After visiting the Thai capital and our well-deserved week of vacation on Ko Chang, we continued our journey through eastern Thailand, specifically to Khao Yai National Park. This little jungle adventure was our first of the trip (and probably not the last), and we were not disappointed! Here are all our tips for trekking and having the chance to encounter wild elephants!
We took this trip in 2014, but the article was completely revised and updated in April 2025. If you see any price changes or have additional information that might be relevant, please feel free to leave us a comment!
Park introduction
To give you a little idea, Khao Yai National Park is the third largest park in Thailand, with an area of over 2000 km²! Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s one of the country’s natural jewels! Imagine forests and lush jungles with incredible flora (more than 2000 plant varieties) where hundreds of animal species find refuge, stunning landscapes, and almost infinite trekking possibilities.
Plus, it’s home to a waterfall that’s often much better known than the park itself! If I say Leonardo DiCaprio? Waterfall jump? A crazy desire to follow him?
Umm, no, I’m getting carried away… Anyway, you’ve guessed it, it’s Fabienne speaking! And I’m of course referring to the famous scene from the movie The Beach. You know, that time when Leeeoooo still made us swoon 😍?
Once again, Hollywood got carried away by making everyone believe this waterfall is on Koh Phi Phi island, but it’s actually in this park where you’ll need to go if you hope to run into the handsome Apollo.
Otherwise, you can simply come to Khao Yai if you love nature in all its splendor! Well, yes, I had to find arguments to bring Ben along too 😉.
But before setting off to find Leo, we experienced one of those really awful days where everything goes wrong. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, read on…
How to get to Khao Yai Park?
From Koh Chang
This day spent in transit was marked by the famous “same same”. To get to Khao Yai from Koh Chang, we had the choice between going back through Bangkok or taking a direct bus to Pak Chong (Pakchong). It’s “same same” according to our guesthouse… After looking at the map, we smarty-pants figured it would be faster to go directly. Big mistake!
The taxi to the ferry
It all started very early in the morning. Aware that the bus journey would take quite a few hours, we set our alarm for 5 a.m. to be at our guesthouse around 3 p.m. Perfect! We woke up with difficulty and headed to the main road to take a taxi that was supposed to take us to the ferry. 5:30 a.m.: no taxi. We’re told: “No problem, 10 min”. 10 min my ass! We heard this phrase until around 8 a.m… Can you picture two dummies standing by the roadside for 3 hours trying in vain to stop anything that passed? Well, that was us!
Finally, a taxi arrived and after a small 10-minute detour, we were finally on our way to the ferry. Except that on Koh Chang, there are two ports with two ferry companies. The rates are identical, but not the schedules. Our taxi driver kept repeating that it’s same same. So, we let him drop us off at the one where the other passengers were going. Bad move: we ended up waiting another hour before the ferry departed!
From the ferry to Pak Chong… or almost
Once on the boat, we noticed that the ferry wasn’t heading to the port we had arrived at. But once again, we were told it was same same.
At the port of Trat, no bus… So we had to negotiate a tuk-tuk to the nearest bus station. Once there, stroke of luck: a bus was leaving for the entrance to Khao Yai Park, namely Pak Chong. Well… That’s what they wanted us to believe, same same once more. The journey was supposed to take 6 hours…
In the end, after 8.5 hours on the bus, we arrived… at Khorat, the end of our bus line 😱!
Actually, the ticket we were sold in Trat didn’t go all the way to Pakchong but only to Khorat… After negotiating a new bus ticket and eating our first bowl of noodles of this crazy day, we were finally on the last bus to Pak Chong. So it was completely exhausted that we arrived at our accommodation at 1 a.m., instead of 3 p.m. 😴. Fortunately, they were adorable at the guesthouse, they even came to pick us up at the bus station!
In short, moral of the story: never EVER trust when they tell you it’s “same same”! Be smarter than us: leave from Bangkok!
From Bangkok
Khao Yai National Park is located 175 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. The easiest way is to take a bus or minivan to Pak Chong, the gateway to the national park. They leave from Mo Chit station in Bangkok and the journey takes about 2.5 hours.
The train is an alternative means of transport to get to Khao Yai Park, but the price is a bit higher for a journey that’s just as long or even longer. Several lines serve the town of Pak Chong in 2.5 to 4 hours.
If you prefer all-inclusive packages, we recommend this tour for its very good value for money! It includes transportation from your hotel in Bangkok, the entrance ticket, the trek, and the guide.
Last solution, rent a scooter in Pak Chong so you can move around the area as you please. The By Keane agency opposite the night market offers scooters from 300 baht per day.
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Where to stay in Khao Yai Park?
Apart from the park’s own accommodations (lodges and camping), there are no hotels within the park grounds, but you’ll find numerous establishments at the park gates.
