Animal is a documentary series from Netflix which explores the unusual living habits of a wide variety of animals, including how they interact with each other, hunt and survive. When it comes to eating, evening is normally the time for foraging, especially in the rich forest.
The forest area of Khao Yai National Park covers almost 2,168 square kilometers. Consisting of expansive grasslands or primary rainforest in the form of dry evergreen forest, mixed deciduous forest, montane rainforest, tropical rainforest, and secondary forest, the park provides the diversity of habitats for an exotic mix of flora and fauna, including rare and almost extinct animals. With many of the park’s animals elusively shy or nocturnal, a visit to the park’s “Night Safari” is a great way to see these magnificent creatures.
Many of the park’s animals are nocturnal foragers, such as sambar deer, Malayan porcupines, large Indian civets, Asian palm civets, wild elephants, owls, and nightjars. The Night Safari allows visitors to observe these elusive wildlife up close by night in the company of the national park’s rangers, who provide both protection and insights.
The best time to join the Night Safari is winter (October-November) because it’s when most wild animals, including rare species and herds of elephants, come out to forage. After all, winter is when the forest has the most abundant resources.
Visitors are forbidden from viewing the animals at night on their own as this can be dangerous. There are certain rules to follow as follows.
- Please maintain silence when watching the animals, and study their behavior without disturbing them or other visitors.
- Strictly follow the regulations and recommendations of the Rangers.
- Don’t feed the animals, as this will disturb their natural behaviors.
- Don’t use flash photography as this may be dangerous to the animals’ eyesight and startle them, which then puts you at risk of being attacked by the animals.
- Don’t use your torch to look at animals. Only the guide’s torch is allowed.
- At night time, the forest may be colder than usual, so please dress appropriately.
For the safety of both the visitors and the animals, visitors ride in a pick-up truck organized by the national park office with a park ranger who provides explanations and answers questions along the 10-kilometer journey, which takes about an hour.
There are two Night Safaris each day, at 07.00-08.00 pm and 08.00-09.00 pm. Tourists are required to reserve in advance before 06.00 pm at the visitor center. The fee is 600 baht per vehicle, which can carry up to 10 persons. The pick-up area is in front of the visitor center. Those who stay at the national park’s accommodation can inform the officer to pick them up at the campground or their residence. Please contact the night safari department at Tel. 08 6092 6529 and 08 1063 9241.
