Dates:
Weather:
Localities:

21 - 29 Jun 2025.
Mixed. Wet the first couple of days, drier farther south. Temperatures ranged from 21°C to 34°C.
Namtok Yong National Park, Bang Lang National Park, Betong and Khao Luang National Park.

Violet Cuckoo

Pachynoa xanthochyta

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha

Short-branded Darkie

Scarce Silver-streak Blue

Tawny Palmfly

20 Jun. Took the early evening Air Asia flight from Chiang Mai to Surat Thani, arriving on time at 19:15, where met up with Antonio. With the airport being 30 kilometres from town, our first overnight was spent in Surat Thani town.

21 Jun. A dry, but cloudy start to the day, with a two hour drive to Namtok Yong, where amazingly our prearranged park accommodation was actually ready and available early morning. Having quickly dropped our gear we took a short look around the headquarters area, as within 30 minutes the threatening rain started, so it was back to the accommodation for coffee and to wait it out. Few birds or insects in evidence; vocal Red-throated Barbet, Violet Cuckoo and Chestnut-naped Forktail noted. The afternoon was dry but cloudy, with very low activity. Rain started late afternoon.

22 Jun. A mostly dry night, with a good variety of moths in the early morning. A wet start to day though, with solid rain continuing all day until finally petering out around 16:00. Consequently most of the day was spent on notes and photo processing.

23 Jun. Early morning we experienced several huge swarms of small flies around the building lights, presumably in response to the wet conditions of the previous days. As the forecast for the next few days showed no sign of improvement we decided to head south to the Betong area, so all morning was spent in an six hour drive. En route we stopped at Than To Waterfall in Bang Lang National Park, but the results were disappointing despite the good weather and excellent forest. After a couple of hours here we stocked up in Betong town, then continued to toward the Chulabhorn Development area and Chinese village for a three night stay. Not a great start to our stay, with a major power outage at 21:00 to the whole Betong area, which lasted the next 16 hours.

24 Jun. No power, so unfortunately no morning coffee either. The day was spent exploring trails and forest on the edge of Bang Lang. Plenty of sun, plus dry conditions, but the bird and insect activity was still slow. Best birds of the day were Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha and Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot. Also one very rare butterfly - Short-branded Darkie.

25 Jun. During the morning we visited several areas of forest edge around Betong, covering a range of altitudes up to 1,000 metres. After lunch more forest near Bang Lang was visited. All in all pretty much a repeat of earlier visits. One unexpected bird seen by the roadside was Javan Myna - a species continuing to spread north through the Malay Peninsula.

26 Jun. Not a great start to the day, due to a totally flat car battery. Fortunately we had sufficient cable and a charger, so after a couple of hours quick charge we were back on the road. The majority of the morning was spent in limestone karst forest near Betong, with a highlight being Scarce Silver-streak Blue. An afternoon drive through some heavy rain, to Hat Yai, with an evening of traditional British food and draft beer.

27 Jun. A two plus hour drive to the Khao Ramrom ranger station of Khao Luang. As usual, the weather was damp, foggy and windy, but improved during the afternoon. A couple of basic rooms are available here, though for your money you only have a bed and a cold shower, but the location at the top of the hill is interesting. First up, we discovered no electricity, which took several hours to return. A couple of walks around the Nature Trail produced almost nothing. Brown Wood Owl calling from behind the toilet block at night.

28 Jun. With a reasonable weather forecast we visited Karom Waterfall, about an hour's drive away. Finally a day with some butterfly activity, with a fair selection of species found. With threatening rain approaching we left at 14:30 for another night on Khao Ramrom.

29 Jun. As windy and cool on the mountain we left early to check a viewpoint, marked on Google Maps, on the other side of the mountain. However, no viewpoint, though we found a trail which, according to locals, went to a waterfall.