Khao Yai National Park Eco Tour
1 Nights / 2 Days

Destination: Khao Yai National Park Eco Tour
Trip Grade: Easy

What can we see in Khao Yai National Park?
Khao Yai National Park trip is designed to offer an opportunity to see its scenic beauty and wildlife. Visitors can enjoy back to the nature experience inside the Khao Yai forest trails. Some part of the trek inside park covers pure jungle atmosphere while some places are semi-jungle of thin forest covers. Animals in Khao Yai are seen inside the deep forest as well as in the open grassland meadows. Therefore, we visit both domains to get more opportunities to see the wild animals. Riding back of a truck at night driving along the road is the best way to see wildlife. This may sound strange, but the amazing thing in Khao Yai is that the animals come to salt licks and open grassland to craze at night. Frequently seen animals at night in the herbivore group include: Sambar deer, barking deer, mouse deer, porcupine, wild boar, and occasional visitors are the Asian Elephants and Gaur. In carnivore group include: Foxes, jackals, Indian Civet Cats, and the elusive Indo-Chinese tigers. Animals seen during daytime are stamp tailed Macaques, Gibbons, Langur Monkeys, barking deer, elephants and Gaurs; however, the latter two are see infrequently. Many birds are seen in Khao Yai including the Great Hornbills. Patience and jungle hiking is required to see the hornbills. Although we do not like the idea to following the convoy of vehicles with big flashlights to see the animals on the open grassland along the road, this is the only way to see and enjoy wildlife viewing at night in Khao Yai.

Khao Yai National Park:
Khao Yai was announced as the first national park in 1961; it is situated about 160 kilometers northeast from Bangkok. The park is well managed and is most frequently visited by both local and foreign nature lovers. Its' mountainous area of 2,168 square kilometers contains several streams, beautiful waterfalls, and supports a large population of mammals and birds. This dry evergreen and semi-evergreen rain forest cover most parts of the park. Wildlife is plentiful in Khao Yai. There are some seventy mammal species found here. Elephant, Gibbon, Guar, Samba Deer, Barking Deer, Tiger, Macaques, Squirrels, Porcupines, and Civets are few examples.

Khao Yai supports a total population of 318 species of birds. The attractive birds here include the following: Crested Serpent-Eagle, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Banded Kingfisher, Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, Scarlet Minivet, Orange-breasted Trogon, Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill, Green-eared Barbet, Blue-eared Barbet, Pied Hornbill, Great Hornbill, Brown Hornbill, Wreath Hornbill, Hill Myna, Golden-crested Myna, Sultan Tit, Red-breasted Parakeet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Blue-winged Leaf-bird, Black-crested Bulbul, Fairly Bluebirds. Birding tours inside Khao Yai can be conducted throughout the year.

Birders can walk along the roadside or on one of the walking trails through the forest or simply in the grasslands and have a close contact with bunch of lively and colorful birds.

Elephant, gaur, deer and other grass-eating animals are spotted in the saltlick and open grasslands. Tigers are generally elusive. However, lucky visitors may spot a tiger in the grasslands in the evening hours.

Note on accommodations in the Khao Yai National Park:
In Khao Yai, for wildlife lovers, people who are serious nature travelers, we book the Royal Forest Guesthouse accommodations inside the park so that the guests get to stay closer to nature and have much greater chances of seeing wildlife early mornings and in the evenings. The park operated guesthouse rooms are with basic comfort. To get the accommodation inside the park requires advance booking is required. Deluxe category, middle class and backpacker standard accommodation are available outside the park.

Itinerary: Khao Yai National Park Eco Tour 2 Days.

Day 1 Bangkok to Khao Yai National Park by van
06:30AM Departure from Bangkok by van.
Visit sites of interest and scenic places en-route.
Have lunch in Khao Yai, then, enter the park with guide and ranger. Hike in the park until late afternoon. Return to the lodge for dinner and re-enter the park to do a night safari to see wildlife at night. Sambar deer, barking deer, foxes, jackals, Indian Civet cat, porcupines and Elephants are seen in the open grassland near the road at night. Elephants are not frequent visitors to the grassland, but occasionally seen at the mineral licks. Although Indochinese Tigers, Leopards, Malaysian Sun bears, black tree bears and Bison are some of the residents here, they are not easy to see. Stump tailed macaques, Langur monkeys, Great hornbills, and various other birds are seen during day hikes in the deep forest.
Overnight at hotel outside the park. Meals: LD.

Day 2 Khao Yai National Park
Early morning wake up and breakfast. Then, enter the park for the day with packed lunch with guide and ranger. Jungle hike until lunch break to view animals.
Late afternoon, drive back to Bangkok hotel.
Meals: (BL).

Khao Yai National Park Eco Tour 2 Days:
TOUR COSTS ARE NETT PER PERSON IN US DOLLARS
Group Size: Tour Cost:

Tour Cost Includes:
One nights hotel on twin sharing,
Full-board meal plan while on the tour,
transfers by air-conditioned van and truck in Khao Yai,
English speaking tour guide throughout tour and a ranger guide service in the national parks,
entrance fees to monuments and park visited, and insurance for the duration of the tour.

Tour Cost Excludes:
Personal expenses, personal travel insurance, optional items not stated in the program, alcoholic and soft beverages, telephone, laundry, charges for delays caused by situations beyond our control such as act of god, bad weather, natural disasters and any emergency costs.

Remarks: While hiking in the jungle, you may or may not see any animal; thus, there is no guarantee that you will see elephants, Gaurs, tigers and leopards. Part of the reason is that they are wild and Khao Yai is a huge park that these animals can roam around freely. Night safari is done on the back of a pick up truck with spotlights. Although the road passing through the park fills with convoys of pick up trucks with spotlights around 8.00PM, we can still see herds of Sambar deer, barking deer, porcupines, foxes, jackals, Indian Palm Civet cat, and occasionally Elephants in the open grassland and mineral lick area. This is the local setting here. If you are looking for a hardcore night safari and expecting to see wildlife similar to Serengeti National Park in Africa, then, this is not for you.