Khao Sok, discovering an extraordinary national park

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

Huge limestone mountains, deep valleys, breathtaking lakes, fascinating caves, wild animals, this is what you will find in Khao Sok National Park.

If you like adventure, jungle trekking, discovering tropical flora and fauna or just want to spend a few days in the middle of nature, then you will love this park.

Description

The Khao Sok National Park is located in the south of the ThailandThis is the largest area of virgin forest in southern Thailand and is a remnant of tropical rainforest.

Its area is 739 km² and includes the 165 km² Cheow Lan Lake, which is contained by the Ratchaprapha Dam.

Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok

The park is crossed by a limestone mountain range from north to south, reaching an altitude of 950m.

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

Climate

The so-called wet season runs from late April to December.

The temperature varies from 22 to 36° C all year round.

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

Khao Sok National Park on a google map

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 the animals.

Among the fruits that can be found are the wild jackfruit, the mangosteenon durianRambutan, jujube, pomelo and wild bananas.

See also : The 14 best fruits of Thailand with the name in Thai

Wild pepper and ginger are not uncommon.

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 world's largest flower

Wildlife in Khao Sok National Park

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

Mammals include the Malay tapir, Asian elephant, tiger, sambar deer, bear, gaur, banteng, serou, wild boar, pig-tailed macaque, langur, white-handed gibbon, squirrel, muntjak, mouse deer and barking deer.

Female sambar deer

Scolopendra cataracta, the only known amphibious centipede in the world, was found on a riverbank 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 adventure tourists, 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 to take you to the most beautiful places.

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

Canoeing and bamboo rafting

The Sok River is an ideal place to relax.

You can enjoy a wonderful 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 for canoeing and bamboo rafting.

Fish in Khao Sok

Boat on Lake Cheow Lan

After hiking through 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 about 12 km from the headquarters of Khao Sok National Park.

It's activities are suitable for the adventurous, Khao Sok is as much a place for relaxation as it is for adventure.

When to go to Khao Sok

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

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

The sun can also shine every day of the year!

How to get to Khao Sok

You can get an idea of the price of transport to Khao Sok or book your ticket through 12go.asia :

Khao Sok National Park is located on Highway 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 depending on location (around 200-600 baht 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 to your next destination.

Getting around the park

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

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

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

To access the other entrance, Cheow Larn Lake, it is easier to take a taxi to the lake.

However, if you are in shape, you can rent a bike for 250 Baht per day.

The roads are relatively flat and allow for easy driving.

You can also rent a motorbike or scooter for 300 Baht 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 nature walks.

Many tours to Khao Sok involve a trip to Cheow Larn Lake, so transport to this entrance is usually included in the tour price.

Where to stay in Khao Sok

Most of the accommodation is located near the main entrance in the visitor centre of the park, where you will find accommodation to suit all budgets.

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

For example, you can stay in the luxury tents of Elephant HillsThese tents are built on a solid floor with private bathrooms and full facilities.

Useful information

You can find the official website of the park here.

Health

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

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

Security

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

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

What to take with you?

We recommend the following:

• Loose and comfortable clothing
• Non-slip shoes
• Waterproof
• Sun protection
• Swimming costume
• Passport

Video on Khao Sok Park

Map of Khao Sok

Large format map with many indications.

See also :

Khao Sok, Thailand, listed as the 50th Asean Heritage Park

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