As the previous two reviews focused on Kaeng Krachan NP, I'm sharing here my experience in visiting Kui Buri NP last March 10, 2022. 

My friend and I stayed in Prachuap Khiri Khan (PKK) for a few days and thought of ticking off Kui Buri from there. Not only is PKK closer to the NP than from Hua Hin, I also felt that PKK offered more both in natural and cultural sceneries. We gathered that the only way to conveniently get to either the park's HQ or the Wildlife Viewing Area was by renting a taxi for 2000 Baht (half day). Unfortunately, the local tourism office-recommended travel agency that used to offer tours no longer exists because of the pandemic. As Kui Buri is only 55 kms away, we thought that we could do it on a rented motorbike, which we eventually did. Not only was it doable, it also made it possible to first visit in the morning the karst landscape of Khao Sam Roi Yot NP --- probably the more impressive one of the two nearby national parks! 

Here is a summary: 

1. Wildlife Watching Area is only open from 2pm to 6pm, with the last visitor admission at 4pm. Entrance is 200Bt, and safari truck is 850Bt -- you cannot enter using your own vehicle. The entrance certainly does not fail in informing visitors that it is a "UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 26, 2021." From the park's HQ, it will still take some 40 minutes to get to the Wildlife Watching Area, so better not confuse the two sites. Online reviews suggest that the HQ does not offer much to see and do. 

2. While you are accompanied by a driver and a guide that claims s/he knows a little bit of English, you will realize later on that that would be the last English statement s/he will ever say. So, better read up before or after to make sense of what you see. The safaris are solely gunning for the big animals, so do not expect them to stop for birds, plants, etc. 

3. I have been to several safaris in South Africa and Namibia, and what makes them easy to appreciate is that the animals are easier to spot. In lush tropical rainforests, it just does not work like that. The best bets are really in the viewing points looking over open fields (Kui Buri Wildlife Watching Area has four designated viewing areas), hoping that they will indeed show up. It is crucial to remember that you are neither entering a zoo nor an "elephant camp", so you are lucky if you see them. But it can also happen that you may not see them at all, and that is just the way it is with wildlife.   

4. While it claims to "guarantee Indian elephant sighting," we only saw one bull that proudly displayed an erection (photo), to the fascination of visitors. We overhead from others that he was in "heat", which meant he was at his most dangerous state. There were a few elephant droppings on the road, so you know they are there but you just cannot see them. We also saw two herds of gaurs (Indian bisons) and even sighted some close to the road but they immediately ran away when our vehicle made a stop. It was very nice to see three calves, too -- while juvenile, they are tan in color. 

5. A large part of the Kui Buri Wildlife Watching Area is a recent annexation to the NP, so do not expect a mature primary rainforest. Some used to be pineapple plantations in fact. It is interesting as well to know that Kui Buri NP is the only place in Thailand where sandalwood used for the cremation of deceased members of the royal family can be harvested. 

The drive into the Wildlife Watching Area was highly impressive, and it was what we enjoyed the most in this WHS visit. On our way back to PKK, the setting sun behind the Tenasserim hills of Kui Buri was equally a sight worth stopping for.