Khao Sam Roi Yot

Khao Sam Roi Yot is a coastal limestone mountain range and national park on the Gulf of Thailand in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province near Hua Hin, Thailand. The area is notable for its karst topography, extensive wetlands, and seasonal inundated grasslands, and it attracts interest from scholars and visitors studying limestone karst, mangrove ecology, and Southeast Asian conservation practice. The site is managed by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and lies within the broader biogeographic context shared with Chumphon Province, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, and marine areas adjacent to Gulf of Thailand.

Geography

The landscape combines a coastal plain, tidal flats, and a striking limestone massif with more than 100 peaks, including the prominent Three Hundred Peaks area near Khao Daeng, within sight of the town of Pak Phanang and the resort district of Hua Hin. The park borders the Gulf of Thailand and contains the largest freshwater marsh in Thailand, contiguous with tidal channels and mangrove stands near the mouth of the Khlong Huai Yang and other waterways linking to the Pran Buri River. Geomorphologically, the karst features are related to the regional tectonics that shaped the Tenasserim Hills and the coastal shelf influenced by Andaman Sea and Gulf sedimentation patterns. Access is commonly via Pracha Uthit Road and provincial routes connecting to Bangkok and the southern corridor toward Chumphon.

History

The limestone hills and coastal wetlands have been used historically by communities associated with the Ayutthaya Kingdom and later the Rattanakosin Kingdom for fishing, salt production, and seasonal agriculture tied to monsoonal cycles. During the 19th and 20th centuries the area became known to naturalists from Royal Society of Thailand and visiting researchers affiliated with institutions such as Chulalongkorn University and Kasetsart University. The national park was proclaimed in 1966 under Thai conservation legislation and later expanded following pressures from commercial development near Hua Hin and infrastructure projects tied to national road networks. The site has also figured in regional planning discussions involving the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning and international conservation organizations like IUCN.

Ecology and Wildlife

The wetland mosaic supports diverse faunal assemblages recorded by biologists from Mahidol University and international partners, including migratory waterbirds using the East Asian–Australasian Flyway with species observed in surveys associated with Wetlands International and BirdLife International networks. Notable fauna include populations of Little Egret and other herons, shorebirds such as members of the family Charadriidae, and estuarine fishes linked to nearby Sattahip and Gulf fisheries. Terrestrial habitats on the karst host reptile and bat assemblages similar to records from Khao Yai National Park and Phu Kradueng National Park, with cave systems inhabited by chiropteran species surveyed by teams from Thai Zoological Park Organization. Vegetation gradients range from mangrove communities dominated by species also found in Sungai Pinang stands to seasonally flooded freshwater marshes comparable to those studied at Bang Poo and Tha Chin River deltas.

Economy and Tourism

Local economies historically relied on artisanal fisheries, salt pans, and smallholder agriculture comparable to livelihoods in Samut Songkhram and Prachuap Khiri Khan fisheries villages, while contemporary income increasingly derives from tourism with visitors arriving from Bangkok and international markets concerned with coastal ecotourism. Attractions include boat trips to the freshwater marsh, birdwatching oriented around flyway species recognized by Ramsar Convention lists, and beach recreation similar to offerings at Cha-am and Hua Hin. The proximity to transport corridors linking Suvarnabhumi Airport and southern provinces has spurred guesthouse, guide service, and excursion enterprises modeled on regional tourism frameworks promoted by Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Conservation and Management

Management is administered by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation in coordination with provincial authorities and NGOs that include Wildlife Conservation Society partnerships and academic stakeholders from Kasetsart University and Mahidol University. Conservation priorities address wetland hydrology, invasive species, coastal development pressures, and habitat connectivity with initiatives that draw on technical guidance from IUCN and research collaborations funded through grants from regional programs involving ASEAN environmental mechanisms. Protected-area strategies incorporate community-based approaches similar to models used in Doi Inthanon National Park and participatory monitoring aligned with the standards of Ramsar Convention sites, aiming to reconcile tourism, fisheries, and biodiversity objectives while maintaining the integrity of karst formations and marsh ecosystems.

Category:National parks of Thailand Category:Prachuap Khiri Khan Province Category:Protected areas established in 1966