Herping tours in Kaeng Krachan national park
By: Tontan Travel Wildlife Tours
Tour description in short
Our herping tours in Kaeng Krachan national park are available as daytrips or multiple-day tours.
We will get around by car to travel between different habitats and hotspots. But we will primarily search reptiles and amphibians on foot. Both during the day and at night.
Why our herping tours?
With over 70 species of snakes alone recorded in Kaeng Krachan national park, what more do we need to add? Many species from the Indochinese region and the Sunda region overlap in this park. And besides the divers herpetofauna, you might even get some cool bonus mammals and birds.
The park is not far from Bangkok, and even closer to the popular tourist destination, Hua Hin. The largest national park of Thailand should be on any herping enthusiast's itinerary!
Click the following button to contact us, or continue reading, below.
Tour package summary
Activities
- Wildlife watching
- Field herping
- Jungle walk(s)
- Night walk(s)
Tour details
- 1- or multiday tour
- Private tour
- 2000 - 7200 Baht (per person)
- Difficulty level: Easy to moderate
What's included?
- Entrance fees
- Expert herping guide (English)
- Transport during tour
- Lunch & dinner
- Drinking water
- Leech protection socks
Tour itinerary
Here follows the itinerary of our herping tours in Kaeng Krachan national park.
Note: We can organize both daytrips and multi-day tours.
Day 1 (09:00 to ± midnight)
We do not have a standard day itinerary, because the itinerary depends on various factors. First of all, it depends on how many days you book. And if there are any specific species you would like to see. We will adapt the trip to increase our chances. Our herping guide will try for the best to get the most out of your trip based on your preferences. Based on what we have already seen, local conditions, or simply gut feeling, we decide hour by hour what to do next.
Generally speaking, the terrain we search is not too physically demanding. We use a car to move around throughout the park. We visit different habitats and our favorite hotspots. And there we will search for herps on foot. Usually not long hikes. It tends to be more successful to intensively search several spots rather than hiking long distances on a single long trail.
Please, notify us in advance about specific target species/preferences during the correspondence prior booking the tour. It will allow us to give you the best advice on where to go, and adapt the itinerary to increase the chances for success.
We lunch at midday in the park restaurant. The location for dinner depends on where we are staying for the night.
Extra information about the national park
Kaeng Krachan national park lies at about 3 hours drive southwest of Bangkok. The area can be tricky to reach by public transport. You are best off traveling with a private taxi service. We can organize transfers from Bangkok, Hua Hin, and elsewhere.
Our tours start from Kaeng Krachan town.
The park is open year-round. And we know various locations on the park's outer fringes that are definitely worth exploring. Our herping tours can take off every day of the year, as long as our guide is available. Booking in advance is recommended!
It is always a tough question to answer what the best time of the year is for herping in Kaeng Krachan. Let's start with saying we have had successful trips in all months of the year.
Typically, the wet season is probably the most consistent when it comes to producing good results. The wet season is roughly May to October. And often, much of November still benefits from the wet period before. December - January can be successful, but there is also the chance of periods with cold nights that significantly slow down the movement of species.
Usually, we notice an increase in sightings of especially King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) and Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia) in the dry, hot season months, February - April. Their main mating season. But still, a ton of luck is required to see these charismatic species. If weather conditions are on your side, it is possible to get similar results as in the wet season. But it is probably a bit less consistent.
The best months for herping vary throughout the country, so perhaps good to take that into account if you are also planning to visit different regions of the country.
For more of our tours in Kaeng Krachan, click here.
How much does a tour cost?
These are the rates (per person, per day) for our herping tour package based on your group size. Followed by a list of what is included. And feel free to check out our other packages in Kaeng Krachan, below.
| Group size: | Rate per person: |
|---|---|
| 1 Person | 7200 Baht |
| 2 People | 3800 Baht |
| 3 People | 3200 Baht |
| 4 People | 2700 Baht |
| 5 People | 2400 Baht |
| 6 People | 2250 Baht |
| 7 People | 2100 Baht |
| 8 People | 2000 Baht |
| Age: | Reduction: |
| 4 to 12 years | -200 Baht |
| 0 to 3 years | free |
What's included?
