Out of our 3 days and 2 nights in Khao Yai, we spent one day in the National Park.
There were 16 of us in total, including 4 spirited lower primary kids and 2 toddlers. We booked a day trip package from Khao Yai and Beyond, and was guided by Deaw, the founder of the tour operator.
Deaw speaks pretty fluent English and has a good knowledge of the Khao Yai National Park. His love for nature and wildlife is evident in how he fascinated our children with the facts of the jungle. Click here to find more about Deaw and the tours he operates.
Khao Yai National Park
Khao Yai is Thailand’s first national park. It is part of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex that was added to the UNESCO’s World Heritage List of Natural Sites in 2005.
Recognised for its biodiversity, the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex spans 230km between Ta Phraya National Park on the Cambodian border in the east and Khao Yai National Park in the west. The mountainous region has 7,500 of its 615,500 hectares above 1,000m.
The other parts of the Complex that are now protected include Thap Lan National Park, Pang Sida National Park, Ta Phraya National Park and Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary.
The complex is home to more than 800 species of fauna, 392 species of birds and 200 reptiles and amphibians.
Being the closest to and easiest access from Bangkok, Khao Yai National Park is the most popular destination to visit amongst the 5 protected sites.
Our 1-day Itinerary
Viewing Point and Information Centre
We started off at a viewing point and the Khao Yai Information Centre to learn more about the park and the animals living in the park.
Some of its species are already extinct. And the remaining endangered species such as the Asian Elephant, Tiger, Leopard Cat, Pileated Gibbon, Asiatic Black Bear, Malayan Sun Bear, Smooth-coated Otter and the Siamese Crocodile are under protection.
The above is the skeleton of a 17-year-old gaur shot by poachers in April 2005. The Guar, which is also known as the Indian Bison, is listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Along the way where there were animals worth observing, Deaw stopped the car and took out his powerful binoculars for us to watch the animal. In the photos below are hornbills resting on top of some trees. Deaw spotted them while driving and yet it took us a while to catch sight of these birds while standing stationary on land.
Jungle Trekking
Next, is Jungle Trekking. Deaw assessed our physical ability and recommended an easy trekking route for us.
Deaw lent all of us leech socks, necessary to keep the yucky leeches away from us. If you have not seen one before, click here for a photo of it. This blood-sucking leech will stay on your skin to enjoy your blood until you realise its painful presence.
We started the trek with Deaw introducing the various bugs and residents of the jungle that were of interest to the children. The kids asked tons of questions. And after making a din in the jungle, no animal came near us for our observations. Hahaha.
Unfortunately due to an unexpected rainfall, the path which was supposed to be easy for the young and old turned out to be muddy and slippery. It was overwhelming for many of us. Navigating up some slippery mud paths while wearing sleeping toddlers was a little challenging for my hubby and myself as well.
A couple of our family members fell and all of us came out muddy. The kids dreaded the muddy trek and my daughter freaked out near the end of the trail.
I guess it was great fun for everyone. Since the first trek turned out to be rather tough for some of us, we did not attempt any other trek thereafter.
Lunch
Lunch was provided in a simple restaurant or perhaps I should call it a hut? After an hours’ plus worth of trekking, everyone was famished and gobbled up all our food.
Heaw Suwat Waterfalls
The 20-metre high Heaw Suwat Waterfall is made famous by Leonardo Di Caprio’s The Beach. The viewing point is only a hundred meters away from the road, easy to access.
My adventurous dad actually walked down the stone pavement by himself to the bottom of the waterfall and took some pictures.
Heaw Narok Waterfalls
This is a three-tiered waterfall and we only saw a part of it. With the total height of 150 metres, the Heaw Narok Waterfall is the biggest waterfall in the Khao Yai National Park.
We walked a 1-km nature trail until we reached flights of steep stairs to reach the bottom of the waterfall. The steps are extremely narrow and steep. Going down was easy for us the young ones as it was only a matter of balancing ourselves down the steps.
Our seniors avoided the climb entirely and it was a wise choice. As it turned out, climbing back up to the flat trail was super tiring. My hubby and I were baby-wearing then. The extra load on our body tired us out, and it was like another army training for my hubby.
Night Safari
Night Safari was part of our package too. The plan was to sit our 12-seater comfortably and view the animals from inside the vehicle. However our tired bodies and an appointment with my sister outside the park cut short our trip.
Despite of the challenges we faced in this family trek, it was a great experience. We learned a lot more about the nature and it was a great bonding opportunity for all of us.
Keen to organise a day trek too. Click here for links to the day-trip program.
Like this post? Check out our Khaoyai/Bangkok posts here.
Khao Yai & Bangkok with kids – 7D6N – June 2019
Better Moon Guesthouse, Bangkok – Our Review
The kids had a blast in KidZania Bangkok
Primo Piazza, Khao Yai. The kids loved it!
You may also like to read these travel posts on other parts of Thailand:
Hua Hin with kids – 6D5N – November 2022
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