4 National Parks in Thailand You Should Visit at Least Once in Your Lifetime

By Ponlawat Boonthae

Currently, Thailand has 131 national parks and 23 additional protected areas under preparation, making a total of 154 sites. But here, we’ve selected just 4 outstanding national parks that every nature lover should experience at least once in their life.

1. Kaeng Krachan National Park

Kaeng Krachan National Park covers areas within Nong Ya Plong District and Kaeng Krachan District in Phetchaburi Province, as well as Hua Hin District in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. It is the largest national park in Thailand, with an area of approximately 1,821,687.84 rai (2,914.70 square kilometers). The park remains a pristine tropical rainforest, serving as the watershed for the Phetchaburi and Pranburi rivers.

The park is known for its rich natural attractions, including lakes, waterfalls, caves, and stunning cliffs. It’s also a popular destination for birdwatching and misty mountain views, not far from Bangkok. The surrounding area is covered by lush evergreen forest, teeming with wildlife. From the mountain peaks, you can witness the sea of mist, especially between the rainy and cool seasons.

Traveling within the park typically requires 2 days and 1 overnight stay along the way. Visitors must arrange for a park ranger guide, and bring their own food and camping equipment.

• Panoen Thung Camp (Km.30): One of the best viewpoints for sunrise and a sea of mist. Camping is allowed here.

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• Thor Thip Waterfall: Located 15 kilometers from Panoen Thung, it’s accessible by car, followed by a 4-kilometer hike. The waterfall has 9 tiers, with the 5th tier being the most beautiful. Each tier has its own charm, surrounded by lush forest. Entry to this area requires a park ranger guide, and vehicles must be powerful enough to handle the steep and rugged mountain roads.

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• Ban Krang Camp (Unit GJ.4): Located about 30 kilometers from the visitor center, this is the starting point for vehicles heading to Panoen Thung. It’s also a popular camping and trekking area, with nature trails through mixed deciduous and dry evergreen forests, home to many kinds of wildlife, especially birds and over 100 species of butterflies that gather around the mineral licks during the dry season.

 2. Khlong Lan National Park

Khlong Lan National Park is located in Kamphaeng Phet Province, covering an area of over 260,000 rai (416 square kilometers). The park spans four sub-districts: Khlong Lan Phatthana, Khlong Nam Lai, Pong Nam Ron, and Sak Ngam, all within Khlong Lan District. It was officially designated as a national park on December 25, 1982.

Within the park, there are several beautiful natural attractions, including Khlong Lan Waterfall, Khlong Nam Lai Waterfall, and Kaeng Roi Koh. The best time to visit is from November to February.

Highlights within the park include:

• Khlong Lan Waterfall: Located just 500 meters from the park headquarters, this large waterfall originates from the Khlong Lan, Khlong Khlung, and Khlong Suan Mak mountain ranges. It cascades down a 100-meter-high cliff, with a width of 40 meters. At the base, there is a natural pool where visitors can enjoy swimming.

  
  

• Khlong Nam Lai Waterfall (also called Pang Kwai Waterfall): Situated 25 kilometers from the park headquarters, this medium-sized waterfall flows down a 60-meter-high cliff, forming 9 levels in total. Each tier features pools of varying sizes and heights. At the third level, the waterfall splits into two streams — the right side flows into a pool about 3 meters wide, making it a good spot for swimming.

Park entrance fees:

• Thai visitors: 40 Baht for adults, 20 Baht for children

• Foreign visitors: 200 Baht for adults, 100 Baht for children

Accommodation and facilities:

The park provides lodges, camping areas, and a welfare shop for the convenience of tourists.

3. Khao Yai National Park

Khao Yai is Thailand’s first national park, covering 11 districts across four provinces: Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, and Nakhon Nayok. It is a vast forested area situated in the San Kamphaeng mountain range, continuing from what was once known as the Dong Phaya Yen or Dong Phaya Fai mountain range. The landscape is made up of numerous large and small mountains, serving as the source of several important rivers such as the Nakhon Nayok River and the Mun River. The park is rich in diverse plant species and wildlife including wild elephants, deer, barking deer, gaur, tigers, and many other species, along with naturally beautiful landscapes.

