Khao Yai is the oldest national park in Thailand and is THE place to see wildlife. This module is also included in the programme suitable for children, as most of it is undertaken by safari vehicle through the jungle.

Just four hours from Bangkok, you will find yourself in a completely different world- mountains, waterfalls, and exotic vegetation will abound all around you. Khao Yai is a vast natural jungle which is home to wild elephants, tigers, bears, porcupines, gibbons, snakes and parrots. On your first day, you will take a sunset trip into the spooky bat caves to see thousands of the creatures waking for the night. The next day your guide will take you in search of tropical wildlife, stopping at the waterfall into which Leonardo DiCaprio dived during a scene from ‘The Beach’. At the end of the day, you can relax with a swim and a herbal sauna back at your jungle bungalow resort.

You will make your own way to the national park by train or bus to Pak Chong. If you let the lodge know your time of arrival, by bus or train, they will send someone to collect you from the station. Alternatively, a taxi to the lodge takes only 15 minutes and costs approx £2.
 
You will stay in a lodge just outside the Khao Yai gates- an eclectic mix of buildings with spacious rooms, old fashioned and typically Thai. There is an open air restaurant, as well as a swimming pool with waterfall and a herbal sauna. After settling in and freshening up, you will set off into the park at 3.30pm to watch the sunset at the bat cave. You will witness thousands upon thousands of bats swarm out in the light of the setting sun. Keep an eye out for the birds of prey as they try to intercept them. It really is a breathtaking sight. 

You will have an early start today with a wake up call at 7.15am. After breakfast, you will set off at 8.30am in a small open bus (songthaew) with your guide and fellow travellers to seek out some wildlife. The driver and guide are excellent at spotting the wildlife and the bus will stop often and quite abruptly to observe the animals in the jungle. The anticipation is really exhilarating. Macaques (monkeys) will wander nonchalantly across the roads but you’ll need binoculars to study the enormous majestic toucans, gibbons or sloths high up in the trees.

Take in the smells and sounds of the tropical jungle as parrots screech overhead and you pass butterflies and wild orchids by the roadside. You will stop for lunch and a swim at a waterfall you may recognise from a scene in ‘The Beach’, the rest of which was filmed on Krabi and Ko Phi Phi.

Back on the move again. After lunch, you will make an adrenalin-pumping 2-hour trek through the jungle to get a view of the wildlife at close quarters. The paths are all level but riddled with thick roots and low branches, so be sure to watch your step and wear sturdy shoes. Your trek will cover part of the 50km network of tracks that crosses through the park, mostly over elephant trails. In the dry season, you will be given special long socks to keep out the ticks and leeches, and in the wet season you will be given a poncho. Your guide will explain everything you see along the way, pointing out edible leaves and creatures that your untrained eyes may have missed.

Following the trek, you will take a slow drive up to the viewpoint, 1300m high, giving fantastic views over the thick jungle canopy. As dusk arrives, you will observe the sights and sounds of the jungle beginning to change. The noise of crickets becomes deafening, and now is your best chance to see elephants, wildcats and porcupines.

This is the end of the Khao Yai module, so after breakfast and a quick swim you will be transferred to the train or bus station for your next module. We can suggest that you follow your trip to Khao Yai with a wonderfully rural adventure In the Thai Countryside.