12 Thailand national parks you simply must explore

With more than 150 protected areas, Thailand's national parks showcase this country’s incredible biodiversity and breathtaking landscapes. Each park offers a unique glimpse into rich ecosystems of Thailand, from the karst peaks, turquoise lakes, and rainforests of Khao Sok National Park to the mountainous terrain of Doi Inthanon, home to the highest peak in the country. Thailand is vast, stretching almost 1,600km (995 mi) from end to end, and speckled throughout its diverse landscape are a plethora of national parks.

Khao Sok National Park

Topping most travellers’ lists of Thai national parks is Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand. Most visitors spend a couple of nights here sleeping in raft houses on Cheow Lan Lake, where you can dive into the turquoise waters just a couple of steps from your bed. Khao Sok offers a beautiful blend of ancient rainforests and impressive limestone cliffs, and it's home to a fantastic array of wildlife, including tapirs, gibbons, and the rare Malayan sun bear, making it a nature lover’s wildest dream. Khao Sok is easily accessible by public transportation and an ideal stopping point between Phuket and the islands of Koh Lanta and Koh Samui.

See it for yourself on: Journeys: Iconic Thailand

Khao Yai National Park

Established in 1962, Khao Yai was Thailand’s first national park, and it's the country's third-largest, spanning more than 2,000 sq km (1,243 sq mi). It’s less than three hours from Bangkok and is part of a huge UNESCO-protected forest that stretches to the border with Cambodia. Though you can see elephants in several places in Thailand, Khao Yai is one where you might just bump into one. Macaques, otters, and jackals are also on this national park's wildlife-spotting list. Most hiking trails need to be walked with a guide because this national park is a wild jungle where it's easy to get lost! Another must-visit location in the park is Haew Suwat Waterfall, made famous in Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach. You can take after Leo with a dive from the top into the cooling waters.

Doi Inthanon National Park

Home to Thailand’s highest peak, this national park is nicknamed the "Roof of Thailand" and is most easily accessed from vibrant Chiang Mai, with its fascinating Old City and dense concentration of stunning Buddhist temples. Doi Inthanon follows in its footsteps, with its remarkable Twin Pagodas, matching temples that are dedicated to the king and queen of Thailand. These beautiful pagodas, the terraces, and manicured gardens that surround them are best visited at sunrise if you can handle the early wake-up call. One of the best trails to follow is the Kew Mae Pan nature trail, a two-hour loop that must be walked with a local Hmong guide, who provides cultural insight into the area.

Erawan National Park

Named for the three-headed elephant of Hindu mythology, Erawan National Park is famous for its cascading waterfalls. The park's seven-tiered waterfalls are nothing short of mesmerizing: stunning emerald green pools perfect for cooling off in the Thai humidity. Three levels of the falls are easily accessible, while the other four involve a slightly strenuous but rewarding 2km hike. The further you climb, the fewer swimmers you encounter and the more likely you are to have one of the pools all to yourself. Pool four has a natural rock slide, which is an adrenaline-pumping way to cool off from your walk through the jungle.

See it for yourself on: Bangkok to Chiang Mai Express

Ao Phang Nga National Park

Between the blissful beaches of Phuket and the fishing town of Krabi, Ao Phang Nga National Park is dotted with the iconic limestone karst islands that you see in many Instagram posts from Thailand. Most well known is James Bond Island, so called because of its appearance in The Man With the Golden Gun. This national park is famous for its conservation efforts and is home to the largest expanse of native mangrove forest remaining in Thailand. The best way to explore this national park is by boat: a meandering longtail around the karst peaks, a kayak, or a canoe, which grant you entry into the weaving cave systems and mangroves with the help of a guide.

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park

A beautiful blend of mountains, wetlands, and wildlife, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park is often overlooked by visitors, but don’t be one of them! The highlight of this sprawling national park is Phraya Nakhon Cave, a beautiful space where streams of sunlight filter through the natural open roof every morning. The cave has two chambers, each with its own jungle ecosystem. Hiking through these caves is a must, as is a look at the fascinating Khuha Kharuehat Pavilion, built by King Rama V.

You can also cruise around the waterways, indulging in views of the surrounding mountains (Khao Sam Roi Yot means Three Hundred Mountain Peaks), or spend hours spotting birds among the greenery. This park isn’t accessible by public transport, so find a driver in Hua Hin or Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Ang Thong National Park

Ang Thong National Park is made up of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand, just a short distance from the island beauties on many backpackers' bucket lists. The only way to access this incredible area is on a day tour from Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, and you’re treated to epic snorkelling sites, crystal-clear waters for kayaking, rides in a traditional longtail boat, and the opportunity to camp overnight on one of the tiny islands, the only sounds the lapping of waves against the shore.

See it for yourself on: Cambodia & The Thai Islands – East Coast

Sirinat National Park

One of Thailand's smallest national parks, the 90km-long (56 mi) Sirinat National Park is a stretch of coast that can easily be visited in a day from Phuket. It boasts snow-white sandy beaches, coral reef clusters, and watercolour sunsets. At Mai Khao Beach, you can sunbathe while watching planes land.

Kaeng Krachan National Park

Rolling forested hills, peaceful rivers, and wondrous Thailand wildlife: that’s Kaeng Krachan, the country's biggest national park, in a nutshell. This huge national park is one of the best places for birdwatching in Thailand, thanks to the overlapping biozones that provide the habitat for more than 400 bird species. It’s a wonderland for other wildlife, too, as one of the country’s best-preserved habitats. It’s possible to see leopards, cloud leopards, tapirs, and elephants at Kaeng Krachan National Park, and the friendly macaques are your welcoming committee. At least three tigers live within the park’s bounds, though you’d be incredibly lucky to catch a glimpse of one in its huge 3,000-sq-km (1,864 sq mi) expanse.

Tarutao National Park

The southernmost national park on this list, Tarutao National Park is on the island of Ko Tarutao, and it's the perfect place to visit if you want to get off the beaten track. This national park has incredible underwater sights for scuba divers to see, and you can organize dive boats from the island of Koh Lipe. Tarutao also has a swath of rainforest teeming with wildlife, as well as a darker history. The island once held political prisoners captive, and several buildings and a small museum tell this story.

Kui Buri National Park

If you’re desperate to lay eyes on elephants while in Thailand but want to avoid unethical tourist practices, Kui Buri is the place for you. An estimated 300 wild elephants roam free in this national park, which travellers can see on dedicated safari drives. Sightings are almost guaranteed! You can also spot gaurs here, wild cattle native to Southeast Asia that are bigger than bison. Kui Buri is only 72km (45 mi) west of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, and it’s possible to visit both in one day.

Mu Ko Surin National Park

Mu Ko Surin National Park, part of the Surin Islands, is an escape-from-it-all spot famed for its white-sand beaches and some of the world’s best scuba diving sites. Large pelagic life is everywhere, from manta rays to whale sharks, as well as barracuda, whitetip reef sharks, and pipefish. Richelieu Rock is widely considered the best dive site in the whole of Thailand, with a majestic limestone pinnacle that acts as a playground for mantis shrimps, lobsters, octopi, pipefish, colourful nudibranchs, mating cuttlefish, and giant groupers.