Khao Yai National Park and Elephant Ride Day Trip from Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Explore the protected green landscapes of Khao Yai National Park on a full-day guided excursion from Bangkok. Sample exotic fruits, take a ride on a traditional ox cart though the fields and search for tigers, black bears and leopards in Khao Yai National Park, and your day out with an elephant ride through the jungle. This is great city escape for those looking to get back to nature during their stay in Bangkok.

Khao Yai National Park is approximately 108 miles (175 kilometers) northeast of Bangkok. The park has five vegetation zones and one of the few remaining monsoon forests in Asia. It is home to over 153 different species of animals and birds including 200-300 wild elephants, as well as endangered Asiatic black bears, tigers, leopards and barking deer to name a few - no wonder it is Thailand's most visited park. Sightings can never be guaranteed but it is great to wander the park knowing wildlife is out there!

On the way to the park, stop at a local fruit market where you can taste and buy exotic seasonal fruits like mango, rambutan and even the stinky but tasty durian fruit. Then board a traditional cart, pulled by oxen and enjoy a ride among rice fields before continuing Khao Yai National Park.

Follow the paved trail through the jungle walkways and over the bridge to the impressive three tier Haew Norok waterfall. After lunch at a local restaurant take a 45-minute trek through the jungle on the back of an elephant, before returning to Bangkok where your tour will end.

USD $93.30

Review by: Jerald W	April 2012
great tour. Really enjoyed the elephant ride and the ox cart ride. Was disapointrd that the waterfall was dry this time of year.

Review by: Ryan M	March 2012
Kind of a short ride. Only did a circle. For the price, I wish I could have done more of a path. BUT, had a ton of fun and DO recommend.

Review by: Devon D	March 2012
Truly one of the best experiences I have had in Thailand with all thanks due to our guide and driver. They were so accommodating, truly genuine and went way out of there way to make sure our large group enjoyed themselves. The hike was beautiful, the market fascinating, the lunch delicious, and topped off by an fun elephant ride!

Review by: Faye R	March 2012
Fantastic day, particularly looved the elephant trekking. Nice small group. Very well organised by the company.

Review by: James S	March 2012
This trip was excellent. Our guide was very knowledgable about the area and history. The visit to the local food marketplace will not be to everyone's liking, but is was a great glimpse into another way of life. I strongly encourage you to try some of the fruits and prepared meats that are offered as you walk around. The falls were beautiful, though it is a bit of a walk. The stairs to the bottom of the falls require quite a bit of work, but well worth it. The elephant ride was a highlight of our entire trip. The handlers were great in the care of the animals and taking pictures for us.

Review by: Chris	February 2012
This was a briiliant, if somewhat long trip lasting over 12 hours. However, the duration was more than compensated by the Elephant Ride which was the highlight of the trip. The visit to the market, farmyard ride, tour of the National Park and lunch were all excellent but the Elephant Ride was superb - an absolute must for any visit to Bangkok.

Review by: Jennifer L	January 2012
I had a great time, but this was much more traveling in a van/bus than I had expected. My friend and I were stuck in the back seat which was not actually attached to the bench and rocked to and fro for hours of driving. The guide was top notch and I enjoyed all of our stops, just not the time in the vehicle. I would recommend grabbing any other seat than the back bench.

Review by: Laura	January 2012
What I will remember most about this trip is how COLD it was in the van, and how, even though I asked repeatedly for the AC to be turned off, they did not. Kuhn talked the whole way with the driver, offering no information during the ride. I was so cold, that I got very sick upon returning to Bangkok. There was too much just sitting and riding in the freezing van, not enough exploration of the park. The elephant ride was wonderful, but please get another tour guide who is willing to offer information to people on the trip, and warn people to bring a thick blanket, or many layers of clothes. Also, Kuhn should be told to listen to passenger's requests when they are so cold! I cannot say I enjoyed this expensive trip, and am still recovering from being in that freezing van for so many hours. This is no exaggeration: I thought I might die, I was so cold!

