The Great National Parks of Thailand: Khao Yai and Khao Sok

Khao Yai National Park

Fun fact: In 1962, Khao Yai was established as Thailand's first national park and is the third largest in the country, AND a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its protected monsoon forests.

If you're a nature lover and ready to get in on the action of sighting all these wild elephants you've been hearing about back home, Khao Yai is one of the best parks to see them. You'll also likely see white-handed gibbons, hornbills, juvenile king cobras, and pig-tailed macaques.

You'll also see a handful of waterfalls (Haew Suwat made famous by the DiCaprio "The Beach" movie), a multitude of fungi (best during the rainy season) and a crazy nature scene of bats by the millions at dusk.

• Getting There

Technically you could do an 11-hour day tour from Bangkok since it's a 2.5 hour drive down, but I wouldn't do that. You could also go independently and try navigating the park with your own map, but I wouldn't do that either, Dora. The guides are so knowledgable and will lead you directly to the active hot spots for wildlife sightings... it's what they do for a living, and so they are damn good at it.

Give yourself at least one night to appreciate the beauty of this park with a 2-day tour option.

• The Experience

Day 1: Full-fay tour (THB 1,500/person)

I got picked up from my hotel at 8:00 with a small group of five other travelers, and we got right to it with a slow drive through the park to catch sight of a monitor lizard, a couple monkeys and various bird species along the way. The guides were so excited to interact with us and make sure we saw absolutely everything on our trip... their eyesight is incredibly resourceful.

We then hopped out of our van to walk through the jungle and listen to our guide as he pointed out different trees and medicinal uses for various plants... our very own nature pharmacy!

After this sneak peek into the LONG day ahead, we stopped for lunch at the park's restaurant for typical Thai cuisine then drove deeper into the park.

Our first stop was Haew Narok, the most impressive and highest waterfall at the park. We then ventured into one of the Temple Bat Caves for a blind tour into the home of many spooky-looking insects and bats flying within earshot.

*Wear a hat, otherwise you may take a golden shower from above!

By the end of the day, you may have a better chance to catch a glimpse of an elephant in one of the forest clearings. The determination of these guides to find one never died down! My group was fortunate enough to see five of these wild elephants on our trip, but don't get discouraged if you don't see one, just come back again the next day more hopeful.

Many of the tours include a night safari, however mine did not, so I can't speak to it, but I've heard the nightlife out there is wild!

Day 2: Half-day tour (THB 500/person)

Getting off to a later start, we began hiking around 15:00 with our guide to further our wildlife count. We were lucky to see some barking deer, scorpions hiding under the leaves (watch your step!), white-handed gibbons up in the trees and one hornbill resting on a branch. The most crucial piece to this tour was the wild focus telescope our guide brought so we could get a better view of the birds way up in the trees and take pictures through this lens for proof on Instagram.

Our first stop was the Haew Suwat waterfall, but unfortunately just coming out of dry season, there was all but a trickle. So I definitely recommend visiting the park at the beginning of dry season (November - February) if you want to recreate the Leonardo DiCaprio jump from the top of this famous landmark.

Now for something you don't see too often... we ended the tour sitting on a grassfield and watched above in awe as millions of bats flew from their cave in a black wave-like formation for what seemed like over an hour. I was in a trance as they flew out for their supper with the sun setting in their backdrop.

Khao Sok National Park

Fun fact: Khao Sok covers an area of 739 square kilometers! So between its thick native rainforest, limestone cliffs and vibrant emerald lake, there are many hidden gems in this park yet to uncover.

Khao Sok is in the middle of Thailand's southern landmass and only a few hours north of Phuket. If you keep your eyes alert, you may spot some of the 311 bird species found in this park, countless insects and reptiles, maybe one of the 200 wild Asian elephants or Malayan sun bears.

• Getting There

Khao Sok is relatively easy to get to, and the best way to do it is to book a tour through the hotel you're staying at for free transfers to the park entrance. You can fly from Bangkok to Surat Thani, Phuket, Krabi or Koh Samui... but your closest option is Surat Thani. I flew into Surat Thani in the mid-morning and had transfers arranged with the hotel to pick us up and bring us to our rooms (less than two hours)

*I highly recommend getting to your hotel midday because you'll be staying somewhat in the jungle... don't want to run into any van issues at 11pm!

• The Experience

Day 1: Full-day hike Khao Sok (THB 1,200 /person)

After spending the evening wandering around our hotel's bamboo forests and waterfall trails, we fell asleep to the natural sounds of the rainforest. At 9:00, we got ourselves up for a trek through the remote paradise of jungle, ridges, waterfalls, flora and (if you're lucky) a Rafflesia plant in full bloom! We were not lucky, but if you want to see what is considered the largest flower in the world, its peak bloom period runs from January to March.

Our guide took us to the main park entrance where we saw a bunch of monkeys, and from there, we ventured off the beaten track into more remote parts of the park. By lunchtime, we arrived at a base where a bunch of other tours were meeting by a local river for swimming and eating. We were handed our pandan-wrapped fried rice with fresh pineapple and had an hour to cool down and recharge. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping we would be on our own path for the day, but it felt a little like a tourist trap in the jungle unfortunately.

We saw plenty of plant life and the occasional monkeys, but I was looking for a bit more wildlife and viewpoints on this tour (especially after the far-flung safari at Khao Yai!). If I were to do it again, I would have looked for a tour that was more personalized to steer clear of the tourist route.

Day 2: Cheow Lan Lake full-day tour (THB 1,500/person)

Now THIS is what we came for. Starting at 8:30, we left Khao Sok town and got dropped off at Rachabrapa Dam to check in and board our boat. The wait view to get on the boat is deserving of a couple photos, the backdrop is absolutely mesmerizing.

For two and a half hours, we explored the lake by long-tail boat and stopped by the famous 3 Rock landmark, "The Guilin of Thailand", before continuing on a short hike to a bat cave (little touristy).

Around 12:30, we took our three-dish Thai set lunch break at a floating restaurant set amongst the epic backdrop of cliffs popping out from everywhere in this sea-foam ocean of a lake. There wasn't enough fried fish to go around, so be sure to get to the table first and snag a piece.

After lunch, we spent two and a half hours just floating in the water among other tourists, but it didn't feel as tourist-trappy... just a peaceful and welcoming place to make some friends.

*They don't sell beer onsite, so I recommend bringing two or three Changs for this time spent in R&R mode.

We got back to our hotel around 17:30 and packed up our bags for our next trip... Koh Samui! The lake trip blew me out of the water and I can't recommend it enough... as for the hiking trip, let me do the heavy burden of research to find the ultimate tour for you!

Day trips

Check out some of these tours through "Our Jungle Camp" for additional overnight camping tours or elephant treks.