Thailand: Signpost at the start of the trail, Tung Tieo Forest Trail, Khao Pra - Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary, Krabi Province

Located southeast of Krabi Town 18km (11 miles) east of the small town of Khlong Thom, Khao Pra - Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary is a small area of lowland tropical forest.

Popular with bird watchers, the sanctuary is home to the rare Gurney’s pitta, an endangered species once thought to be extinct, but rediscovered in very small numbers both here and across the frontier in remote parts of southern Myanmar (Burma).

The sanctuary is also popular for a 2.7 km (1.5 mile) nature trail, the Tung Tieo Forest Trail, that winds through the forest, leading to two lovely freshwater pools that are ideal for swimming and as picnic spots.

Krabi Province is made up of more than 5,000 sq km of jungle-covered hills and sharp, jagged karst outcrops, as well as more than 100km of luxuriant, pristine coastline and around 200 islands in the neighbouring Andaman Sea.

About 40 per cent of the provincial population is Muslim, the remainder being predominantly Buddhist. This is a clear indication that Krabi sits astride the invisible dividing line between Buddhist Thailand and the four southern provinces—Satun, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani—which are predominantly Muslim. Far from causing any sort of problem, this adds immensely to the cultural width and diversity of the province, blending mosques with temples, Malay cooking traditions with Thai cuisine, and giving the province a pleasantly relaxed multi-cultural feel.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia