How To View Khao Yai National Park
Updated: 12/014/2018 | Dec 14th, 2018
Khao Yai National Park is located nigh 2.5 hours due north of Bangkok together with is i of Thailand’s best national parks. Established inwards 1962, it was Thailand’s get-go national common together with is straightaway fifty-fifty a UNESCO World Heritage site.
I’d ever heard keen things nigh the common patch I lived inwards the country. Despite living inwards Thailand for several years, I never managed to acquire there. But, luckily a got to play tour guide to a friend from Boston on a recent see together with used that equally my excuse to finally gear upward it there.
I can’t believe it took me therefore long.
The common is genuinely amazing. It’s filled amongst lush flora together with fauna, tons of birds, waterfalls, beautiful hikes, a few wild elephants, together with is empty of tourists.
Arriving at our guesthouse inwards the afternoon, nosotros were merely inwards fourth dimension to gear upward a half-day tour. This tour brought you lot to a few caves together with a natural spring. The get-go cave was dwelling to over 2,000 bats together with used to live a Buddhist monastery earlier the local community helped to gear upward the monks a proper temple. However, the monks however come upward downward hither at nighttime to meditate. I suspect the darkness together with tranquillity are goodness for meditation.
Our guide seemed to live an practiced inwards everything, showing us all the insects, talking nigh the life bike of bats, together with fifty-fifty giving us a soil lesson on the composition of the dirt together with how bat guano tin live used to gear upward explosives. Usually, when you’re visiting Thailand, tour guides are merely ushers, walking you lot from house to place, discussing real little, letting you lot guide maintain your photos, together with and therefore moving on. But this guide knew it all together with was able to explicate the history together with zoology of non exclusively this cave but the whole region.
The 2nd cave featured over 2 i thou 1000 bats, together with nosotros arrived merely inwards fourth dimension to run across them caput out for their nightly feed. Watching it was similar watching something on the Discovery Channel, a seemingly endless stream of bats flying out inwards pursuit of their eve repast equally the Sun set below the horizon. Our guide, who seemed to know our cameras amend than whatever of us, was able to grab some of it on record for us through the telescope:
We spent the next 24-hour interval dorsum inwards the common for a total 24-hour interval of hiking through the jungle together with trying to spot wildlife. Our 24-hour interval began amongst aeroplane watching, followed past times a five-hour trek through the jungle. We spotted a lot of birds throughout the day, including the Great Hornbill, which has a wingspan over 2 meters wide. Monkeys hovered on the side of the road, together with gibbons swung through the trees. As nosotros made our way through the jungle, it became clear to me nosotros were the exclusively grouping on this trail, allowing us extra personal fourth dimension amongst the animals. Usually, inwards northern Thailand, you lot run across a lot of tour groups on the trails, therefore it was prissy to finally acquire somewhere where nosotros could live lonely amongst nature.
The monsoon flavour kicked inwards nigh halfway through our trek, pouring downward an bounding main of H2O on us equally nosotros made our way dorsum to the car. The pelting abated merely equally nosotros hitting the lastly few waterfalls, including the i Leonardo Di Caprio jumped off inwards the painting demo The Beach.
Now, commonly I never role Lonely Planet for accommodation recommendations. However, this time, I did (as did everyone else at the invitee house). I must say that for once, Lonely Planet didn’t disappoint. Despite existence inwards LP for years, the Greenleaf Guesthouse had non suffered inwards lineament (and having been dorsum since, I tin say it’s however i of the best places to stay). Usually, press inwards a Lonely Planet mass way higher prices together with poorer quality. However, this house offered inexpensive accommodation, splendid food, reasonably priced tours, together with real knowledgeable tour guides. If you lot ever become to Khao Yai, this house comes amongst my highest recommendation. I’d become dorsum inwards a second.
Despite existence i of the biggest together with most well-known parks inwards Thailand, at that topographic point were few tourists there, making for an enjoyable together with peaceful experience. With it existence exclusively one-half a 24-hour interval from Bangkok, you lot should really consider visiting Khao Yai earlier you lot caput off to the tropical islands that gear upward Thailand therefore famous.
Things to See inwards Khao Yai National Park
Here are some of the best things to run across during your see to the park:
- Haew Suwat Waterfall – This waterfall was made famous inwards The Beach together with is definitely worth seeing (though unfortunately, you lot won’t live able to mimic Leo’s classic jump!).
- Pha Diew Die viewpoint – At 1,100m higher upward sea level, this is in all probability the most breathtaking viewpoint inwards the park. You’ll acquire a sweeping thought of the whole expanse together with at that topographic point are usually real few people around.
