose from, each different in natural beauty
and distance. While some trails like the Kong Kaeo trail and the
Kilometer 33 trail (Thanarat Road-Nong Phak Chi) take 1-2 hours
to complete, other trails like the Nang Rong-Khao Yai trail, Samo
Pun trail or Kho Yo 4 Unit-Wang Heo waterfall trail require overnight
stays. Information and guides can be obtained from the tourist service
centre.
Places of Interest in the Park:
Namtok Kong Kaeol
This is a low waterfall, which is especially lovely in the rainy
season originates from Huay Lam Takhong that divides Nakhon Nayok
and Nakhon Ratchasima Provinces. The waterfall can be reached by
a walking distance of 100 meters from the tourist service center.
Visitors can enjoy swimming at the waterfall or taking short nature
trips on nearby nature trails.
Namtok Pha Kluai Mai
This is a medium-sized waterfall in Huay Lam Takhong with two separate
bodies of water flowing down rock levels to merge at the bottom.
In the area visitors can find the Red Dendrobium orchid that is
the symbol of the waterfall. The waterfall is about 7 kilometers
from the park office and can be reached by car and on foot. In addition,
there is a trail from the waterfall that leads to Heo Suwat Waterfall.
Namtok Heo Suwat
This is a famous waterfall that cascades from a 20-meters high
cliff. . The waterfall, which is located at the end of Thanarat
Road and is accessible by car, is only 100 meters by foot from the
parking lot or a 3-kilometer walk from Pha Kluai Mai Waterfall.
Visitors can view the falls from a distant viewpoint that offers
a high-angle view of the waterfall through the trees or from the
waterfall itself. However, please note that in the rainy season
the water flows rapidly and caution should be taken.
Namtok Heo Narok
This is the largest and highest waterfall in the park with 3 levels.
The first level is about 60 meters high and water from this level
flows straight down to the second and third levels, with a total
drop of at least 150 meters. The water has considerable strength
in the rainy season and is quite dangerous, but refreshing, when
it comes splashing down on rocks at the bottom. The area around
the waterfall is the usual feeding grounds of wild elephants. There
have been occasional accidents when elephants drop from the cliff
and die. For a beautiful view of the waterfall, visitors can walk
1 kilometer from the main road to a viewpoint. The waterfall itself
is located to the south of the Park Office on the way to Prachin
Buri.
There are also other lesser waterfalls in the park like Namtok
Mai Plon, Namtok Heo Sai and Namtok Heo Prathul. For more information,
contact the Park’s tourist service centre.
Traveling to the Park
Khao Yai National Park is only about 205 kilometers from Bangkok.
There are 2 ways of getting there; from the 56 kilometer marker
of Mitraparp Highway, turn onto Thanarat Road and proceed for approximately
23 kilometers or at Hin Kong intersection, turn onto Highway No.
33 (Nakhon Nayok-Prachin Buri) and proceed to the Noen Hom intersection
and take Highway No. 3077 to the park. The second route is rather
steep and is more suitable for the return trip.
If traveling by bus, get off at Amphoe Pak Chong and continue on
a mini-bus up to the gate of Khao Yai National Park. The fare is
15 baht and services are provided between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. From
there, visitors should flag a passing car to the park office or
rent a car directly from Pak Chong. The park fee for an adult foreigner
is 200 bahts and a foreign child is 100 bahts. The fee for each
car is 50 bahts.
Facilities
There is a campsite at Pha Kluai Mai that can accommodate up to
1,000 visitors. The fee is 10 bahts for children and 20 bahts for
adults per night. There is a restaurant and tents and sleeping bags
for rent. Moreover, there are 2 more service areas at Kong Kaeo
and Yaowachon that can accommodate up to 250 tourists. The fee is
30 bahts each, though sleeping gear is not provided. Visitors can
obtain permission from the park before 6 p.m. For more information,
call the National Parks Division, Royal Forest Department, tel.
0-2579 -7223 and 0-2579-5734, or contact the Park Office at P.O.
Box 9, Amphoe Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130.
Lam Takhong Dam
The Dam is located 62 kilometers before reaching the town
on Highway No. 2. The construction had started in 1964 and finished
4 years later. The lake - like reservoir can contain up to 300 million
cubic meters of water and irrigates 238,000 rais of paddy field.
Lam Takhong Rest Area
This rest area is also known as “Suan Na Chat”,
is a rest area for vehicle drivers to relax from driving. It is
on Highway No. 2 (Saraburi-Nakhon Ratchasima) between the 193 and
194 kilometer markers on an area of 16.89 square kilometers. This
place offers the most beautiful view north of Lam Takhong reservoir.
It has a complete range of services and facilities and is an example
of a modern rest area. Moreover, it is called the gateway to the
Northeast.
The Information Center in the rest area provides tourist information
about the northeastern provinces, accommodations, viewpoints, a
garden, food and beverage stores, a convenience store, restrooms,
and public telephones. In addition, there is also a sculpture of
General Chatchai Choonhavan, a former prime minister, in a standing
position with arms folded and leaning against his favorite motorcycle.
The sculpture measures 3.40 meters high and is made from green sandstone.
The main activity for visitors at Lam Takhong is rafting on a route
that goes past homes, orchards and green trees. The difficulty level
is at 1-2, which is not too hard for rafting novices. Moreover,
the area is suitable for a family outing. The best time to visit
is between May and September because there is lots of water that
can create some excitement that is not dangerous. During the dry
season there is too little water for rafting. Each rafting trip
takes about 2 hours and visitors can add to their enjoyment by taking
an elephant ride afterwards. For more information on the elephant
ride, contact Pang Chang Khao Yai on Thanarat Road, Kilometer 19.5,
tel. 0 4429 7183.
Maize and Sorghum Research Centre (Rai
Suwan)
Location: Tambon klang Dong, Amphoe Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima
30320. Tel. 044 – 361770 – 4
Formerly called Thana Farm and belonging to Field Marshall Sarit
Thanarat, the Farm was later transferred to Kasetsart University
and became the Maize and Sorghum Research Center. The main purpose
of the Center is to carry out research and publicize technology
for the growing of maize and sorghum as well as other field crops.
The Center also other provides support for research and training
at both domestic and international levels, in addition, to producing
seeds of maize, sorghum and other field crops. Basic tourist facilities
provided are a touring route, toilets, field crop seeds for sale
and food stalls. Advance contact is recommended.
|
