PHU KRADUNG NATIONAL PARK
There are two legends connected to Phu Kradung, or “bell mountain”: the first is that the sound of a bell, said to be that of the god Indra, once rang out from its peak; the second is that the mountain rings like a bell when struck with a staff. This steep-sided, flat-topped mountain is now a national park covering 348 sq km (135 sq miles), its 60-km (37-mile) plateau 1,350 m (4,450 ft) above sea level. This plateau has a climate cool enough for plants that cannot survive in other parts of Thailand; many animals also live in its thin pine forests and grasslands.
- Loei province. Park HQ about 8 km (5 miles) off Hwy 2019, on Hwy 2019.
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TAT, Udon Thani Tel: (0-4232-5406) ; Forestry Dept Tel: (0-4287-1333 inc bungalow bookings).
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Bus to Pha Nok Kao then songthaew. Access to plateau on foot only.
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mid-Jul–early Sep (rainy season).
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Pitcher Plants
Common in Phu Kradung, carnivorous pitcher plants gather nutrients lacking in the local acidic soil by “eating” insects.
Waterfalls
Waterfalls are dotted all over Phu Kradung. They are most impressive in October (the end of the rainy season).
Phu Kradung was the inspiration for a long poem in 1969 by the award-winning Thai poet and artist Angkhan Kalyanaphong, who eulogized its unspoiled, natural beauties. Lam Nam Phu Kradung (“the ballad of Phu Kradung”) reflects Angkhan’s interest in nature and Buddhism. This excerpt translates poorly into English:
“Each time the sun went down I would sit at the Makduk cliff And watch the beams of colored light Pierce the clouds and set alight the sky .”