Review by: CanadianGal6	January 2012
There were to 4 parts to this trip. The first part was a visit to a local market. Frankly I didn't really need to go on a tour to see this as I've walked through enough markets in Bangkok already. Part 2 was the ox cart ride. I didn't really enjoy this part because it was clearly a very touristy thing to do. The ox was pulling the cart rather slowly and it was very dusty the entire way. Our ox cart "driver" was on his cellphone the entire time. Part 3 was when we actually went inside to the Khao Yai National Park to see the waterfall. There really isn't much to see on the way to the waterfall (no wildlife) and the waterfall was less than impressive since I went during the dry season. Then the finale was the elephant ride. That experience alone made up for the majority of the tour. For the price I paid, I don't think this was worth it. I think I'd rather pay half the price and just get the elephant ride somewhere else.

Review by: Michael G	December 2011
Good trip with NO extra BS stops.

Review by: Wes J	December 2011
A 3 hour drive for a silly ox cart ride a short lame hike ...BUT then the elephant ride was GREAT, It made up for the rest of the day. Then another 3 hours back. Overall not worth it,

Review by: Lynn H	December 2011
awesome day apart from traffic back in to Bangkok but well worth it

Review by: Dean R	November 2011
A very busy and full day; the ox-cart ride, elephant ride (in the river !) and local market tour were all exceptional; there was also a side trip to a waterfall that wasn't that rewarding; we've all seen falls much more impressive - if asked I'd recommend they drop that leg. Lunch at the "elephant ranch" was super. Overall the tour is highly recommended.

Review by: Jill	November 2011
This is one of our favourite tours ever! We stopped at a local food market which was fascinating before an unexpected ox cart ride. Then we went to the Heow Narek Waterfall. Not for the faint hearted as there are 109 extremely steep steps to go up and down. It is a beautiful waterfall at the bottom though. Then off to Khao Yai National Park for lunch and the Elephant ride. It was fabulous.

Review by: Kategm47	November 2011
This tour was great, on time, professional and a great experience- HIGHLY recommended!

Review by: Ralph B	November 2011
GOOD

Review by: Michela P	October 2011
Had such a great day! Tour guide was very nice and I even met some interesting people! WOuld definitely recommend to anyone!

Review by: Kate	October 2011
Absolutely Fantastic!!!!!!!! I am not sure I really need to expand on that but I will, This was by far the best experience of our 5 week honeymoon (Bangkok, Australia, Singapore). This trip was amazing value for money, some reviewer's have said it would have been worth the money just for the elephant part of the trip but we also have been happy paying this price for the rest of the trip before we even got to the elephants!! Obviously the elephant ride is the highlight of the trip (the river bit is unbelievable) but the market, ox cart, Views and monkeys on the road really helped to make it perfect.

Review by: Cindy H	September 2011
Hands down the best thing I did in Bangkok....but to extend this trip, you take an ox cart ride. Not my highlight. Stop at a market. Another thing I could have lived without. We didn't have lunch until 1pm, considering my 6:30 am pick up....pack a snack! Tour guide was great and transportation was timely and clean. The National Park time could have been longer. You literally drive in to the park, walk down to see a waterfall and leave. However, despite it all the Elephant ride at the end of lunch was awesome! It is in the back of a hotel, not what I expected, I actually thought we would trek through the National Park...oh well. It was still great.

Review by: Danielle C	September 2011
Fantastic day out we really enjoyed this,just the day trip to get out of Bangkok!!

Review by: Roy N	September 2011
This was my first trip to Thailand first through Viator so I wanted a day "sampler" outside of Bangkok. _br/_ Time was confirmed the night before and from start to end it was an outstanding, well organized, informative journey. Driver and guide were outstanding and there was just enough commentary on the way to the sites that allowed for quiet viewing and a nap! _br/_ The market tour was enjoyable and a good stop on the way. Some reviewers bemoan the ox cart ride but I found it relaxing, fun and great scenery (I tipped the ox cart handler but it didnt appear others did)._br/_ The walk to the falls was beautiful (even the mini-leeches appeared, as advertised) and my only wish was that it was longer and that Viator offered a full day and perhaps overnight of trekking._br/_ Monkeys appeared en masse, as did elephant dung (but no elephants) and deer along the drive to lunch, which was good and more than ample although a bit bland (spice it up!) _br/_ The elephant ride through the forest and river was a life highlight and worth the price of admission! I rate the tour highly recommended, good value, great service.

Review by: Anonymous	September 2011
My husband and I had the best time on this tour. Our tour guide Majik was great. He was very entertaining and knowledgeable._br/_ It was a full day, but not rushed. The tour included visits to a food market and National Park. The day ended with the best part - the elephant ride. I recommend this tour - you will totally enjoy it.

