Pak Chong is the town at the northern foot of Khao Yai, on Highway 2 and the northeastern railway, and it is where most visitors to the national park sleep, eat and catch the bus to the gate. Around it, in the hills toward the park, are vineyards with guided tours, resorts and cafés along Thanarat Road, and enough to fill a day that has nothing to do with the forest.
This page covers everything outside the park boundary: the town, the two wineries that publish visitor tours, the road up to the gate, where to stay and how to get there and around without a car. The park itself, with its fee, gates, trails and the September 2026 flood closures, is covered in our Khao Yai National Park guide, and this page does not repeat it.
Pak Chong and the Khao Yai area (checked November 2026)
- Province
- Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat); Pak Chong is a district on the park's northern side
- Road to the park
- Thanarat Road (Highway 2090), from the Pak Chong toll plaza on Motorway 6 to the northern gate
- Wineries with tours
- GranMonte (walk-ins welcome, booking strongly recommended); PB Valley (book at least 72 hours ahead)
- Train from Bangkok
- Six daily trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat, one ordinary train from Hua Lamphong
- Bus to the park gate
- Pak Chong–Khao Yai bus, 06:00–17:00 every 30 minutes, 15 baht (park website)
- Alcohol sales
- 11:00–24:00 nationwide; no alcohol inside the national park
Pak Chong town: a working base, not a resort
Pak Chong is a district town on Highway 2 (Mittraphap Road), the main road from Bangkok to Korat, and on the railway, so the center is shops, banks, markets and traffic rather than scenery. For a traveler that is useful: it has the station, the minivans, the cheapest rooms and the local bus to the park.
Many visitors come looking for the Pak Chong night market. We could not find an official listing of its location, days or hours, so ask at your hotel which evenings the stalls are out. For food in general, the town is where you find ordinary Thai meals at local prices, while the restaurants along Thanarat Road are aimed mainly at weekend visitors from Bangkok.
The wineries: GranMonte and PB Valley
The hills between Pak Chong and the park are one of the few places in Thailand where wine grapes are grown, and two wineries in Phaya Yen subdistrict publish tours for visitors on their own websites. Both describe themselves as working vineyards rather than attractions, and both have a restaurant on site.
| Winery | Tour times (own website, November 2026) | Booking | Tasting |
|---|---|---|---|
| GranMonte, 52 Moo 9 Phaya Yen | Weekdays 10:00, 11:30, 13:30, 15:00, 16:00; weekends and holidays 09:00, 10:00, 11:30, 13:30, 15:00, 16:30 | Walk-ins welcome, advance booking strongly recommended | Four wines; grape juice for under-20s |
| PB Valley Khao Yai Winery, 102 Moo 5 Phaya Yen | Daily 09:15, 11:15, 13:15, 15:15 (about 70 minutes) | At least 72 hours ahead; last-minute requests by phone | Three wines; grape juice for under-age visitors |
GranMonte is a family-owned vineyard founded in 1999 that describes itself as being "in the foothills of Khao Yai National Park". Its tour, in English and Thai, walks through the 100-rai (40-acre) vineyard and the winery and ends with the tasting. It also has a restaurant, a cellar-door shop and rooms on the estate. PB Valley calls itself the largest vineyard in Khao Yai and runs four guided tours a day.
PB Valley does not take walk-in tours. Its tour page says reservations must be made at least 72 hours before the visit, so a weekend plan made on Friday may be too late. The prices on that page were marked as valid only until 31 October 2025, so ask for the current rate when you book.
Tasting, the alcohol rules and getting back safely
The national rules on drinking apply at the wineries like anywhere else. Shops and restaurants may sell alcohol from 11:00 to midnight since May 2026, and sales stop on Buddhist holy days and around elections; our page on when you can buy alcohol in Thailand has the full rules and the ban days. A morning tour that ends before 11:00 may therefore not be able to sell you a bottle on the spot, so check with the winery if you plan to buy.
Alcohol is not allowed anywhere inside Khao Yai National Park, and since May 2026 sales are also banned in state-run parks, at transport terminals and on trains. If you want to take a bottle back to Bangkok, buy it at the cellar door, not at Pak Chong station. For how Thai wine sits next to the rice spirits and rums most Thais drink, see our guide to Thai spirits and local drinks.
The simplest rule after a tasting is not to drive. A driver for the day removes the problem; our guide to hiring a car with a driver explains how day hire works.
Thanarat Road: resorts, cafés and farm stops
Thanarat Road (Highway 2090) leaves the Bang Pa-in–Nakhon Ratchasima Motorway at the Pak Chong toll plaza and runs south to the park's northern gate at the Chao Por Khao Yai Shrine Visitor Center. This is the road most Bangkok weekenders drive, and it is lined with resorts, coffee shops, farm cafés, restaurants and small shops selling local produce. Places come and go quickly, so we do not list them; look at recent reviews and opening days before you drive out to one.
Coffee is a real local product here, not just a café theme. Nakhon Ratchasima province has two registered coffee geographical indications, Wang Nam Khiao and Dong Mafai, among the 11 coffee GIs in Thailand, according to the Department of Intellectual Property in January 2026. Our page on Thai coffee and tea explains what a GI label means and how the regions differ.
