Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [386]
Outside the park, about 3km from the northern gate, is a bat cave that begins disgorging millions of rare wrinkle-lipped bats around 5.30pm.
Many of the hotels and resorts around Khao Yai offer park tours and this is really the ideal way to visit. Khao Yai Garden Lodge (right) and Greenleaf Guesthouse (right) have long earned widespread praise for their trips, as has Wildlife Safari (0 4431 2922; www.khaoyaiwildlife.com), although it is inconveniently located 2km north of Pak Chong. The typical day-long program (1100B to 1300B) includes some easy walks looking for wildlife and a visit to Haew Suwat waterfall, and returns after dark, when you have a good chance of meeting elephants on the road. You can also arrange night safaris (spotlighting drives) at the visitor centre. Lunch, snacks, water and, in the rainy season, ‘leech socks’ (gaiters) are always included, but sometimes the park entry fee is not, so do some comparison shopping. Half-day trips (300B to 500B) typically stay outside the park to visit a cave temple and watch the bats disgorge. Birdwatching, camping, trekking and other speciality tours are also available.
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BEYOND THE FOREST
The greater Khao Yai region is a very popular escape for Bangkokians, and for many of them the national park is beside the point. The roads approaching Khao Yai are lined with enough sweet-corn stands, BB gun shooting ranges, outlet malls and other tourist traps for families to stay busy all weekend without ever thinking about nature. Several of these attractions are pretty good.
By far the most popular stop is Farm Chokchai (0 4432 8485; www.farmchokchai.com; Mittaphap Hwy, Km159; 8.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, from 7.30am Sat & Sun), a 3200-hectare dairy farm overflowing with cowboy kitsch. The expanding empire now includes an ice-cream parlour, steakhouse, souvenir shop and safari-style tented camp (weekday/weekend 3735/4270B per adult). Tours (2½hr tour 235/250B; 10am-2pm Tue-Fri, 9am-3.40pm Sat & Sun) visit the milking parlour, a petting zoo and a cowboy show.
Thailand is the pioneer of ‘New Latitude Wines’. Although the country’s first vintage came from Chateau de Loei (Click here), the Khao Yai area is now the epicentre of this increasingly respectable industry, with over a dozen wineries in the area. Two of the leaders, Khao Yai Winery (0 3622 6416; www.khaoyaiwinery.com; 9am-8pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat), which corked its first bottle in 1998, and GranMonte (0 3622 7334; www.granmonte.com; 11am-8pm), which got in the game three years later, lie along Pansuk-Kudkla Rd, the direct route from Bangkok to Khao Yai (exit Km144). Both are scenically set and offer tours (book in advance), tastings and classy restaurants, the latter serving Western food only. They’re 22.5km and 16km respectively from the park gate.
Life Park (0 4429 7668; Th Thanarat, Km19.5; per activity 160-500B), right near the park gate at the Greenery Resort, is one of several area adventure parks. It’s got go-karts, rock climbing, paintball, pony rides and much more.
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Sleeping & Eating
There are at least a hundred places to stay on the roads leading to the park and plenty more in the not-so-pleasant gateway city of Pak Chong. For budget lodging, touts at the train station and bus stops are helpful (if in doubt, call the hotel yourself; most have English-speaking staff), since the best places for visiting the park are south of town along Rte 2090 (Th Thanarat) and they’ll get you a free ride there. At the top end, expect off-season (May to October) discounts of 30%, and a fee as high as 500B for transfer to/from Pak Chong.
Greenleaf Guesthouse (0 4436 5024; www.greenleaftour.com; Th Thanarat, Km7.5; r 200-300B) Step past the slightly chaotic common areas and you’ll be surprised by the great-value rooms (all with private bathrooms) at the back of this long-running place. These are just about the only budget beds outside Pak Chong.
Khao Yai Garden Lodge (0 4436 5178; www.khaoyai-gardenlodge.com; Th Thanarat, Km7; r 350-2600B, f 3800-6800B; ) This friendly and