Destination guide
Khao Yai National Park Guide
Thailand's first national park, three hours from Bangkok, with wild elephants on the road and hornbills over the visitor center
Khao Yai National Park is 2,166 km² of forest and grassland about three hours northeast of Bangkok, Thailand's first national park, opened in 1962, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage forest complex. It's the easiest place in the country to see wild animals without a guide. Elephants walk the main road, deer graze the campsite, and hornbills fly over the visitor center most days.
The gateway town is Pak Chong, and the road from it into the park, Thanarat Road, is lined with resorts, wineries and cafés. Floods in late September 2026 took out the bridge to Haew Narok Waterfall and the road up Khao Khiao, so check what's open before you go. Everything else reopened on 6 October.
Arriving in Khao Yai
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Key Facts
Foreign adults pay ฿400, cars ฿30
Children pay ฿200, motorbikes ฿20. A day ticket covers going in and out the same day, and campers and park-lodge guests get a three-day ticket.
The gates open 06:00 to 18:00
The visitor center desk is staffed 08:30 to 16:30. Driving inside the park after dark to look for animals is forbidden, so the night safari is the only way out at night.
Haew Narok and the Khao Khiao road are closed
Flash floods on 26 September 2026 destroyed the bridge to the Haew Narok viewpoint. Pha Diao Dai, Pha Trom Jai and the whole Khao Khiao road stayed closed when the rest of the park reopened on 6 October.
The night safari costs ฿600 a truck
Rangers drive up to eight people for an hour at 19:00 or 20:00. Book and pay at the visitor center before 18:00 on the day.
You need wheels inside the park
Songthaews from Pak Chong stop at the northern gate, and the visitor center is another 14 km in. A car, a scooter, a driver or a tour is the way around.
Two nights is the right length
A day trip from Bangkok is 11 hours with six of them in a van. Two nights gives you a dawn in the park, the night safari and a slow morning at the tower.
Is Khao Yai Worth Visiting?
Yes, and I'd put it ahead of any other national park within a day of Bangkok. The reason is the wildlife. Wild elephants are seen on the roads and grassland often enough that rangers stop traffic for them, the park has one of the largest hornbill populations in Thailand, with great and oriental pied hornbills over the visitor center almost daily, and gibbons call from the forest along every road. You don't need a long trek for any of it. Most of what people come to see is a short walk from a parking lot.
Set expectations on two things. It's a drive-around park, so without a car, a scooter or a tour you'll spend more time arranging rides than looking at animals. And the outside is not wilderness. Thanarat Road from Pak Chong to the gate is a weekend strip of resorts, theme villages, farms and cafés built for Bangkok drivers, which is fun for a coffee and less fun on a Saturday in traffic.
What's Closed at Khao Yai After the 2026 Floods
Days of heavy rain from 25 September 2026 sent flash floods through the park, and on the night of 26 September the water brought down the whole bridge to the Haew Narok viewpoint. The park closed to visitors and overnight stays, then reopened most attractions and the campsites on 6 October.
Still closed when I wrote this are Haew Narok Waterfall, the Pha Diao Dai and Pha Trom Jai viewpoints and Kaeng Hin Phoeng, and the Khao Khiao road along its whole length because sections have subsided. Pha Diao Dai and the Khao Khiao viewpoints also close every year from 1 June to 30 September. Before you go, check the park's Facebook page or call the visitor center on 086-092-6529.
Khao Yai Entrance Fees and Prices
| What | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign adult | ฿400 | Paid at the Pak Chong or Noen Hom gate, valid the same day |
| Foreign child | ฿200 | Under 14 |
| Thai adult / child | ฿40 / ฿20 | Thai driving licenses and work permits don't qualify for the Thai rate |
| Car | ฿30 | Motorbike ฿20, six-wheeler ฿100 |
| Night safari | ฿600 per truck | Up to eight people, 19:00 or 20:00, book before 18:00 |
| Camping at Lam Ta Khong | ฿30 adult, ฿10 child a night | Tents ฿150 for two, ฿225 for three |
| Park lodge | From ฿800 | For two people, keys from the visitor center |
Fees from the park's own entry-fee and camping pages, night safari from its night-safari page, lodges from Thai National Parks (June 2026). Thai National Parks gives camping as ฿80 a night, so carry a little extra.
