Stories tagged with park
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Phuket park blocked by protestors
Entrance to the Sirinath Marine National Park has been blocked off by a group of around 100 protestors who are trying to convince the government to reduce the sharply increased entrance fees. The new fee increases are discouraging visitors from entering and damaging their business.
About two months ago the new higher entrance fees took effect, making the marine park so expensive to enter that many regular visitors have stopped coming. Originally, the park charged 40 baht per vehicle to enter, but now it has added an additional fee for each Thai person in the vehicle.
Foreigners must hand over five times that amount, resulting in vehicles having to pay nearly 1,000 baht to enter the beachside park if they have any foreigners in the truck. These sharply increased fees have sparked complaints from tourists and Thais alike, and the park was eerily quiet over the normally busy holiday season.
Some 100 protestors set up a tent to block access to the entrance, and claim they will stay put until the fees are returned to their original fair prices. Visitors who plan to spend a day at Sirinath Marine National Park should be aware that they will have a very hard time getting in over the ensuing days.
Posted by: Andrew on 08 Jan 2009, 20:17 -
Tarutao Marine National Park to get Needed Development
The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has allocated 30 million baht to improve the existing infrastructure at Tarutao Marine National Park near Satun. This stunning and remote archipelago is the far south of Thailand is overshadowed by better-promoted beach destinations like Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui and Pattaya.
The planned improvements will upgrade camping sites, build bungalows capable of accommodating 250 tourists, and open a new information centre on the main island of Tarutao. It is expected that the new developments will be ready by October, just in time for the park’s high season from November to April.
Tarutao was originally used as a prison for hardcore convicts and political dissidents from 1938 to 1948. But in 1974 it was turned into Thailand’s eighth official national park. There are 51 islands in Tarutao’s archipelago, though only a few are inhabited and open for tourism. The marine park is just 4.8kms from the Malaysian border, making it Thailand’s southernmost island holiday destination.
Posted by: Andrew on 11 Aug 2008, 13:01 -
Khao Yai crowded on New Year
Thailand’s biggest and most popular National Park is experiencing large crowds as visitors come for the extended New Year weekend. With more than 15,000 people expected traffic at the park entrance was backed up for more than a kilometre.
Located just two hours drive northeast of Bangkok, the park – which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is extremely popular with Bangkok residents. Long weekends, especially New Year, often see the park crowded as visitors come to experience it’s natural environment, witness its spectacular waterfalls and picnic or camp in the cool mountainous environment.
The 4,200 beds available at park camp sites and chalets have long since been booked out, but many day trippers have swelled the numbers. Most visitors are Thai, and foreigners with flexible plans are advised to come after the long weekend is over.
Elsewhere in Thailand other popular sites were experiencing crowding, especially in the North where Thais like to traditionally head during the cool season to experience the chilly weather – a novelty in Thailand. Doi Suithep Temple in Chiang Mai was especially busy, with parking overflowing the capacity.
In Chiang Rai, where a flower pageant has been organised, 15,000 tourists showed up hoping to get tickets. Twenty thousand were also said to have visited the colourful Royal Gardens at Doi Tung nearby.
And danger struck in the South as a result of crowding, when an overloaded boat capsized during a tour of the Ang Thong Archipelago near Samui. No one was injured or died but it’s a chronic problem.
With the locals also travelling in huge numbers until the second of January, foreigners are advised to plan carefully, and avoid popular areas unless they have reservations, efficient transportation and patience. National Highways are particularly dangerous with 1,117 accidents reported over the weekend until Sunday, resulting in 118 deaths.
guide to Khao Yai
Posted by: Andrew on 31 Dec 2007, 07:22