Khao Yai National Park Full-Day From Bangkok - Including Ticket
Description
Escape the buzz of Bangkok and journey into one of Thailand’s most treasured natural wonders: Khao Yai National Park, the country’s oldest national park. Three hours driving from the capital, this vast, UNESCO-listed sanctuary spans over 2,000 square kilometers of lush mountains, dense jungle, and dramatic waterfalls. Khao Yai is a paradise for nature lovers and one of the best places in Thailand to encounter wildlife in their natural habitat. As you follow one of the park’s trails, keep your eyes open for hornbills, gibbons, and if you’re lucky, snakes and even wild elephants. The landscapes here are stunning, from misty mountain viewpoints to vibrant forests echoing with bird calls. Please note: Khao Yai is a National Park, not a zoo. Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed, as the animals roam freely in the park’s dense vegetation. But that’s exactly what makes Khao Yai so special: it’s raw, real, and unpredictable. Group size is limited to a maximum of 10 participants.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Khao Yai, with its rich flora and fauna, is the perfect destination for nature lovers. The park is home to elephants, tigers, monkeys, bears, deer, squirrels, and over 400 bird species. You may also encounter pythons, spiders, rodents, and insects, so long-sleeved clothing is recommended. We take a 3 to 4 km trek through the forest and enjoy the scenic mountainous landscape and dense jungle. Along the way, your guide will point out interesting plants, animal tracks and sounds of the forest. Khao Yai is one of the best places in Thailand to spot wild Asian elephants, though sightings can never be guaranteed. The trail is suitable for those with a normal level of fitness, though we understand that physical effort varies from person to person. The duration includes travel time to and from Bangkok.
There are several waterfalls throughout the national park offering incredible scenery and photo opportunities. The most well-known waterfall in Khao Yai National Park is Haew Suwat. It is famous for being the location for Leonardo DiCaprio's waterfall dive in the movie ‘The Beach’ back in 2000.
Haew Narok is the highest falls in Khao Yai National Park, and the park’s star attraction, cascading over three tiers with the final level gushing 80 metres below into a deep pool. However, only the first level is open to the public, as the other levels are steep and dangerous. There’s a hillside viewpoint where you can clearly watch and take photos of the waterfall. Especially at the height of the rainy season, the Haew Narok Waterfall is a truly breathtaking sight.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Since we walk on one of the nature trails, we highly recommend to wear long pants, socks and comfortable walking shoes (no flip flops).
- The exact meeting/departure time will be informed in a private message via the platform the day before before the tour. Departure time can be between 07:15-08:00 hrs depending on the number of participants on your travel date.
- Maximum number of participants per group is 10 persons.
- IMPORTANT: There are many wild animals in the national park, but you should always remember you're visiting a huge National Park, not a zoo looking at animals in captivity. The animals are free to roam where they like, and with the dense vegetation it’s not always easy to find them.
- The hiking trail we follow is approximately 3 to 4 kilometers long. It’s suitable for anyone with a normal level of fitness, but we understand that physical effort is experienced differently by each individual.
- The travel time between Bangkok and Khao Yai is approximately 3 hours one way, depending on traffic conditions.
- Bangkok’s traffic is often heavily congested, so we kindly ask all guests to arrive on time. As our tours run on a group basis, we can wait a maximum of 10 minutes after the scheduled meeting time. After this grace period, the guide will begin the tour. If you cannot make it on time, please let us know before the tour starts. If possible, we’ll do our best to reschedule you for the next available day, though a rescheduling fee of THB 500 per person will apply. No refund will be provided in case of late arrival.
- Cancellations made at least 24 hours before the tour start time are eligible for a full refund. For cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance or in case of no-show, no refund will be issued. Cancellations due to weather are not eligible for a refund.
Reviews(625)
Serena was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. We had a great time and got to see elephants and monkeys
Thank you for your kind review! We're delighted to hear Serena's enthusiasm and knowledge made your day even more enjoyable. Seeing elephants and monkeys is always a special highlight—we're so glad you had a great trip, and we hope to welcome you back again soon!
I expected to see more of the national park, but a lot of credit goes to Surina. She was our guide and did an amazing job. Because of her, I highly recommend going on this trip — she is really enthusiastic and takes great care of you. It was already wonderful to meet her, and it was also amazing that we saw 3 wild elephants in nature!
Thank you for your kind words! We're so happy to hear Surina's enthusiasm and care made your day so special. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you on another unforgettable adventure in Thailand soon.
Great experience seeing the waterfalls. Managed to spot some wildlife along the way. Tour guide was great and very informative and friendly!
