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Golf guide • Thailand • Isan (Nakhon Ratchasima)

Golf in Khao Yai: hill-country fairways by Thailand's great national park

Khao Yai, about 200 km north-east of Bangkok, gathers around Pak Chong some ten hilly courses on the edge of the national park, among them Jack Nicklaus's Kirimaya and Bob McFarland's Toscana Valley and Rancho Charnvee. Golfers come for hill golf that is cooler than on the plain, for vineyards and for the wildlife of a UNESCO-listed forest. The best time is from November to February, in the cool, dry season.

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Thailand's first national park, created in 1962, Khao Yai covers more than 2,000 km² of forest on the south-western foothills of the Khorat Plateau. Its elephants, gibbons and waterfalls earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005, as part of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex. North of the park, the Pak Chong area has become Bangkok's weekend garden: dairy farms, villas, cafés and boutique hotels string out along Thanarat Road, which climbs to the northern entrance.

Golf followed. Some ten courses occupy these valleys, four of them no more than half an hour from Thanarat Road: Kirimaya, designed by Jack Nicklaus; Toscana Valley and Rancho Charnvee, both by Bob McFarland; and the older Bonanza, shaded by tall trees. The altitude cools the mornings, and the terrain gives every layout elevated tees, perched greens and views of the park's forested ridges.

Khao Yai is also one of the country's two wine regions: PB Valley and GranMonte have grown vines here for more than twenty-five years and open their wineries to visitors. Between rounds, you set off at dawn to look for hornbills and gibbons, climb up to Haew Narok waterfall or discover the Art Forest, an open-air museum of contemporary art. Three to five nights are enough; it is also a natural stop before or after Bangkok.

The courses

Contoured green and pale sand bunker in the shade of tall trees, wooded hills behind at sunset

Kirimaya Championship Course

  • Architect: Jack Nicklaus
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Designed by Jack Nicklaus, Kirimaya, once named The Country Club Khao Yai, lies at the foot of the park's hills along Thanarat Road. This par 72 of just over 7,100 yards from the back tees plays out and back, each hole screened from its neighbours by vegetation, between ponds and tall trees. The Nicklaus team ranks it among its three best layouts in Asia. It was fully renovated in 2026. Five sets of tees make it accessible at every level.

Signature hole. The 16th, a par 4 doglegging left to right, curls around a large tree before reaching a green protected by water.

Official website

Toscana Valley Country Club

  • Architect: Bob McFarland
  • Opened 2009
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 2009 and designed by the American Bob McFarland, Toscana Valley is the heart of an estate built like a Tuscan village, with terracotta roofs, a piazza and hotels. The par 72 of about 7,000 yards threads along the floor of a valley lined with wooded hills. It is the most demanding course in the area: raised, heavily contoured greens, deep bunkers and several carries of more than 200 yards over water. The distances between greens and tees make a buggy compulsory. It suits regular players who like to be tested.

Signature hole. A par 3 is played with a mid-iron over water to a green set against a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Official website

Rancho Charnvee Country Club

  • Architect: Bob McFarland
  • Opened 2010
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Rancho Charnvee, opened in 2010, is Bob McFarland's second layout in the region, within a family resort where you can also ride. Flatter than its neighbours, this par 72 of some 7,100 yards leaves room off the tee, but its careful bunkering, carries over water and out-of-bounds demand good shot selection. The front nine circles an old farm; the back nine opens onto a plain backed by mountains. The club has a driving range equipped with TrackMan radar. A good course for a group of mixed abilities.

Signature hole. The 1st sets the tone: a drive over a large lake, then an uphill second shot to a narrow green.

Official website

Bonanza Golf & Country Club

  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Bonanza occupies a valley that falls from south to north with about forty metres of elevation change. The par 72, about 7,500 yards from the back tees, is lined with tall trees; its bunkers guard the landing areas and the greens, and reservoirs close off the estate to the north. Its altitude makes it one of the coolest courses in the region early in the morning and late in the day. Driving range, pool and lodge on site: an unfussy round, about twenty minutes from Thanarat Road.

Where to stay

Kirimaya Golf Resort Spa

Kirimaya, whose name evokes "the illusion of the mountains", brings together some sixty rooms in wood and silk, suites with terraces and two tented villas with a private hot bath, beside the Nicklaus course. The Maya Spa, the southern Thai cooking of Acala and two other restaurants complete the set-up. The first tee is a few steps away: the simplest base for a golf-centred stay.

InterContinental Khao Yai Resort

Designed by Bill Bensley, the InterContinental Khao Yai pays tribute to the railway that opened up Isan under the reign of Rama V. Century-old carriages from the north-east have been turned into suites, a bar and a restaurant, beside lakes and wooded hills at Pong Ta Long. The resort received a Key in the 2025 Michelin Guide Thailand. Toscana Valley is a few minutes away.

