In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Khao Yai National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage rainforest 175 km northeast of Bangkok, open 6 am to 6 pm daily, with entry 400 THB for foreign adults (thainationalparks.com). There is no public transport inside the park, and wild elephants use the roads, so you need a tour, a car or a hired 4WD from the gateway town of Pak Chong, about 2,000 THB to 2,500 THB for the day. Buses to Pak Chong leave Mo Chit every half hour for around 180 THB. The highlights are Haew Narok and Haew Suwat waterfalls and the wildlife drives. Or book a tour: the small-group day trip from Bangkokad (from ฿1,483, 4.5 stars from 951 reviews) takes care of the transport, a park-ranger guide and the waterfalls in one booking. For other regional destinations, see Day trips from Bangkok.
The park and wildlife
Established in 1962 as Thailand’s first national park, Khao Yai covers 2,168 square kilometres across Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi, Prachinburi and Nakhon Nayok provinces. It anchors the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site listed for its monsoon rainforest. The high plateaus, 400 to 1,000 metres above sea level, are cooler than the Bangkok plains; November to February averages about 22 degrees Celsius by day and 9 to 10 degrees at night (thainationalparks.com).
Key wildlife:
- Wild Asian elephants: about 300 live in the park. They cross Thanarat Road and gather near the salt licks around Nong Phak Chi, mostly between 15:00 and 18:00.
- Primates: white-handed gibbons call from the canopy along the trails, and troops of pig-tailed macaques sit on the roadside. Keep car windows closed near macaques; feeding wild animals carries a 5,000 THB fine.
- Birds: more than 300 species, including four hornbills such as the great hornbill and the wreathed hornbill.
- Deer: sambar and barking deer graze on the grasslands near the visitor centre.
Wild Asian elephants in Khao Yai. Photo: Pailoolom, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Entry
Foreign adults pay 400 THB, children aged 3 to 14 pay 200 THB, and Thai nationals pay 40 THB and 20 THB. A ticket is valid for one day unless you camp or stay in the park, when it covers three. Open 6 am to 6 pm daily; cars already inside can leave later (thainationalparks.com). There are two checkpoints: the northern one near Pak Chong at the Chao Pho Khao Yai shrine, and the southern one at Noen Hom in Prachinburi. Trail guides are hired from the Visitor Centre desk and are required on the longer forest trails.
Tours from Bangkok
A tour solves the transport problem. Check the option before you book: on several listings the cheapest option leaves out the 400 THB park entry.
Small-group day trip with a ranger guide
From ฿1,483 · 4.5 stars from 951 reviews · 11 hours · small group · private option
From Bangkok: Khao Yai National Park Small-Group Day Tripad takes a small group by air-conditioned vehicle with an English guide and a professional park-ranger guide, on nature trails and to Haew Suwat Waterfall. Entrance fees are included in the options that say so, and the cheapest option leaves them out. The meeting point is National Stadium BTS Station (exit 2, second floor); hotel pickup and a private tour are separate options. It is not suitable for pregnant women, people with back problems or mobility impairments.
Jungle walk and Haew Suwat with a Thai lunch
From ฿5,900 · 4.8 stars from 67 reviews · shared group of up to 8 · hotel pickup
Khao Yai Jungle Walk & Haew Suwat Falls + Pick-up & Thai Set Lunchad is a shared minivan tour for up to 8 people with hotel pickup and drop-off in central Bangkok. It includes park entry, a national-park guide and an English-speaking guide, a 2.5-hour nature walk, a Thai set lunch at a local restaurant, three bottles of water, and raincoats and anti-leech socks in the rainy season. A private version is also offered. Children under 8 are not taken.
Nature trails and Haew Suwat from River City
From ฿5,900 · 4.5 stars from 61 reviews · 12 hours · meeting point option
Bangkok: Khao Yai Nature Trails & Haew Suwat Waterfallad includes the air-conditioned minivan and driver, a national-park guide, the park entry ticket and lunch at a local restaurant. Pickup at River City Bangkok is between 6:00 and 6:20 am, and drop-off is at MBK Center; a hotel pickup option is available. Children under 9 and people afraid of heights are not accepted.
The transport hurdle: reaching and navigating Khao Yai
A day trip needs two legs: to the gateway town, and around the park.
Leg 1: Bangkok to Pak Chong
Pak Chong is the town on the park’s northern edge (thainationalparks.com):
- By bus or minivan: buses to Pak Chong leave Mo Chit bus station every half hour for about 180 THB; make sure the bus stops at Pak Chong, because some continue to Nakhon Ratchasima. Minivans run from the van terminal opposite Mo Chit 2 from 05:30 for 150 THB to 180 THB, taking 2½ to 3 hours along Highway 2.
- By train: trains leave Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal; fares run from 36 THB in third class on the ordinary train to 82 THB on the rapid in second class. Check the timetable at the State Railway of Thailand before you plan around it.
- By taxi: a one-way transfer from Bangkok costs from 2,200 THB, and a full-day taxi from 3,300 THB.
- From Pak Chong to the gate: songthaews (shared pick-up trucks) run from 8 am to 4:30 pm and stop at the northern gate. The visitor centre is a further 14 km inside, so you still need a lift.
