Trip reports

Field reports from Thailand, written by the people who made the trips. Each one is reproduced with permission, with its species lists and photographs, and the animals it records link to their pages in this guide.

Trip report · Jon Hall · 2025Kaeng Krachan in January 2025: Sun Bears, a leopard and Robinson's Banded Langurs in a weekendIn January 2025 Jon Hall spent a weekend in Kaeng Krachan National Park, three hours from Bangkok, with Jirayu Ekkul of Wild Encounter Thailand, Coke Smith and first-time mammal watcher Jackie Shen. He hoped for Robinson's Banded Langur and found it, along with two Sun Bears, an Indochinese Leopard, seven Yellow-throated Martens, Stump-tailed Macaques, Dusky Langurs and a good set of bats. Trip report · Jon Hall · 2025Thailand's Deep South in 2025: Banded Linsang, bat caves and a recce tripJon Hall joined a small group on a recce trip to Thailand's deep south, organised by Jirayu Ekkul (Tour) of Wild Encounter Thailand, to look for the elusive Banded Linsang and a string of rare bats. The route ran from Hat Yai through bat caves in Songkhla, Yala, Satun and Phattalung to Bang Lang National Park, Hala Bala Wildlife Sanctuary and Pha Dam Forest, and finished with a short trip to Chon Buri. The main trip list has 39 species, including Banded Linsang, six of them new to the group. Trip report · Jon Hall · 2017Thailand in 2017: Eden's Whales, Indochinese Gray Langurs and a family trip from Bangkok to Koh LantaIn July 2017 Jon Hall spent two weeks in Thailand with his family and Coke Smith's, combining new mammals with a family holiday. With guide Jirayu Ekkul (Tour) of Wild Encounter Thailand he went whale watching in the Gulf of Thailand for Eden's Whale and Irrawaddy Dolphin, visited Kaeng Krachan and Phu Khieo for Indochinese Gray Langur, Sunda Colugo, slow loris and bats, and finished on Koh Lanta. The trip list has 24 species. Trip report · Jon Hall · 2010Hala Bala in 2010: a tree platform for Hairy-nosed Otters and a bat-catching bonanzaIn October 2010 Jon Hall spent four more nights at Hala Bala Wildlife Reserve, again with Tu and Jan, after a work trip to Malaysia. This time the park staff built a tree platform so he could watch for the rarely seen Hairy-nosed Otter, and bat trapping added Least and Clear-winged Woolly Bats and two horseshoe bats. The trip list has 15 species, five of them new to him. Trip report · Jon Hall · 2008Hala Bala in 2008: four nights of civets, slow lorises and bats in southern ThailandIn August 2008 Jon Hall returned to Hala Bala Wildlife Reserve, at Thailand's south-eastern tip near the Malaysian border, for four nights, arranged through his Thai friends Tu and Jan. Night drives along the park's single road produced Sunda Slow Lorises, Masked Palm Civets, Binturongs and a Giant Red Flying Squirrel, while the days brought Agile Gibbons, Small-clawed Otters and bats caught in traps. The report ends with a 21-species trip list. Trip report · Jon Hall · 2007Huai Kha Khaeng and Mae Wong in 2007: Banteng, Dhole and elephants on a weekend from BangkokIn December 2007 Jon Hall used a free weekend in Bangkok to return to Huai Kha Khaeng with his friend Tu, who arranged a research bungalow and ranger permission for a night drive. He saw Banteng at a salt lick, three Dholes, Golden Jackals and Asian Elephant, then moved on to Mae Wong National Park and the Khao No bat cave. The trip list covers 19 species. Trip report · Jon Hall · 2006Khao Yai in 2006: Pileated Gibbons, Yellow-throated Martens and a Binturong that got awayJon Hall spent a weekend at Khao Yai National Park in September 2006, two hours from Bangkok, with a local guide arranged through Wild Bird Eco. He found a family of Pileated Gibbons, watched a group of Yellow-throated Martens feeding on rice scraps below the radar tower, netted a Malayan Horseshoe Bat at dusk and spotlit a Common Palm Civet. The Binturong he was after did not appear until two days after he left. Trip report · Jon Hall · 2004Southern Thailand in 2004: Klong Saeng, Khao Sok and Hala Bala, a mammal-watching trip reportIn September 2004, during the early rainy season, Jon Hall travelled through southern Thailand with his friend and guide Rattapon Kaichid, known as Tu. He spent three nights at a floating research substation in Klong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary, watching Smooth-coated Otters and a Sunda Colugo from a longboat, then visited Khao Sok and Hala Bala, where he trapped bats and saw Red Giant Flying Squirrels. The report adds practical notes on spotlighting in the rain.

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