Photo Diary: Khao Yai with Kids

Khao Yai is a great place to visit with kids. I recently spent a long weekend in Khao Yai with my family, friends and a bunch of kids aged 1 to 6 years old and we had an amazing time!

Khao Yai is a national park located amidst hills northeast of Bangkok. It’s a comfortable 3-hour drive, which makes it a good and easy option when traveling with babies and young children. In the last few years lots of new hotels, restaurants and attractions have opened up in Khao Yai and many of them are very child-friendly.

Below you will find photos from my recent 3-day trip to Khao Yai.

Where to stay in Khao Yai?

We stayed at the Botanica Khao Yai resort, which offers a range of room types including 2-bedroom suites and 3-bedroom villas with private pools making it perfect for families and/or bigger groups with kids. The whole resort is designed with a modern aesthetic accented by black, white and natural textures. What caught my eye was the natural landscape design around the whole resort.

The facilities include a main swimming pool, gym, sauna and restaurant. The food at the restaurant was pretty average so for most of the meals we headed out (more details on where to dine is below). We stayed in the 3-bedroom pool villa and really enjoyed having access to a private pool — it made it so much easier with a busy, impatient toddler who wanted to dive in the second his swim gear was on.

What to do in Khao Yai with kids?

The main reason to stay at Botanica Khao Yai resort is the fact that the Scenical World Khao Yai amusement park and water park is located right next door on the same property.

Scenical World Khao Yai amusement park and water park

Scenical World includes three main zones:
Excite Zone: Offers over 20 fun games, activities and rides targeted at older children and adults

Kids Zone: Offers fun games and rides targeted at younger children aged 4 and above.

Splash Zone: Offers a wide range of adventure slides and rides for older children and adults and a wave pool, lazy river and shallow water splash zone ideal for toddlers and younger children.

My son thoroughly enjoyed the shallow water splash zone and he was able to independently (while supervised) go up and down the lower slides and float and walk in the shallow water. I’d recommend putting on a floatation device on for safety. We spent about half a day in the water park and that’s more than enough time to tire out an energetic toddler.

Issara Estates Winery

While a winery may not seem like the most child-friendly place to visit, it turned out to be an ideal way to get in some “adult fun” while also keeping the kids somewhat entertained. Visit the winery in the afternoon, have lunch, and do a tour through winery and vineyard. My son enjoyed walking and running in the open space. The wine estate is nestled in the lush green hills. Tannin restaurant is artistically designed with a cozy, rustic Italian vibe.

We had a wonderful afternoon learning about how the wine is made and tasting some of them. My personal favorites are the Chardonnay white wine and Merlot red wine.

More things to do in Khao Yai

Primo Piazza

Escape to Italy with alpacas! A great spot with farm animals to feed, cafe to hang out in, and photo backdrops.

PB Valley Winery

Enjoy half a day at PB Valley Winery with a meal and wine tour (book 72 hours in advance).

Hiking in Khao Yai National Park

Enjoy the many hiking trails in this UNESCO World Heritage Site and take small breaks along the way at the waterfalls.

Wildlife and Night Safari Tour

Book a night safari tour at the Khao Yai Visitor Center. Each takes about one hour with two time slots per day from 7-8 PM and 8-9PM. You cannot take your own vehicle for the night safari.

Farm Chokchai

A great option with kids, Farm Chokchai offers a rodeo show, ATV bike rides, pony rides, animal feeding, and ice cream making classes.

Where to eat in Khao Yai?

Khao Yai has a lot to offer in terms of dining. There are lots of local Thai restaurants as well as larger ones with international cuisine. We visited some of the larger restaurants, which are grand in design and offer picturesque views over the hills of Khao Yai. With kids in tow, we opted to have early dinners and it also gave us a chance to catch lovely sunsets while the kids enjoyed the outdoors (some of the restaurants had a playground for kids) while the sun was still out.

The Chocolate Factory

The Castle Restaurant at Thames Valley

Midwinter Green

Club Cucina – Toscana Valley Country Club 

Witches Brew Restaurant

Sireena Italian Restaurant

Fairy’s Scone House Khao Yai

Let me know if you have any other recommendations for Khao Yai with (or even without) kids in the comments below.