Khao Sok, discovering an extraordinary national park

The complete guide to discover Khao Sok National Park, a park covered by the oldest rainforest in the world

Gigantic limestone mountains, deep valleys, breathtaking lakes, fascinating caves, and wild animals are what you'll find in Khao Sok National Park.

If you love adventure, jungle trekking, discovering tropical flora and fauna, or want to spend a few peaceful days in the midst of nature, then you'll love this park.

See also: Closure dates of national parks in Thailand for 2024 and 2025

Description

Khao Sok National Park is located in southern Thailand, in Surat Thani Province, it is the largest virgin forest area in southern Thailand and is a remnant of a tropical rainforest.

It covers an area of 739 km² and includes the 165 km² Cheow Lan Lake, which is contained by the Ratchaprapha Dam.

Cheow Lan Lake at Khao Sok

The park is traversed by a limestone mountain range from north to south, culminating at 950 m altitude.

This mountain range is affected by monsoon rains from the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, making it one of the wettest regions in Thailand.

Climate

The so-called wet season takes place from the end of April to December.

The temperature varies from 22 to 36° C throughout the year.

The humidity and warm temperature provide an optimal environment for the rich ecosystem in this humid tropical forest.

Flora of Khao Sok Park

The park has about 200 floral species per hectare, making it one of the most biologically diverse areas (average forests in Europe or North America have only about 10 tree species per hectare).

Many varieties of fruit trees are found in the national park and serve as food for animals.

Among the fruits that can be found are wild jackfruit, mangosteen, durian, rambutan, jujube, pomelo and wild bananas.

See also: The 14 best fruits of Thailand with their Thai names

Wild pepper and ginger are not rare.

Khao Sok National Park is famous for the bua phut flower (Rafflesia kerrii), the largest flower in the world which can reach 90 cm in diameter and weigh 7 kg!

Rafflesia kerrii, the largest flower in the world

Fauna of Khao Sok National Park

Khao Sok National Park is home to many animals: 48 species of mammals, 311 different species of birds, more than 30 species of bats and countless reptiles and insects.

Among the mammals, we find the Malayan tapir, the Asian elephant, the tiger, the sambar deer, the bear, the gaur, the banteng, the serow, the wild boar, the pig-tailed macaque, the langur, the white-handed gibbon, the squirrel, the muntjac, the mouse deer and the barking deer.

Female sambar deer

The Scolopendra cataracta, the only known amphibian centipede in the world, was discovered on the bank of a watercourse near the national park.

Scolopendra cataracta

See also: Dangerous animals to know in Thailand

Things to see and do in Khao Sok Park

The national park offers many activities for tourists who love adventure, such as hiking, canoeing, bamboo rafting or a boat trip on Cheow Lan Lake.

Trekking

If you are interested in trekking, you can hire a local guide who will guide you to the most beautiful places.

If you are lucky, you will come across a Rafflesia Kerrii flower.

Canoe-kayak and bamboo rafting

The Sok River is an ideal place to relax.

You can enjoy a magnificent view of the river.

The most commonly observed animals, for example, are birds and fish.

In addition, the view of the limestone cliffs, the mountain range and the wide sky is incredible.

You will find local guides to take bamboo canoe and rafting trips.

Fish at Khao Sok

Boat on Cheow Lan Lake

After hiking in the deep forest, you can explore many caves such as Diamond Cave, Khang Cow Cave and Nam Talu Cave which connect to Cheow Lan Lake.

Nam Talu Cave is located about 12 km from the headquarters of Khao Sok National Park.

These are activities that are suitable for adventurers, Khao Sok is as much a place of relaxation as it is of adventure.

When to visit Khao Sok

Khao Sok is one of the wettest regions in Thailand, with around 3,500 mm of rainfall per year, so it can rain on any day of the year.

Most often, the rain falls heavily in showers for an hour or two during the day and thanks to a minimum temperature of 25 ° C, this experience is generally pleasant.

The sun can also shine every day of the year!

How to get to Khao Sok

You can get an idea of the transport prices for Khao Sok or book your ticket by going through 12go.asia :

Khao Sok National Park is located on route 401, which connects the provinces of Phang-Nga and Surat Thani.

The easiest way to get there is by land and minibus services run regularly from Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi or Surat Thani.

Prices vary according to location (around 200 to 600 bahts one way).

To leave Khao Sok, there are many places on the main street near the first entrance to the park where you can buy bus tickets for your next destination.

Getting around the park

There are two main entrances to the national park and they are separated by about 50 kilometers of road.

Most tourist accommodations are located on a section of road that is near the first entrance to the park.

It's also the area where most hotels, restaurants, bars and facilities are located.

To access the other entrance, the one at Cheow Larn Lake, it's easier to take a taxi to get to the lake.

However, if you're fit, you can rent a bike for 250 Bahts per day.

The roads are relatively flat and allow for easy driving.

You also have the option to rent a motorbike or scooter for 300 Bahts per day and you can negotiate the price if you rent it for several days.

Many sites around Khao Sok are accessible by motorbike, including the Rachaprapha dam, waterfalls, hot springs and various walks in nature.

Many excursions to Khao Sok involve a trip on Cheow Larn Lake, so transportation to this entrance is most often included in the cost of the trip.

Where to stay in Khao Sok

Most accommodations are located near the main entrance at the park's visitor center, where you will find accommodations for all types of budgets.

You will find many original accommodations in the heart of nature.

You can, for example, stay in the luxury tents of Elephant Hills, these tents are on solid ground with private bathrooms and complete equipment.

Useful information

Official website of the park.

Entrance fee

For Thais: 40 bahts for an adult and 20 bahts for a child.

For foreigners: 200 bahts for adults; 100 bahts for children.

For Cheow Lan Lake: 300 bahts for adults; 150 bahts for children.

Health

The medical facilities at Khao Sok can only provide basic first aid.

For the nearest hospital, you will need to go to the neighboring towns of Krabi or Khao Lak.

Security

Police stations are located at both entrances of the national park.

The emergency police number is 191 and the tourist police number is 1155.

What to bring?

We recommend the following:

• Loose and comfortable clothing
• Non-slip shoes
• Waterproof jacket
• Sun protection
• Swimsuit
• Passport

Video on Khao Sok National Park

Khao Sok Map

Large format map with many indications.

Khao Sok National Park on Google Maps

See also:

Khao Sok, in Thailand, classified as the 50th ASEAN Heritage Park

Source: Wikipedia – Photos: Khao Sok lakes and mountains: unkle_sam; Cheow Lan Lake: BerryJ; Khao Sok Map: khaosokcentretours.com