How to spend a day in Khao Yai
Once in a while, it’s always great to get out and away from the craziness of the city, especially with what Bangkok has to offer. Whether it’s a day trip or a weekend getaway, Khao Yai is a convenient yet satisfying place to go and get lost amongst the majestic mountain ranges and national park.
A Quick Background
What and where is Khao Yai exactly? Khao Yai (literally translating to ‘Big Mountain’ in Thai) is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is amongst the largest and most visited national parks in Thailand. The park is spread across four provinces including Saraburi (West), Nakhon Nayok (East), Nakhon Ratchasima (North) and Prachinburi (East). If you don’t know where to begin, we’ve got you covered. Here is a one-day itinerary of things to do in Khao Yai - you may even decide to spread it out over a weekend!
Getting There
For ultimate flexibility and mobility, it is highly recommended to rent a car and drive there on your own. You’ll not only get to explore more places, but you’ll love the winding and picturesque drive around the national park.
From Bangkok, the best route to Khao Yai (In our opinion) is to drive up north towards Nakhon Ratchasima. This will take a little over two hours depending on traffic. A recommendation would be set your GPS to ‘Dairy Home’ and follow the ‘1016’ road strip all the way till its very end, Thanarat Road. Thanarat Road not only leads directly to Khao Yai National Park but is considered the main road in Khao Yai where you’ll find quirky hotels, hip cafes, farms, wineries, restaurants and a number of rustic markets.
Things To Do
Source: Dairy Home Farm Shop
Let’s start with the arrival at Dairy Home. Diary Home is restaurant and farm shop that is wonderful pitstop for brunch offering a wide selection of Thai and Western organic meat dishes including pasta, steaks and classic Thai-style stir-fries. The exterior of the restaurant resembles a red barn accompanied by a tropical garden definitely giving off a countryside vibe.
Along the ‘1016’ strip leading to the heart of Khao Yai there are a number of places you can visit including Instagram-able cafes, farmers markets, mini petting zoos, wineries and botanical gardens. Here below is a breakdown of our top picks!
Yellow Submarine Coffee Tank
Source: Yellow Submarine Coffee Tank
The Yellow Submarine Coffee Tank is a haven for photographers. This unique minimalistic cafe, painted in shades of black is located bang in the middle of thin tall trees and greenery. What’s even better? There isn’t much ceiling, so when you look up you see branches of trees in contrast to the sunny blue sky. Enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, ice cream or cakes in the midst of nature.
Address: Mu Si, Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130, Thailand
Opening Hours: 9am - 7pm (Closed on Tuesdays and Public Holidays)
PB Valley
Spanning 100-acres, PB Valley’s vineyard offers a variety of things to do including wine factory tours, wine tasting, cuisines and of course beautiful photo ops. As the vineyard is located on an even higher elevation, the drop in temperature during the cool seasons enables PB Valley to provide a large variety of wine grapes including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc.
Additionally, further down the road you’ll find a family-run winery quite popular amongst locals, Grande Monte.
Source: PB Valley
Address: 102 Moo 5, Phaya Yen, Pak Chong, Nakorn Ratchasima 30320
Opening Hours: 8am - 4:30pm
The Bloom
Looking for more vibrant and colorful sightings? The bloom is where you’ll want to visit. Consisting of a large garden covering over 100 acres, the garden is home to over 30 species of flowers. Grown side by side and interchangeable, the garden brightens up the entire area with a stellar contrast against the mountain views.
The Bloom is located just a couple meters away from PB Valley, so it’s a convenient visit.
Source: The Bloom
Address: 357 Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phaya Yen, 30320
Opening Hours: 7am - 8pm
Primo Piazza
Looking for something a little out of the ordinary? Then step into Khao Yai’s little Italy, Primo Piazza. The complex is built with classic Italian architecture to mimic a rustic Tuscan village, and with this you’ll feel like you’ve escaped Thailand altogether.
In addition to the beautiful yet classical architecture for you to soak in, you’ll find sheep, donkeys and alpacas roaming around the area that you can feed and pet!
Source: Primo Piazza
Address: 200/2 Moo 10, Tambon Musi, Pakchong District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130, Thailand
Opening Hours: 6am - 6pm
The Birders Lodge + Farmers Market
The Birders Lodge is a hip cafe that you won’t be able to miss due to its unique wooden exterior. You’ll find an amazing homemade ice-cream, followed by coffee and drinks that will definitely relieve you from the heat. Right opposite the cafe you’ll find a massive wooden barn covered with vines, flowers and green leaves. Enter the barn and you’ll find a mini farmers market with vendors selling a variety of fresh grown and organic veggies, fruits, plants and treats that you can buy! This is definitely worth a visit.
Source: The Birders Lodge
Address: 200/2 Moo 10, Tambon Musi, Pakchong District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130, Thailand
Opening Hours: 6am - 6pm
Khao Yai National Park
The ‘Pak Chong’ entrance of the Khao Yai National Park is at the very end of Thanarat Road. There is a one-time entrance fee to the national park, and you’ll find that it is definitely worth the price with all the pitstops recommended below.
Other fun attractions at the national park not mentioned below include trekking in the jungle and a night safari - if you’re interested in any of these, it is recommended to speak to one of the rangers at the entrance of the park and they’ll be able to assist you with those special activities.
Address: 200/2 Moo 10, Tambon Musi, Pakchong District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130, Thailand
Opening Hours: 6am - 6pm
Viewpoints
Along the drive up to the national park, you’ll find several dedicated spots where you can park your car and appreciate the stunning views of the mountain ranges and national park. If you’re lucky, you’ll also spot monkeys goofing among the trees by the parking area. Other wildlife that you may see along your drive includes wild elephants, deer, and snakes.
Haew Suwat Waterfall
A waterfall that featured in Danny Boyle’s film The Beach, Haew Suwat Waterfall is absolutely stunning. With water flowing all year round, you are able to take the steep steps all the way to the Botton of the waterfall. Although swimming isn’t allowed, you can climb up the rocks and pebbles to capture the perfect shot of the waterfall. In addition to this, you can pick a spot to sit and take in the views and appreciate the sound and sights of this pretty waterfall.
Haew Narok Waterfall
Haew Narok is a more large scale compared to Haew Suwat. With thick and heavy flows of waters crashing down - you’ll also feel the vibration once you reach the front of the waterfall. There is a short trek to the sight and very steep downward steps towards the waterfall so it is advised to be very careful and always watch your step!
Pha Diew Dai and Pha Trom Jai
This is the parks most impressive viewpoints and is located up over 1,100 meters above sea level. There are beautiful wooden steps made to synchronize well with the surrounding environment leading directly to the cliff viewpoint.
After stopping at Pha Diew Dai, keep following the road further up to Pha Trom Jai, the highest peak of Khao Yai. You’ll get a stunning 180 view of the national park and you’ll literally be above the clouds! Be sure to have your mobile phones and camera’s fully charged because a couple snaps wouldn’t be enough!
And there you have it, a one to two-day itinerary of Khao Yai! Nonetheless, it’s worth to mention that the list of things to do in Khao Yai doesn’t just stop here. It is never ending and goes on to include Scenical World (a theme park), cowboy ranches, go-carting, art museums, hot springs and giant mazes… to name a few. In addition to this, there is a sea of restaurants and hotels that are popping up around the area. So if you’ve got more time in your hands and are up for even more exploration, keep driving along Khao Yai’s Thanarat Road.