Review by: ian p	September 2011
we had a great day and the ride on the elephant was fantastic for us. it was apleasure and a privelage to ride a creature so large and yet so gentle.a memory that we will never forget.thanks.

Review by: Susan L	August 2011
The "bus" was a van with very small windows and being squashed in the back seat with no leg room and not much window to look out of made this a long uncomfortable day, (not even a back window to look out of.) unable to hear the tour guide at times. However the elephants on the day made it a good day. I would hope that they look at the buses that they use for the comfort and views given to the paying tourist.

Review by: suitlaw	August 2011
The van ride did take a while, but we knew this would be the case beforehand. Here are a few highlights from the trip: a ride in an ox-pulled cart, a hike to a waterfall, a traditional Thai meal, and an elephant ride. The elephant ride was definitely the best part. During the ride, each passenger had a chance to ride on the elephant's neck and take his/her turn steering. Plenty of pictures were taken for us, helping us better preserve the memories we made. This day tour also offers a much-needed trip out of the Bangkok area.

Review by: Neddy	August 2011
There are so many positives to being a solo traveller - I got to ride, guide, dice with death and a watery end by being trampled on by a mere snip of a 19 year old female elephant - right from the start of the ride - all to myself! Completely fantabulous. What a wonderful and memorable day. Just don't let your camera run out of battery.......

Review by: Devin M	August 2011
The tour was excellent! Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about all the places we visited.

Review by: Robert J W	July 2011
I went on this trip with my Wife and Son, and we all enjoyed the trip, There was only 7 of us on the trip in total, so there was a good level of interaction with the guide, who spoke very good English. If visiting Bangkok it is well worth doing some of these trips to get out of the city and see the countryside in Thailand. The trek to the waterfall in the national Park could have been longer, but the trip was very enjoyable and I would recommend it.

Review by: Nicole T	July 2011
Lunch was the best of the trip! We got to see an amazing waterfall, great views, monkeys, a local market, and of course the elephant riding! A MUST!

Review by: Shaun W	July 2011
This trips was an absolute blast, our guide Gary was just great, a knowledgeable guide and a nice polite man._br/_ The waterfall was great and climb down steps rewarded by views. We saw alot of monkeys and lunch was superb, after lunch we had our ride on the elephants which i had never done before and was slightly nervous about at first but again our mahut was very friendly and i got to ride elephant when he jumped of much to my surprise and he took a lot of photos for me. This was without a doubt, the highlight of my 4 days in bangkok and a must see.

Review by: Debra E	July 2011
Superb.

Review by: Parviz M	July 2011
The tour was very good and exciting. The tour guide and other staff were very friendly and helpful. It was a new experience with riding ox-driven cart through forest and rice farms and riding elephant through forest and river.

Review by: Rodney H	June 2011
Very highly reccommend this trip! This was the highlight of our 3week holiday in Asia. You get so much for your money, including entry fees and meal, and efficient booking. The tour operator called our hotel the previous evening to confirm pick up time. The tours are in small groups so feel very personal, the park is far away but the air conditioned coach stops regularly to visit different attractions. Our tour guide Gary was extremely friendly and spoke good English, pointing things out while we were travelling. The first stop was at a morning market which we found fascinating, Gary talked to us in detail about the various produce being sold. Next we stopped at a farm for an ox cart ride which was a brilliant experience, especially getting to wear crazy hats! Then the tour went on into Khao Yai where we went on a short trek into the jungle to a beautiful waterfall, where we descended some extremely steep steps. Don't go down if you are unfit as it is very hard getting back up and our trip was held up here by an attention seeking Australian who was demanding an ambulance to help her get up the steps! Even though she was clearly just lazy Gary was brilliant and tried his best to get her everything she wanted. We drove to a hotel in the jungle where a lovely meal was provided, including fresh fruit from the morning market. Then the highlight of the day; the elephant ride was a once in a lifetime experience! Starting off on a seat, the guides let you ride on it's neck if you choose to, and ours took tens of photos for us. The elephants are so friendly and feeding them after the ride was lovely!

