Just two and a half hours outside of Bangkok is Khao Yai, which was created in 1962 as Thailand’s first National Park. To this day it remains as one of the largest National Parks in the country with over 2000 square kilometres of rainforest, coniferous forest and grassland.
Khao Yai is part of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex which spreads all the way to Cambodia and has been awarded UNESCO status.
There is accommodation within the park in bungalows and camping grounds, with numerous guesthouses and hotels on the outskirts of the park. Guided tours are popular and these range from half-day tours and night safaris to four day tour packages.
There are numerous, impressive waterfalls in the park, including the Haew Suwat Falls, which were made famous when Leodardo Di Capio jumped from them in the film, The Beach.
Birdwatching in the park is also popular and there are many large mammals to be seen, including gibbons, gaur and wild elephants. The spectacle of seeing over a million bats flying out of the Khao Luk Chang bat caves is also not to be missed.
We can book excursions from 1-4 days from Bangkok, or a three day visit forms the start of our eco-tour of five of Thailand’s National Parks, Jungles, Waterfalls and Wildlife, which is one of our ‘Special Interest’ tours.
