Are the national parks still being strict with fees for foreigners?

[edwardandtubs]

About three years ago I went on a motorbike tour of northern Thailand and visited loads of national parks. When I showed my Thai drivers licence and asked politely (in Thai) I got the Thai price in all of them. I hear the junta cracked down on that and now a work permit or drivers licence makes no difference. Has anyone recently had any luck getting the Thai price?

 

I accept that legally I should be paying the higher price and I'm not here to complain about the situation. The reason I ask is that it would be cheaper to fly to Hanoi and explore the Sapa area where these inflated fees are not charged. Nicer scenery too.

[smutcakes]

Why dont you just take the worse case scenario and then make your decision on Vietnam/Thailand based on that?

 

Lets say you visit 10 parks over a 10 day period, that is possibly 5,000 baht entrance if all charge full amount and there are 10 parks to go to. If price is of that much importance and you think Sapa don't charge foreign fees and it is cheaper to go there, then go there!

 

I cannot really believe adults have to come onto Thai Visa and ask about this kind of thing, its amazing some people manage to get to Thailand at all.

 

 

[Briggsy]

Yes (in answer to the question), park rangers have been instructed to charge the foreigner price without exception. It is not like 5 years ago.

 

Bizarrely many Asians are not considered sufficiently foreign though to warrant the foreigner price. (Koreans, Chinese, etc.)

 

So, whilst you may get the odd official willing to turn a blind eye to a farang with some Thai documents or fluency, it will be the exception.

 

I regularly visit National Parks.

[edwardandtubs]

15 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Yes (in answer to the question), park rangers have been instructed to charge the foreigner price without exception. It is not like 5 years ago.

 

Bizarrely many Asians are not considered sufficiently foreign though to warrant the foreigner price. (Koreans, Chinese, etc.)

 

So, whilst you may get the odd official willing to turn a blind eye to a farang with some Thai documents or fluency, it will be the exception.

 

I regularly visit National Parks.

Thanks for the update. A tour of north Vietnam it is then.

[Kwasaki]

5 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

I'm not here to complain about the situation

You just have. 

[connda]

Speak Thai, joke, don't be serious.  I've been to a number of parks this year and have either paid Thai prices or a discounted price as opposed to the 'farang' price.

[kwak250]

23 minutes ago, connda said:

Speak Thai, joke, don't be serious.  I've been to a number of parks this year and have either paid Thai prices or a discounted price as opposed to the 'farang' price.

Didn't realise there was a discounted price ?

Is it like the secret McDonalds menu?

[duanebigsby]

I don't quite understand the complaining about dual pricing. If you boycott every place worldwide with dual pricing, you would never see the pyramids or any antiquities in Egypt, no African game safaris, no Angor Wat, the list goes on. Live with it and get on with your life.

[holy cow cm]

Helps to pay for Thai Generals $200,000 watches. No, it’s not corrupt or immoral. 

[rwill]

Last year I was still able to get the local price.  Have not been to any parks this year though.

[wazzupnow]

just came back from koh samet, paid only 1 time 100 bht for the maintainance of the national park

that was even too much to visit the national park of garbage

never seen such a disgusting island in all my life

and than the room prices

even the 7 eleven was more expensive than in the rest of thailand

tried to find the plug, to lett it sink but to much garbage covering it

waste of time and money

[peterrabbit]

Vote with your feet!  

 

I don't go to any Thai establishment that overcharges foreigners out of principle, whether private or nationally owned!

 

They gain NOTHING from me! 

 

(NB Falang is an abusive term which would never be allowed in a Western country for describing a white ethnic person, it's the same as calling a colored man a N****r or an Asia person a S**p and should be stamped out by the Government as an abhorrent racist term and no way to address Thailand's visitors. This discriminatory and 'racist' terminology, towards Western foreigners, reduces Thailand's moral standing to its lowest ebb which the vast majority of Thai people do not deserve to be labelled with).

 

Exploitative charges are NOT a question of cost but of ethics and morality and not treating your County's guests as 'Punters' to be exploited!

 

The 'Money first greed culture of exploitation' only does harm to Thailand's standing in the world and creates more harm than any immediate material gains.

 

FIRST RULE OF BUSINESS:-  TREAT YOUR CUSTOMERS FAIRLY AND THEY WILL COME BACK! MISTREAT THEM AND THEY WON'T COME BACK.

 

When is Thailand going to learn this simple rule of business?

 

[MaeJoMTB]

Don't go (in the front entrance).

When I go to a Thai national park, I walk in the back way and don't pay any charge at all.

