Step into the wild heart of Thailand, where cascading waterfalls, jungle trails, and the calls of roaming elephants await in Khao Yai National Park.
Khao Yai National Park, Thailand’s oldest and most popular national park, is an extraordinary destination for nature and wildlife enthusiasts. Spanning 2,158 sq km and located approximately three hours from Bangkok, it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. Its mountainous terrain, dense forests, and stunning landscapes make it one of the best places in Thailand to experience the country’s rich flora and fauna.
The park is home to a wide variety of animals, including elephants, monkeys, bears, deer, and squirrels, as well as snakes, spiders, rodents, and countless insects. Birdwatchers will also delight in the more than 400 species of birds that inhabit the park.
We take one of the trekking trails in the park for a hike through the nature while enjoying the beautiful mountainous landscape. During this jungle hike you learn more about the flora and fauna of this beautiful wilderness. Even if you're not lucky with wildlife encounters, the massive strangler fig trees make it all worthwhile.
Khao Yai is also famous for its waterfalls. Haew Suwat is popular for its cinematic fame as the filming location for Leonardo DiCaprio’s waterfall dive in The Beach (2000). Haew Narok, the highest waterfall in the park, cascades over three tiers, with the final drop plunging 80 meters into a deep pool. Visitors can enjoy a safe hillside viewpoint for incredible photos, particularly spectacular during the rainy season.
One of the park’s highlights is the chance to see Asian elephants in the wild. Many visitors are lucky enough to spot them grazing peacefully in their natural habitat, though sightings cannot be guaranteed.
With its rich biodiversity, dramatic landscapes, and unforgettable wildlife experiences, Khao Yai National Park offers a perfect escape into Thailand’s wild heart, making it a must-visit for anyone seeking adventure and natural beauty.
Important notes:
- Please note that during the dry season the water flow at Haew Suwat and Haew Narok waterfalls may be lower than usual.
- For your comfort and safety, we recommend wearing hiking-appropriate clothing: lightweight but covering (to protect against insects and leeches), along with sturdy walking shoes.
- Khao Yai is a vast national park with many wild animals, reptiles, insects, and birds. Remember, this is not a zoo; the animals roam freely in their natural habitat, and spotting them can be challenging due to the dense vegetation.
- This tour also includes sections of hiking, so please ensure you are fit for this level of physical activity before booking.
Pick up/Meeting point:
We provide hotel pick-up only from accommodations located on/near Khao San Road and on Siam Square.
If you are not an actual guest at one of the hotels in our pick-up area, the designated meeting point will be our office on Chao Khamrop Road in Chinatown. Our office in Chinatown is just a short 5-minute walk from Wat Mangkon MRT (metro) station.
For the exact location of our WanderSiam office on Google Maps, please click HERE.
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155 Comments
5
Escape to the forest
Great trip! It was a small group of 4 people. Although we didn’t see elephants, we saw monkeys, deer, and more, and two beautiful waterfalls. Highly recommend!
5
Amazing tour that brought us to see the beauty of Khao Yai
Thank you Tony (tour guide) and Ake (driver) for bringing us to and around Khao Yai National Park. The 3-hr drive to and fro was smooth and comfortable. The weather at the National Park was much more cooling compared to the Bangkok city. The Haew Narok Waterfall was amazingly massive and cool! Lunch was affordable and delicious, the watermelon drink from the truck store is a must try! We also enjoyed the quiet trekking trail where you could potentially spot wildlife like monkeys! Recommend to go on weekdays to avoid crowds. Wear comfortable and non-slip shoes and be prepared to climb up and down steep flights of staircases to see the waterfalls. The best of the tour was the rare sighting of the wild elephants that appeared while we are leaving the National Park! Tony and Ake were just as excited as we were
5
Wonderful
This is the highlight of my trip in(from) Bangkok. The trekking was a full scale more than we expected, but you could see beautiful vegitation and wild animals not so far from the big city. Plus, the tour guide Pai was very friendly and have much knowledge.
I would like to praise myself for making the choice to join this tour.
5
A fun days adventure in Khao Yai
Enjoyed a fun day exploring Khao Yai, visiting 2 beautiful waterfalls and going on a short walk through the forest. I was guided by Tony and the driver ‘Mr Egg’ who we’re always smiling and very helpful taking photos and chatting about Thailand. The drive to and from the park is quite long but worth it if you want to get out of the busy city and enjoy some nature!
5
Amazing if you like nature
This trip was amazing. Of course we hoped to see some elephants but unfortunately didn’t. We saw something even more amazing. It was a king cobra. Even our guide, who has years of experience, never saw one before. The jungle is beautiful and so different from what I’ve seen in Europe. We saw big deer, a huge centipede, a lot of monkeys, some gibbons, a weird spider and leeches. Our guide was Surina, she was very nice and helpful. Driver Nuu was skilled and careful. Thank you so much for this great experience!