Khao Yai

Khao Yai National Park is, by almost any measure, the finest all-round national park in Thailand — and one of the best in Southeast Asia. Established in 1962 as Thailand's first national park and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005, Khao Yai covers 2,168 km² of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, straddling the boundary between central and northeastern Thailand. Its accessibility from Bangkok (3 hours), combined with a genuine density of large wildlife and excellent hiking infrastructure, makes it accessible for almost any traveller, not just wildlife specialists.

The park is home to an estimated 300+ Asian elephants — the largest wild elephant population in Thailand — as well as Asiatic black bears, wild dogs, sambar deer, porcupines, gibbons, and a confirmed but rarely seen tiger population. The birds are extraordinary: over 400 species including the massive great hornbill with its distinctive yellow casque bill, and resident flocks of up to 300 great hornbills that feed at the park's wild fig trees in season. Watching hornbills fly at dawn, their enormous wings making a whooshing sound audible from 200 metres, is one of the most memorable wildlife experiences in Thailand.

The park's waterfalls are equally spectacular. Haew Narok (Hell's Falls) is a dramatic two-tier drop of 150 metres in a jungle gorge — the largest in the park and genuinely impressive. Haew Suwat waterfall (made famous by The Beach, though not actually in The Beach) is smaller but perfectly beautiful for swimming. Night safaris with licensed guides are one of the most popular park activities, with high encounter probabilities for sambar deer, civets, and porcupines illuminated by spotlights, and a reasonable chance of wild elephant encounters on the road after dark.