One of the most iconic animals of Khao Yai is the wild elephant, an important mammal species highly popular among visitors. These elephants are often found in herds of 5–7 individuals, sometimes up to 30 elephants, usually led by a female matriarch. Male elephants (bulls) tend to live and forage alone, except during the mating season. Elephant herds often travel great distances in search of food, roaming vast areas. Their favorite foods include bamboo, ginger, wild bananas, and grasses. The trails made by elephants create natural pathways that interconnect like a network, which can be used by park rangers for patrols and by tourists for trekking. It is believed that there are approximately 140 to 200 wild elephants living within Khao Yai National Park.

Commonly seen animals in the park include deer, barking deer (muntjac), gaur (wild cattle), wild boars, and serows. Among these hoofed animals, deer are particularly popular with visitors. From the late afternoon until early evening, deer and barking deer often emerge to graze in the grassy meadows along the roadsides, visible to the naked eye. At night, they can be spotted using spotlights from vehicles. Wild boars and gaur usually inhabit the deep forest and feed in old meadows. The population of gaur is scattered throughout the park but is relatively low in density, and the exact number remains unknown.

4. Phu Pha Man National Park

The distinctive appearance of this national park is a limestone mountain range with vertical cliffs resembling a curtain. It is located in the Dong Lan Forest area, Na Nong Thum Sub-district, covering 218,750 rai (about 349 square kilometers) and spanning Phu Pha Man District and Chum Phae District in Khon Kaen Province, as well as Phu Kradueng District in Loei Province.

The park’s name, Phu Pha Man National Park, is derived from a mountain range in the southern part of the park where a steep rectangular cliff face appears like a giant hanging curtain.

The forest here remains lush and fertile, consisting of evergreen and mixed deciduous forests. The climate is cool and humid for most of the year.

Since the attractions within the park are spread out, the tourist routes are divided into two main routes:

Route One:

• Bat Cave (Tham Khang Khao):

•  Located on Phu Pha Man, this cave lies about 100 meters up from the ground level and its entrance can be seen from a distance. As visitors approach, they will notice a strong odor from the bat droppings. Inside, millions of small bats inhabit the cave. Every evening, these bats emerge in groups, forming a long, continuous stream stretching over Hiseveral kilometers, taking around 30–45 minutes to fully exit the cave.

• Phra Cave (Tham Phra):

•  Situated near Bat Cave, this cave leads up to the summit of  Phu Pha Man, though the trail is quite challenging. Inside, the cave features large stone columns and beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. It is accessible by car and is best visited during the cool season. In the rainy season, moss can make the rocks slippery.

• Phu Ta Lor Cave (Tham Phu Ta Lor):

•  Located in Ban Wang Sawap, this spacious cave is reachable by car only during the dry season. The cave has natural stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling, with a flat, earthen floor and cool, pleasant air inside. Some of the stones bear a resemblance to the fangs of Hanuman, a character from Thai mythology.

Route 2:

• Tat Fa Waterfall (Namtok Tat Fa):

•  This waterfall is formed by Huai Tat Fa stream, which serves as the border between Phu Pha Man District in Khon Kaen and Nam Nao District in Phetchabun. Cars can only travel as far as Ban Tat Fa, after which visitors must continue on foot. The waterfall has five tiers, with the most beautiful being the final one, standing about 80 meters high. It is especially stunning during the rainy season.

• Tat Yai Waterfall (Namtok Tat Yai):

•  This is the largest waterfall in the park, also formed by Huai Tat Fa stream. The waterfall cascades down several smaller tiers before falling from a cliff approximately 80 meters high, making it the tallest waterfall in the national park.