Cabbages & Condoms

Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant and Resort at Sap Tai is nestled in a valley surrounded by the steep limestone hills of Khao Yai National Park.

Established by Thailand’s Population & Community Development Association, the resort once acted as a Community Development Centre but now focuses on catering to visitors. Profits still contribute to rural development, education and scholarships, HIV/AIDS and sexual health awareness, as well as environmental protection.

Pannaburee Resort

“No air-condintioning, no TV, no fridge – just you, your friends and nature,” is the slogan of this simple but comfortable resort, located within easy striking distance of Khao Yai.

Nicknamed ‘Little Pai’, this is a great place to relax, with canoeing, cycling or just chillin’ at the bar among the alternatives for those ‘all hiked out’.

Greenleaf Guesthouse & Tour

Basic backpacker accommodation, but Greenleaf’s wildlife tours are worth taking even if you don’t stay at the guesthouse. Full and half-day tours led by experienced English-speaking guides will usually encounter wild elephants, hornbills, bats, macaques and other colourful Khao Yai inhabitants.

Camping/Park Accommodation

During the dry season, camping is one of the most fun ways to stay at Khao Yai. Wake up inside World Heritage forest to the sound of gibbon calls. If a tent isn’t your style, bungalows and terraces can also be reserved through the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation – it’s a popular option, so book ahead.

Staying inside the park helps support Khao Yai’s upkeep. Make sure to dispose of any rubbish at the allocated points or take it with you, and bring some extra warm clothing – Khao Yai can get cold at night.

Village Homestay

Adventurous travelers who stay with a family in one of the many villages dotted around Khao Yai will enjoy a unique experience. Homestay offers a chance to see how local people live, taste home-cooked thai food, and see FREELAND’s sustainable development projects in action. But be warned, people in the villages around Khao Yai are not wealthy – housing is extremely basic.

These suggestions are provided independently. Other environmentally responsible or interesting recommendations are welcome.

Explore Khao Yai from anywhere in the world by delving into three-dimensional photographs featured online.

Amazing panophotographic views of UNESCO World Heritage sites, including several spots in Khao Yai National Park, can be viewed on the non-profit website World-heritage-tour.org

We think they’re worth checking out, especially if you can’t make it to Khao Yai in the flesh.

When Khao Yai’s trails get wet, leeches come out to feed on unsuspecting hikers. Luckily, protective socks can be purchased from park stations for around 50THB ($1.5 USD).

After a long trek, handing your smelly leech socks to an armed ranger is not advised! So hang on to them.

Emblazoned with a flying hornbill, Khao Yai leech socks make a nice souvenir. Or with a little creativity they can become:

• A Christmas stocking
• The stars of a sock puppet show
• Cover for your hockey stick, golf club or didgeridoo
• A zany fashion statement
• …

Got an idea for recycling leech socks? Add your comment below…

With information on hiking and park highlights, FREELAND’s newly launched Khao Yai Sustainable Visitor’s Guide (PDF 275kb) is a must read for anyone thinking of visiting this amazing World Heritage listed National Park.

The Guide contains advice on getting to Khao Yai and booking accommodation for overnight stays. Some of Khao Yai’s best sights and activities are featured, with a map of selected short hikes. The Guide also contains information on wildlife and park conservation, as well as tips on limiting the impact of your visit.

Earlier this month, 300 students attending the Sai Jai Thai Youth Camp spent three days in Khao Yai to learn about the forest, its wildlife, and the importance of nature conservation.

The Sai Jai Thai Youth Camp allows students from the South of Thailand, many from families affected by the 2004 tsunami, to experience a new environment and learn about other parts of the country, including the World Heritage Listed Khao Yai National Park.

Khao Yai and FREELAND staff assisted with fun educational activities, including hiking in the forest; bird watching and wildlife spot lighting; singing folk songs; and hands-on learning with animal bones and paw print casts.

Forbes has named Khao Yai among the Top Spots For Southeast Asian Ecotourism.

Khao Yai was featured in the top ten picks not just for it’s World Heritage listed forests and amazing biodiversity, but also as a place to learn about “regional ecology and conservation efforts.”

FREELAND’s community outreach work in villages around the park was noted as a highlight for eco conscious travellers wanting to see and learn about forest conservation in action.

FREELAND is guiding sustainable development projects in several villages that border Khao Yai, to help former poachers become forest protectors.

On Elephant Day (13/3), Thailand acknowledges the majestic and powerful animal that forms such an integral part of the national identity.

As long as it is protected, Khao Yai National Park is a safe home for many elephants. However, as these visitors to the park found, it’s important to respect wild elephants and allow them space.

The National Elephant Institute is a great place to find more information about the historic importance of elephants in Thailand, as well as current conservation issues. According to the Institute, loss of habitat combined with human pressures could push Thailand’s wild elephants to extinction within 50 years.

At the start of the last century, there were over 100,000 elephants in Thailand. The population is now estimated at just 3,000-4,000. Around half of these are domesticated, with the remainder living wild in national parks like Khao Yai.

Thai conservation groups including FREELAND and Friends of the Asian Elephant are working hard to prevent habitat loss and care for elephants. Please support their efforts.

Having grown up on a farm in Australia, I know life in rural areas can be tough. The villages around Khao Yai National Park don’t have to deal with the bushfires and drought that occur in Australia, but these people often struggle to make a living.

