Mae Wong National Park

Mae Wong covers about 890 square kilometres on the eastern edge of the Western Forest Complex, the largest block of protected forest in mainland Southeast Asia, and it connects to Huai Kha Khaeng and Thung Yai Naresuan. Chong Yen, a ridge at around 1,300 metres, is the main visitor point: a campsite and simple accommodation where cloud sits in the valleys on cool-season mornings, with hornbills, barbets and a long list of forest birds around it that make it a well-known birding destination. The park became nationally significant in 2013 when a proposed dam on the Mae Wong river, which would have flooded a stretch of lowland forest used by tigers dispersing from Huai Kha Khaeng, was contested by a campaign including a long protest march to Bangkok; the project was shelved. Roads within the park are rough, the climb to Chong Yen is slow, and facilities are basic.

What you actually see

• Chong Yen - the ridge campsite at around 1,300 metres, with morning cloud.
• The birdlife - hornbills, barbets and a long forest list.
• The forest complex - the eastern edge of the largest protected block in the region.
• The dam that was stopped - the 2013 campaign that shelved the reservoir.

When to go

November to February for weather and birding; the ridge is coldest and mistiest then. Book accommodation ahead for cool-season weekends. Roads are difficult in the rains.

Honest expectations

Rough internal roads and a slow climb to the ridge. Basic facilities. Tigers and large mammals are present but essentially never seen by visitors. Foreign entry fees are higher than Thai.

Nearby

Khlong Lan waterfall is east; Huai Kha Khaeng is south in Uthai Thani.