Thailand 2023, part 13 (Khao Yai NP)

The hotel I chose near the Khao Yai National Park was very nice, but depressingly useless. Primarily because the girl at the reception practically didn’t speak any English. She knew about ten expressions like “Thank you, ma’am,” but that was completely insufficient. I absolutely don’t think the whole world should speak English; on the contrary, I love various languages. However, I found it very strange that in a tourist country like Thailand, in a good hotel I found through an international hotel booking platform, they had a girl who was completely useless in every practical sense, plus she was actually alone there. She did try to overcome the problem by using a digital translator on her mobile phone, but it didn’t work even after two attempts. I gave up, but I also thought that instead of watching video clips on the internet (which she was doing), it would be better for her to learn at least a little English. She won’t benefit from funny scenes she can see online in her life. From English, in Thailand, especially if you work in tourism – almost certainly.

On the other hand, the hotel may have had a useless receptionist, but they offered marijuana. However, besides finding this interesting, it was also a waste of time as far as I was concerned.

Nerve calming offer at the reception

The second reason why the hotel was useless was that they claimed to have a restaurant and they did have it physically, but it was not operational. And I was hungry. When I’m hungry and when I can’t get information that is very important to me at that moment, I get quite nervous. So, I angrily left the hotel and walked for about ten minutes to another nearby hotel where the receptionist spoke English and they had a restaurant where I could eat. Of course, I didn’t feel like moving my things, but I asked the kind woman if she could help me with the excursion I was planning to take the next day. She agreed very kindly, but at first, she couldn’t get in touch with the agency, so we agreed that I would first go eat. It was a great solution and I didn’t have to improvise too much. I ordered a green curry that I knew was very spicy but also very delicious. I enjoyed it.

Dinner near the Khao Yai NP

By the way, the recipe for green curry that I made at home upon returning from Thailand can be found in https://www.svudapodji.com/en/thailand-6/.

After the very tasty early dinner (which was actually a late lunch for me), I returned to the reception of the better hotel and finally sorted out everything I wanted. I booked a spot for the excursion the next day, which included a visit to the Khao Yai National Park. I could peacefully return to my hotel and rest well.

The next morning, I woke up with the concern of whether everything would go well with my excursion. When I arrived at the hotel where I didn’t stay but through which I had booked the visit to the Khao Yai NP, the kind people at the reception confirmed once again with the agency and soon the vehicle picked me up. It was amusing that I was in the same group as a French family with whom I was also on the same train, literally within the same group of seats. Besides them, there was also a Belgian couple and they chatted all day in French, which didn’t bother me at all and I didn’t make any effort to understand them, so I was very relaxed. On the other hand, they all practically knew English, so we occasionally communicated quite pleasantly.

To start with, we were all accommodated in the back of the truck (pickup truck), which was like a smaller version of the songthaew I mentioned in the previous sequel of my travel stories.

Starting with the excursion to the Khao Yai NP

However, in order to go to the excursion, it was necessary for all passengers to put on cotton gaiters – apparently to prevent any creatures from getting into our trouser legs.

Putting the gaiters on

We quickly reached the entrance to the Khao Yai National Park and there we could immediately spot some of the park’s residents – northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina).

Northern pig-tailed macaque

Here is what it thinks of my taking photos, plus, you can see the pig tail of sorts

The Khao Yai National Park, which is less than 200 km away from Bangkok, is just a part of a large forest complex that covers a total length of about 230 km. In addition to the Khao Yai NP in the west, there is also the Ta Phraya National Park in the east, near the border with Cambodia.

This area is called the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex and it is included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List due to its exceptional richness in animal species and the importance of this natural property for the conservation of globally endangered mammal, reptile and bird species. The foundation of this complex is undoubtedly the tropical forests that provide a habitat for the survival of a large number of species – 112 mammal species, 392 bird species and 200 reptile and amphibian species.

The plan was to see some of this and, to start with, we drove uphill to a beautiful viewpoint.

Khao Yai NP

After a short stop at the viewpoint, we continued on the road that leads through the forest and then we stopped by the roadside, like many other vehicles with visitors.

Khao Yai NP

The moment came to see our first “significant” animals. The guide does this by being the first to spot them, either because he knows where the particular animals usually congregate or because he has heard from colleagues where to look, and then he shows and explains them to you. Now you stare and try to make your “Oh, yes, I see it” realistically reflect the situation. The guide also sets up a tripod and a spotting scope to make it easier for visitors to see the spotted animals. Then, if you have the appropriate equipment, as mobile phones are not good enough for such situations, you try to capture images of these animals. I had a camera that was better than a mobile phone, but it still wasn’t all-powerful.

So, we first spotted a pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus) and it was actually a male, which can be easily determined because this gibbon species exhibits sexual dimorphism and only males are entirely black with white details. By the way, this is an endangered species.

Khao Yai NP, male pileated gibbon

Although I am happy that I managed to capture them at all, animals can certainly be photographed much better than I did. For this, you first need luck, second – the equipment, and third – the time. It is not easy to spot and capture animals when you are there just “on the way.” It also requires experience and knowledge of what to look for.

