How to visit and what to see in Khao Yai National Park (Thailand)

When preparing a tourism trip to thailand, the main attractions that we normally think of are the bright tropical beaches, Bangkok's exciting city life and the splendor of ancient capitals such as Ayutthaya y Sukkhothai.

And this with the addition of a delicious gastronomy and contact with a different culture that shines especially in the temples and festivals, without forgetting, of course, the experience of the massages and the temptation of the purchases.

But if all that were not enough, there is also the possibility of easily discovering some of the last remains of the moderately wild nature which is in Southeast Asia.

La thai nature, protected in different National Parks or under other formulas, well deserves to be known.

What Khao Yai National Park is like in Thailand

But if you had to choose only one place, it is likely that the best choice for a visit would be the Khao Yai National Park.

There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, it is the park best prepared to receive visitors and the one that offers a greater variety of fauna and flora, with different types of forests and hundreds of animal species.

It is also important to highlight its easy access, since it is located just 120 kilometers northeast of Bangkok.

It is worth knowing that the Unesco has registered it, together with the neighboring area of Dong Phayayen, in the list of World Heritage by the different ecosystems and by the 800 species of animals That protects.

No less than 112 species of mammals, 392 of birds and about 200 of reptiles and amphibians are registered in its limits, some of them in danger of extinction, plus several others that are threatened or vulnerable.

The declared area World Heritage has a decisive importance in the conservation of a very varied fauna.

Furthermore, it is one of the very few places of Thailand where there are still tigers, which is reason enough to give special value to this forest and certainly an incentive to visit it.

Even if we don't see it - which will be the most normal thing - it means that we are traveling through a forest that is well-preserved enough for the big cat to live in it.

El Khao Yai National Park (whose name means “big mountain") is a group of more than 2.000 square kilometers.

The area is limestone, so erosion has been carving over time a landscape of curious formations in which waterfalls abound.

When approaching from Bangkok There is a moment when the immense plain gives way to the mountains Phanom Dongrek. The temperature begins to drop and this, at some times of the year, is something to be appreciated.

How to visit and what to see in Khao Yai in Thailand

The usual way of visit Khao Yai is by hiking through the forest following some of the many marked paths. This is how they can be done excursions from one to several hours.

The national park is so well organized that if you follow the designated itineraries, it is not strictly necessary have a guide.

But we can say that in a place like this, the vital experience of a walk through the forest is infinitely enriched if you are accompanied by someone who knows the area well and is able to distinguish animals hidden in the thicket.

Without your help it is very likely that we will miss many details.

What fauna to see in Khao Yai in Thailand

In any case, you must be aware that a walk through Khao Yai It is not a day of wildlife observation as if we were on safari in some national parks in Africa.

Some of the animals that are likely to be seen or heard on a walk through the forest are the white-handed gibbon and pig tailed macaque.

Khao Yai It is one of the best places in Thailand and all of Southeast Asia to see hornbills —birds with immense beaks— and wild elephants.

However, as always in nature, this is not guaranteed.

Much less if we think about really elusive animals, like the tiger or slow lory. On the other hand the barking deer or the civet They are more easily seen.

One of the most curious details of the paths that run through the park is that some sections have been traced by the people themselves. Elephants and other animals in their movements through the area, especially those that lead to water points or salt deposits.

On these walks you will always have to be prepared to jump over a fallen tree on the path.

There are a dozen trails, although some are still shorter versions or shortcuts of longer ones.

Access to some of them may be cut off by the forest guards themselves for different reasons, from protecting breeding areas or because the vegetation has invaded it and conditioning tasks are necessary.

El busiest route, since it offers a more varied vegetation, several specimens of immense trees and the possibility of seeing interesting fauna, is what leads to the Nong Pak Chee Observation Tower.

What the Khao Yai rainforest in Thailand is like

It is always an extraordinary experience to enter a tropical forest. It is an ecosystem so different from any other we are used to, that it is very suggestive.

The horizon immediately disappears and we are immersed in a closed, humid world that envelops and fascinates you.

The trees, the bushes, the leaves, everything is new. There are vines and vines, and rays of light that filter through the high canopies.

One of the advantages of going with a guide It is that it makes us pay attention to details that could go unnoticed.

For example, in tree barks, because each one tells a different story: this one is covered with thorns to protect its fruits, these marks have been made by a mammal to sharpen its nails, it is better not to touch there because it is full of ants.

Beyond a sighting of some important species, in the jungle the huge trees with unfathomable trunks and of which it is difficult to calculate the height.

These trees are gigantic beings of which no one knows the age and which we pass by with a certain reverence, as if thinking that we are before the true masters of the forest.

Since the Khao Yai National Park is located relatively near bangkok, it is possible to make a day trip, but it is much more advisable to spend one or several nights in the area.

This allows you to enter the park very early or stay until the end of the day.

Where to sleep in Khao Yai National Park

There are several accommodation options Modest and correct in the same park, but if you want more comforts it is better to stay in a nearby hotel, outside the limits of the park.

The offer is really abundant, and a good option is the Khao Yai Botany, a modern hotel with all the comforts.

The best things to see around Khao Yai

La national park visit It's a good excuse to spend an extra day or two and visit some more of the area. There are truly surprising places.

For example, it is curious to know that just a few kilometers from Khao Yai some of the best wines from thailand.

In principle one might think that Thailand The conditions are not met for growing vines and making good wine, but there are already several wineries that are overturning certain prejudices.

One of the best is PB Valley providing vineyard tours and all facilities; It has a store selling its products and a restaurant in a quiet enclave.

A more remote option but that is included within this region of northeastern Thailand, the least visited part of the country, is the Phimai archaeological site.

It is one of the best examples of Khmer architecture of Thailand, belonging to the same culture as of Angkor en Cambodia.

Prasat Hin Phimai is a very interesting monastic complex, about a thousand years old, which was linked by a royal causeway to Angkor itself.