Thailand is a heaven on earth with its beautiful beached and secluded islands – and not to forget its all-night full moon parties. It is a sanctuary of wildlife and green vegetation which leaves us in awe as we mesmerize ourselves in the splendour and magnificence of nature.

An Introduction to Khao Yai:

Thailand’s national parks are best known for their hiking adventures, backpacking Thailand and camping sites where you can easily explore the Mother Nature. The Khao Yai national park is the oldest one in Thailand which was set in the year 1962. As it is the second biggest national park in the world, it has a number of camping sites where friendly animals do give you a visit. It homes more than 200 elephants that you can see around as you hike around especially in winters. There are international camps that are set up for foreigners as Khao Yai is equally popular with locals. Weekends are usually full, and you hardly get a place to set up your camp, so it is better to make a prior booking.

What to See at the Khao Yai National Park?

You can hike down to the camping site as there are famous trails you can follow to see almost all the wildlife inhabiting this forest. You can find a guided hiker who can take you through the forest to the famous wildlife watching tower. Not only this, there is a beautiful waterfall in Khao Yai that you can visit and take a dip in the water. The famous and most impressive Haew Narok (translation: sunken hole of hell) waterfall has a rather true sad story wherein 1992, 6 elephants lost their lives while saving the baby elephant. It is a 150-meter deep waterfall, and you need to climb exactly 199 steps to reach its brim which is quite a terrifying hike.

But as you reach the camping site, you pay 30 baht to reserve the site or pay another 170-200 baht to buy the camping gear such as a tent, pillows, blanket and other stuff. You usually get an extra pole to keep your stuff as animals love to dig into your things for food. Anyways, you can get snacks and food items from bars just nearby. A trip to Khao Yai is a dream comes true as you get to see all kinds of flora and fauna existing in the whole world.

Accommodation in Khao Yai:

Youth Hostels: they are comprised of large lodges and dormitories best suited for school and college students or large groups. They can house up to 50 people at one time at a very affordable rate. The only downside is you might not find mattresses in some of the rooms.

Lodges: you can find some secluded lodges that house up to 6-28 people at one time. They are quite spacious and nice which can be booked for 2000-9000 TBH per night.

Bungalows: 2 compounds are having 20 rooms with fans – each for 2 persons. Each room can be booked at 800 TBH per night.

The whole National Park is divided into 4 zones which you can book as per your accommodation preference:

Zone 1: it is located near the visitor centre and has 4 lodges

Zone 2: it is divided into two different locations Orapim and Trewtat. The first one has 3 lodges while the second has 2.

Zone 3: it has 2 compounds or bungalows with 20 rooms

Zone 4: it is again divided into 2 locations Samnuk Naiok and Rattamontree. The first one has 2 lodges whereas the other one has 2.

The local and international campsites are located near the grasslands and lakes for you to enjoy a serene sunset.