Wrinkle-lipped Free-tailed Bats flying out by the millions

1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai national park

Tour description in short

Location of Khao Yai national park on the map of Thailand

Our 1.5-day tour in Khao Yai national park consists of an afternoon itinerary on day one. The main activity on this half day trip is the bat watching. And the second day inside the national park we will focus on wildlife watching, both on foot and by car.

Even though the focus is on wildlife watching, the itinerary will also include a visit to a waterfall.


Why our 1.5-day tour?

Even though we would always recommend our 2- or 3-day tours to get the most out of the park, the 1.5-day tour is a nice option if your time is limited.

The half day is not intensive and seeing the bats fly out by their millions around sunset is quite impressive. Since the caves are outside the park, it means only the second day is spend inside the actual national park.

With some luck you can see quite a variety of wildlife on just one day spend in the national park. A great introduction to the park.



Click the following buttons to contact us, watch our video, or continue reading, below.

Tour package summary

Activities

  • Wildlife watching
  • Safari drive(s)
  • Jungle walk(s)
  • Bat watching
  • Waterfall(s)
  • Viewpoint(s)

Tour details

  • 1.5-day tour
  • Private tour
  • 2400 - 8800 Baht (per person)
  • Difficulty level: Moderate

What's included?

  • Entrance fees
  • English speaking guide
  • Transport
  • Lunch (Day 2)
  • Drinking water
  • Leech protection socks
Check out our video to get an idea about our tour activities in Khao Yai national park.
A young macaque in the foliage.
A young macaque hanging around in the foliage.

Tour itinerary

Here follows the itinerary of our 1.5-day tour in .
Note: Often enough, our itineraries get turned upside down. The half day itinerary is fixed, but the full day in the park is more flexible. It is impossible to plan in nature; the wildlife does not follow timetables, therefore the following itinerary is just a rough example.

Day 1 (15:30 to ±18:30 or later)

Depending on your preference, the half day itinerary starts either with a visit to a clear spring for a swim, or a visit to a local temple with a white Buddha statue overlooking the area.

Usually this is followed up by a cave exploration, looking for bats and other critters up close inside a cave. And then we situate us near a mountain with a cave mouth where we wait for the bats to start flying out. The Wrinkle-lipped Bats (Chaerephon plicatus) typically form a river of bats that disappears into the distance. Quite a sight!

The bats do not fly out at the same time each day, so it is a bit hard to estimate what time the tour will finish.

Small Sambar deer herd in a grass plain.
Small Sambar deer herd in a grass plain. A species you are guaranteed to see in Khao Yai.
Oriental Pied Hornbill male posing
Oriental Pied Hornbills are the most common hornbills in the park.

Afterwards you will be returned to your hotel.

Note: this entire half day itinerary takes place outside the national park boundaries. Due to higher costs involved, this half-day itinerary can not be replaced with a visit to the actual national park for this same rate.

Day 2 (08:00 to ±18:00)

Today we head into the national park to explore the evergreen forests of Khao Yai. On the drive in, we stop at a viewing area where you might start to see the first animals of the trip. Northern Pig-tailed Macaques are often hanging around here, and it is not uncommon to see hornbills flying by over the valley. From there we continue with a slow drive listening for gibbon calls and looking for other animals.

Next, it is time for a walk in the forest to get up close with the giant fig trees, look for birds and other animals, and maybe even learn some things about edible plants. The jungle walk is focused on wildlife watching, not on covering great distance from a to b. We try to walk quietly and open our eyes and ears to look for any signs of wildlife.

Orange morph of the Oriental Vine Snake
The harmless Oriental Vine Snakes are sometimes spotted in the roadside bushes by our skilled guides when driving through the park.

After the walking, it is time for lunch at a park restaurant. And from there we continue to explore the park further by car. And visit one of the park's main waterfalls.

Elephants are often high on our guests' wish list. With only one day in the park, you really need quite a bit of luck, but in the late afternoon we will drive through the areas where we have seen them most often over the years. Hopefully, luck is on your side.

You will be returned to your hotel, or to your taxi to continue to your next destination.

Indochinese Roller
The Indochinese Roller is a colourful bird often seen in open areas.

Extra information about the national park

Gibbon doing what they do best
A White-handed Gibbon doing what gibbons do best. Hanging relaxed on one arm in the forest canopy.

Khao Yai national park lies at just 2.5 - 3 hours northeast of Bangkok and is easily accessible.

Our tours start from Pak Chong, a town to the north of the park. And we are able to organize transfers from Bangkok, and other places.

The park is open all year round, and our tours can take off every day of the year. But booking in advance is recommended!

For information on the best time of the year to visit the park, and for more of our tours in Khao Yai, click here.

How much does a tour cost?

These are the rates (per person) for our 1.5-day wildlife 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 Khao Yai, below.

Group size: Rate per person:
1 Person 8800 Baht
2 People 4700 Baht
3 People 3800 Baht
4 People 3200 Baht
5 People 2900 Baht
6 People 2700 Baht
7 People 2500 Baht
8 People 2400 Baht
Age: Reduction:
4 to 12 years -200 Baht
0 to 3 years free

What's included?

