Phu Kradueng National Park

Phu Kradung (Thai : ภูกระดึง)is a sandstone mountain with a vast plateau on top, surrounded by smaller hills. The highest peak is 1,316m above sea level. It is the watershed for the Pong River, which feeds the reservoir of Ubonrat Dam and Nong Wai Dam in Khon Kaen Province. The plateau of Phu Kradung is composed of pine forest and grassland, which have a variety of flowers, creeks, waterfalls and rocky fields. These features make in the park most pleasant.

Phu Kradung is a cool and comfortable all year round. The average temperature is 15 degrees celsius. In the cool season, temperatures of the coldest nights reaches feezing. In the rainy season, the weather can change quicky. Fog and low clouds tend to hang low over the landscape. Cliffs may collapse under their own weight after the soil which underlies the sandstone cap is eroded by heavy rain. Heavy rains can also cause flash floods in the streams which run down the mountain. Thus, the park will be closed during June and September every year for visitors safety and forest recovering.

Flora and Fauna
Phu Kradung has a variety of forest types including dry dipterocarp, mixed deciduous, hill evergreen, and pine. Dominant tree species are Siamese sal (Shorea obtusa), Shorea siamensis, Diospyros spp., Lagerstroemia spp., Podocarpis nerriifolius, maple, Pinus murkusii, and Pinus kesiya. The grass fields support a variety of flowers, such as Hydrocera triflora, Torenia fournieri and marigolds. These flowers bloom at different times of the year. Some grows well in the rocky fields including Dendrobium sp. Close to the ground are ferns, mosses, and Serissa sp. Which is an abundant and beautiful moss. Phu Kradung, with its variety of forest types and vegetation, provides abundant food for wildlife community, including elephants, bears, sambar deer, barking deer, serong, squirrel, fox. And wild dogs. Birds include White-rumped Shama, Black Eagle, Silver Pheasant, Red-wattled Lapwing, Chinese Francolin, and minivets. There is one rare species of turtle called "Tao Poo Loo" or "Tao Hang" which has a long tail and lives in high elevations along streams in the forests. It can also be found in Cambodia and Lao PDR.