Phaeng Waterfall

Than Sadet Waterfall    

        Than Sadet - Ko Pha-Ngan National Park is located in Ko Pha-Ngan and Ban Tai Sub-district, Ko Pha-Ngan District, Surat Thani Province, about 80 kilometers from the coast of Surat Thani Province. The general topography is that of a complex of high mountains that stretch along a north-south axis. It is home to plains, valleys, and bays with the highest peak being Khao Ra, at 635 meters above sea level. Soil Characteristics: There are 9 soil groups surveyed around Ko Pha-Ngan, which are briefly characterized as follows:

1) Alluvial soil is a young and emerging soil formed by river sediments and seawater that has been blown ashore up. It is found along the foothills and the nature of the soil is not clearly divided. There is an unlimited ground texture that is mostly from loam to clay. If rocks are found in the lowlands, the topsoil may have a darker color. The subsoil is brown or gray with small rocks dotted throughout the soil layer. Most of the soils have moderate to good fertility with poor to very bad drainage and are mostly used for farming. However, if the land is next to a then there is normally quite good drainage, and those areas are often used for housing and growing vegetables. These soils flood most years.

2) Hydromorphic Alluvial soil is Alluvial Soil with inferior drainage.

3) Regosols are young and the nature of the soil layer is not yet evident. The topsoil layer is formed by sand and soil, and this soil type is found near beaches, sand dunes, or sand deposited by old waterways. These soils are not found in the lowlands, and it has  good drainage.

4) Lithosols is a very shallow soil consisting of imperfectly weathered rock fragments. It is less than 30cm deep and is found on the hilly terrain. It is not suitable for agriculture.

5) Low - Humic Gley Soils are found in the lowlands where there is drainage at a shallow underground level. There are often many small rocks, as the soil is formed by the sediment that has been carried over long distances by water. Usually, the characteristics of the subsoil are finer than those of the topsoil, and ,mostly they consist of sandy loam to clay soils with a PH value of 4.55 to 5. There is less organic matter in the topsoil. And it has less elements. These soils are mostly used for farming.

6) Gray podzolic soil is a strongly acidic soil that usually has a bleached horizon immediately beneath the topsoil. It is old soil with excellent drainage and has a loam, sandy loam, or clay loam texture.

7) Regosolic Glay Podzolic soils are gray Podzolic soils that have a tendency towards the soil. Regosols are loamy, sandy soils in the upper soil, and sandy loam in texture in the lower soil levels.

8) The Hydromorphic Regosolic Gray podzolic soil is a relatively poorly or poorly drained Gray Podzolic Soil. Visitors may find a mottling in the bottom soil.

9) Red-Yellow Podzolic soil is well-drained soil, and the topsoil texture is that of a loam to sandy loam with a brownish-gray color. The subsoil usually has a sandy clay loam or sandy clay with gravel inserted, and is usually red or yellow in color. The soil reaction pH ranges from 4.5 to 5.5, and is primarily used for farming or growing perennial plants.

    Ko Pha-Ngan is rainy all year round and has a generally warm climate. The annual average temperature is about 28 degrees Celsius, with May the hottest month with an average temperature of 33 degrees Celsius in May, and about a low average of 24 degrees Celsius in December and January. The accumulated yearly rainfall is 2,390 mm, with the least precipitation occurring in February, when there is no rain. The highest monthly rainfall was 1,160 millimeters in November.

The ecosystems in Than Sadet - Ko Pha-Ngan National Park can be classified as follows:

Moist evergreen forest, with significant trees are Rubber, Yung, Hopea odorata, Santol, Artocarpus rigidus, Eugeissona tristis, Tembusu, Iron wood, Spanish Cherry, Malabar Plum, Tree Bean, and Oncosperma tigillarium. The lower plants include  various types of bamboo, Salacca wallichiana, rattan, Fishtail Palm, and epiphyte plants such as orchids, moss, ferns, and vines.

Dry evergreen forests appear along the hillsides or rocky riverbanks with a thin layer of soil. The plants found are primarily small, consisting of Memecylon myrsinoides Blume, Shorea siamensis, Hydnocarpus ilicifolius King, Khirni, Luang Ta Pet (Ardisia crenata), Memecylon ovatum Sm, Cassia, Cha Mung (Litsea elliptica), Long Lai (Drypetes hoaensis), Streblus ilicifolius, Tung Hon, Needlewood Tree, Indian Mahogany, and Morinda elliptica 

Mammals found include the: Sambar Deer, wild boars, monkeys, langurs, Oriental Giant Squirrels, Tree Shrews, Palm Civets, and different types of rats.

Birds include the Crested Serpent Eagle, White-Bellied Sea Eagle, Mynas, Common Hill Myna, crows, Asian Koel, White-Breasted Waterhen, Greater Coucal, Kingfisher, The White-Rumped Shama, Oriental Magpie Robin, doves, Common Emerald Dove, and the Stripe-Throated Bulbul. 

Reptiles: Tortoises, soft-shelled turtles, lizards, gecko, butterfly lizards, skinks, Bengal monitors, cobras, king cobras, Colubrinae, Reticulated Pythons,

Amphibians : frogs and toads

Freshwater animals: Clarias, snake-head fish, climbing perch, shrimp, and waterfall crabs

In the sea of Namtok Than Sadet National Park are marine animals: corals, crabs, fish and various types of shellfish, whitespotted whipray, whale shark, Skunk clownfish, oysters, giant clams, abalone, splendid squid, cuttlefish, octopus, green sea turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle