Khao Phra Thaeo National Park is the largest rainforest reserve on Phuket Island, offering rich tropical biodiversity, scenic waterfalls, and well-preserved hiking trails for wildlife viewing and nature exploration.
Khao Phra Thaeo National Park covers approximately the northern third of Phuket Island in southern Thailand, protecting one of the island’s last remaining patches of primary rainforest. The park's landscape features dense tropical forest, rugged hills, and several freshwater waterfalls including the popular Ton Sai and Bang Pae Falls. Ecologically, it supports a wide variety of flora and fauna including gibbons, barking deer, and numerous bird species, making it a vital refuge for wildlife. Historically, the park was established in 1980 to safeguard Phuket’s rapidly vanishing rainforest and freshwater ecosystems. Hiking is a primary recreation activity, with trails that wind through the forest and provide excellent opportunities to observe the park’s biodiversity. In addition to trekking, the park also serves as an educational destination, with natural history signage and a wildlife rehabilitation center nearby. The park is known for its cooler interior climate compared to the coastal regions of Phuket. Visitors often seek the tranquility of forested areas, cool streams, and shaded picnic spots at waterfall sites. The park’s location near Phuket’s main tourist hubs makes it a convenient natural escape from the beaches and urban areas, attracting nature lovers, bird watchers, and those interested in Thailand’s tropical rainforest ecology.
Ton Sai Waterfall – a popular multi-tiered waterfall with natural pools ideal for swimming
Diverse Wildlife – including agile gibbons, monitor lizards, and rare bird species
Bang Pae Waterfall Nature Trail – a scenic and accessible hiking route through dense rainforest
Gibbon Rehabilitation Center – a rescued animal sanctuary rehabilitating local primates
The park's largest waterfall offering several cascading tiers, freshwater pools for swimming, and scenic picnic spots.
A creative conservation project focusing on the rescue and rehabilitation of gibbons and educating visitors about their plight.
One of the last intact tracts of ancient rainforest on Phuket, home to diverse plants and wildlife species native to the region.