Khao Sok National Park lies in Surat Thani province, midway between the Andaman coast and the Gulf of Thailand, which makes it a natural stop between Phuket or Krabi and Koh Samui. Its forest is often described as among the oldest evergreen rainforests on Earth, and it receives more rain than almost anywhere else in the country.
There are two distinct areas, about an hour apart by road. Khlong Sok village, beside the park headquarters, is the place for jungle treks, canoeing and tubing on the Sok River, night walks and treehouse-style lodges. Cheow Lan Lake, created by the Ratchaprapha Dam in the 1980s, is the showpiece: 165 square kilometres of emerald water threaded between sheer karst pinnacles, with floating bungalows moored in its quiet arms. Longtail boats leave from the pier beside the dam.
Wildlife includes gibbons, langurs, hornbills, wild elephants and, in season, the giant parasitic flower Rafflesia kerrii.
Highlights
- Cruise Cheow Lan Lake by longtail between limestone towers
- Sleep in a floating raft house and swim from your door
- Kayak at dawn to look for gibbons and hornbills
- Trek the rainforest trails with a local guide
- Canoe or tube down the Sok River
- Seek out a Rafflesia in bloom in the cool season
Khao Sok in pictures
How long to stay and where to base yourself
The ideal visit is three nights: two in Khlong Sok village for the river and forest, and one on the lake. With only two nights, give one to each. Day trips from Phuket, Khao Lak or Krabi are sold widely but involve many hours of driving for a few hours on the water.
In Khlong Sok, lodges and bungalows line the river and the road to the park gate. On the lake, raft houses range from simple bamboo huts with shared bathrooms and a few hours of generator power to air-conditioned floating villas; all are reached by boat and normally booked as a package with transfers, meals and guided activities.
