Cycling in Khao Yai
Khao Yai has always been a favourite part of Thailand for me, with its amazing scenery, wildlife and cooler temperatures the 3 hour journey from Bangkok is always worthwhile. The last few trips I have taken my mountain bike and tried to find some mountain biking trails which is quite difficult with the jungle being so thick. There is a genuine risk of running into animals too, including my last trip where I came across a heard of wild elephants. Whilst this was a memorable moment, they are prone to charging and could quite easily out run me on a mountain bike over rough terrain.

Despite this there are some decent trails and opportunities for cycling in Khao Yai, particularly around the wildlife viewing towers near the visitor center as it has some open grassy areas and several km of walking trails. The road through the park is also fantastic for cycling and although I am not a fan of road biking, the sweeping roads can be exhilarating when there is no traffic.
During my last visit in March 2014 I stayed above the National Park, in the wine producing area called Asoke Valley. This is home to famous wine producers such as PB Valley and Gran Monte, both of which have large vineyards in the area and some great restaurants and accommodation. We stayed at Kham reserve which overlooks Asoke Valley and sits on the edge of Khao Yai National Park. This region is just 160km from Bangkok, and with good traffic can be reached in just 2 hours.

Although most visitors to the region naturally want to visit the vinyards of which the area is famous for, and various other attractions such as Palio – a Mediterranean style village with numerous shops, coffee shops catering to the myriads of tourists, or the many resorts in the region, cycling does have potential despite no designated trails that I could find. Most people I came across were completely bemused by a foreigner on a mountain bike but everyone is incredibly friendly and even a local monk tried to offer some advice on where to go mountain biking around Asoke Valley.
Despite having no idea where to head for I managed to find some decent off road trails on the outskirts of the National Park. The forest was simply too thick to make my own trail so the trails are generally around the edge but there was some decent single and double track combined with some trails through farmland and on quiet country roads. Whilst there are certainly more well know mountain biking trails in Thailand and within a closer proximity to Bangkok, Khao Yai and the Asoke Valley are worth exploring on 2 wheels and I will no doubt venture there again. The area makes for a great escape from Bangkok and even if you don’t intend to go biking, staying on one of the vineyards or resorts in the area and sipping wine whilst watching the sun setting over the mountains is a worthwhile experience.

Cycling in Khao Yai has incredible potential and so far is relatively unknown among both tourists and people living in Thailand. Trails such as Khao Ito, located on the Southern side of Khao Yai is known to be the best single track within range of Bangkok and Khao Mai Keaw/Wat Suwankhiri are also well known but there are certainly enough opportunities to find new trails.