Khao Yai National Park acts as an escape from the busy city of Bangkok. While there is a mixture of luxury and backpackers activities, Khao Yai has something to offer every visitor. After all, it is one of the few places in Thailand where you might have an encounter with wild elephants.
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How to Get to Khao Yai National Park
The most convenient way to get to Khao Yai National Park is to take a bus or minivan to Pak Chong. These vehicles leave from Mo Chit bus station in Bangkok. It takes about 2.5 hours to reach Pak Chong, which is located on the northwestern side of the park. Many hotels and home-stays will pick up guests from the bus station. The price of a ticket is between 150-200 baht one way.
If you have an international license you can always opt to drive yourself there. Transportation within the park is required due to all activities and destinations being spread out. Again, your hotel or home-stay will have motorcycle rentals available. If you don’t want to drive around the park, you can also book a tour through your accommodation.
Where to Stay in Khao Yai
There are a number of hotels and home-stays to choose from in Khao Yai National Park. Some of them are rather luxurious and known as “glamping.” Others are very budget-friendly. Most hotels are located in the northwestern part of the park. When searching for places to stay, you’ll notice that Thai people like to pretend they are visiting extravagant places like castles. All the hotels will have some sort of theme and seem to transport you to another place. These themes include the French chateau and countryside, a hobbit house, American West with cowboys, Japan, or Spanish villas. So much to choose from!
You’ll simply have to come back again and again to test them all out.
Khao Yai National Park Activities
Horse Riding
Did you know you could go horse riding near Bangkok? No? Me either! That is until I came across this ranch in Khao Yai called OK Corral.
OK Corral is run by a guy named Nilson. He is a great guy and interesting to talk to. He was very knowledgeable about horses and horse riding. His ranch is conveniently located near the city making this activity an easy day trip if you just wanted to go horse riding close to Bangkok. There are a number of horses on the ranch, and all of them are imported from America and trained by Western-style riding techniques.
(That means you can speak English to them and they will understand you – LOL.)
I went with a group of 20 other people. We were split into two groups, one group went riding in the morning and another in the afternoon. It cost about 2,000 baht (~$60 USD) for 2-3 hours of riding with a short intro/training lesson on how to control the horses.
If you’ve never been horse riding before, don’t worry, the staff is very friendly and can help you with any questions you have. The horses are also very calm.
So after our training, we were off onto the trail. Keep in mind, no one from the staff is walking the horse beside you or guiding the horse. It’s all you. The horses will follow each other in the line, so you don’t have too much to worry about.
All you have to do is just make sure they don’t stop and eat everything along the way. Easier said than done. My horse Bird, wanted to eat all the grass and plants along the way. Some of the horses are a little scared of water. So, if you come across a puddle in the trail, you have to force them across.
Wineries
Within the Khao Yai National Park, there are two main vineyards. I went to
GranMonte Vineyard sits on about 40 hectarces of land and one of the family owners, Nikki, is the first female winemaker in Thailand. They produce many different varieties of wine including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Semillon, Verdelho, Durif, and Grenache. Tours and tastings are available every day until 5 pm.
PB Valley is the first and oldest winery in Khao Yai, opening in 1989. It is twice the size of its competitor, at 80 hectares. The vineyard was started by Dr. Piya Bhirombhakdi, who later renamed the winery from Khao Yai Winery to PB Valley after his initials. The wines produced here include Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Durif, Dornfelder and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tours and tastings are available every day.
More Bangkok Tips
- Staying in the city for a few days? Here’s a quick 3-day Bangkok itinerary.
- Did you know there’s a mangrove in the city only a short distance from the center? Here’s how to get there and what to do.
- Tired of going to Khao San Road? Here are 3 alternative places to spend the evening.
- Want to explore the Chao Praya River? Read this guide for 10 of the best things to see and do.
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Sounds brilliant, would love to find some Thai wine in the supermarket!