Khao Yai was Thailand’s first national park and is still its best-loved. Two thousand square kilometres of monsoon forest, grassland and mountain across four provinces, UNESCO World Heritage listed, and — improbably for somewhere with wild elephants in it — under three hours from Bangkok.
The wildlife
This is one of the few places in Thailand where you have a real chance of seeing large animals in the wild.
Wild elephants — roughly 300 of them. Sightings happen along the park roads at dawn and dusk, particularly near the salt licks. If you meet one, stay in the vehicle, keep your distance and don’t block its path.
Gibbons — white-handed and pileated. You’ll hear them long before you see them; the whooping call across the canopy at first light is one of the great sounds of Southeast Asia.
Hornbills — four species, including the great hornbill with a two-metre wingspan. They sound like a helicopter going overhead.
Also present: sambar deer (everywhere, and unbothered), macaques, civets, porcupines, gaur, and — genuinely present, essentially never seen — leopards and a handful of tigers.
The bat exodus at Khao Luk Chang cave just outside the park: several million wrinkle-lipped bats streaming out in a ribbon at dusk, every evening. Free, and remarkable.
The waterfalls
Haew Suwat — The famous one, made globally recognisable by The Beach. A 20-metre drop into a pool that’s swimmable in the right season.
Haew Narok — The park’s tallest, a three-stage plunge of about 150 metres into a gorge, viewed from platforms. No swimming, for obvious reasons. Steep steps down and back up.
Pha Kluai Mai — Smaller, prettier, surrounded by wild orchids, and connected to Haew Suwat by an easy 3km trail that’s one of the nicest walks in the park.
More of Thailand’s best waterfalls →
Viewpoints and trails
Pha Diao Dai is the big view — a cliff-edge lookout over unbroken forest, best in the late afternoon. Nong Phak Chi has a watchtower over a grassland waterhole where deer and, occasionally, elephants come to drink.
Trails range from paved 500-metre strolls to serious multi-hour jungle routes. Leeches are a genuine feature of the wet season — wear long socks, and don’t panic, they’re harmless.
Beyond the park
The countryside around Pak Chong has quietly become one of Thailand’s most enjoyable regions to potter about in: vineyards with real tasting rooms (Thai wine is better than you’d expect), farm cafés, a sheep farm, alpaca parks, and a strip of Tuscan- and Swiss-themed resorts that Thai visitors love unreservedly.
It makes an excellent second day, particularly with children, and it’s why so many Bangkok families come here for a weekend.
Practical notes
- Stay one night. This is the single most important recommendation on the page. Wildlife is a dawn-and-dusk business and a day trip from Bangkok misses both.
- Bring cash for the ฿400 entry.
- You need a vehicle inside the park. It’s enormous, there’s no public transport, and the sights are many kilometres apart.
- Book a night safari through the visitor centre if you want the best chance of animals — they require a park-approved guide.
- It gets cold at the higher elevations in December and January. Bring a layer.
Make it easy
We arrange van and driver trips with an overnight on the park fringe, guided wildlife drives at the right hours, and the vineyard and café stops for the second day.
Van and driver hire → · Tailor-made tours → · Isan, the region beyond → · Plan your Khao Yai trip →