- Entrance fees
- Expert herping guide (English)
- Transport during tour
- Lunch & dinner
- Drinking water
- Leech protection socks
Other tours in Kaeng Krachan national park
We'd love to hear from you
For any enquiries or quotation requests, please, use this contact form.
* = Required
Reviews of the Herping tours in Kaeng Krachan
Our guests have rated us 5 out of 5 stars (3 reviews)!
-
3.
Name: Wendy, United States
Tour: Herping tours in Kaeng Krachan
Tour date: 01 Aug 2023
Rating:
Hi,
A thousand thank yous to Bank for a wonderful 2 days....had we known what a fantastic experience this would be, we would have booked for longer.
Bank, even after a wasp sting, is such an amazing guide. He works so hard to find all creatures, great and small, and his excitement at the tiniest gecko is contagious. When we walked away last night, my son said, "I'm gonna miss him" and that is the sign of a great guide. His passion for herping is palpable.
I am so grateful for this experience. My 15 year old has long been a lover of all reptiles and invertebrates and experiences like these are good for his soul.
Thanks again, Wendy -
2.
Name: Jim France, United Kingdom
Tour: Herping tours in Kaeng Krachan
Tour date: 06 May 2023
Rating:
Our 2 day herping tour in and around Kaeng Krachan was absolutely amazing. Thanks to the exceptional eyesight of our guides Ton and Bank we ended up with many sightings of 11 different species of snakes,various lizards,mammals,tarantulas and incredible birds. The whole tour was carried out with a great sense of fun,the Photographic opportunities were unbelievable. Special encounters include beautiful Pope's Green Pit Viper, male and female, and awesome King Cobra. We may have arrived as guests but feel we definitely left as friends. I simply can't recommend Tontan Wildlife Tours too highly.
![King Cobra up close showing the tongue]()
![King Cobra up close]()
![Oriental vine snake juvenile]()
![Oriental vine snake juvenile changing to green]()
![Male Pope's pit viper up close]()
![Male Pope's pit viper in situ]()
![Female Pope's pit viper close up]()
×![King Cobra up close showing the tongue]()
1 / 7 King Cobra up close showing the tongue![King Cobra up close]()
2 / 7 King Cobra up close![Oriental vine snake juvenile]()
3 / 7 Oriental vine snake juvenile![Oriental vine snake juvenile changing to green]()
4 / 7 Oriental vine snake juvenile changing to green
Oriental vine snake juvenile gradually changing to the green colour in adulthood.![Male Pope's pit viper up close]()
5 / 7 Male Pope's pit viper up close![Male Pope's pit viper in situ]()
6 / 7 Male Pope's pit viper in situ❮ ❯![Female Pope's pit viper close up]()
7 / 7 Female Pope's pit viper close up![King Cobra up close showing the tongue]()
![King Cobra up close]()
![Oriental vine snake juvenile]()
![Oriental vine snake juvenile changing to green]()
![Male Pope's pit viper up close]()
![Male Pope's pit viper in situ]()
![Female Pope's pit viper close up]()
Tontan Travel wrote:
Thanks Jim for the kind words and for the great time we have spent together in the park. Your enthusiasm for everything, not only the snakes, but also the birds, insects and mammals, made it such a pleasure to explore the jungles together with you.
Thanks for joining us! -
1.
Name: Tas and Adam, United Kingdom
Tour: Herping tours in Kaeng Krachan
Tour date: 12 Nov 2018
Rating:
From the very start, Tontan Travel were so great in helping us plan our trip to Thailand. Once we finally made a decision on when to go and which tours to do, they organised our taxis for us, from Bangkok to Khao Yai, Khao Yai to Kaeng Krachan, and back to Bangkok at the end. This really took the hassle out of the trip and made it so much easier for us to enjoy - and the taxi drivers were always early and had a smile on their faces!
