Thung Salaeng Luang National Park (Nong Mae Na)

The Nong Mae Na entrance is the Phetchabun-side gateway into Thung Salaeng Luang National Park — Thailand’s third-largest national park, whose grassland plains straddle Phitsanulok and Phetchabun provinces. This unit, run from Nong Mae Na subdistrict in Khao Kho district, sits roughly 60 km from the park’s main headquarters on the Phitsanulok side, making it the practical way in if you’re already exploring Phetchabun’s Khao Kho highlands rather than coming from Phitsanulok city.

The draw here is the same savanna-like grassland that gives the whole park its reputation — open plains that turn green in the rains, pale gold toward the end of the dry season, and studded with wildflowers, cosmos among them, from roughly December to February. Pine stands break up the grassland, and the plateau’s elevation keeps temperatures noticeably cooler than lowland Phetchabun, especially at dawn. Sambar deer and barking deer graze the open fields at the cool edges of the day; camping is possible near the ranger station for anyone wanting a night under genuinely dark, low-light-pollution skies.

Entry costs 500 THB for foreign adults and 300 THB for foreign children — Thai nationals pay 40 THB and 20 THB. That’s standard national park pricing, and it applies once regardless of which entrance you use, since it’s the same protected area. The gate here operates daily, roughly 08:00-18:00, though as with most DNP units it’s worth confirming with the park office (0 2562 0760) before a long drive, since ranger-staffed entrances can adjust hours around the wet season.

Watch out: Nong Mae Na is a functional ranger unit, not a visitor centre with facilities to match the main Phitsanulok-side headquarters — pack food, water, and warm layers for early mornings, since services are limited on this side of the park.

Insider Tip: If you’re touring Khao Kho already, this is the easier of the park’s two main entrances to reach — pair it with Khao Kho Royal Palace or Sala Dusita sunrise viewpoint for a full day covering the district’s highland scenery without backtracking toward Phitsanulok.