Some farm attractions include animal shows or photo stops with animals. We leave them out; the wild elephants, gibbons and hornbills in the park are the reason to come here.
Where to stay: town, Thanarat Road or inside the park
There are three choices, and they suit different trips.
- Pak Chong town. Best without a car: you are next to the station, the minivans and the bus to the gate, and food is cheap. The downside is the drive or bus ride before you reach the forest, and a town that is noisy along the highway.
- Along Thanarat Road. Best with a car or a hired driver: resorts with gardens and pools, closer to the gate and the wineries. Prices rise on Friday and Saturday nights and over Thai long weekends, when Bangkok families fill the area.
- Inside the park. The park's own lodges and campsites put you in the forest at dawn and dusk, when wildlife is most active. They are booked through the DNP system, and the park can cancel stays during closures; the details are on our Khao Yai guide.
GranMonte also has rooms on its estate. For a different base on the south side of the same mountains, our guide to Nakhon Nayok covers the waterfalls and farm stays reached from that side.
The train from Bangkok to Pak Chong
Pak Chong is on the northeastern main line, and the train is a pleasant alternative to the minivans. A secondary timetable source that mirrors the State Railway of Thailand showed these trains on 9 November 2026:
| Train | Departs | Arrives Pak Chong |
|---|---|---|
| Special express 21 | Krung Thep Aphiwat 06:10 | 08:43 |
| Rapid 135 | Krung Thep Aphiwat 07:10 | 10:43 |
| Express 71 | Krung Thep Aphiwat 10:35 | 13:17 |
| Ordinary 233 | Hua Lamphong 12:00 | 15:49 |
| Rapid 139 | Krung Thep Aphiwat 19:25 | 22:33 |
| Special express 23 | Krung Thep Aphiwat 21:05 | 23:58 |
| Rapid 141 | Krung Thep Aphiwat 23:05 | 02:33 |
Back to Bangkok, ordinary 234 leaves Pak Chong at 10:06 and reaches Hua Lamphong at 14:25; express 72 leaves at 11:18 (Krung Thep Aphiwat 14:10), rapid 136 at 13:51 (18:00) and special express 22 at 19:48 (22:15). Night trains from the northeast also stop in the early hours. Check times in the SRT's D-Ticket app before you travel.
The ordinary train from Hua Lamphong is the slow, fan-cooled option with open windows; our guide to third-class trains explains what to expect and how to buy the ticket at the station. The faster trains continue to Korat, where the Khmer temple at Phimai makes a good next stop; see our guide to Phimai and Korat.
Getting around without a car
Without your own wheels, the Pak Chong area works, but slowly. The park's website says a bus runs from Pak Chong to the Chao Por Khao Yai Shrine gate every 30 minutes from 06:00 to 17:00, for 15 baht. That gets you to the gate, not to the sights inside the park, and it does not stop at the wineries, which are in a different direction from the town.
For the wineries and cafés, most people without a car use a taxi or a driver hired in Pak Chong for the day, or a tour arranged by their resort. We could not confirm that ride-hailing apps cover the Pak Chong area, so do not count on them. If you do drive, our guide to renting a car in Thailand covers the licence, deposit and insurance rules; a car is the most flexible way to combine the park with Thanarat Road.
After the September 2026 floods
The flash floods and landslides of late September 2026 closed the national park from 25 September until Tuesday 6 October, and two areas inside it were still closed after that. We found no official notice about damage to the businesses along Thanarat Road outside the park, so we cannot say whether any were affected. If you are booking a resort or a winery visit after heavy rain, call ahead and check the park's announcements on our Khao Yai guide.
If you walk any of the park trails in the wet months, expect leeches on the forest floor; our page on leeches and sandflies explains what you can do about them.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit the Khao Yai wineries without a booking?
At GranMonte, yes: its tour page says walk-ins are welcome, although it strongly recommends booking ahead. PB Valley says tour reservations must be made at least 72 hours before your visit, with last-minute requests by phone only. Check both websites for the current times.
How do you get from Pak Chong to Khao Yai National Park?
The park says a bus runs from Pak Chong to the Chao Por Khao Yai Shrine gate every 30 minutes from 06:00 to 17:00, for 15 baht. Inside the park the sights are far apart along one road, so most people hire a taxi or driver in Pak Chong or join a tour.
Is it better to stay in Pak Chong town or on Thanarat Road?
Stay in town if you arrive by train or bus and want cheap rooms near the transport. Stay on Thanarat Road if you have a car or driver and want a resort closer to the park gate and the wineries. Weekend and holiday prices along the road are higher.
Can you drink wine inside Khao Yai National Park?
No. Alcohol is banned everywhere in the national park, and since May 2026 the national rules also ban sales in state-run parks and at transport terminals. Drink at the winery or your resort, and do not drive after a tasting.
Sources
- GranMonte – Vineyard and winery tour (checked November 2026)
- PB Valley Khao Yai Winery – Wine tour (checked November 2026)
- Khao Yai National Park – Getting here (checked November 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Khao Yai reopens from 6 October 2026 (checked November 2026)
- Thai Train Guide – Northeastern line timetables (secondary source) (checked November 2026)
- Thai PBS – Department of Intellectual Property on Thailand's coffee GIs (January 2026) (checked October 2026)