Sakaerat Environmental Research Station

Sakaerat Environmental Research Station sits at the heart of the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in Wang Nam Khiao, Nakhon Ratchasima — Thailand’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, designated back in 1976. It’s a working research station run by TISTR rather than a set-up-for-tourists park, so a visit means a booked program: guided forest walks with scientists, birdwatching, night wildlife spotting and simple overnight stays. It protects a large stand of dry evergreen and dipterocarp forest in the same upland belt as Khao Yai.

What a visit is like

Because this is a research facility, the experience is education-first and arranged in advance. Programs — often a two-day, one-night package — take you along trails with resident field scientists, into the deciduous forest for birding (the Siamese fireback pheasant is a prize sighting), out at night to spot wildlife, and around demonstration plots showing how damaged forest is restored. There are displays on the station’s long-running research, from soil studies to wildlife monitoring. You come to understand a working conservation landscape, not to tick off a viewpoint.

Insider Tip: Contact the station ahead by phone or email and go with an organised program — that’s how you get the guided walks and the night spotting that make Sakaerat worth the trip. Turning up unannounced expecting an open trail network will disappoint.

Getting there

It’s about 30 minutes by road from Wang Nam Khiao town, in the Korat uplands near Khao Yai — you’ll need your own vehicle or a transfer arranged with the station. Fees depend on the program you book.

Watch out: This isn’t a casual day-out attraction. It’s remote, visits need arranging in advance, and the point is the science and the forest, not facilities — bring walking shoes, insect repellent and water.

Sakaerat is at 1 Mu 9, Udom Sap, Wang Nam Khiao District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30370. View on Google Maps.