Ban Khao Yai Off The Beaten Path

4 more images

Pak Chong is a town about 20KM north ot Khao Yai National Park. There are several resorts, vineyards and golf courses in this area too.

I took a leisure 3 hrs drive along Hwy 2247 north from Pak Chong, westward along Hwy 205 and then southward back to Pak Chong along Hwy 2243.

Well...I was hoping to see a Gibbon or two here at Khao Yai..But the closest was hearing a male in the morning! We could see the trees moving and his call that he was making...You'll have to contact VT member Zrim about the sound that he was making. Zrim is the VT expert on animal sounds!! We missed seeing a few of them in the trees as we met a group of people that were hiking on another trail in the opposite direction as us and they told us that they had passed some but by the time we arrived they were gone.

Centipedes are quite common throughout south-east asia. Some of them are Poisonous but I don't which ones. I just don't want to get bit by any of them. LOL It's cool to watch all of those legs move at the same time.

We spotted this Monitor Lizard in the river. But they can also be spotted on land. I don't know if they are dangerous..They sure look like they could be. I do know that they are afraid of humans because I have spooked them a couple times and they have scurried into the underbrush. To see the lizard good you will have to enlarge the photo as his body is mostly under the water.

The Sambar Deer are quite easy to spot at many places in the park. If you have your own transportation just drive slow and scan the forests and fields and you'll be sure to see some of them. Many times they were in groups of 4-8.

This cool looking bug came flying through the thickets and just barely missed my head then he land on a tree right near my head. Then the scramble was on to get my camera out and ready before he took off! Well he just sat there allowing me to take several photos with and without flash! Thank goodness for Macro. With the help of VT member Epicult he told me that they were common in Secondary -growth Forests and thats where I was!! Check out his pages for some awesome Central America adventures!!

Here you can see the path is a beaten but narrow path. This is part or big hike that started in the fields and went through the forest and back out to the main road and ended very near the Cobra area!! Although we didn't see any Cobras or Tigers but apparantly both can be found in the area. These grasses also carry leeches if it has been raining which we discovered!! Make noise so any of the big game will know that you're coming down the trail! You don't want to surprise a Tiger! You won't win!!

At the opposite end of the lake (at KM35) you will see the area where the elephants leave their huge elephant size droppings!! So watch your step! I don't know if it's gathered up or not but there was only fresh stuff in the area which led me to believe that something is done with it each day. Decorations maybe??