Khao Yai Wildlife Trek, 2 Days from Bangkok

Khao Yai is Thailand's oldest national park and a long drive north-east of Bangkok. This two-day tour makes it practical: a private transfer from your hotel, trekking in small groups with an English-speaking guide, and a hotel stay if you choose the option. The listing marks it as a tour with private transfers rather than a private tour, so the treks themselves are in small groups.

The programme is built around wildlife and the evening. You trek through dry evergreen forest, where gibbons, monkeys and hornbills live, and drive to the highest mountain of the park for a viewpoint. In the evening there is a stakeout at the salt licks where wild elephants may come, and the tour watches the millions of bats that leave their cave at dusk in a snake-like stream across the sky. Sightings of wildlife are not guaranteed.

The price includes the private transfers, a professional driver, insurance, the small-group treks, the guide, lunch on Day 2, water, snacks and fresh fruit on both days, leech socks and, in the rainy season, a raincoat. If you select the accommodation option, the hotel stay and breakfast on Day 2 are included. The standard hotel is Eco Valley Resort and the premium hotel is The Peri Khao Yai, with a comparable alternative if there is no availability. Bring comfortable shoes and swimwear.

The operator is Amazing Asia Tours, and the tour is booked through GetYourGuide with free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. The listing does not state the group size for the treks or the guide's other languages, so ask the operator if this matters to you.

It suits travellers who want a taste of Thailand's forests from Bangkok and are comfortable with trekking and an early start. For a history-focused overnight from Bangkok, see the Kanchanaburi tour on this site.