  • Entrance fees
  • English speaking guide
  • Transport
  • Lunch (Day 2)
  • Drinking water
  • Leech protection socks

Other tours in Khao Yai national park

We'd love to hear from you


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Reviews of the 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

Our guests have rated us 4.9 out of 5 stars (12 reviews)!

  • 12.

    Name: , Thailand

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 01 Nov 2021

    Rating:  

    Hello!

    Thank you for a wonderful tour. My partner and I had an amazing time and we were so impressed with our guide! Jum was extremely knowledgeable, kind, patient, and made us feel very safe and comfortable on our journey. We were also very excited to smell different things and Jum shared so much of the magic of the jungle. We would book a tour again in the future with you guys and would request Jum!

    Thank you again,

    Madeleine

  • 11.

    Name: , Belgium

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 27 Feb 2020

    Rating:  

    We've booked a 1,5 day tour with TonTan travel. The first half day, we were picked up by Jay and his wife, and they took us for a great swim and to check out an amazing bat cave. They were very kind, and provided us with everything (including some sweets!) we needed. The second day, we've spent a whole day in the national park with our amazing guide: Tata. It was a wonderful experience! We were very impressed by the knowledge and feeling with nature of Tata. We've had a great day, we've seen and learned many things in and about nature, and had a good laugh in between. It was a great, we'll never forget this experience. Great organisation, even greater guide. we definitely recommend it/ him! :-)

  • 10.

    Name: , Netherlands

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 08 Aug 2018

    Rating:  

    Hallo,

    De tour was super leuk, onze complimenten!
    Hele chille tourguide en goed geregeld vervoer!
    Bedankt voor de ervaring en succes met jullie verdere bussiness.

    Groeten,
    Ece

  • 9.

    Name: , Belgium

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 11 Jul 2018

    Rating:  

    Hartelijk dank voor een zeer fijne trip.
    Jullie gids Bon heeft dit perfect gedaan. Aangenaam, vriendelijk en attent, we konden geen betere dromen.

    Ook de hoeveelheid aan fauna viel zeker mee, naast de witte eekhoorn, de Hop, de hornbills, de Gibbons, de krokodil, de wateragamen, spinnen, vleermuizen, slangen, schorpioenen, herten, apen hadden we ook het geluk om een wilde olifant op onze weg te vinden.

    Zeer geapprecieerd, bedankt!

    Filip

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Bedankt voor je positieve reactie!

  • 8.

    Name: , United Kingdom

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 27 Jun 2017

    Rating:  

    Just wanted to say thank you!
    Was a fantastic trip saw loads of wildlife. Tour guide went out of his way to show us some really cool snakes!
    Also the national park was very pretty!

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Thank you for your kind words!

  • 7.

    Name: , Nederland

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 15 Jul 2014

    Rating:  

    We hebben echt een super leuke tijd gehad met onze tour naar Khao Yai Park. Onze gids Beer was echt super. Hij deed echt goed zijn best om het ons naar de zin te maken. We hadden echt een prive tour.

    We hebben veel dieren gezien dankzij Beer. Ze (hij en zijn vrouw) zijn erg behulpzaam geweest met tips te geven voor de rest van onze reis.
    Ook vanuit Ton was er snel reactie en is alles perfect geregeld. Khao Yai Cottage, waar we verbleven, was 1 van de meest verzorgde plekken waar we hebben verbleven. En de mensen waren erg vriendelijk en behulpzaam bij de cottage.

    Kortom bedankt voor de goede service en we zullen zeker mensen jullie organisatie aanraden!

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Beste Katrien,

    Bedankt voor de leuke reactie.
    Blij te horen dat de trip goed bevallen is, en ook het verblijf in het hotel dat wij aangeraden hebben.

    Alvast bedankt voor het aanraden van onze tours aan anderen ;).

    Tan & Ton

  • 6.

    Name: , Denmark

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 18 Oct 2013

    Rating:  

    Dear Tony and Tan.

    Thank you for a great 1,5 day tour. With your good eyes, enthusiasm and naturefeeling you showed us all the jungle wanted to reveal for us - and that was a lot we think.
    Also thanks for careful driving.

    All the best from Anne Mette, Thomas, Anton and Tobias from Denmark

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Thank you joining us.
    We agree that the jungle revealed quite a lot for you in just 1 day in the actual national park. Good sightings of both the White-handed and the Pileated Gibbons, Black Giant Squirrels, a Vogel's Pit Viper, many Chinese Water Dragons, Water Monitor, the Great Hornbills & a short glimpse of the Wreathed Hornbills, and the Northern Pig-tailed Macaques, Sambar deer and Barking deer. After having a closer look at the picture of the tiny snake that fled, we can confirm it's indeed a juvenile Indo-Chinese Rat Snake, harmless. Interestingly, the banded juvenile resembles a juvenile King Cobra, most likely to fool predators.

    We wish you a safe trip back home to Denmark.
    Best wishes,

    Ton & Tan

  • 5.