After reading good things about it online, we decided to stay at the Greenleaf Guesthouse. The rooms are basic but clean, with cold water only. A double room costs 300 baht. You can book by email or phone.
If you book a trek at Greenleaf before your arrival, they’ll pick you up and take you back to Pak Chong by car for free. They even came past midnight to pick us up, needless to say we’re grateful to them! Other guesthouses or hotels offer the same service, remember to ask! If it’s full, check out other accommodations near the park.
For a more immersive experience, camp within the park grounds! If you don’t have equipment, the park also offers rental of all necessary gear (tent, sleeping bag…) at an interesting price. For more information on camping, visit the official website.
How to visit Khao Yai National Park?
Do you like trekking and animals? Then Khao Yai is for you! There are numerous offers and trails for trekking, we’ll detail everything for you to organize your stay.
Trail map
Several trails crisscross the park:
- trail 1: from the visitor center to Kong Kaew waterfall (1.2 km, 70 m elevation gain), it’s the easiest and most accessible route;
- trail 2: from Pha Kluai camping to Haew Suwat waterfall via Pha Kluai Mai waterfall (3 km one way, 60 m elevation gain);
- trail 3: from km 33 to Nong Pak Chi lake and its observation tower (3.7 km, 70 m elevation gain);
- trail 4: from the visitor center to Sai Sorn reservoir (2.8 km, 135 m elevation gain);
- trail 5: from the visitor center to Nong Phak Chi lake (5.5 km, 225 m elevation gain);
- trail 6: from the visitor center to Haew Suwat waterfall (7.7 km, 225 m elevation gain). Please note that this trail is closed in July and August;
- trail 7: Sai Sorn reservoir trail (1.9 km, 75 m elevation gain).
In green, we’ve indicated trails accessible without a guide and in red, those that require their services. To explore freely the trails accessible without a guide, you can also rent a scooter in Pak Chong. There are several rental agencies on the main street of the town and at the park entrance. If you visit the park independently, you’ll have to pay the entrance fee, 400 baht per person (200 per child). Don’t hesitate to stop by the visitor center to learn about the state of the trails and the latest important information.
Note that if you come to Khao Yai Park during the dry season, before the month of May, the waterfalls won’t be as powerful as after the rainy season, from October onwards.
Other points of interest
If you have transportation, don’t hesitate to go to the south of Khao Yai. The road that joins Mount Khao Khiao, the highest accessible point of the park (1292 m altitude) gives several panoramic viewpoints. Another stop we recommend is the Haew Narok waterfall, one of the most impressive waterfalls in the park! To access it, take the 1 km path that leads to the observation platform. Finally, still in beautiful waterfalls, Krok E Dork is probably the prettiest and the biggest waterfall in the park, with its different levels. You can access it by road from the east of Khao Yai. We’ve indicated these 3 points on the hiking map ;).
Book your trek
Beyond offering a room for an unbeatable value for money, the Greenleaf guesthouse organizes several treks in Khao Yai:
- Half-day: cave visit and observation of numerous shadow animals, bathing in hot springs and observation of bats at nightfall, 500 baht per person;
- One day: trek in the jungle with a meal included, 1500 baht per person. We did trails 3 and 6 (well, just the waterfall for the latter).
- Both combined: 1800 baht per person.
The price of each trek includes: park entry, transportation, snacks, water, an English-speaking guide, and anti-leech socks.
Otherwise, we also recommend this guided tour with transport. Last option, you can also hire the services of a park ranger for the desired trek directly at the Khao Yai visitor center (15 km south of the northern entrance).
Some precautions before trekking
As I told you earlier, Khao Yai is one of the largest parks in Thailand. It’s a great playground for discovering the different animal species of the park: elephants, bears, deer, pigs, macaques, gibbons, as well as more than 300 bird species and other little creeping or many-legged delights…
So you can imagine that to go into the jungle, a guide is mandatory. I think it would be a bit suicidal to go without!
The dangers of Khao Yai
During our trek, our guide was telling us all kinds of juicy anecdotes like: “One day, one of my clients stepped on a python. Fortunately, I was able to run and the python didn’t bite the lady”. Well, the python had badly bitten the guide on the thigh anyway! Or the time when he and his group were surprised by wild elephants, which charged them.
What to do when facing an elephant in Thailand
If you get charged by an elephant, the safety instruction is simple. You have 2 options:
- Climb a tree that’s big enough, but be careful to climb quickly and high;
- Find a big tree and run around it! Yes, it’s silly, but it tires out the elephant. Be careful to choose a tree that’s big enough, as elephants won’t hesitate to make kindling out of small trees!
Two fools from his group didn’t follow the safety instructions and got lost in the jungle for more than 3 hours… Guaranteed panic!
