TonTan Travel | Camping in Khao Yai National Park | Info About the Camping Grounds in Khao Yai | Why the camp sites in Khao Yai Are So Great

"Why the camp sites in Khao Yai are THE place to stay"

Info About the Camping Grounds in Khao Yai

Published August 15, 2010     General Information     Click here to leave a comment

Just outside the boundaries of Khao Yai national park there’s a wide range of accommodations. Ranging from low-budget guest houses to 5-star resorts with private golf courses and tented villas for more than 1000 dollar per night.
Though, no luxury can replace the amazing feeling of waking up in the jungle and hearing the calls of the Gibbons and Red Jungle Fowls (the ancestors of the domesticated chickens) announcing the new morning has broken. And that’s what you’ll get if you stay overnight in the park on the camp sites.

Camping in Khao Yai is the cheapest and the best way to experience the jungle. On our multi-day tours in Khao Yai we always recommend to stay inside the park boundaries and preferably on the camp sites, though if you really fancy a warm shower then you have to choose for one of the park bungalows.

Camping in Khao Yai is exciting. During the day, you’re surrounded by naughty Pig-Tailed Macaques trying to steal your bag of crisps and at night you might hear an elephant crushing through the nearby forest.

To camp in Khao Yai it’s wise to stick to a few rules.
Below, you’ll find a small list of rules and we’ll explain more about them, later on. At the end of the article we’ll tell you more about the differences between the two main camping grounds of Khao Yai national park.

The unofficial rules of camping in Khao Yai:

* Do NOT feed the monkeys (actually, that’s an official rule)
* Rent a tent, don’t bring your own
* Leave your tent OPEN when you’re not around
* Never leave food in or around your tent when you’re not around

Do NOT feed the monkeys

The park’s staff is not very strict about any rules, but this one is actually an official rule of the park. Feeding the monkeys or other wildlife is prohibited. Though, it happens often and despite some small signs, you usually won’t be fined. The park staff won’t even say anything about it, sadly enough.
Due to the feeding of monkeys, some troops are now depending to a large extend on the food of visitors. By feeding these animals you’ll make this situation only worse. When their feeding behaviour changes, it poses danger to both visitors and the animals.
In African national parks park rangers had to shoot baboons, because they became too aggressive. Not only they ripped open the tents, they even attacked the visitors. That problem is created by the guests that visited these camp sites in all those years before that. They fed the animals, because it’s so cute.
The monkeys in Khao Yai are not very big and usually not aggressive, at least not yet. Though, we also encountered a big male that is not afraid and even tried to attack me. See the video on the bottom of this post. The situation will only get worse unless people stop handing out food and make sure the animals can’t steal anything. Please, keep this in mind for the sake of the animals and people.

Rent a tent, don’t bring your own

During the day, there are not many people around on the camp sites. The monkeys know that. It happens occasionally that the monkeys use their sharp nails to rip open tents. Especially, when they smell food this can form a problem. Luckily, in most cases they manage to open the zips and therefore not damage your tent, haha.
The park has tents for rent and it’s not too expensive.

Leave your tent open when you’re not around

One way to reduce the chance of your tent being ripped open, is to simply leave the zips open. The monkeys want to have a look in your tent. And if it’s open they don’t have to break it open. They usually are polite enough to open the zips, but if they don’t manage they will rip it open with their sharp nails. So, if you leave it open for them, they can browse through your stuff and see that there’s nothing of their interest, presuming you did not leave any food in your tent according to rule number 4, haha. Even unopened bags of crisps are recognized as food.
Don’t leave your valuables, but I think we don’t have to explain that.

Never leave food in or around your tent when you’re not around

Even if you walk only ten metres away from your tent to do something, you might return and won’t find that tasty sandwich you just made for yourself. They are always watching you.

The differences between the Pha Kluay Mai and the Lam Takhong camping grounds

If you plan to camp in Khao Yai national park, there are two main camping grounds to choose from. Both come with cold showers and both of these camping grounds have an office where it is possible to rent tents (Prices start at about 150 baht), sleeping bags (50 Baht) and other camping equipment. However, they do not have sleeping mattresses! Thai people are tough, haha, they don’t need that. So, bring your own or rent a bunch of plaids (20 Baht for one) to sleep on. In these offices you also need to pay the camping fee which is 30 Baht per person (not per tent) per night. If you bring your own tent, camping in the national parks in Thailand is the cheapest possible accommodation available. Unless, you meet some hospitable people that invite you to stay at their place for free.

Pha Kluay Mai camping ground

Usually, there are more monkeys around than on Lam Takhong. It feels like you’re surrounded by jungle on this camp site. Lam Takhong is more open. Use the toilet building(s) closest to the restaurant, these are better than the ones near the parking lot. However, they are not as clean and good as on Lam Takhong. For some reason the park staff sometimes turns of the lights in the better toilet buildings on Pha Kluay Mai.
This camping ground is the start of a 3km one-way trail along a river. There are signs along the trail to let you know there are crocodiles around. At the other end of this trail you’ll find Heaw Suwat waterfall. Sadly enough, it’s a one-way trail, though, it’s usually easy to find a hitch anywhere in the park. The restaurant, if open, closes between 15.00 and 16.00.

Lam Takhong camping ground

The main advantages are its cleaner and better toilet buildings and the restaurant closes around 17.00 (sunday - thursday) and 1 or 2 hours later on fridays and saterdays.
Sambar deer are usually more abundant on this camping ground.
There are no official trails starting at this camping ground, the only real disadvantage of this campsite.
Monkeys are around, but usually not too many. Though, the video below was made on this camping ground.

If you prefer a roof above your head, a real bed (with a hard mattress) and a warm shower then choose for the park bungalows.
There’s no air-conditioning available inside the park, so these are environmental friendly options. However, a fan is usually available, but because of its elevation, the temperatures in Khao Yai are quite pleasant so you might not even need it.
At the weekends and during the high season, these bungalows can get fully-booked.
These bungalows need to be booked and paid in advance, a rather unconvenient procedure. The details the park supplies are in Thai and a money transfer from outside of Thailand to a Thai bank is very expensive. And that while the park bungalows are already overpriced.
What to do? Be a real man or woman and face the cold showers on the camping grounds! It is only for a few days, at least ...

There’s one more advantage of staying overnight inside the national parks of Thailand. Your entry ticket allows you to stay for 5 days inside the park (Nobody checks your ticket, by the way. The only thing they might check is if you paid your camping fee, so don’t loose your receipt.). Though, in these five days you can’t leave the park and come back later. Well, if you can speak Thai, the staff at the entrance usually allows you to go to the nearby village to buy something and return shortly after. Though, if you sleep outside the park they will probably charge you the entrance fee every day you enter the park. So, staying in one of the cheapest guest houses outside the park and entering the park several days, might turn out to be more expensive than booking a bungalow inside the park.

If you have any questions you’re welcome to contact us.

If you’re interested in one of our multi-day jungle tours in Khao Yai, please, click on the following link.

Wildlife Watching & Jungle Trekking Tours in Khao Yai National Park

OR LOOK AT OUR OTHER TOURS AROUND BANGKOK & TRIPS IN THAILAND

OR LOOK AT OUR TOURS AROUND BANGKOK & TRIPS IN THAILAND