Thailand UNESCO sites
Thailand UNESCO sites currently totals four on the UNESCO cultural section, with 3 additional natural sites, although a further 7 listings do have tentative status. With the kingdom’s spectacular and highly varied landscapes, it’s surprising there are only 3 in the natural list and we do have a few more suggestions that we’ll come to later. (See also update at the end of the post.)
Thailand UNESCO-listed Natural Sites
Huay Kha Khaeng-Thung Yai and Khao Yai-Dong Phayeyen. The former two wildlife sanctuaries, each totalling some 3,000 square kilometres, form the core area of the vast Western Forest Complex – a contiguous grouping of no less than 18 Thai national parks and sanctuaries. If you factor in Burma’s Tanintharyi Nature Reserve just over the border, this forms a protected area totalling some 19,000 square kilometres.
Khao Yai and Dong Phayayan, in turn, are core areas of Thailand’s Eastern Forest Complex: four major national parks and wildlife sanctuaries totalling some 6,000 sq kilometres on the southern edge of the Khorat Plateau running east to the Cambodian border. Both regions contain well-preserved primary forest. Khao Yai and Thung Yai are mostly mixed hill forest and grasslands, whilst Huay Kha Khaeng features some of the region’s best remaining stands of lowland tropical forest.
White-handed or Lar gibbon in Khao Yai National Park The third natural Thailand UNESCO-listed site is Kaeng Krachan National Park, also along the Burmese border in the upper part of the peninsula, which weighs in at 3,000 square kilometres. Much less-visited than the popular Khao Yai and lying further south in Petchaburi Province, Kaeng Krachan consists of well-preserved forest with significant tiger and elephant populations and is also particularly reputed for both gibbons and bird life.
All three forest complexes are also home to populations of several critically endangered species, including leopard, banteng, gaur and both Asian bear species in addition to the elephants and tigers. Not only three of the most important protected areas in Thailand, but indeed in the whole of Southeast Asia and credit to the oft-maligned Thai government where credit’s due. Management is not always perfect and some nibbling around the edges by developers, loggers and farmers does occur, but intentions appear genuine and are largely successful. The prestige and finance of UNESCO listing do, of course, help.
Hiking in Thung Yai Thailand UNESCO-listed Cultural Sites
The Thailand UNESCO-listed cultural sites includes the well-known, ancient cities of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai – historically significant collections of 13th to 14th-century and 15th to 18th-century temples, respectively. Less famous is the prehistoric site of Ban Chiang in northeastern Udon Thani Province, considered to be the most important prehistoric site in Southeast Asia. However, whilst indicating early developments in farming and metalworking may create great excitement amongst archaeologists, it is of minimal interest to casual visitors since apart from an excellent museum, there’s not really much to see.
The Ancient Town of Si Thep and Associated Dvaravati Monuments was added to the Thailand listing in 2023 and features the best-preserved monuments from the early Mon-Dvaravati culture, as well as some later Angkor-period temples as the city fell under Khmer control during the 11th and 12th centuries. Regrettably, the entire Dvaravati civilisation remains largely unheard of outside the field of Southeast Asian archaeology and these slightly underwhelming 1500-year-old ruins, therefore, would be of minimal interest to casual visitors. The forest setting is picturesque and some of the Angkor-era monuments are well-preserved, but Thailand already has plenty of spectacular Khmer-period remains that are sadly ignored by the majority of foreign visitors.
Unlike Ayutthaya, which is conveniently placed close to Bangkok, and even Sukhothai which lies halfway between the capital and Chiang Mai (and has its own airport), Si Thep also suffers from an isolated location and very limited tourist infrastructure. It’s certainly worth visiting if you’re in the area, but don’t go out of your way.
Prang Si Thep The Tentative List
Significant entries on Thailand’s tentative list are Wat Mahathat in Nakhon Si Thammarat, the spectacular and well-preserved Angkor-period temples of Phimai and Phanom Rung, and the Phu Phrabat Historical Park in Udon Thani Province.
The remarkable mountaintop temple of Phanom Rung is one of the finest and best-preserved (restored) Angkor period temples anywhere while Phimai, the northern capital of the Angkor empire, is one of the most important sites of that period. Associated temples such as Muang Tam, Ta Muan and Sikhoraphum are also spectacular sites and archaeologically important in their own right.
We confess to never having visited the somewhat out-of-the-way Phu Phrabat, though similar-sounding sacred hills covered with various shrines are a common feature of most Thai provinces.
Prasat Hin Phimai in Nakhon Ratchasima Province Some of our suggestions
The UNESCO description of Phu Phrabat hasn’t really sold us on what is undoubtedly a fascinating and worthy site, but surely Phanom Rung or Phimai would come higher in the sacred mountain stakes and isn’t the ancient city of Lopburi, featuring Mon, Khmer, Thai and even Portuguese architecture more important in terms of heritage?
With regards to natural suggestions, we’d look no further than Surat Thani Province’s Khao Sok National Park, which has some of south Thailand’s best remaining stands of primary forest, flourishing wildlife and some of its most spectacular limestone scenery.
Other ‘natural’ candidates could include the amazing Hala Bala National Park on the Malaysian border abutting Perak’s vast Belum Forest, the limestone scenery of Pha Nga Bay and why not the Similans National Marine Park?
Finally, several more suggestions for the cultural list spring to mind with an obvious choice being the Royal Palace complex and associated sites of Bangkok’s historic Rattanakosin district, plus the old city of Chiang Mai or even the ruins of ancient Chiang Saen city?
Khao Sok National Park Thailand World Heritage Sites on our Tours
A tour of Sukhothai features on our off-the-beaten-track tour, Hidden Thailand, while Ayutthaya ancient city appears on the Thailand World Heritage and Emerald Triangle itineraries. ( A day trip to the former capital is also offered as a day tour from Bangkok.) The latter two tours also include Khao Yai National Park and Phanom Rung.
With regards the natural sites, Thung Yai is included in our 4-day Kanchanaburi mini-tour. Visits to other sites mentioned above can be arranged on our tailor-made tours.
Update: The site of Phu Phrabat in northeast Thailand’s Udon Thani Province was added to the list of Thailand World Heritage Sites in 2024.
