Pak Chong sits on the road from Bangkok to the north-east, at the foot of the ridge that leads up to Khao Yai, and it is a town that makes a living serving two kinds of travellers: the weekend visitors who come to walk in the park and the long-haul drivers who push on to the plateau of Isan. The long strip of the Mittraphap Highway, Route 2, runs straight through the middle, with restaurants, farm shops and petrol stations. Locals call the surrounding country Thailand's wild west, because dairy cattle graze on the high green pastures and ranch-style steakhouses serve beef in a way that feels oddly Texan.
The real attraction is Khao Yai National Park, to the south, which was Thailand's first national park, set up in 1962, and now forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage forest complex. Tall evergreen forest, grasslands, waterfalls and wild elephants fill its mountains, and gibbons call at dawn. Wineries and vineyards on the slopes, a surprise to many, produce a pleasant if modest local wine, and cheese farms add to the sense of a rural holiday.
For riders, the road into the park climbs in a long series of bends through the forest, with the air getting cooler and the vegetation denser as you rise. The surface is generally good, but the road is narrow and winding, and drivers are sometimes impatient. In the park, animals cross the road, so keep your speed low, especially at dusk, and do not stop near elephants. The park authorities enforce rules, and entrance fees are charged. Weekends and holidays can be busy, so weekdays are quieter.
Pak Chong is a good-sized town with stations, cash machines and plenty of food, from roadside noodle stalls to restaurants selling steak. The local fuel stations are reliable, but the road into the park is long, so fill up in town. The best time to ride is from November to February, when the air is cool and dry, with views of mist over the forests. In the rainy season, from June to October, the forest is lush but leeches and heavy rain are likely.