On our 2 day Wildlife tour in Khao Yai, we were very fortunate to see a male elephant quite early on, just strolling along the side of the road! Within a few paces, he was completely invisible within the trees - amazing for something so big! That first day we went on to have some amazing sightings - we saw a few stunning Great Hornbills, lots of gibbons communicating with each other (great calls!), sambar deer, dhole. Once on foot, we were blown away to see a Vogel's Pit Viper curled up after a feed. Absolutely stunning! We also saw a large scorpion and lots of crazy looking spiders, more gibbons returned for some great photo opportunities as well! On the way back to the hotel we saw what could only have been millions of bats!! On day 2, we saw lots of gorgeous Asian Water Dragons, loads of beautiful butterflies, and 2 more dhole dashing past unexpectedly!! On a walk by ourselves to a waterfall, we spotted a juvenile Large Eyed Pit Viper - there's something very rewarding about spotting a snake yourself!!! On our night drive, we saw some common Civets and 2 porcupines! We also saw a Jackal!!
On our first day in Kaeng Krachan, Tony and Tan picked us up from our hotel, and conversation flowed straight away - we knew this was going to be a great 3 days! The first snake we saw was a large Reticulated Python, but he was in shed, so not looking his best! After seeing a few stunning vine snakes, Ton spotted another Retic sunning himself and looking absolutely incredible! He was the perfect model for photos! Tan spotted a juvenile Vine Snake, which was great to see as they are a different colour when young. Tan then spotted a Red-necked Keelback - one of my favourite spots of the trip!!
On our night walk, some gorgeous frogs came out, as did the White-lipped Green Pit Vipers, which were amazing to see. Lots of other interesting bugs and spiders out and about as well!
The next day, we had a great trek along and across the stream, seeing loads of cool frogs, monitors and geckos, along with a few more Vine Snakes. As the second base of the park was closed at the time, after lunch Ton and Tan suggested a new location outside of the park with potential of finding a yet undescribed species of Pit Viper. As we headed out of the park Ton spotted a Golden Flying Tree Snake scaling a near smooth tree. Awesome to see! After a 2.5 hour drive we reached our destination just as the sun went down. It was very humid and the air was thick with mosquitoes. Within minutes we found our first snake - a gorgeous Mountain Bronzeback. After that it went a little quiet but after about an hour it started to get interesting and at one point we walked through a scattering of Fireflies. Whilst looking at a Cave Gecko in some detail Ton spotted a Common Wolf Snake, which was one of the species on my husband's "wish list”. He posed for some photos and was very calm and well behaved.
Shortly after, we heard the cry “Snake!!”. Ton had done it! He'd found the elusive Viper. It was just finishing its shed and so was looking stunning in its new skin. We also saw 2 Long-Nosed Vine Snakes. We were doing really well!!
On the way to a restaurant for dinner we stopped at a spot in the shrimp farms to look for dog-faced water snakes. This was a great spot for the snakes to catch fish and shrimps in the man-made pools and they were obviously thriving there as we saw 3. They were so different to the other snakes we had seen!
On the final day, we drove to Pala-U Waterfall at Kaeng Krachan, where we had a short downpour. This brought out the amphibians and we saw a Flying Lizard.
It was an eventful day in that we were chased by Macaques and a bull elephant but, unfortunately no snakes! Heading back to base, we were literally minutes away when, in the head lights of the car, we spotted a huge snake on the side of the road. An awesome 2 metre long Burmese Python. A fabulous way to end the trip!
We literally cannot fault any aspect of Tontan Travel - their knowledge is incredible, but they are always learning and new species are always being discovered, sometimes by them! They are fun to be around, easy to talk to, and Ton and Tan are a great partnership! We will not hesitate to recommend you to friends and we will definitely be planning another trip with you in the future, which we will look forward to immensely!
Huge thanks to you both!
All the best to you Ton, Tan and Ravel.
Tas and AdamTontan Travel wrote:
Many thanks for the lovely feedback. It was a pleasure to spent time with you, and with 25 snakes, 11 species, in 3 days, I think we did quite well.
And you are very welcome to return someday, to explore more of Thailand's diversity.
Best wishes, Ton & Tan