[CLW]

Sometimes it works with normal (Thai) price and sometimes it doesn't. In between they also gave me some discount when I showed my student ID card.
Most likely at the (with foreigners) not so popular parks you can get the regular price.
Sometimes it's also possible to send a thai friend to get the tickets for you

[bert bloggs]

Went to Nong Nooch the other day ,i know its not a govt park ,but was charged Thai price .

[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, MaeJoMTB said:

Don't go (in the front entrance).

When I go to a Thai national park, I walk in the back way and don't pay any charge at all.

Operation Cobalt. 

[thecyclist]

I ride my bicycle up to the park entrance, put down the price of a Thai ticket.When he asks for the Farang price, I tell him in Thai that I am not interested in his park, just wanna ride through, will be out the other side in a few hours.Used to work in Khao Yai.

For me, if it doesn't work I would just tell him to screw his park, and turn around.

No way am I paying 10 times what some rich guy in  4 million Baht Benz or BMW pays, me on my decrepit old 15000 Baht bicycle.It's disgusting.Go to the mountain provinces of the Philippines, spectacular scenery without discrimination compared to Thailand'S run-of-the- mill parks and hills.

[stevenl]

7 hours ago, VIBE said:

Yep, they are.  Got the pink ID card not long ago, went to a waterfall in Chiangmai with two friends that were visiting, rolled down my window, gave them the ID card and told them in Thai, two tourists, but I'm not a tourist, I live here.  To which they replied, Mai dai.  I think continued to tell them in Thai that I have a house book, work permit, pay tax, and have a pregnant wife, which all fell on deaf ears.

 

I did not push it further as did not want to make a scene.  Just explained to my friends how the officials here are ok with racial discrimination.  TIT

Foreigner vs Thai, not farang vs Thai.

[craigt3365]

I got stung for the full price at Koh Lipe.  What a joke.  The interior of the island is full of trash, the beaches are chock a block with resorts, the beaches are jammed with longtail boats, and that silly walking street....paradise ruined.

 

Wifey argued with them, but no luck. 200B to tour an island covered in trash and packed with resorts.  NOT a national park.

 

[CLW]

I got stung for the full price at Koh Lipe.  What a joke.  The interior of the island is full of trash, the beaches are chock a block with resorts, the beaches are jammed with longtail boats, and that silly walking street....paradise ruined.
 
Wifey argued with them, but no luck. 200B to tour an island covered in trash and packed with resorts.  NOT a national park.
 

I was there 6 years ago and could see the beginning of all of this horrible development.
Probably it's declared as a marine national park so the island doesn't count [emoji19]

[wildewillie89]

Dual pricing isn't all that bad. The Thai price isn't high enough to do much in terms of maintaining the parks, so why not pay a little bit more to help out with that? Saves the government making up the difference. Many Thai obviously wouldn't be able to afford the full foreign price to help maintain parks, just like they cant afford a reasonable price to maintain local rubbish collections which the government has to continuously help out with also (which many people on here complain about, but are happy to pay so little). 

 

People should just travel to them before actually moving to the country full time to save the whinge. At that point, which is when we are just travelling, you don't really care about paying the extra. I'm not sure the parks are banking on the local grumpy expat (who feels the need to tell the world they speak Thai) coming back every week to make their money, probably more relying on different tourists each week. 

Edited December 7, 2017 by wildewillie89

[zig]

21 hours ago, kwak250 said:

Didn't realise there was a discounted price ?

Is it like the secret McDonalds menu?

Happened to me once. I showed the work permit and spoke some Thai. They still refused to sell me tickets for Thai price but compromised on one Foreigner ticket for three persons... :-)

[edwardandtubs]

On 07/12/2017 at 6:51 AM, VIBE said:

Yep, they are.  Got the pink ID card not long ago, went to a waterfall in Chiangmai with two friends that were visiting, rolled down my window, gave them the ID card and told them in Thai, two tourists, but I'm not a tourist, I live here.  To which they replied, Mai dai.  I think continued to tell them in Thai that I have a house book, work permit, pay tax, and have a pregnant wife, which all fell on deaf ears.

 

I did not push it further as did not want to make a scene.  Just explained to my friends how the officials here are ok with racial discrimination.  TIT

Probably if you act like you think you're entitled to the normal price you won't get it. My approach was to ask nicely and judging from a few posts here that might still work. I'm not interested in a 'special discount for you' price though. Seems a bit humiliating. 

Edited December 8, 2017 by edwardandtubs

[waxpro]

On 12/7/2017 at 12:46 AM, peterrabbit said:

Vote with your feet!  

 

I don't go to any Thai establishment that overcharges foreigners out of principle, whether private or nationally owned!

 

They gain NOTHING from me! 

