Information
Landmark: Khao Sok National ParkCity: Surat Thani
Country: Thailand
Continent: Asia
Khao Sok National Park, Surat Thani, Thailand, Asia
Overview
Khao Sok National Park, tucked away in Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand, is a lush haven of rainforest and towering limestone peaks, and it’s among the country’s most beloved and biodiverse places.Khao Sok is famous for its lush rainforest, towering limestone cliffs, striking karst peaks, and lakes so clear you can see the fish glide beneath the surface, offering breathtaking scenery and endless ways to explore outdoors.This rainforest is among the oldest on Earth, its roots stretching back millions of years-long before the Amazon or any other tropical forest.Khao Sok National Park sits in Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand, roughly 150 kilometers from Phuket and about 80 from Surat Thani city, where the air smells faintly of rain-soaked jungle.You can reach it easily from the coast, whether you’re coming from Khao Lak’s quiet beaches, Phuket, or Krabi.The park spans about 739 square kilometers, with dense rainforests humming with life, sheer limestone cliffs rising like walls, winding valleys and rivers, and the shimmering expanse of Cheow Lan Lake.The park opened in 1980, created to safeguard the region’s biodiversity and its one-of-a-kind ecosystems, from bright alpine meadows to shadowy old-growth forests.Khao Sok National Park’s standout features include towering limestone cliffs, emerald-green lakes, and dense jungle alive with birdsong.Khao Sok shelters one of the world’s oldest tropical rainforests, alive with the calls of gibbons and the rustle of countless plant and animal species.The park bursts with life, home to more than 300 kinds of birds, roaming wildlife, and lush, varied plants swaying in the breeze.Flora: The park bursts with lush rainforest, towering tropical trees, and rare orchids, ferns, and other vibrant blooms.Some trees have stood for centuries, their bark rough under your hand, while the forest floor teems with ferns and moss.In Khao Sok, the wildlife ranges from towering elephants and stealthy tigers to lively gibbons, curious langurs, graceful deer, and the occasional wild boar rooting through the undergrowth.The park draws birdwatchers eager to spot hornbills, darting kingfishers, and high-soaring eagles.Number two.Cheow Lan Lake, formed by the Ratchaprapa Dam, is one of Khao Sok’s most iconic sights, its emerald water stretching between towering limestone cliffs.Towering limestone karsts ring the lake, their sheer cliffs rising straight from the glassy water and shaping a breathtaking view.Spread over 165 square kilometers, the lake glimmers under the sun and plays a vital role in the park’s ecosystem.Visitors can take a boat tour, paddle a kayak across calm green water, cast a line for the day’s catch, or spend the night on a floating bamboo raft or hotel.The lake’s a perfect starting point if you want to wander into the cool, echoing caves or stand where the waterfalls crash into mist.Three.Khao Sok National Park boasts some of Thailand’s most dramatic limestone karsts, where sheer gray cliffs rise from the jungle like ancient walls.The towering peaks soar nearly 1,000 meters above the jungle floor, carving deep valleys and sheer cliffs where shadows pool in the afternoon light.Cave Exploration: The park shelters several striking caves, including Soi Sawan Cave, where you can wander through cool, echoing chambers on foot.Stalactites drip from the ceiling and stalagmites reach up from the floor, shaping a captivating world hidden in the cool, dim light underground.The karst formations shape rare ecosystems, where plants cling to limestone cliffs and wildlife has adapted to life in these secluded pockets.Number four.If you love spotting wildlife, Khao Sok’s eco-tours are hard to beat-you might even catch sight of a hornbill gliding over the rainforest canopy.The park runs guided eco-tours that lead you deep into the forest, where you might catch a flash of a scarlet tanager or wander through ferns into its many distinct habitats.Jungle Safaris: Join a guided trek through the dense forest, where you might spot gibbons swinging overhead, elephants moving silently through the trees, and smaller mammals darting across the trail.Night safaris draw crowds hoping to catch a glimpse of leopards slipping through the shadows or civets rustling in the underbrush.With more than 300 species fluttering through its trees-hornbills with their heavy beaks, bright trogons flashing in the canopy-Khao Sok truly feels like a birdwatcher’s paradise.Five.At Khao Sok, you’ll find hiking paths for every fitness level, from gentle walks shaded by tall bamboo to steep climbs that leave your legs burning.Some trails wind through thick, damp rainforest, the air rich with the scent of moss, while others open onto sweeping views of rugged mountain peaks.The Forest Trail winds deep into the rainforest, where you can spot bright orchids, hear dripping leaves overhead, and take in many of the park’s natural wonders.The Bang Hoi Trail winds through rugged ground, leading adventurous visitors to secluded waterfalls and the cool, wild air of highland ecosystems.In Khao Sok National Park, you can stay in floating bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake, where the gentle splash of water greets you each morning-it's one of the park’s most unforgettable places to sleep.You can only reach these bungalows by boat, and once you step ashore, you’re wrapped in stillness, with emerald trees and clear water all around.Jungle Lodges and Resorts offers a range of eco-friendly stays tucked near the park-some just steps from the entrance, others perched beside the quiet, rippling lake.If you want to dive even deeper into the experience, you can camp in the park and wake up to the sound of birds in the trees.The park offers designated spots for camping, where visitors can spend the night beneath a sky scattered with stars deep in the jungle.In Khao Sok National Park, take a boat across Cheow Lan Lake to glide past towering limestone cliffs and hidden islands, then dive into cool, glassy water or paddle a kayak through the quiet coves.On a guided jungle trek, you’ll wind through the park’s dense rainforest, hear the rustle of hidden creatures, learn about rare plants, and maybe catch sight of a flash of fur or feathers.Go explore the park’s famous caves, like Soi Sawan and Khao Sok, where cool, damp air surrounds you and strange rock shapes twist overhead.Wildlife Watching: Head out on a safari or join a night tour, where you might catch the flash of an owl’s eyes or spot deer moving quietly through the shadows.Grab a kayak or canoe and glide across Cheow Lan Lake’s glassy surface, tracing quiet shores and slipping into hidden coves where the water smells faintly of rain.To reach Khao Sok National Park by car, head out from Surat Thani and follow Highway 401 south until you see the forested hills rising ahead.It’s roughly a two-hour drive, long enough to watch the sun shift across the dashboard.By bus, you can catch a ride from Surat Thani to Khao Sok every day, with engines rumbling to life each morning.The bus ride usually lasts between two and a half and three hours, just long enough for the coffee in your travel mug to go cold.By train, your closest stop to Khao Sok is Surat Thani, where the air smells faintly of diesel and hot metal.From there, you can hop on a bus or hire a private car that winds its way toward the park gates.Leaving Phuket, you’ll reach Khao Sok in about two and a half to three hours, winding past palm groves and glimpses of the glittering sea.The ideal time to explore Khao Sok National Park is during the cool, dry months from November to February, when clear skies and crisp mornings make trekking and boat rides a joy.Rainy season runs from May to October, bringing pounding monsoon downpours that turn trails slick and make trekking-and a few other activities-tougher.Still, this is when the greenery is deepest and the waterfalls roar, and you’ll find it’s a perfect time to visit if you like having the trails mostly to yourself.So, why should you visit Khao Sok National Park?The park showcases some of Thailand’s most breathtaking scenery, from dense, emerald rainforests and jagged limestone cliffs to the glassy, still waters of Cheow Lan Lake.Khao Sok bursts with life, from gibbons calling in the canopy to bright butterflies drifting over quiet trails-a true paradise for wildlife lovers.
