Khao Yai is considered by many to be among the best national parks in the world and was recently designated an ASEAN National Heritage Site. LIZ PRICE took a peek into Thailand's oldest national park and found that plenty of adventures remain.

Written by Liz Price on 4 Jan 2006 with 0 comments. Be the first!

It was 6.30 am and a thick fog reduced visibility to almost zero. The rain was falling and it was hard to see the road ahead. The windscreen wipers did little to help as they only removed the raindrops, leaving the fog still blanketing the road ahead. I was glad I wasn't driving. I really thought I was back in England during the depths of winter, and had to keep reminding myself that I was in tropical Thailand in the height of summer.

We had an early start as it is supposedly a good time to see the native inhabitants of the park. But I was wondering if any self-respecting animal would be out in this lousy weather. I didn't think many birds would be flying, and all reptiles would surely be hiding until the day got warm enough for them to venture forth. Maybe some of the park's mammalian dwellers would put in an appearance.

Khao Yai National Park is Thailand's oldest national park. It covers an area of over 2000 square kilometres and includes one of the largest intact monsoon forests in mainland Asia. Considered by many to be among the best national parks in the world, Khao Yai was recently designated an ASEAN national Heritage Site. When the park was established in 1961, the Thai government removed all hotels and golf course facilities from the park in order to reduce human influences on the park environment.

The park encompasses a wide variety of habitats, including a variety of rain forest terrains, evergreen forests and grasslands, as well as secondary forests. There are several mountains of around 1000 meters including Khao Khieo and quite a few waterfalls, the tallest and most spectacular of which is Haew Narok at 80 metres.

Covering such a large area means the park is able to house a large variety of flora and fauna. Almost 2500 plant species have been recorded. The most obvious landscape is the rainforest. The park is unusual in that a main road runs through the park. Visitors to Khao Yai as well as people just using the road to pass through have to pay the park entry fee. Of course vehicles have to observe the speed limit and drive carefully. It takes about 50 minutes to drive from one side to the other, from Pak Chong in the north to Prachin Buri on the south side.

The park is home to 67 species of mammals, many of which are endangered species. The abundant wildlife consists of elephants, gibbons, tigers, leopards, Asiatic black bear and Malayan sun bears. There are sambar, barking deer, gaur, wild pig, serow and various gibbon and macaques. Generally these animals are more easily spotted during the rainy season from June to October.

As we prepared to leave the hotel in the morning, I could hear gibbons calling from the forested mountains surrounding the hotel. But they were too far away to see. Driving into the park, the first furry residents we saw were a group of long tailed macaques on the roadside. They were playing on the telegraph wires and foraging for food. As our car slowed down to look at them, they in turn looked at us, maybe hopeful of a free breakfast.

After driving some time through forested area, we came to a place of open grassland. Our driver spotted 2 deer on the grass, contently grazing, oblivious of the rain. Even when we stopped the car and pointed our cameras at the deer they were not too perturbed, and continued to feed.

Driving through the park, I was amused to read the road signs. One said "Beware tiger zone". The next one read "Cobra crossing caution". I had visions of a family of cobras slithering across the road, but of course, none were to be seen. Another sign warned us "Beware you are entering wild elephant area". Some 200-300 wild elephants have been recorded within the park's boundaries

Khao Yai is famous amongst bird watchers, and many ornithologists come here from all over the world. More than 300 species of bird have been recorded. The park is home to some of Thailand's largest hornbills, including the great hornbill, as well as the wreathed hornbill, Indian pied hornbill and rhinoceros hornbill. The best time to see the hornbills is January to May, especially in the ficus trees as they feed on the figs. Generally you hear hornbills before they see them, as the sound of their wings is quite distinctive when they are flying.

There are some caves in the park, although I didn't get a chance to visit any. However I read that the caves are home to rare wrinkle-lipped bats and Himalayan ribbed bats. The entire area of the park is criss-crossed by over 50 km of hiking trails, ranging in length from one and a half to eight kilometers. There are 13 hiking trails, but note that on some trekking trails it is best to be guided by experienced forestry officials.

Before beginning any activities in the park, it is best to go to the Visitors Centre. Here you can get information on what to see and do in the park, and arrange guides for trekking. Apart from the trails and waterfalls, there are three wildlife-watching towers. There is a small reservoir, areas of grassland, and a salt lick. Although there are basic lodges in the park, we had opted to stay in a resort outside the park. At Pak Chong on the north side, there is a wide range of resorts, many catering to European tour groups, and advertising French, Italian and other Western cuisines. The resorts spanned many kilometres of road leading to the park. However at Prachin Burin on the other side of the park, I only noticed one or two resorts.

We stayed in Juldis Khao Yai Spa and Resort. This offers a variety of accommodation, Thai and European cuisine, and there is a nice pool. The more energetic can ride a bike, play tennis or go horse riding or canoeing.

Khao Yai park is a great place to explore. You can see parts of the park from the comfort of your car, but of course to see more you have to go on the hiking trails.

Getting There

Khao Yai is located northeast of Bangkok, in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. You can access it from Pak Chong, which is on Highway 2 between Nakhon Ratchasima and Saraburi. Pak Chong is 25 km from the park's northern entrance. Alternatively the southern entrance is reached from Prachin Buri.

If travelling by bus, take a bus from Bangkok's Northern bus terminal to Pak Chong. From here you can take a songthaew to the park gates. The journey takes about three and a half hours.

© Liz Price - article may only be republished with the author's permission.

Sorry. We've been getting a lot of junk comments lately. So commenting has been turned off for now