Kui Buri National Park is known as one of the best places to see wild elephants in Thailand. With an estimated population of over 300 Asian elephants, sightings of these gentle giants are extremely common. Safaris to see wild elephants in Kui Buri National Park run every day, and are a must-do for any wildlife-lovers visiting this area of Thailand. This guide covers everything you need to know about seeing the wild elephants in Kui Buri National Park, with information on the park’s wildlife, entrance fees, how to get there, and more!
Keen to discover some of Thailand’s incredible marine life? Check out our guide to the best snorkelling spots on the idyllic island of Koh Phi Phi!
Kui Buri National Park Information
Entrance Fees
The entrance fees for Kui Buri National Park are 200 baht per foreign adult and 100 baht per foreign child. Thai nationals have a lower entrance fee of 40 baht per adult and 20 baht per child.
There is an additional fee of 850 baht for a jeep with a driver and guide, which can accommodate up to 6 visitors. If you are visiting in a group of more than 6 then you will need to arrange more than one jeep.
Opening Hours
The elephant observation areas in Kui Buri National Park are only open in the afternoons from 2pm until 5pm. It’s best to arrive as close to 2pm as possible to maximise your time in the park spotting some of its incredible wildlife.
Wildlife
Kui Buri National Park is home to an abundance of wildlife, with some of the most commonly-seen mammals including Asian elephants, gaurs, deer, golden jackals, langurs, and wild boars. Some of the rare mammal species that live in the park include tigers, leopards, tapirs, and dholes (wild dogs).
The park is also home to over 260 species of bird, including white-crowned hornbills, white-fronted scops owls, blue-rumped parrots, red-bearded bee-eaters, Asian openbills, and many more! There are also around 60 reptile species that live in the park, including a variety of snakes and lizards.
Another underrated place to visit nearby is Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park which has some great places to see wildlife!
How to get to Kui Buri National Park
The best way to get to Kui Buri National Park is by car, which may mean renting a car yourself or taking a taxi. Driving in this part of Thailand is fairly easy as the roads aren’t overly busy and are in good condition, so driving isn’t as daunting as in major cities like Bangkok.
You will want to head for the Huai Luek Ranger Station in Kui Buri National Park, as this is where the elephant safaris depart from. The ranger station is located approximately a 1½ hour drive from Hua Hin, which gives plenty of time to get there and back within a day. Click here to see the location of the ranger station on Google Maps!
If you don’t already have a car then we recommend either finding a local agency or taking a look on the Discover Cars website. They have plenty of great deals for renting a car in Hua Hin and elsewhere in Thailand, so click here to get a quote in seconds through Discover Cars!
There is a large car park at the Huai Luek Ranger Station, so you should have no trouble finding a space. Parking is free and there are a few facilities including toilets and a small shop with snacks and drinks.
Alternatively, there are some tours that do run to Kui Buri National Park, but generally these work out as considerably more expensive than visiting yourself – so we recommend avoiding them where possible.
It’s worth noting that the mobile signal in and around the park is pretty unreliable, so it’s best to download an offline map for the area before you visit. During your visit it’s unlikely you will have a reliable connection to any mobile data.
Safaris in Kui Buri National Park
Wildlife watching safaris run every day in Kui Buri National Park from the Huai Luek Ranger Station. These trips are different to normal safaris as you only spend a short while driving around the national park, and instead spend the majority of your time at one of three wildlife watching areas in the park.
These wildlife watching points overlook large areas of the national park, and give a good chance of elephant sightings. It’s claimed that there is a 95% success rate for elephant sightings on safaris in Kui Buri National Park.
The drivers and guides keep in contact with each other and will do their best to ensure you see elephants on your visit, but of course as they are wild animals there are no guarantees.
As you drive through the park to these designated viewing areas you may encounter some wildlife, but the drivers and guides do focus on elephants so may not stop for other animals. If you’re lucky you may see elephants crossing the road, or potentially some gaur through the trees. On our visit we also saw large groups of butterflies flying around, as well as some birdlife as we drove through the park.
The drive to the viewing areas only lasts around 15-20 minutes, and once you reach each viewing area you will have the chance to get out of the jeep for a better look. There are benches in the viewing areas which are great if you want to sit down whilst looking out for any wildlife.
It’s up to you how long you spend at each viewing area, so you can always move on quickly if there is no wildlife to see. We spent the majority of our visit in the third elephant viewing area, and this is where we had our only elephant sighting.
Patience is required in order to see wild elephants in the national park, but unless you’re quite unlucky you should hopefully get a sighting. Be quiet and respectful, and make sure to listen to the guides as they will help you to see any elephants or other wildlife.
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