 

(NB Falang is an abusive term which would never be allowed in a Western country for describing a white ethnic person, it's the same as calling a colored man a N****r or an Asia person a S**p and should be stamped out by the Government as an abhorrent racist term and no way to address Thailand's visitors. This discriminatory and 'racist' terminology, towards Western foreigners, reduces Thailand's moral standing to its lowest ebb which the vast majority of Thai people do not deserve to be labelled with).

 

Exploitative charges are NOT a question of cost but of ethics and morality and not treating your County's guests as 'Punters' to be exploited!

 

The 'Money first greed culture of exploitation' only does harm to Thailand's standing in the world and creates more harm than any immediate material gains.

 

FIRST RULE OF BUSINESS:-  TREAT YOUR CUSTOMERS FAIRLY AND THEY WILL COME BACK! MISTREAT THEM AND THEY WON'T COME BACK.

 

When is Thailand going to learn this simple rule of business?

 

 

I had some experience with this, so I'll share it my opinion about this matter:

 

several years ago (before current junta regime), used to drive and visit khao Yai national park at nakhon rachasima several time per year, sometimes camping and stay over night, or just one day tour and back the same day at night,

 

At the entrance gate, I just show my Thai driving license and pay around 40 or 50 thb as entrance fee, also have to pay for the car entrance, for my wife pay 40 thb, kids below free, somehow this was ok,

 

Around Jan or early Feb 2016, went to Khao-kho at Petchabun province with a friend (foreigner), after touring well around khaokho area, some locals advised us to drive ahead and visit Puttabat national park, they told us is not far from the area and interesting to visit there, the next day we drove ahead, when we got to there, from the norther-east entrance gate, the sunrise side, the security guards told us to pay 500 bht entrance fee for each, plus the car,

 

Well, this 1000 baht, almost the price of a full tank of E20 the cost of that time, which can drive for 500 km, so we just returned back and cancelled the visiting trip,

 

Later on around July or Aug 2016, we planned a trip to Khao Yai national park, (our old place) with the families and kids, which I used to pay around 50 or something around that,

but this time the guards shown us a paper that was hanged outside the small window stating that foreigners are required to pay full price of 450 bht, no matter if you have a work permit or whatever,

This time we found ourselves obliged to pay 900 baht for the two of us (2 foreigners) and 40 baht for each of the Thai ladies, because we planned the trip with the families and kids, otherwise we may take a U-turn to somewhere else, 

After this experience, was my last time to there, why a Thai individual will pay 40 and I am required to pay 450? x11 times cost? where this discriminatory rule in the world?

when we driving back, my friend kept saying <deleted> about this? do we cause any pollution or damage to the nature?

Usually we spent more money inside the facilities, what is the wrong be charged and treated in such unfair racist manner like this? or just a way to ban foreigners from going to there? by any right this? land and nature is to the whole humanity,

 

Anyone of you guys experienced like this when visiting museums, national parks, national libraries and art galleries in France, Italy, UK, USA etc?

I totally agree with Peter, this is an abhorrent racist, and from that time I will never visit any of such places again, is not because of the amount, just because it made me feel this treatment as it was a racist act, and I will never do anywhere else in the word if such double price discriminatory rule in place.

 

 

 

 

[Jin Nan]

Just drove straight through the Samed park entrance. Army guys dealing with a big group of Chinese tourists. I will donate 40 B (Thai fee) on my way out 

[Henryford]

I wouldn't mind paying say double the Thai price but 10-11x, they can stuff their National Parks.

[watcharacters]

 

 

I went to a National Park a few weeks ago outside Kanchaniburi to visit the waterfalls.  

 

I don't recall the exact  entrance fee but  think it was not 10 times the price  of the  Thai lady with us.

 

For sure it would take a LOT of park visits to pay for the cost of the flights I've taken  to Vietnam.

 

 

Edited December 10, 2017 by watcharacters

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Jin Nan said:

Just drove straight through the Samed park entrance. Army guys dealing with a big group of Chinese tourists. I will donate 40 B (Thai fee) on my way out 

Please don't. It's not a national park.  Just a way to scam tourists out of money.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎12‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 6:53 PM, connda said:

Speak Thai, joke, don't be serious.  I've been to a number of parks this year and have either paid Thai prices or a discounted price as opposed to the 'farang' price.

Ah, so price depends on being able to joke in a foreign language rather than a government policy.

Now that's a joke! .

[edwardandtubs]

7 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

For sure it would take a LOT of park visits to pay for the cost of the flights I've taken  to Vietnam.

 

 

 

 I bought my return ticket for 2300 baht, the cost of about five National Park visits.

Edited December 10, 2017 by edwardandtubs