Escape to Khao Yai

Make a detour from Bangkok for waterfalls and wildlife, as well as comfort food and local wines

- John Tan

KHAO YAI, Thailand - Turn back the clock 50 years, and check in at a lobby that looks like a rural train station, chock-full of vintage travel memorabilia. Sleep in an actual train car, refitted with creature comforts, surrounded by forests and lakes. Sample the aromatic flavours of Thai cooking using organic produce and local herbs.

Khao Yai, located a three-hour drive from Bangkok, is a popular weekend getaway for affluent city folk. Set among gentle mountains, rolling grasslands and valleys punctuated by waterfalls, the area offers a sensory reboot and a refreshing break from the gritty mayhem of the Thai capital.

Together with its massive national park—three times the size of Singapore—the area offers staggering biodiversity.

It is a bird-watcher's haven, attracting species such as the great hornbill, with its massive 1.5m wingspan, and the long-tailed broadbill.

Elephants appear for a lucky few and, in August 2024, made the news when one tipped over a parked car.

With its laid-back hill station vibes and a picturesque countryside with a year-round cool climate, Khao Yai is a great outdoorsy escape supported by well-developed infrastructure.

Here are four reasons it is worth a detour from Bangkok.

1. FROM A REFUGE FOR BANDITS TO A NATIONAL PARK Ninety years ago, this once-inaccessible region was the preferred postal code for criminals and fugitives, who took refuge among the grasslands that earlier settlers had cleared from parts of the forests.

Then, in a sweeping move in 1932, the Thai government banded up the villagers, relocated them to another settlement and mopped up the bandits.