Photo: Nawit science · CC BY-SA 4.0Khao Yai & Khmer Temples
Drive from Bangkok to Khao Yai, then continue through Nakhon Ratchasima to Phimai on a four-day nature-and-history circuit.
- Allow
- 4 days
- Route
- 717 km
- Drive time
- 9 hr 48 min
- Stops
- 5
Khao Yai is one of the clearest cases where a car changes the trip: park roads, trailheads and wildlife hours are spread out, and public transport stops at the region’s edge. Continuing east to Korat and Phimai turns a park weekend into a compact Isan introduction.
Four days keeps the return manageable. Wildlife is never guaranteed, and the driving plan must yield to park rules, speed limits and animal crossings rather than trying to manufacture sightings.
The road, in one glance
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Drawing the route…
The route earns
its distance
Each pin is selected as a place to do something—not merely proof that you passed through.
Photo: Ninara from Helsinki, Finland · CC BY 2.0Bangkok
Leave after the city stay, choosing an outer pickup point if it avoids beginning the road trip in the densest central traffic.
Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres (605.7 sq mi) in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population of 9.1 million people as of 2024, 15.9% of the country's population.
Photo: ::::=UT=:::: · CC BY-SA 3.0Pak Chong
The rail-and-road gateway supplies markets, food and practical services before the national-park roads branch south.
Pak Chong is the westernmost district (amphoe) of Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeastern Thailand, and the main point of entry into Isan as the main road and rail lines cross the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains into the region. It is a popular tourist destination, especially among weekenders from Bangkok, and is home to many resorts and touristy attractions, in addition to the main entrance into Khao Yai National Park.
Photo: Nawit science · CC BY-SA 4.0Khao Yai National Park
Forest roads link waterfalls, viewpoints and trail access while elephants, macaques and hornbills make every drive conditional on wildlife.
Khao Yai National Park is a national park in Thailand. Established in 1962 as Thailand's first national park, it is the third largest national park in Thailand.
Photo: Khaosaming · CC BY-SA 3.0Nakhon Ratchasima
Korat adds city food, the Thao Suranari story and a useful overnight before the route reaches Phimai.
Nakhon Ratchasima is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Northeastern Thailand and the third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 kilometres (160 mi) northeast of Bangkok, one of the four major cities of Isan (Northeast Thailand), known as the "big four of Isan", and has a population of 466,098 people as of 2021.
Photo: This Photo was taken by Supanut Arunoprayote . Feel free to use any of my images, but please mention me as the author and may send me a message. (สามารถใช้ภาพได้อิสระ แต่กรุณาใส่เครดิตผู้ถ่ายและอาจส่ง ข้อความบอกกล่าวด้วย ) Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source. This ensures that the changes are preserved. Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author. Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract . · CC BY 4.0Phimai Historical Park
A major Khmer sanctuary sits at the heart of the modern town, connected historically to Angkor but visited at a far gentler scale.
The Phimai Historical Park (Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์พิมาย) is a historical park in Thailand, covering the ancient town of Phimai and the ruins of Prasat Phimai Thai: ปราสาทพิมาย, pronounced; Northeastern Thai: ผาสาทพิมาย, pronounced ) the largest ancient Mahayana Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is located in the town of Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima province.
Drive the conditions,
not the itinerary.
Obey park speed limits, never leave the vehicle around elephants unless staff direct it, and keep food secured. Wildlife has right of way.
Checked against
the people who run it
Distances and driving times are planning estimates. Conditions, closures, ferries, permits and park rules can change, so check the linked official guidance before setting out.