    Name: , Nederland

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 26 Jul 2013

    Rating:  

    De afgelopen twee dagen met gids Yoyo in Khao Yai waren fantastisch. Yoyo deed het geweldig, was ook ontzettend leuk met de kinderen. De chauffeur was ook prima.

    We hebben twee slangen gespot de afgelopen dagen, naast onder anderen drie olifanten, een tarantula en een aantal grappige apen. Onderstaande foto van de slang is door Hidde gemaakt, die in Khao Yai 9 is geworden. Ondanks mijn grote angst voor slangen zijn we toch op jungletocht gegaan, omdat onze oudste zoon dit zo graag wilde voor zijn verjaardag. Het is uitstekende exposure therapie geweest, want ik ben nu een groot deel van de angst kwijt.

    We hebben alle vijf heel erg genoten, ondanks dat onze middelste de eerste dag wat koortsig was. Onze kinderen van 9,7 en 4 hebben het ook geweldig gevonden.

    Heel erg bedankt voor de geweldige organisatie.

    Hartelijke groet,

    Willem, Sieneke, Hidde, Jente en Lene Terpstra

    Oriental Whip Snake (denk ik)
    Olifant
    Aap

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Beste Willem, Sieneke, Hidde, Jente en Lene,

    Leuk om jullie reactie te horen. En we zijn blij dat je wat slangen hebt gezien waardoor je angst nu wat verminderd is. Een gezonde angst waardoor je afstand houdt, is echter nooit weg, er zijn immers ook gevaarlijke soorten. De twijgslang (inderdaad Oriental Whip Snake ookwel Oriental Vine Snake genoemd) op de foto is echter ongevaarlijk. Prachtig dier, zeker deze kleurvariant! En ook nog olifanten! Ziet er naar uit dat het geluk aan jullie zijde is geweest!

    Namens ons de felicitaties aan Hidde en de rest van het gezin!
    Hopelijk heeft ie genoten van zijn verjaardagscadeautje: de jungle tocht.

    Tot de volgende keer!

    Tan & Ton

  • 4.

    Name: , Nederland

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 26 Jul 2012

    Rating:  

    We had a great experience in the Khao Yai national park with Ton and Tan. Ton and Tan were able to show us many, many animals and beautiful scenery; the Dutch explanation for our kids (10 and 7) was great; and the photos that Ton took are awesome.

    We warmly recommend Tontan Travel.

    Burmese Python juvenile
    Great Hornbill
    Indian Muntjac

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Hi Matthijs, Joyce, Robert and Floris,

    Thank you for leaving a message in our guestbook.
    It was fun guiding you, especially the two young boys that were highly interested in everything we pointed out.

    I remember that Floris told at the beginning of our tour that he had never seen a snake in the wild. After this trip he went home having seen 5 species! Chequered Keelback, Oriental Vine Snake, White-lipped Pit Viper, Indo-Chinese Rat Snake, and even a young Burmese Python; we were very lucky!

    If you ever return to Thailand, we hope you'll visit us again.

    Thanks

  • 3.

    Name: , France

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 20 Apr 2012

    Rating:  

    Better than professionals, Tony and Tan are passionate by nature and animals!

    They give explanations, invite to observe some hidden animals, plants and adapt the tour to the group. They open books and ask the rangers to give you more accurate answer and descriptions.

    I will definitely go back there with some friends and invite anyone to join this young couple during their trip to Khao Yai. They will make your trip unforgettable!


    Meilleurs que des pro, Tony et Tan sont des passionnés par le nature, les animaux.

    Ils adapteront le tour pour prendre le temps de vous montrer les espèces sauvages et ouvriront des livres ou demanderont aux rangers du park pour donner des détails.

    J'y retournerai avec des amis, et j'invite tous ceux qui veulent visiter Khao Yai à se joindre à ce jeune couple qui rendra votre voyage inoubliable!

    Tree frog
    Lizard

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Hi Constantin, Patrice & Françoise,

    Thank you for posting in our guestbook. We're happy to hear you enjoyed the trip, and you're always welcome to come back in the future.

    Thank you!

  • 2.

    Name: , UK

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 26 Jan 2012

    Rating:  

    Thanks for the great experience during our 1.5 day tour! You exceeded our expectations, and we were genuinely impressed with everything. Jay was great, accommodation was great, no complaints!

    Wishing you all the best in the future...

    Sam & Steph

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Hi Sam & Steph,

    Thanks for your message. Good to hear you're impressed with our service and guide. We hope you enjoyed the trip.

    Thanks!

  • 1.

    Name: , Sweden

    Tour: 1.5-day wildlife tour in Khao Yai

    Tour date: 24 Apr 2011

    Rating:  

    Hey Tan & Ton,

    Thanks for the great tour and the flexibility in arranging it. It's great to show the pictures to family (especially my mother who loves wildlife) since we actually took them ourselves and can describe the context and keep the memories fresh.

    Again, thanks a bunch and hope you continue to build the tour offering so more can experience this.

    All the best, Karin & Jonas

    Water monitor lizard
    Macaque

    Tontan Travel wrote:

    Hi Karin & Jonas,

    Thanks for your comment. If the memories start to fade, you're always welcome to come back.

    Best wishes!

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