In short, don’t try to play Indiana Jones, and trust those who know! A guide is at least the assurance of knowing when to panic. He knew exactly how much time we had if we got bitten or stung! For some snakes, it’s “No problem, 30 hours”! However, when the guide holds at the end of his stick a snake that can kill you in less than 2 hours without the injection of antivenom serum, it’s sobering!
But we reassure you, no incidents to report during our trek!
Plus, you’ll see 100 times more animals with a guide than without… These little creatures are all around you, but well hidden! Without our ranger’s eagle eye, we probably wouldn’t have seen anything!
Last tips
- Bring over-socks to avoid leeches if you visit and hike independently!
- Wear long clothes and bring mosquito repellent to protect yourself against the awful bloodsuckers.
- It can be cool in the late afternoon, so bring several layers of clothing.
Half-day trek to discover wildlife
Having arrived at almost 1 a.m., we weren’t really in the mood to leave directly for a day-long trek. So we opted for the half-day to start.
Departure at 3 p.m. from the guesthouse to visit the Nam Sai cave, located outside the park on the same road as the beautiful Wat Sa Nam Sai temple. Besides all the stalactites and stalagmites, we also saw many species of animals that live underground and whose existence we honestly didn’t suspect…
This cave also served as a Buddhist temple and apparently, monks come to meditate there in the evening, once the tourists are gone. Between us, you could pay me and I wouldn’t go sit there in complete darkness to meditate. I just wouldn’t be able to relax knowing everything that’s crawling around… I probably haven’t reached the level of zen of the monks yet!
Our little excursion then took us to the Ban Tha Chang hot spring, where we were able to take a dip before going to a field located below the Tham Khao Luk Chang cave. The latter is home to nearly 2 million bats, but to preserve them, the cave has been closed to the public.
That’s a shame, you might say? Actually, not so much: closing this cave prevents a daily horde of tourists from scaring away these poor creatures. Thus, we can continue to observe them when they leave to hunt!
At nightfall, all the bats leave the cave and fly off in what looks like a huge tunnel towards the nearest lake. Being in the field below, we have front-row seats to observe this Batman ballet that will last almost 15 minutes! The noise and especially the impressive mass effect make these few minutes an unforgettable experience!
Full-day trek in the jungle
The next day, we put on our too-sexy over-socks to avoid nasty leeches and set off for a day trip through the jungle!
Animals galore
We start very quietly with a car tour, with spontaneous stops whenever our guide sees a snake or other wild animal by the roadside to show us.
After seeing our first gibbons, we ventured a bit deeper into the lush vegetation to discover, along our walk, lots of snakes, scorpions, caterpillars, centipedes, as well as numerous macaques.
After a little more than 2 hours of walking, we suddenly found ourselves in a large green expanse with a small lake, a place where elephants like to come to drink in the evening.
No pachyderms, but we witnessed the scene where three giant monitor lizards greedily shared a poor deer that had fallen into the water… Seeing them enter its carcass and tear out its guts is not something I would have absolutely wanted to see just before my lunch! Conclusion: yuck, yuck, and re-yuck!
The waterfall from the movie The Beach
After the meal provided by Greenleaf, it was time to go in search of Leeeeo at the Haew Suwat waterfall! Well, in the end, I didn’t find him 😭. So, I decided to keep Ben!
But that said, the waterfall is worth seeing even without Mr. DiCaprio’s pectorals!
In the late afternoon, we got back in the car and the guide took us on a road where it’s not uncommon to see an elephant come out of the jungle! We were warned: no guarantee of seeing any, but we were going to try!
See 100% wild elephants in Thailand
In the end, we didn’t see 1, or 2, or 3, but 4 elephants that crossed our path at the end of the day! So, I’ll tell you one thing: you may be in a car, accompanied by a guide and all that, but when you see your first wild elephant appear, it does something quite significant deep in your gut!
By the way, it’s the first time that day we felt our guide a little more tense! At the same time, the elephants are 100% wild in Khao Yai. As a result, they are much more unpredictable than those poor pachyderms that are used as photo models to tourists in all these elephant farms that are multiplying in Thailand.
Fortunately, our guide was on high alert, because one of the Mr. Dumbos suddenly had a little urge to race. After staring at us for a long time, he started to charge… Gulp! At that moment, you feel really VEEEERY small! But rest assured: being in a car, we were simply able to accelerate a bit and he quickly abandoned his idea.
Video of our trek in Khao Yai National Park
In short, it was a day full of emotions and discoveries that we highly recommend! For a better impression, we’ve prepared a little video to summarize our stay in Khao Yai. Don’t forget to follow our YouTube channel if you haven’t already!
So, now you know everything about Khao Yai and its trails! Are you ready for a trek in the jungle?
It’s time to leave Thailand to discover Cambodia and its mythical temples in Angkor! No doubt, we’ll return sooner or later to the kingdom of Siam 😉. If you want to read more about our Thai adventures, head to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai!
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