Khao Yai
Khao Yai National Park (1962), Thailand'S First National Park; Part Of The UNESCO World Heritage Site Dong Phayayen Khao Yai Forest Complex (2005) · Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima
Khao Yai was declared Thailand's first national park in 1962, and its forested mountains on the southern edge of the Khorat Plateau, about 2.5 to 3 hours north-east of Bangkok, are one of the best places in mainland Southeast Asia to see big wildlife from a road. Wild Asian elephants walk the park's main road, white-handed gibbons whoop from the canopy at dawn, great hornbills flap over the treetops, sambar and barking deer graze the grasslands at dusk, and macaques wait by the verges. The park covers more than 2,000 square km of evergreen forest, grassland and waterfalls, and in 2005 became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex. Haew Suwat waterfall appeared in the film The Beach, and the tall Haew Narok falls are the most dramatic. Most forest trails need a ranger or guide, spotlighting trucks run after dark and campsites fill at weekends. Outside the gates, the Pak Chong side is a weekend playground for Bangkok, with vineyards, dairy farms, resorts, cafes and themed attractions. A car is by far the easiest way to explore.
Khao Yai National Park Visitor Center, Mu Si, Pak Chong, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30130, Thailand
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the park is open every day of the year, and the north and south gates have admitted vehicles from about 6 am until about 6 pm, with driving inside restricted at night except for guests going to the campsites and bungalows and the park's own spotlighting trucks. The visitor centre opens from about 8 am to 4 or 5 pm, where guides and night drives are arranged. Some trails, campsites and areas close in the wet season or for wildlife recovery. There is no last entry beyond the gate closing, but the park takes over an hour to cross. The traps that ruin a day are arriving at midday when the animals are hiding, leaving Bangkok late on a holiday weekend, reaching a gate after it has closed, and finding the campsites full on a cool-season weekend. Confirm current times before relying on them.