Leg 2: Inside the park
From the gate, the central Visitor Centre is another 14 km along winding mountain roads, and the main waterfalls are 10 to 15 km beyond it. There is no public songthaew or bus inside the park, and rangers do not allow pedestrians on Thanarat Road because wild bull elephants can be unpredictable. The two main waterfalls, two viewpoints and the visitor centre can be reached by car without a guide; the drive from the gate to all four and back takes about 3 hours before you stop anywhere (thainationalparks.com).
Without an organised tour from Bangkok, you have three options:
- Hire a 4WD truck and driver in Pak Chong: guesthouses and operators rent open-backed trucks with a local driver-guide for roughly 2,000 THB to 2,500 THB a day, fuel included.
- Drive yourself: a rental car from Don Mueang Airport is around 900 THB to 1,200 THB a day plus fuel, and you need an International Driving Permit. If an elephant is on the road, stop at least 30 metres back, keep the engine running, do not honk, and reverse slowly if it approaches.
- Book a tour: the tours above cover all of this.
Official ticket or tour: the prices side by side
On your own, the park entry and the bus are fixed costs; the 4WD is shared between everyone in the truck. GetYourGuide prices are each product’s lowest “from” price.
| What you want | On your own | On GetYourGuide |
|---|---|---|
| Park entry | 400 THB adult, 200 THB child | Included in the options that say so |
| Getting there and back | About 360 THB return by bus to Pak Chong | Air-conditioned vehicle included |
| Getting around the park | 4WD truck and driver, 2,000 THB to 2,500 THB for the day | Included |
| A guide | Ranger guide hired at the Visitor Centre for the longer trails | Park-ranger guide on the small-group tour |
| A day for one person | About 3,000 THB or more: bus, a 4WD to yourself, entry | From ฿1,483 without entry; options with entry cost more |
| A day for two people sharing a 4WD | About 3,700 THB in total, 1,860 THB each | From ฿2,966 for two without entry |
For two people the independent day and the tour with entry come to about the same; for one person the tour is the cheaper day, because a 4WD costs the same for one as for four.
Top sights inside the park
1. Haew Narok Waterfall
On the southern road toward Prachinburi, about km 22
Haew Narok is the largest waterfall in Khao Yai. A 1-kilometre gravel trail leads from the car park over wooden bridges through primary rainforest, then down a steep 200-step concrete staircase into the gorge. The fall drops in three tiers, 150 metres in total. From June to October the water volume throws heavy spray across the viewing platform.
Haew Narok Waterfall. Photo: Supanut Arunoprayote, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
2. Haew Suwat Waterfall
At the end of Thanarat Road
Haew Suwat is the waterfall from the 2000 film The Beach. It drops 20 metres over a volcanic basalt cliff into a circular jungle pool. Paved trails lead to an upper viewpoint and down to the riverbank. Swimming is prohibited because of submerged rocks and seasonal currents.
Haew Suwat Waterfall. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
3. Nong Phak Chi Wildlife Watchtower
About km 35 on Route 2090
A wooden observation tower overlooks an open grassland valley and a natural salt lick. A flat 1-kilometre marked trail crosses the meadows from the road. Early morning and late afternoon bring feeding sambar deer, wild boar and hornbills roosting in the tall trees.
4. Guided nature trails
The park has seven official walking trails from 1.2 to 8 kilometres:
- Trail 1 (Kong Kaeo Trail): a 1.2-kilometre self-guided loop behind the Visitor Centre, with boardwalks and a suspension bridge. Free to walk independently.
- Trails 2 to 6: long jungle treks, such as the 3.3 km Trail 2 to Nong Phak Chi. Hire a park ranger from the Visitor Centre desk for a fee per group; walking without a ranger is not permitted on the forest trails.
More regional excursions across central Thailand are in our guide to Day trips from Bangkok.
Common questions
Can I do a day trip to Khao Yai National Park from Bangkok?
Yes. Khao Yai sits roughly 175 km northeast of Bangkok, about 2½ to 3 hours by road. A day trip needs a guided tour, a private car with a driver, or a bus or minivan to Pak Chong followed by a hired 4WD truck: there is no public transport inside the park.
How much is the entrance fee for Khao Yai National Park?
Foreign adults pay 400 THB and children aged 3 to 14 pay 200 THB; Thai nationals pay 40 THB and 20 THB. The park is open from 6 am to 6 pm every day, and a ticket is valid for one day unless you camp or stay inside.
Can you walk inside Khao Yai National Park without a car?
Not along the roads. The visitor centre is about 14 km inside the gate and the main waterfalls are further, and wild elephants use the roads, so visitors drive or go in a hired truck or on a tour. Only a few short trails near the visitor centre can be walked freely.
What wildlife can I see in Khao Yai?
Khao Yai has roughly 300 wild Asian elephants, white-handed gibbons, pig-tailed macaques, barking deer, sambar deer and great hornbills. Elephants are most often seen near the roadside salt licks in the late afternoon.
Is a Khao Yai tour from Bangkok worth it?
For one or two people, yes: a small-group tour is from 1,483 THB on GetYourGuide for the cheapest option without park entry, against about 1,860 THB each for two people sharing a 4WD, bus fares and entry. Tour prices with entry included are higher.
