Every visitor has the responsibility to ensure that plastic bags, bottles, tin cans and other garbage are disposed of at provided sites. If facilities are not available, visitors should take waste with them to the nearest disposal areas. It is recommended that visitors take a supply of large plastic bags to collect and dispose of garbage.

During the dry months, from November to May, many forest become tinder dry and vulnerable to careless use of matches, cooking fires and discarded cigarettes. Warning are posted in some areas, but extra care must be taken to prevent fires especially during these hot and dry months.

Visitors are forbidden to bring firearms to all national parks. Rangers will sometimes carry weapons.

It is strictly forbidden to remove plants and flowers or collect butter flies, moths and other specimens from national parks. This also apply to spearing fish and taking coral from marine parks.

Special permission is needed to drive private vehicles into and within some parks.

Anchors should be dropped in sand and not in coral heads. The forestry department has supplied buoys in some places which should be used whenever possible. It is strictly forbidden to spear fish in all marine parks.

Even in the hot season, nights can be cool or even cold at higher elevations. Thus a light sweater or jacket are in order along with a sleeping bag. A thick jacket and heavy sweaters are advisable in the cool season when temperatures in northern Thailand and elsewhere may plummet to near freezing.
For daytime wear, long pants and a long sleeved cotton shirt are recommended to prevent scratches and cuts from jungle foliage. So are a hat, good socks and sun glasses. Sneakers are fine during the dry months but in the monsoon season water proof boots are better, along with some light rain gear.
A serious nature lover intent to trying to observe wild life should wear colors which blend with the environment. For bird watchers, a hat is essential since an uplifted face is highly visible.

Some parks have tents and sleeping bags for rent; the greater number do not and thus be brought along if camping is planned. Other basic gear for campers and trekkers might include the following : air mattress or mat; a light back pack; first aid kit; basic toiletries and toilet paper; small knife; compass; maps and whistle; binoculars; canteen and plastic water container; flash light and extra batteries; candles; camp stove and fuel; matches; cooking utensils; cups and dishes; knives; forks and spoons; can and bottle opener, aluminum foil; and detergent in a plastic container. It is advisable to buy food outside the park if planning overnight treks.

Most visitors come for a day, but those who intend to stay more time exploring a park should be in reasonably good physical condition. Walking in temperatures of 30ºC and more can take its toll. Trails in some of the parks are also rugged and steep.

This mosquito-born disease is endemic to much of Thailand, quinine resistant and particularly rife along Thai-Burma border and areas contiguous with Cambodia. Some strains are lethal if not properly treated. Contact your doctor or pharmacist to get the right prophylactic for the area you intend to visit. And when in a malaria-prone region, measure should be taken to prevent being stung by mosquitoes. These include sleeping under a mosquito net, using repellent and covering exposed areas of skin, especially before dusk and thereafter.

Gesture-intestinal problems, which are not uncommon in Thailand, can ruin a trip to the wilderness. Take anti-diarrhea medicines like Lomotil or Immodium for immediate relief and consult a doctor if problem persist. Eating clean food and drinking safe water are the best preventatives.

Cheap and good bottled water is available throughout Thailand. If it is not, ensure your water is boiled for at least 20 minutes. At times, you may be tempted to drink from a mountain stream or river. The water from these is relatively safe unless it is located near human habitation or domestic animals. Water from such streams should not be drunk without boiling.

It is important to drink liquids continuously when undertaking strenuous activity in the tropics. It is worth mixing electrolytes into your water supply to help replace sodium and potassium loss more rapidly.

Anyone who travels into the forest or scrambles around on coral will sustain cuts and bruises. Ensure cuts are properly cleaned and use antiseptics to prevent infections. Pharmacies can provide you with a wide range of insect repellants and anti-histamine preparations to counteract insect bites, including nasty ones by ground-besting wasps. To avoid blisters wear well fitting footwear and good socks.

These snackers on human blood are found in most forested areas close to or in water, particularly in the rainy season. They are unsightly but mostly painless and can be removed by application of irritants such salt, vinegar, alcohol, tobacco juice or a lighted cigarette. An old jungle trick is to rub your socks with a mixture of salt and tobacco before venturing into leech country.

Poisonous snakes abound in most parks of Thailand but are seldom seen. The cobra and viper families are snakes most commonly encountered for which anti-venom exists in all government hospitals. In the event of snake bite, immediately apply a tourniquet near the bite and make incisions for immediate suction. Suction of blood for 30 minutes or more after a bite is rarely effective. Suction is recommended by members of one's immediate family, otherwise the wound should be allowed to bleed. Ensure the tourniquet is loosen every 15 minutes and take the patient to the nearest medical station. Positively identifying the snake will help proper treatment.

Waterfalls are far more dangerous than tigers or any other wild life found in parks. In Khao Yai, for example, there has been no known attack on tourists by big cats but there have been a number of deaths and injuries at waterfalls there and other parks. Slippery rocks, strong currents and foolhardiness ( some attempt to dive off ledges into pools below ) can be very hazardous. By far the biggest killer in parks is man behind the wheel of a vehicle. Elephants should, however , be treated with respect.

For a trip of to three days, take an antiseptic, bandages, anti-diarrhea medicines, a tube of anti-histamine cream, sun block for sensitive skins and cotton wool. First aid is available at park head quarters while more serious conditions can be dealt with at the nearest town.

Recommended reading : National parks of Thailand by Gray, Piprell & Graham, 1994, published by Industrial Finance Corporation of Thailand.