A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Airlie Beach vs. Khao Yai National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Airlie Beach or Khao Yai National Park?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Airlie Beach and Khao Yai National Park. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Airlie Beach or Khao Yai National Park?

Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach, in Queensland, offers the closest port to the Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef. It's a small town of only 25,000 and has grown out of the area's popularity as a tourist destination. It's main industry remains tourism and, as such, there are many venues set up to accommodate travelers hoping to make trips to the Whitsunday Islands and the Outer Great Barrier Reef. The town has the feel of a vacation destination. While in the past Airlie Beach appealed specifically to the backpacker crowd, it's popularity has spread and now there are facilities catering to all travel types. The area has become more commercialized and there are plenty of large resorts to choose from. Even so, you'll still find no shortage of affordable accommodation around town.

Khao Yai National Park

Adventurous travelers are always in search of new terrain to conquer. At over 2,000 square kilometers, Khao Yai National Park is Thailand's second largest national park, and just full of jungles to trek through. In the southwest of Thailand is a sanctuary of mountains and waterfalls.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Adventure Tours to Australia, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Australia, The Best Adventure Tours to Thailand, and The Best Eco Tours in Thailand.

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Airlie Beach and Khao Yai National Park, we can see that Airlie Beach is more expensive. And not only is Khao Yai National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Airlie Beach is in Pacific and Khao Yai National Park is in Asia, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Khao Yai National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Khao Yai National Park and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Airlie Beach would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Airlie Beach than you might in Khao Yai National Park.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Airlie Beach Expensive? and Is Khao Yai National Park Expensive?.

When is the best time to visit Airlie Beach or Khao Yai National Park?

Airlie Beach has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, but Khao Yai National Park experiences a warm climate with fairly sunny weather most of the year.

Should I visit Airlie Beach or Khao Yai National Park in the Summer?

Both Khao Yai National Park and Airlie Beach during the summer are popular places to visit. Many visitors come to Airlie Beach in the summer for the beaches, snorkeling, the hiking, and the family-friendly experiences. Warm weather and sunshine bring visitors to Khao Yai National Park year-round.

Airlie Beach is around the same temperature as Khao Yai National Park in the summer. The daily temperature in Airlie Beach averages around 26°C (79°F) in January, and Khao Yai National Park fluctuates around 28°C (83°F)in July.

It's quite sunny in Airlie Beach. In the summer, Airlie Beach often gets more sunshine than Khao Yai National Parkin July. Airlie Beach gets 285 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Khao Yai National Park receives 176 hours of full sun.

Khao Yai National Park gets a good bit of rain this time of year. It rains a lot this time of the year in Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach usually gets around the same amount of rain in January as Khao Yai National Parkin July. Airlie Beach gets 331 mm (13 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 315 mm (12.4 in) of rain this time of the year.

Should I visit Airlie Beach or Khao Yai National Park in the Autumn?

The autumn attracts plenty of travelers to both Airlie Beach and Khao Yai National Park. Most visitors come to Airlie Beach for the hiking trails, the shopping scene, and the natural beauty of the area during these months. Khao Yai National Park attracts visitors year-round for its warm weather and sunny climate.

In the autumn, Airlie Beach is cooler than Khao Yai National Park. Typically, the autumn temperatures in Airlie Beach in April average around 23°C (73°F), and Khao Yai National Park averages at about 28°C (82°F)in October.

People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Khao Yai National Park this time of the year. In Airlie Beach, it's very sunny this time of the year. Airlie Beach usually receives around the same amount of sunshine as Khao Yai National Park during autumn. Airlie Beach gets 207 hours of sunny skies, while Khao Yai National Park receives 206 hours of full sun in the autumn.

Khao Yai National Park receives a lot of rain in the autumn. Airlie Beach gets a good bit of rain this time of year. In April, Airlie Beach usually receives less rain than Khao Yai National Parkin October. Airlie Beach gets 143 mm (5.6 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 173 mm (6.8 in) of rain each month for the autumn.

Should I visit Airlie Beach or Khao Yai National Park in the Winter?

The winter brings many poeple to Airlie Beach as well as Khao Yai National Park. The winter months attract visitors to Airlie Beach because of the shopping scene and the cuisine. The warm climate attracts visitors to Khao Yai National Park throughout the year.

In July, Airlie Beach is generally much colder than Khao Yai National Parkin January. Daily temperatures in Airlie Beach average around 16°C (62°F), and Khao Yai National Park fluctuates around 26°C (78°F).

The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Khao Yai National Park. People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Airlie Beach this time of the year. In the winter, Airlie Beach often gets less sunshine than Khao Yai National Parkin January. Airlie Beach gets 226 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Khao Yai National Park receives 276 hours of full sun.

Airlie Beach usually gets more rain in July than Khao Yai National Parkin January. Airlie Beach gets 40 mm (1.6 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 9 mm (0.4 in) of rain this time of the year.

Should I visit Airlie Beach or Khao Yai National Park in the Spring?

Both Khao Yai National Park and Airlie Beach are popular destinations to visit in the spring with plenty of activities. The beaches and the natural beauty are the main draw to Airlie Beach this time of year. Plenty of visitors come to Khao Yai National Park because of the warm climate and sunshine that lasts throughout the year.

Airlie Beach is cooler than Khao Yai National Park in the spring. The daily temperature in Airlie Beach averages around 23°C (73°F) in October, and Khao Yai National Park fluctuates around 30°C (87°F)in April.

It's quite sunny in Khao Yai National Park. The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach usually receives more sunshine than Khao Yai National Park during spring. Airlie Beach gets 298 hours of sunny skies, while Khao Yai National Park receives 262 hours of full sun in the spring.

It rains a lot this time of the year in Khao Yai National Park. In October, Airlie Beach usually receives less rain than Khao Yai National Parkin April. Airlie Beach gets 48 mm (1.9 in) of rain, while Khao Yai National Park receives 128 mm (5.1 in) of rain each month for the spring.

Typical Weather for Khao Yai National Park and Airlie Beach