The Best Things to Do in Khao Yai
Ordered by how much I'd prioritize them on a first visit of two nights. The first seven are inside the park, the last two on the way in.
1. Nong Phak Chi wildlife tower, Km 35, Thanarat Road
Best chance of big animalsA 20 m wooden tower over a grassland with salt licks, about 1 km on foot from the parking lot at km 35 and 3 km from the visitor center. Sambar deer, barking deer and wild boar come in most days, and elephants, gaur and dhole sometimes. It's the one place I'd go twice, at dawn and again in the late afternoon.
The grassland path is open to walk alone. The longer trail through the forest from km 33 needs a ranger or guide.
- Getting there
- Drive or ride to the km 35 parking lot, then walk.
- When to go
- From 06:00 and after 16:00.
2. Haew Suwat Waterfall, About 10 km from the visitor center
The waterfall from The BeachA 25 m curtain of water into a wide pool, the fall Leonardo DiCaprio jumps off in The Beach, about 100 m from its parking lot. In the dry season you can see the cave behind it. Swimming isn't allowed, and in the rainy season the current is strong enough that the park warns you off the edge.
A 3 km ranger-led trail runs from Pha Kluai Mai to the falls, which is the better way to arrive if you have a guide.
- Getting there
- By car to the parking lot at the end of the road past Pha Kluai Mai.
- When to go
- Morning. The day tours from Bangkok reach it in the early afternoon.
3. The night safari, From the visitor center
Deer, civets and the odd elephantRangers drive a high-bed pickup with spotlights along a 10 km route for about an hour, at 19:00 or 20:00, for ฿600 a truck of up to eight. Sambar deer are close to certain, and civets, porcupines and elephants turn up on luckier nights. Only the guide's torch may be used, so leave the flash off.
Book and pay at the visitor center desk before 18:00 on the day. Rangers can pick you up from the campsite or a park lodge.
- Getting there
- Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before your slot.
- When to go
- 19:00 or 20:00, every night. Bring a jacket.
4. Lam Ta Khong campsite and its deer, Near the visitor center
A night inside the parkA big grassland beside the Lam Ta Khong stream, open year-round, with room for 580 campers, a shop, showers and a café open 08:00 to 17:00. Sambar deer wander through the tents, which is half the reason people stay. Camping costs ฿30 a night and a three-person tent ฿225, and bookings open 60 days ahead for up to three nights.
- Getting there
- Drive in, or ask a Pak Chong driver to drop you with your bags.
- When to go
- November to March is the season. Weekends and Thai holidays fill up.
5. Sai Sorn reservoir, Between the park office and Pha Kluai Mai
Sunset and stargazingA small lake ringed by forest where animals come down to drink at dawn and dusk, reached on foot from the road because cars and motorbikes aren't allowed in. It's the easiest sunset in the park and a good spot for stars after dark.
- Getting there
- Walk in from the roadside parking, or along the 2.7 km Thai-American Friendship Trail, which needs no guide.
- When to go
- The last hour before the gates close.
6. The trails from the visitor center, Visitor center
Gibbons and hornbills on footSeven official trails start around the visitor center. Two need no guide, the 800 m loop to Kong Kaeo Waterfall and the Thai-American Friendship Trail. The rest, including the 8 km walk to Haew Suwat, need a ranger or a licensed guide, booked at the desk or through your hotel.
- Getting there
- Start at the visitor center, 14 km inside the northern gate.
- When to go
- Morning, when the gibbons are calling.
7. Pha Diao Dai cliff (closed in 2026), Km 9 of the Khao Khiao road
Sunrise over the forestA 450 m boardwalk to a stone ledge about 900 m up that juts out over the forest, the park's sunrise view and a good place for birds. It's closed every June to September, and in 2026 the whole Khao Khiao road to it stayed shut after the floods. When it reopens, it's the one viewpoint I'd get up early for.
