THE area of Khao Yai, located in the North East of Thailand, will appeal to the Middle East traveller due the sheer amount of nature amongst the lush green surroundings which will sooth any hardened desert dweller. Just under 200 km outside of Bangkok, Khao Yai is a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of the capital, providing a welcome respite for those looking for cooler climes, thanks to the surrounding peaks of the mountains.
One of the main attractions of the area is Khao Yai National Park. A Unesco World Heritage Site due to its status as one of the largest intact monsoon forests remaining in mainland Asia, the park is 2,168 sq km of pure natural beauty. One of the oldest and most popular reserves, it covers four provinces and is home to an abundance of wildlife including deer, elephants, sun bears, wild boars, monkeys, tigers as well as a variety of birds and butterflies.
Guests can choose from a variety of excursions to enjoy Khao Yai National Park including two wildlife watch towers as well as over 20 trekking trails, ranging in length from a few hours to overnight stays. Impressive waterfalls provide ideal photo opportunities, or for the more adventurous types, swimming is possible in a selected few, most notably the Nam Tok Haew Suwat waterfall, famed for its starring role in the film The Beach. On the edge of the park, is a bat cave that is home to thousands of bats and you can watch them emerge in the early evening, dramatized even further by the backdrop of the setting sun.
While the National Park is open during the day, our programme was scheduled to undertake the night safari. Travelling in the back of a large open truck, we slowly toured the park eagerly looking for the tell-tale signs of wildlife in their natural habitat. The torch used to identify the animals slowly swung left and right and would come to rest on the animals as they grazed in the forest or hid amongst the trees. We were lucky enough to see deer, porcupines, and what seemed to be, bush babies. While it was disappointing not to see the elephants or tigers, the evening left the entire group silent as Mother Nature delivered an awe-inspiring experience.
By Karen Osman