Thailand Guide
The northeast: Isaan
Night safaris
A much-touted park attraction are the hour-long night safaris – officially known as "night-lightings" – which take truckloads of tourists round Khao Yai's main roads in the hope of catching some interesting wildlife in the glare of the specially fitted searchlights. Regular night-time sightings include deer and civets, and elephants and tigers are sometimes spotted as well. However, opinions differ on the quality of the night-lighting experience: some people find it thrilling just to be out on the edges of the jungle after dark, others see it as rather a crass method of wildlife observation, especially at weekends when the park can feel like a town centre, with four or five trucks following each other round and round the main roads. Whatever your conclusion, you will enjoy the outing a lot more if you take warm clothes with you – Khao Yai is quite high and gets very chilly after sunset.
The night-lighting trucks leave the park headquarters every night at 7pm and 8pm (they can pick you up from the campsite if requested). All night-lightings are run by the park rangers, so tour operators sometimes join forces to hire a truck with ranger and searchlights. If you're on your own, you'll probably need to accompany one of these groups, as the trucks cost B500 to rent and can take up to ten people: book your place at the national park accommodation office, next to the visitor centre.