Thank you so much for the fantastic review! We are thrilled to hear you had a great experience at the waterfalls and even managed to spot some wildlife along the way—that's always such a special treat! It is also wonderful to know that your guide helped make your trip even better by being so welcoming and informative. We will definitely share your lovely feedback with them; it will mean a lot! Thanks for exploring with us, and we hope to welcome you back for more nature adventures in the future!
John and Nico were the best! I ended up being the only one on the tour but they were both so friendly and nice, I had a wonderful time
Thank you for spending your day with us! We're so pleased to hear you had such a wonderful experience with John and Nico. Even on a solo tour, we're glad they made you feel welcomed and ensured you had a memorable day. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to see you again on another adventure in Thailand!
Park is beautiful and green. John was a great guide. We saw deer, tiny golden deer, a monitor lizard, monkeys and a black snake crossing the road.
Thank you for your lovely review. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the beauty of Khao Yai National Park and had such a great wildlife experience. John will be happy to know he helped make your day special. We hope to welcome you on another adventure soon.
John was an amazing guide, gave us good insights about Thailand and the national park. We got super lucky and saw a black bear. Pick up point probably not the easiest being a main intersection in BKK especially at 8 am in the morning. Overall very recommended for a getaway day from bkk
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Spotting a black bear in Khao Yai is a rare and exciting moment, so we're thrilled that nature gave you such a special surprise during your visit. We'll also be sure to pass your kind words on to John, who loves sharing his knowledge of Thailand and the park's unique wildlife with guests. We appreciate your feedback regarding the meeting point and understand that Bangkok's morning traffic can make busy intersections a little challenging. Your comments help us continue improving the experience for future travelers. Thank you for your recommendation, and we're glad Khao Yai provided the perfect escape from the city.
Pickup was on time. Nice, friendly and kind guide Ms. Surin or Mam and driver Mr. Jirawat. I am a solo traveler and another person in the group is also a solo traveler. We got to do and see all things listed including 2 main waterfalls and a trekking. Almost at the end of the trekking I requested a little detour to see a nearby smaller waterfall and the guide let the group there since we had time. While climbing steep stairs at two major waterfalls and trekking, Ms. Surin pays attention to travelers’ safety. On the way there she bought us small mosquitoes repellent spray and wipe as there could be a lot of mosquitoes. She warned us of blood sucking leech in wet area and under leaves. She watched out and listened for snake. She allows us to take our time and warn us which area could be slippery and dangerous. At the same time she kept her eyes and ears out for wild animals. We saw 4 hornbills (2 different kinds), dears, monkeys, black squirrels. The driver and the guide drove us around to try to find elephants but we didn’t have luck. On the way back to Bangkok I requested to stop at a fruit stand along the road and we got to try and buy fresh and delicious Durian, Pamello, Mangosteens, Salak at a very good price much cheaper than those sold in Bangkok. I had a wonderful day. I often travel alone and having good companies while traveling made the trip memorable. I recommend this one day trip if you don’t have much time but want to enjoy the rich wilderness of Thailand without much exhaustion.
Thank you for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful review. We're delighted to hear that your day in Khao Yai was filled with memorable experiences, from exploring waterfalls and trekking through the park to spotting hornbills, deer, monkeys, and black squirrels in their natural habitat. While the elephants remained elusive, it sounds like nature still put on a wonderful show for you. Your kind words about Ms. Surin and Mr. Jirawat mean a lot. Ensuring our guests' comfort and safety while creating an enjoyable and flexible experience is always our priority, and we're pleased that their care and attentiveness helped make your journey so special. We're especially happy that the stop at the local fruit stand added an authentic touch to your adventure. Experiences like these often become some of the most cherished travel memories. Thank you for your recommendation. It was our pleasure to be part of your Thailand journey, and we're glad Khao Yai provided such a rewarding escape into nature.
Great experience! Comfortable ride and knowledgeable guide.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted to hear that you had a great experience and enjoyed the comfortable transportation and knowledgeable guide. Your feedback means a lot to us and motivates our team to continue creating memorable experiences for our guests. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Thailand!
Serena did a fantastic job! She answered all our questions with great kindness and patience and taught us a lot of interesting things. Unfortunately, we did not see any elephants today, but the tour was still very beautiful and impressive.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour with Surena. It's great to know that her friendliness, patience, and knowledge helped make your experience memorable. While we're sorry that the elephants didn't make an appearance this time, we're happy to hear that you still found the tour beautiful and impressive. We'll be sure to share your kind words with Serena. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Thailand!
It was a great time. John the and nuvo are amazing people. Nuvo even fixed my wife’s shoe.
Thank you for your kind review! We're delighted to hear that you had a great time with John and Nuvo. It's wonderful to know that they helped make your experience enjoyable, and we're especially happy to hear that Nuvo went the extra mile to help fix your wife's shoe. We'll be sure to share your kind words with both of them. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you again on another tour soon!