- Haew Narok Waterfall– This waterfall translates to “Sunken Hole of Hell” which is a real foreboding refer for a gorgeous waterfall! It got its names from poachers who evidently heard the dissonance of its H2O crashing long earlier they saw the H2O together with assumed it the crashing rumble was the gates of hell opening.
- Non Pak Chi Watchtower – This is a goodness house to halt to endeavour together with run across some of the park’s wildlife, such equally wild boars together with elephants. Aim to live hither for dawn or dusk for the best chances.
- See elephants (and other wild animals) – Best flora at sunrise or sunset, at that topographic point are really over 400 elephants located inwards the park. You tin honor them close some of the tabular array salt licks unopen to the park, though you lot guide maintain to live patient (and lucky!). The best way to run across them (and other animals) is to become on a nighttime safari, equally many animals prefer to live active during the cool nighttime hours. Tours are organized past times the common together with cost 200 THB per vehicle (which usually has room for upward to 8 people).
How to Get to Khao Yai National Park
If you lot desire to see the park, you’ll necessitate to caput to Pak Chong — it’s the closest town. Buses function out oftentimes from Bangkok’s Mo Chit Bus Station together with the journeying takes 3-4 hours. Expect to pay unopen to 150-200 THB for the bus. You tin also guide maintain the develop from Bangkok but the journeying is much slower. Expect to pay at to the lowest degree 400 THB or the develop (though it is rather scenic). All guesthouses volition alternative you lot upward from the rider vehicle or develop station if you lot allow them know when you’re arriving. They tin also accommodate a tour of the common (full day, one-half day, or multi-day). Prices commence at 500 THB per someone for a half-day tour. Admission to the common itself is 400 THB for international visitors.
You tin hike many of the shorter trails yourself equally good equally army camp inwards the common too. Regular Songthaew service runs from Pak Chong to the common entrance, though from at that topographic point it is however 10km to enter the park. The ride from Pak Chong takes unopen to xl minutes together with costs xl THB. There are express spots therefore mass inwards advice. I wouldn’t hike i of the longer trails without a guide.
Another keen way to explore the common is past times motorcycle. You tin rent motorcycles nearby for 300 THB per day, which includes 2 helmets. You tin purchase fuel inwards the common at the guard station for unopen to xl THB per bottle. Car rentals are also available for closer to 2,000 THB per day. Conversely, if you lot desire to see yourself but would rather non drive, you lot tin hitchhike unopen to the park. It’s real piece of cake together with people are usually happy to shuttle you lot around.
Get the In-Depth Budget Guide to Thailand!
My detailed, 170+ page guidebook is made for budget travelers similar you! It cuts out the fluff flora inwards other guidebooks together with gets direct to the practical data you lot necessitate to go together with salve coin patch inwards Thailand, a ground I used to telephone telephone dwelling (so I know it really well!). You’ll honor suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to salve money, on together with off the beaten path things to run across together with do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, together with bars, together with much more!! Click hither to larn to a greater extent than together with acquire started.
Book Your Trip to Khao Yai: Logistical Tips together with Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a inexpensive flying past times using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my 2 favorite search engines because they search websites together with airlines unopen to the globe therefore you lot ever know no rock is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You tin mass your hostel amongst Hostelworld. If you lot desire to remain somewhere other than a hostel, role Booking.com equally they consistently provide the cheapest rates for guesthouses together with inexpensive hotels. I role them all the time. Here are suggested places to remain inwards Khao Yai:
- Greenleaf Guesthouse – This awesome hostel offers inexpensive accommodation together with reasonably priced tours, together with their guides really know their stuff. It’s i of the best hostels I’ve stayed at.
- Hello Hostel Pakchong – This recently-renovated hostel has a really chill vibe together with fifty-fifty has it’s ain footling convenience store. It’s a set dorsum house together with the owners are really helpful.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance volition protect you lot against illness, injury, theft, together with cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection inwards illustration anything goes wrong. I never become on a trip without it equally I’ve had to role it many times inwards the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for x years. My favorite companies that offering the best service together with value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Looking for the best companies to salve coin with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to role when you lot travel! I listing all the ones I role to salve coin when I go – together with I retrieve volition assist you lot too!
Looking for to a greater extent than data on visiting Thailand?
Check out my in-depth destination guide to Thailand amongst to a greater extent than tips on what to see, do, costs, ways to save, together with much, much more!
0 Response to "How To View Khao Yai National Park"
Posting Komentar