Alaungdaw Kathapa

Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park was established in 1984 in the Sagaing region, in north-western Myanmar, and protects some 1,605 km². It is one of the oldest and largest national parks in the country.

It protects a broad expanse of mixed deciduous forest and dry teak forest in the foothills of the Patkai mountains, crossed by the valley of the Patolon River. Burmese teak has for centuries been one of the most coveted forest resources in the world, and these stands are among the few preserved under strict protection.

Its name comes from the Buddhist shrine it holds inside, dedicated to Maha Kassapa, one of the Buddha's principal disciples, whose relics tradition places here. It is a place of pilgrimage that receives thousands of visitors in the dry season, and that religious traffic coexists with the protection of the forest. The wildlife includes Asian elephant, gaur, banteng, sloth bear and a forest birdlife with hornbills. It has been an ASEAN Heritage Park since 1984, one of the first designated.