For subsistence farmers with few opportunities to earn money legally, poaching timber and wildlife from the nearby park was always tempting.

FREELAND is working to change this by helping these communities develop sustainable agriculture projects, such as fish and mushroom farming. Income from these projects means villagers don’t have to poach from the park to survive. As a new volunteer with FREELAND, I’ve already the chance to see these efforts first hand.

My visit to the villages around Khao Yai was an eye-opening experience. FREELAND’s community projects are providing a sense of pride and hope I could see in the faces of the villagers as they showed me their fish ponds and mushroom propagation huts. The projects may be small scale right now, but they’ve already helped change attitudes towards the forest. With the right support, they can do a lot more.

I’m just starting my 12 month volunteer assignment here on the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Program. Working with FREELAND is a great opportunity to make a small but meaningful contribution to preserving Thailand’s amazing biodiversity.

Feature Khao Yai experience

Our van arrives at 8am and we four American city girls begin our journey to Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park, along with three of FREELAND’s finest. None of us know exactly what to expect, besides the inevitable leech encounters we had been warned about.

As we enter the park, we realize just how beautiful Khao Yai’s mountainous green rainforest is. We’ll be hiking into the forest later in the afternoon.

Heading to our jungle cabins, it’s clear that we will be living (as harmoniously as possible) with the many different species that call Khao Yai home. Some of us adjust to these creature discomforts better than others. Either way, it’s time to get changed and prepare for our hike… and the leeches.

Read on to find out if our American visitors survive the leeches…

Or get a taste of some other Khao Yai experiences: Working with Wildlife, Protecting Habitat, Community Outreach, Education, Events

Hiking into the forest

Covered from head to toe, leech socks and all, our “short hike” turns out to be a mere five kilometer hot, humid, and rainy adventure. There are a few leech attacks, though we all come out alive.

Taking in all of the fresh air from the forest turns out to be somewhat meditative. Plus, seeing the forest from the perspective of the many different wildlife that live there is a very unique experience, to say the least.

Tired and sweaty, we wash up, get some dinner, and meet up at the spotlighting truck in hopes of catching a glimpse of some animals in the night. Things start out slow, but eventually we see some deer, jackal, and even a slow lorus up in the tree top.

We’re told that if we wake up at the right time tomorrow, we have a chance to see a group of gibbons near our hut. That wraps up day one, as everyone scurries to their beds for some much needed sleep.

Going ape!

“Knock, knock, knock!” We awake to an unfamiliar banging noise along with strange howling sounds circling our room. We are immediately convinced that a crazy clan of gibbons is attempting to take over our forest home. When one of us works up enough courage to slowly open the door, we discover that it’s really only someone coming to lead us down the road to where the gibbon howling is coming from. Perhaps our alien surroundings have made us slightly paranoid?

Unfortunately, we arrive a few minutes too late. The gibbons have already made their way back into the forest. A disappointment, but we’re glad that we did at least get to hear their astounding calls.

We eat a quick breakfast in the park and then hop in our van with a guide and make our way to one of Khao Yai’s gorgeous waterfalls. We’re informed that this particular waterfall was featured in a Leonardo DiCaprio movie, “The Beach.”

Once we get there, everyone understands why. The waterfall is so breathtaking and picturesque. It’s almost hard to believe it’s real. Sadly, we don’t run into Leo, but the waterfall made our trek down some very steep stairs completely worth it.

Kuman and his village

After lunch, everyone collects around the van and we’re off to one of the several village communities scattered on the outskirts of the park. At the village, we meet a large group of ex-poachers, including a man, Kuman, a wildlife poaching expert that has changed his ways completely.
FREELAND has addressed not only the problem of poaching wild animals and endangered species, but they’ve given the people who used to make their living committing these crimes a positive alternative. By giving villages of ex-poachers soft loans, the men and woman can begin the necessary processes needed to start and maintain small businesses. It’s really interesting to see the many different things these people have done after being given some incentive. Kuman shows us the many newly dug fishing holes the community is setting up. Each fishing hole will hold around 400 snakehead fish and help the villagers earn some honest money.

Kuman also leads us to their many hydroponic farms where they produce a vast array of organic herbs, spices, and mushrooms. These will generate additional income and allow for the expansion of their business. Seeing this simple way of life leaves us all more humble.

Pow-wow with the rangers

Our next stop is the rangers’ station. We sit down and have a chat with some of the rangers that monitor poaching and protect the park. We’re able to ask questions and hear the rangers’ views on various issues. We learn that the poaching of gaur has gone down significantly, good news to hear. They have come across only one poached gaur within the last year in this area – evidence of a job well-done.

Observing these positive changes first-hand makes us feel more optimistic about the many problems being addressed about wildlife poaching. However, it is more than clear to us all that much more needs to be done. Without additional funding, the money used to support the fight against animal poaching will eventually fade away and the crisis will undoubtedly continue.

Leaving Khao Yai with hope

We make our way back to Bangkok, never to forget Khao Yai’s unique animals, people, and overall experience encountered at such an amazing place. It would be such an enormous shame to see the downfall of this extraordinary environment, knowing that it could have been prevented. We can only hope that individuals will start acting quickly, before it is too late.