It's a jungle out there

Khao Yai, Thailand

Kansai offers residents quite a bit in forms of escape. Japan's ethereal design of mountains, waterfalls and scorching red autumn foliage helps nature lovers rediscover their center. A good hike can purify a spirit weighed down by work-related responsibilities and a relentless urban sprawl. If however, you are one of the restless souls who's already breezed through the 48 water- falls of Akame Shijyuhachi and braved the intensity of Yatsubuchi No Taki's beautiful and dangerous gorges – you may want to shoot off to the earthy and adventurous Thailand on your next excursion. Khao Yai, a national park located just a few hours from Bangkok, offers a landscape not found anywhere in Japan. It teems with weather beaten paths forged by the animals that still traverse its diverse terrain, and leaves it's visitors with a sense of connection and accomplishment. Thailand is the Wild West to Japan's Victorian era - cheap, dirty and exciting.

The country has many paths well tread by tourists seeking an outdoors experience. Scuba diving in Koh Tao and trekking in Chang Mai have found their way on thousands of itineraries. Khao Yai may not be as famous as the sites formerly mentioned, but it offers just as much in the way of memorable scenery. The park, which is the oldest national park in the country, was first established in 1961 and covers 2,168 square kilometers of grass- lands, evergreen forests and mountain ranges. It's conveniently located in Nakhon Ratchasima Province and is the second largest in Thailand. Being part of the UNESCO World Heritage Foundation, the land plays host to more than 320 species of birds and roughly 67 types of mammals: many of which are viewable while hiking on the 50km worth of trails.

Traveling Thailand is a backpacker's Mecca in many ways. I assume the draw comes from the outlaw image projected out onto the western world. For many, the signal is taken in as AK- 47s, bootlegged DVDs, impoverished villagers and the Khao San Road. Cheap beer and lodging have people calling Thailand home for months on end. But when you've got only two weeks till your departure, you tend to manage your time better. When my girlfriend and I first discussed a Thai getaway, images of a lightly populated beach and umbrella-garnished drinks were prominent. This was a vacation after all, not just another journal entry on a six-month traveling binge, and we wanted to make the most of our time. So, in order to balance out the week spent lounging on the southern island we thought it a good idea to get a good feel of Bangkok, spend a day in the ruins of Ayutthaya and head to this national park that received only a slight nod in our trusty Lonely Planet.

We caught the train from Ayutthaya at dusk. The car was filled with sleepy migrant workers and a few uniformed men finishing their day working the rails as ticket-takers. Our destination was Pak Chong (a two-hour sprint from the formal capital) and we hoped that the station would be clearly marked in English rather than the Thai script neither of us could decipher. After being gently nudged by an off duty railroad attendant, our little wooden seated car came to a screeching halt and we arrived at our destination - as the attendant's gesture clearly indicated. We slowly shuffled off the train and eyed one of the makeshift taxies (a pickup truck with the flatbed fitted with parallel cushioned benches) sporting the logo of our lodging, The Khao Yai Garden Lodge. After a quick conversation with the driver we were cruising towards our destination - a secluded and charming compound with a variety of gardens, open- air lobby/restaurant/lounge and the warmest staff in South East Asia. A good nights sleep in a fan-cooled bungalow would give us the rest needed for the 10-hour trek the next day. Our guide gave a swift and firm knock at 7am the following morning. We were headed to the park.

The size of Khao Yai is actually quite daunting upon first gaze. You pay the teller your 400 baht (roughly ¥1,450) and are soon privy to a high altitude view of the lush valley in which the park resides. The massive panorama is enough to make even the most seasoned outdoorsman gulp. Thank God we had our guide. But, if needed, the rangers that work the grounds can also be hired as guides for only 100 baht per day. As getting lost on some of the longer treks is a real possibility, hiring a guide would definitely be encouraged. Another advantage to hiring one of these friends-for-a-day would be their knowledge of the wildlife. Want to see some great horn- bills darting in and out of the shafts of sunlight splitting the canopy overhead? Well, these guys will tell you when to snag off that lens cap and start shooting. And if you just so happen to stumble upon one of the Asiatic black bears or tigers that populate the grounds, your new buddy might just be nice enough tell you which way to start running.

While seeing some of the larger mammals isn't guaranteed, it does happen frequently enough to warrant lugging around that heavy new SLR camera you're always debating on bringing. Khao Yai's resident animals are protected and left to fend for themselves in their natural environment. Considering 3,800 of Thailand's 5,000 endangered elephants are held under private ownership (usually being held in despicable conditions while being forced to give rides to eager paying tourists), your conscience can rest easy knowing that you're seeing these species in a natural setting. And if you decide to take advantage of one of the wildlife tours offered by one of the outlying lodges nearby, your chances of getting up close and personal with one of these beasts increases exponentially. We were lucky enough to witness an entire family of elephants feeding leisurely in a nearby foliage grove. Their sheer size and power being all the more immediate due to the lack of harnesses or whips.

Whether it's admiring the beauty of the Hew Suwat Falls made famous in Danny Boyle's 2000 film The Beach, trekking the grasslands for some late night leopard spotting or pushing your stamina to the limit by hiking the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains, Khao Yai has something for those with an adventurous heart. So, if you decide to trade in that concrete jungle for the real deal this winter, then you could do a lot worse than Thailand. With central Thailand's rainy season ending in October, you'd be hard pressed to find a better opportunity. Just grab your daypack and those North Face ankle huggers that have been collecting dust in your genkan. Relief is only a five-hour plane ride away.

Text & photos: James Fleming