For example, in the next picture, you can see a bird that is not small at all – on an average, its length ranges from 95 to 130 cm. The fact that it cannot be easily spotted in the picture is not because the image quality is poor or because the bird is tiny. No, the bird is simply far away, on the other side of one of the treetops.

Khao Yai NP

After some more staring, I managed to see clearly where the bird was and bring it closer with my camera. It’s a great hornbill (Buceros bicornis). Since I had quite some luck this time around, here are a few photos.

Khao Yai NP, great hornbill

Once everyone in the group saw the bird and was satisfied, we got back into the vehicle and continued our journey through the park. At one point, I raised my hand and camera from the outside of the vehicle to capture what the view of the road looks like from the roof.

Khao Yai NP

Now we drove to the Visitor Centre where we took a short coffee break, while in the surrounding area, there were also some animals to be seen. To start with, I took some photos of the surroundings of the centre.

Khao Yai NP

In the entire immediate vicinity of the Visitor Centre, including the parking area, you can often see northern pig-tailed macaques. They simply pass through and it seems that they don’t pay much attention to people.

Northern pig-tailed macaque

But there were also several sambar hinds around.

Sambar hinds

The sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) is listed as a vulnerable species, primarily due to severe hunting.

Sambar hind

In the river, numerous fish could be observed, but the most interesting was the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) that we saw on the opposite bank.

Khao Yai NP, a detail

Asian water monitor

After the break, we went for a walk along the river and there we spotted the monitor again, this time feeding on some carcass.

Asian water monitor in action

What I found particularly interesting was that the guide used my mobile phone to capture what could be seen through the spotting scope. I was delighted. Please note the flies!

But, here by the river where we walked, everything seemed peaceful and harmonious.

Khao Yai NP, a detail

At some point, on the other side of the river, we could spot the Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata), while somewhere above it, one northern pig-tailed macaque was sitting patiently.

Asian leaf turtle

Northern pig-tailed macaque

The monitor lizard somehow remained the most interesting for us. This shouldn’t be the same one I had previously photographed because this one came through the water and then it continued feeding on the same carcass.

Asian water monitor

We took a short walk around the Visitor Centre, while on our way back to the vehicle the guide spotted something interesting near the path. It was a Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus).

Chinese water dragon

Now we drove to the beginning of a trail that leads through the rainforest, but before that, we got a snack. Some bananas and some local sweets wrapped in banana leaves. Well, it can also be eco-friendly – not everything has to be store-bought. Although, I didn’t notice anyone in Thailand trying to reduce the use of plastic bags. On the contrary.

Snacks in the Khao Yai NP

From here, we entered the forest following one of the visitor trails. It is possible to come here individually, without a guide, but in that case, you need to have a car and it’s preferable to be familiar with navigating through the rainforest and knowing what to look for. Some visitors also hire a guide just for themselves, which, as always, promises a higher quality tour, but I must say that my version, as part of a group, was not bad at all. Especially in this first part.

To begin with, the trees were impressive!

Trees in the Khao Yai NP

But it was also necessary to pay attention to the trail, not just the trees.

Visitor trail in the Khao Yai NP

On the one hand, as far as I could notice, there were no signposts, so it’s important to follow the group. On the other hand, this is still a tropical rainforest, so visitors need to be mindful of the local residents.

We came across a hole in the ground and the guide, albeit unsuccessfully, tried to convince a large giant forest scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer) to come out of its home. The scorpion stubbornly refused, so we, humans, just continued walking through the rainforest.

Entrance into the home of a giant forest scorpion in the Khao Yai NP

But there were other inhabitants who were even kind enough to pose.

Dragonfly in the Khao Yai NP

We soon reached a particularly large banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis). In the case of this type of tree, branches that serve as aerial roots extend towards the ground and root themselves, creating the impression of a multitude of thin trees somehow merging into one. This specific tree was large enough for children in the group to feel the urge to climb.

Particularly big banyan tree in the Khao Yai NP

We, the adults, were squeezing between the branches/roots/trunks to pose for photos.

I’m not climbing, but I can squeeze in

No matter how much I love trees, I actually don’t know much about them, but that has never stopped me from admiring them. Whether it’s the trunk, branches or canopy, it doesn’t matter.

Trees in the Khao Yai NP

And when you stare at the trees, sooner or later, you’ll spot something else. For example, the
Lar gibbon or white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar).

Lar gibbon or white-handed gibbon

I have already mentioned the pileated gibbons and it is interesting that the Khao Yai National Park is the only place in the world where these two gibbon species coexist. Moreover, hybrid gibbons resulting from natural crossbreeding between these two species have been documented.

Lar gibbon or white-handed gibbon

After stopping at the spot where we could observe the white-handed gibbon, we continued our walk. Along the way, I captured another dragonfly and a very interesting spider standing on the trunk of a tree, which I likely wouldn’t have noticed if our guide hadn’t drawn our attention to it.

Dragonfly in the Khao Yai NP

Spider in the Khao Yai NP

I was especially delighted to see and even take a photo of a beautiful bird – the long-tailed broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae).

Long-tail broadbill

And soon, walking further, we left the rainforest behind.

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