- Getting there
- By car up the Khao Khiao road, once it reopens.
- When to go
- Sunrise, October to May.
8. PB Valley and GranMonte wineries, Phaya Yen, west of Pak Chong
A long lunch on the way inKhao Yai is Thailand's wine country. PB Valley, the estate planted in 1989 that calls itself the largest vineyard in the area, runs guided vineyard and winery tours and the Great Hornbill Grill. GranMonte, a family vineyard founded in 1999 with a Thai winemaker, ends its tour with a flight of four wines and has a restaurant, VinCotto. I'd pick one, have lunch, and let someone else drive.
Both are on the Bangkok side of Pak Chong, about 40 km from the park, so they suit the drive in or out rather than a park day.
- Getting there
- By car off Mittraphap Road (Highway 2) before Pak Chong.
- When to go
- Lunchtime. Book the tours on the wineries' sites.
9. Pak Chong night market, Pak Chong town
A cheap dinnerPak Chong's evening food market, about 300 m from the railway station in the town center, and the cheap dinner if you're staying in town or passing through on the train.
- Getting there
- Walk from Pak Chong station.
- When to go
- Evenings.
Khao Yai's Wildlife and Your Chances
Deer are near certain, at the campsite, the tower and on the night safari. Hornbills are close to a sure thing around the visitor center. Gibbons you'll hear with the windows down long before you see one. Elephants are a matter of luck, seen now and then on the roads and the grassland near the tower, often enough that rangers stop the traffic to let them cross.
There are no tigers to look for. None has been seen here for years, though camera traps have caught them in neighboring Thap Lan and Pang Sida. Haew Narok has a sadder elephant story. Eight elephants died going over the falls in 1992 and 11 in October 2019, which is why it's called the elephant graveyard.
Khao Yai as a Day Trip From Bangkok
If you only have one day, a tour is the sensible way to do it, because the park is a three-hour drive each way and has no transport inside. The small-group tours leave Bangkok around 07:00, walk the km 33 trail to Nong Phak Chi, stop at Haew Suwat and the deer at Lam Ta Khong, and are back in the city about 11 hours later. You'll miss the dawn and the night safari, which are the best of it, so give it a night if you can.
From Pak Chong, Greenleaf Guesthouse runs its own full-day park tour by songthaew for ฿1,500 in cash, and Thai National Parks lists guided tours of one to four days from ฿1,800 to ฿6,200 per person.
How Many Days Do You Need in Khao Yai?
Two nights. Arrive in the afternoon, check in, and book the night safari at the visitor center before 18:00. The next morning go to the Nong Phak Chi tower at dawn, then Haew Suwat and a guided trail, and finish at Sai Sorn for sunset. On the last morning, try the tower again or stop at a winery on the drive back to Bangkok.
One night works if you have a car. A day trip only works on a tour.
Where to Stay in Khao Yai
Stay on Thanarat Road, the road from Pak Chong to the park gate, if you have a car, because the resorts there are the closest beds to the park outside it. Stay in Pak Chong town if you're arriving by train or bus. Sleep inside the park, at the campsite or a park lodge, for the dawns.
1. Greenleaf Guesthouse & Tour, Thanarat Road, Pak Chong
Budget, with toursA simple guesthouse that runs its own park tours by songthaew, so you can sleep there and join the next morning's trip from the door. The full-day park tour is ฿1,500, cash only.
2. Hotel des Artists Khao Yai, Thanarat Road
A boutique stayFrench-colonial design, two pools and mountain views, in a building that started as a private home. The rooms are on the small side and open straight onto a narrow pool.
3. Atta Lakeside Resort Suite, Thanarat Road, on the Kirimaya estate
Space for familiesSuites from 65 m² beside a lake, with a pool, a spa and the Kirimaya golf course next door, a short drive from the park gate. The pick if you want room to spread out and the park first thing in the morning.
4. InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, Pong Ta Long, east of Pak Chong
The splurgeBill Bensley built it around old railway carriages turned into suites, a restaurant called Poirot and a bar, with plunge-pool villas and a spa in a carriage too. It's the one hotel here that's a reason to come in itself, but it's farther from the park gate than the Thanarat Road resorts.
Camping and Sleeping Inside the Park
Lam Ta Khong is the main campsite, a grassland by the stream with toilets, showers, electricity and a café, where you can rent everything from a tent to a pillow. A three-person tent is ฿225 a night, a sleeping bag ฿30, and the camping fee ฿30 a person. Reservations open 60 days ahead for up to three nights, and if it isn't full you can turn up and pay at the campsite office. On holiday weekends, the overflow site at Khao Rom opens too.
The park also has lodges, from ฿800 for two people. Online booking has been unreliable, so the reliable way is to call the park or ask at the visitor center.
Getting to Khao Yai and Getting Around
Khao Yai is about 180 km northeast of Bangkok. By car it's about two and a half hours to the resorts on Thanarat Road, and 12Go lists private cars from Bangkok to the park from about ฿2,050. Trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat and vans and buses from Mo Chit go to Pak Chong, about two and a half to three and a half hours. Every option, with times and fares, is in my Bangkok to Khao Yai guide.
From Pak Chong, songthaews and a ฿15 park bus run through the day to the northern gate at the Chao Por Khao Yai shrine, but the visitor center is another 14 km in and you can't walk it. Scooters rent for about ฿300 a day in Pak Chong and ฿600 at the gate, and a car or a hotel driver is easier still. A scooter is a good way to see the park on your own, as long as you're used to riding one.
When to Go
November to February is the best time. It's dry and cool, about 22°C by day and down to 9–10°C at night, so bring a jacket for the night safari. Book the campsite and the resorts ahead for weekends.
May to October is the rainy season, and September is the wettest month. The forest is at its greenest and the waterfalls at their fullest, but trails are muddy, the Khao Khiao viewpoints close from June to September, and in 2026 the late-September floods closed the park for over a week. March and April are hot but good for birds, with the migrants passing through.
Plan the rest of the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Khao Yai National Park Guide.
Yes. It's the easiest place in Thailand to see wild animals on your own, with deer at the campsite, hornbills over the visitor center and a real chance of wild elephants on the road, about three hours from Bangkok.
฿400 for foreign adults and ฿200 for children under 14, plus ฿30 for a car or ฿20 for a motorbike. The ticket covers one day. Campers and park-lodge guests get a three-day ticket.
Mostly. The park reopened on 6 October 2026 after the late-September floods, but Haew Narok Waterfall, the Pha Diao Dai and Pha Trom Jai viewpoints, Kaeng Hin Phoeng and the Khao Khiao road were still closed. Check the park's Facebook page or call 086-092-6529 before you go.
Not that anyone has seen for years. Camera traps have recorded tigers in neighboring Thap Lan and Pang Sida National Parks, but at Khao Yai you're looking for elephants, gaur, deer, gibbons and hornbills.
November to February, when it's dry and cool, about 22°C by day and 9–10°C at night. September is the wettest month, and some viewpoints close from June to September.
At the visitor center service desk before 18:00 on the day. It costs ฿600 per truck of up to eight people and runs at 19:00 and 20:00 for about an hour. You can't drive your own car around the park at night.
No. Swimming is forbidden at all the park's waterfalls, and in the rainy season the current at Haew Suwat is dangerous.
Yes, but plan it. Take a train, van or bus to Pak Chong, then rent a scooter, hire a driver through your hotel or join a tour from a Pak Chong guesthouse. Public songthaews stop at the northern gate, 14 km short of the visitor center.
Two nights, which gives you one evening for the night safari, a full day for the tower, Haew Suwat and a trail, and a second dawn. A day trip from Bangkok is possible on a tour but is about 11 hours.
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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