Best National Parks in Thailand

Doi Inthanon, at 2,565 m (8,415 ft) the highest point in Thailand, is the classic day trip from Chiang Mai, 1.5 to 2 hours away by car. A paved road climbs past Mae Klang and Wachirathan waterfalls to the twin royal pagodas (separate small fee) and the summit. The best walk is the Kew Mae Pan nature trail, a 3 km loop through rhododendron and cloud forest to an open ridge; it closes from June to October and you must walk it with a local guide, hired at the trailhead. The Ang Ka boardwalk at the top is a short stroll through mossy bog forest. Entry is 300 baht. Dress warmly from December to February, when dawn at the summit can fall to near freezing.

Doi Suthep-Pui National Park begins at the edge of Chiang Mai and holds Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the Bhubing Palace gardens and the Hmong village at Doi Pui, all on one road. Hike the Monk’s Trail from the back of Chiang Mai University up to Wat Pha Lat (about an hour), or visit Monthathan and Huai Kaeo waterfalls. The park has begun charging foreigners around 100 baht at more trailheads and waterfalls since late 2025; the temple and palace charge separately.

Khao Yai National Park, Thailand’s first (1962) and a World Heritage Site, is the best all-round park in the country. It sits above Pak Chong, three hours from Bangkok by car or by train to Pak Chong and then a songthaew or a hired driver to the gate. Inside, a single road links the visitor centre to Haew Narok, a 150 m waterfall reached by a steep staircase, and Haew Suwat, the fall from the film The Beach. Entry is 400 baht (about 12 USD) plus a small car fee. You need your own transport or a tour, since nothing runs inside the park, and a day is not enough: sleep at Lam Takhong or Pha Kluai Mai campgrounds or in the resorts along Thanarat Road outside the gate.

Khao Sok National Park is the most spectacular inland park in the south: rainforest wrapped around limestone towers, with Cheow Lan Lake at its centre. Most people stay in Khao Sok village by the park gate, two hours from Surat Thani or about three from Phuket and Khao Lak, and walk the riverside trail to Ton Kloi waterfall. The real reason to come is a night on the lake: drive an hour to Ratchaprapha Dam pier, take a longtail past the karsts to a floating raft-house camp, and wake to mist and gibbons calling. Entry is 200 to 300 baht and the same ticket covers the lake.

Similan Islands are granite boulders, white sand and the clearest water in Thailand, 60 km off Khao Lak. Speedboats leave Thap Lamu pier for day trips (about 1.5 hours each way); divers go on liveaboards. Entry is 500 baht (about 15 USD), there is a daily visitor cap, and the park is open only from mid-October to mid-May. Overnight stays on the islands have been restricted in recent seasons, so treat it as a day trip or a liveaboard unless the park confirms camping. Read our diving guide for the dive sites.

Mu Ko Surin National Park, near the Myanmar border, is the place to sleep on a marine park island: tents and a few bungalows at Mai Ngam and Chong Khad bays, with snorkelling straight off the beach. Boats leave Khuraburi pier, about an hour away. Entry is 500 baht and the season matches the Similans.

Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei is a 60 square km sandstone plateau at about 1,300 m, and climbing it is a Thai rite of passage. The trail from Si Than at the foot is about 5.5 km and climbs roughly 1,000 m in three to five hours,. Porters carry your bag up for a per-kilo fee. On top you sleep in park tents or cabins near the Wang Kwang centre and spend a day walking or cycling the flat trails to cliff viewpoints: Pha Nok Aen for sunrise and Pha Lom Sak, a lone pine on a rock ledge, for sunset. Plan two nights. Entry is 400 baht. The summit trail is closed every year from 1 June to 30 September.

Pha Taem National Park, on the Mekong cliffs in Ubon Ratchathani province, is the first place in Thailand to see the sun rise. A cliffside path below the viewpoint passes red rock paintings of people, fish and elephants around 3,000 years old. Hire a car or driver from Ubon (about 1.5 to 2 hours) or Khong Chiam. Entry is around 400 baht.

Foreigners pay a two-tier price set by the Department of National Parks: 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 baht per adult, with children roughly half price. Thai nationals pay 20 to 100 baht. Cars, motorbikes and some activities (caves, guided trails, kayaks) cost extra. The ticket is valid for the whole park on the day you buy it; if you stay overnight inside, it normally covers your stay, so keep it.

Payment is still mostly cash at the gate, though the department has been piloting e-tickets, starting with the Krabi and Phang Nga marine parks, and Khao Yai and other parks have sold advance tickets through the QueQ app. Carry baht either way, since card and app payment is patchy at smaller parks. Check before you go: fees and ticketing have changed several times since 2022.

Sleeping in a park is cheap and memorable. Most major parks have a campground where you can pitch your own tent for a small fee or rent a tent, mat and sleeping bag for a few hundred baht, plus bungalows or dorm-style lodges from about 600 to 3,000 baht a night. Book park lodges online through the Department of National Parks reservation site, which opens months ahead and fills quickly for Thai long weekends and New Year; tents can usually be rented on arrival on weekdays. Park restaurants close early, often by 7pm, so eat before dark.

The cool, dry months from November to February are the best time for most parks: clear mornings, mist in the mountains and comfortable hiking. Waterfalls are at their fullest from August to November, at the end of the rains, but trails are muddy and leeches come out. March to May brings smoke haze to the north. Our best time to visit Thailand page has the full month-by-month picture.