PHITSANULOK and PHETCHABUN

         Both provinces are popular camping and trekking destinations because they contain several national parks between them, each featuring different landscape and flora and fauna. The rocky hills along the border between the two provinces were Communist hideaways in the 1970s. Nowadays an efficient raod network links the area with the rest of the country, and nature lovers flock there for the waterfalls, the fields of wildflowers and butterflies, and the spectacular landscape, which changes with the seasons. Best time to go is October - December for the wildflowers, although anytime of the year is suitable for hiking and camping.

         Each of the national parks in the area has its own distinct character. Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, 80 kilometres from Phitsanulok on the route to Lomsak, is marked by its open savanna, which blazes with colour during the wildflower season (July - October). Wild animals are often spotted feeding around these fields.

         Phu Hin Rong Kla, 125 kilometres from Phisanulok, got its name from the strange-looking rock fields eroded by wind and rains. The park features many hiking trails, most of them leading to beautiful waterfalls.

         Nam Nao National Park on the Lomsak-ChumPae route is one of the top camping destinations in the cool season (November - February) with its pine forest, caves of stalactites and stalagmites and dry, cool weather. It is a watershed area and the source of several rivers in the North and Northeast.