Senior Leader Gavin Bieber’s time in Thailand is drawing to a close–far too soon!

I’m heading home tomorrow, so figured I should get a few more lines in before it all becomes a blur.

Khao Yai National Park is stunning. Connected to two other parks that stretch almost to the Cambodian border, this large park preserves a rare swath of protected old-growth lowland monsoon forest and retains most if not all of its megafauna.

Khao Yai preserves nearly all of its diverse megafauna. Photo: Jon Dunn.

Never before have I had the opportunity to hike isolated trails in areas with the potential for Tigers, and it’s a wonderful feeling. I’ve decided that even if one of us gets eaten, the trip will still be a resounding success!

That thought came back to mind as we hiked several kilometers through thick head-high grass and vine tangles…. A torrential rain squall thoroughly soaked us (about time we had rain in the rainy season), and we had to ford a running stream where a bridge had washed out. The eerie wails and bubbles of family groups of White-handed Gibbons provided a near constant backdrop to our time in the park, and watching these fascinating apes swing through the canopy, play, squabble, and chase a Black Giant Squirrel around was mesmerizing.

The birds didn’t disappoint either. On our first afternoon in the park we stumbled across a slow-moving wave of birds, the best mixed-species flock I’ve ever encountered, anywhere. We managed to stay with the flock for over an hour, finding more than thirty species including 4 gorgeous woodpeckers (Greater Flameback, Greater Yellownape, Black-and-buff, and Laced), more than 40 Long-tailed Broadbills, and Red-headed and Orange-breasted Trogons!

Just before our encounter with the mega-flock, we spent about an hour slowly moving through the forest with a troop of wild Northern Pig-tailed Macaques; they completely ignored our presence as they foraged all around us. At one point a play fight between two youngsters erupted just ten meters in front of me.

The trails were a bit muddy, with lots of fallen trees, leeches, muddy puddles, and mosquitos, but the park was simply magical. We participated in two night drives conducted by the park staff, and were treated to hundreds of Muntjac and Sambar Deer, two Asian Jackals, Small and Large Indian Civets, and Malayan Porcupine–all in just two hours!