Review by: Michael D	June 2011
A brilliantly organized and eventful trip. The visit to a local food market went on a bit too long but the rest of the trip was fantastic. A ride on a cart pulled by oxen, the trip to the waterfall in the Khao Yai. We then stopped off for much needed lunch. The highlight of the day was obviously the elephant ride, particularly when the mahout let me ride on the elephants back. These creatures are breathtaking and majestic and we got to feed them bananas at the end of the ride. Winni the guide was very enthusiastic and did a wonderful job

Review by: Richard B, Canada	July 2010
Had the time of my life. Best excursion I have ever been on. Thai are the nicest people in the world, so very nice and happy. Well worth the money.

Review by: Andrew B, Taiwan	June 2010
All I have to say is, wow. This trip was amazing in more ways than one. I was fortunate enough that I was the only person on my tour, so I ended up having a day-long private tour guide and driver. Riding the elephants was obviously the highlight of this tour and one of the best experiences of my life. For anyone going to Bangkok and looking for a day to get out of the craziness that is Bangkok and to experience what the rest of Thailand looks and feels like, I highly recommend this tour. The lunch was excellent and I had roughly 6 different plates of food large portions all for me. Everyone was extremely kind and friendly, and the tour guide went out of her way to make sure that I was more than satisfied. An amazing time and worth every penny. Make sure to bring some extra Baht with you for tipping the ox cart driver, the elephant guide, the driver, and the tour guide..they will surely appreciate the extra bonus, especially with the recent decline in tourists to Thailand. Everyone was mentioning to me that I was their first tour in over a month, and all of the people we met along the way seemed ecstatic to see me. A great experience through and through.

Review by: Kim D, United States of America	May 2010
The elephant trek was well worth the entire cost! Wonderful experience.

Review by: Jane J, United Kingdom	May 2010
This was the most exciting thing I have done in my whole life. The airconditioned mini bus was great. We had an interesting trip around a food market. The oxo cart ride was good and the elephant ride was fantastic. We rode on its neck and fed it.

Review by: Lilian W, United Kingdom	May 2010
This is the best trip we have ever experienced. The elephant ride was amazing!

Review by: Natalie M, United Kingdom	May 2010
Absolutely loved this trip! Amazing experience and highly recommended.

Review by: Roberta S, Malta	April 2010
It was a great experience. Had a fantastic time - tour guide and driver were extremely friendly.

Review by: Lesley W, United Kingdom	April 2010
What a fantastic day! There was only 6 of us and everyone got on very well, our guide was knowledgeable and spoke excellent english. There was a lot more to the tour than we expected, a visit to a local market with our guide taking us through and telling us what things were was excellent as it gave a different view to the market. We also had a Buffalo cart ride which was great fun. In the National Park we saw lots of Monkeys by the roadside and some few deer too. The Waterfall was great as there was an Thai film crew there and it was exciting to watch them at work as well as seeing the fall. Lunch was excellent, well presented and served with plenty to eat. The Elephant ride was just fantastic, I could have stayed there for hours. It was great that we were allowed to 'go solo' on the elephants and that their drivers took our cameras and took loads of photos for us. Feeding the elephants after was also just brilliant, I could have brought her home with me. Excellent day well worth it.

Review by: Yolanda M, United Kingdom	April 2010
Wonderful day, everything thought of and catered for, couldn't of been any better!

Review by: shaun c, United Kingdom	April 2010
excellent trip, would recommend to everyone without a doubt, a must see if you are in bangkok

Review by: Andrew M, United Kingdom	March 2010
I've now done this trip several times for pleasure and with work friends, and it's still amazing and different every time. The elephant ride is best I've done anywhere. A must for the price and full day with no additional cost along the way.

Review by: Mazen C, Oman	March 2010
Very nice trip, I recommend everyone to take this tour.

Review by: Stewart P, Australia	March 2010
All I could say about this trip, fantastic from beginning to end. Fantastic tour guide and driver.

Review by: David C, United Kingdom	March 2010
A throughly enjoyable day out. Our guide was excellent and very informative.

Review by: James S, United Kingdom	February 2010
This was one of the best days of our entire holiday of 6 weeks. The elephant ride was great but you need to know that the mahouts are not paid for by the trip and you have to pay them. It is difficult to know how much to pay them. They are very accommodating and give you a real experience. The visit to the country market was a real eye opener to see what was on sale and eaten! We quite enjoyed the ox cart ride too. A smashing day out. Be aware that the visit to the waterfall does involve a lot of stairs!

Review by: Anonymous, South Africa	February 2010
Excellent experience, especially the elephant ride.