Sala Khaoyai

Perched on a hill at Wang Katha, Sala Khaoyai lines up villas and suites with private pools, some with an onsen-style bath, facing the countryside that borders the national park. Those without a pool of their own enjoy a large infinity pool facing the valleys. The Hilltop restaurant serves Thai and international cooking with a good wine cellar. A calm, contemporary address for a couple or a small group.

Dark wooden pavilion with a canvas roof beside a long pool, facing wooded hills at dusk

Where to dine

Poirot

Set in a restored railway carriage within the InterContinental, Poirot takes its inspiration from the Orient Express. Classic European cooking served à la carte or as a set menu, such as filet mignon with red wine jus, and tables by the lake. Open for dinner only, closed on Wednesdays and Sundays; selected by the Michelin Guide.

Banmai Chay Nam

A Michelin Bib Gourmand, Banmai Chay Nam has served family-style Thai cooking for more than twenty years on Mittraphap Road in Pak Chong, with views of the park's hills. Film posters and old toys cover the walls. Order the coconut-milk curries, including the house minced-beef curry with fried gourami. Open daily from 9am to 9pm.

Great Hornbill Grill (PB Valley Khao Yai Winery)

In the heart of the PB Valley vineyard, whose first vines were planted in 1989, the Great Hornbill Grill serves country-style Thai and Western cooking, from a simple snack to a full lunch. Book a guided tour of the vines and the winery before sitting down: it is the best introduction to Khao Yai wines.

Beyond golf

Khao Yai National Park

The park is home to more than 70 species of mammal, including wild elephants, and it is the only place where the ranges of the white-handed gibbon and the pileated gibbon overlap. Set off early with a guide to hear them sing, then climb the observation towers at Nong Pak Chi or Mo Singto. Among more than thirty waterfalls, Haew Suwat and Haew Narok, about 80 metres high, are the most spectacular.

The vineyards of Khao Yai

Khao Yai is one of Thailand's two wine regions. PB Valley, whose winery opened in 1997, and GranMonte, founded in 1999 in the Asoke Valley, offer guided tours and tastings. At GranMonte, Nikki Lohitnavy makes the family's wines, and the VinCotto restaurant lets you extend the visit with lunch facing the vines.

Khao Yai Art Forest

Opened to the public in February 2025 by the patron Marisa Chearavanont, this open-air museum of some 65 hectares places contemporary art among the trees and rice fields. You come across Louise Bourgeois's giant spider Maman, a fog sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya and a bar designed by Elmgreen & Dragset. Check visiting arrangements before you go.

Rows of vines on a red-earth slope, at the foot of forested mountains veiled in morning mist

When to go

The cool season, from November to February, is the best: dry skies, cool mornings at altitude and courses in good condition. December is the mildest month, averaging around 23°C in Pak Chong. March and April are hot; play early then. From May to October the rainy season turns the forest green and fills the waterfalls, but afternoon showers are frequent, especially in September, the wettest month.

Getting there

Arrive via Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport (BKK); Don Mueang (DMK) also handles regional flights. Pak Chong is about 200 km from Bangkok: allow two and a half hours by road from Suvarnabhumi, longer on a Friday evening. Trains on the North-Eastern line stop at Pak Chong station, but a car with driver remains essential for moving between courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Khao Yai?

Jack Nicklaus's Kirimaya and Bob McFarland's Toscana Valley are the region's two highest-ranked courses in Thailand according to Top 100 Golf Courses. Toscana Valley is the more demanding, Kirimaya the easier to combine with a hotel stay.

How long does it take to get from Bangkok to Khao Yai?

Allow about two and a half hours by road from Suvarnabhumi airport to Pak Chong, some 200 km north-east of Bangkok. Traffic can lengthen the journey on Friday evenings and public holidays.

When is the best time to play golf in Khao Yai?

From November to February, in the cool, dry season. From May to October, the rainy season brings afternoon showers, especially in September.

Is Seve Ballesteros's Mountain Creek course nearby?

Mountain Creek, 27 holes opened in 2011, is Seve Ballesteros's only course in Thailand. It lies beyond Pak Chong towards Nakhon Ratchasima, about 50 minutes from Thanarat Road: a day trip rather than an everyday round.

Can you combine golf with a visit to Khao Yai National Park?

Yes. Kirimaya, Bonanza and Rancho Charnvee are no more than half an hour from Thanarat Road, which leads to the park's northern entrance. Play in the morning and set aside a full day, with a guide, for the wildlife and the waterfalls.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Khao Yai

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

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