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This view reminds me of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee/North Carolina – barking deer grazing

Khao Yai National Park is located only a couple of hours north east of Bangkok, Thailand. You can get here either by bus or train to Pak Chong. The park reminds me a lot of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee although more jungle than forest. The Smokies have more mountains, but Khao Yai has a few peaks of its own.

It is a huge area and an incredible place for adventure. The park features close to 50 kilometers in trails, several waterfalls, night safari opportunities, and great camping.

Khao Yai is a great place to spot wildlife. Although I did not see any elephants on this trip, I saw 6 on my previous visit 8 years ago. Tigers have not been spotted in many years, but they have made a come back in other areas near Khao Yai, so there presence is a real possibility. Besides tigers and elephants the park also is home to over 66 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, and over 3,000 species of plants.

This Khao Yai National Park photo essay will concentrate on the scenery. A future one will focus on the wildlife.

Flowering bush near the entrance of Khao Yai National Park

Khai Yai overlook – Taken at the end of the Pha Diao Dai Trail

A good number of those 3,000 plant species can be seen right here

Khao Yai Jungle taken from the roadside

Khao Yai grassland near the Visitor’s Center

The wetlands are a great place to see kingfishers and herons

The mountain where the previous overlook was taken from

The Reservoir near the Visitor’s Center

Kong Kaew Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park

Swamp along the Waterfall Trail behind the Visitor’s Center

Even right behind the Visitor’s Center the vegetation gets thick right away

Grasslands behind the campground

Khao Yai is home to some very impressive trees

Hiking one of the Khao Yai Trails

Another powerful tree in Khao Yai National Park

A tree decaying from the inside

Not much light penetrates the jungle floor thanks to this type of thick vegetation

A coconut tree rises above the Khao Yai jungle

The grasslands behind the campground

A storm rolls by in the distance over a Khao Yai grassland

TT

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