When you say Thailand, many people think of islands, beautiful beaches, great food, or the world-famous metropolis of Bangkok. Of course, all this is one of the pros of this Asian country, but Thailand offers much more.
During our stay in Thailand, we switched from well-known beach destinations like Phuket, Krabi, or Koh Samui to lesser-known places, which paradoxically became our favourite parts of this exotic country. And one of them is Khao Sok National Park, which literally took our breath away.
Khao Sok National Park
Khao Sok National Park is one of the most famous and diverse national parks in Thailand, located in the southern part of the country, namely in the province of Surat Thani. This national park covers an area of 739 square kilometres and was established in 1980. The national park is especially famous for its rainforests and limestone cliffs around the famous Cheow Lan Lake.
You may find it hard to believe, but this lake was made by people in the 20th century. During this period, they created the Ratchaprapha Dam, which serves as a source of hydroelectric power for the entire region. Surrounding the lake, however, is the oldest rainforest, which is part of a rare ecosystem, along with a variety of wildlife. There are both natural and man-made features in the national park, and the limestone karsts around it all add a beautiful dramatic atmosphere.
How to get here
Khao Sok National Park is very easy to get to. You can arrive here from Phuket, Krabi or Surat Thani port. Getting from point A to point B in Thailand has always been handled through the Bookaway or 12go.asia platform, where you can select routes according to your needs and find a wide range of companies. We recommend bookaway, where you can find better prices, plus with our code 2Trouble5 you can take advantage of a 5% discount.
We traveled to the national park from Surat Thani by minibus and the trip took us about 3 hours and we paid 6€ per person. From the above-mentioned destinations, you can also arrive in the national park as part of organized trips of varying lengths of stay. You can find a selection of such trips on this page, for example.
What to bring with you
For this type of trip, we definitely recommend a raincoat, as you never know what kind of weather you will encounter. In addition, water may splash on you while you’re on the boat, so you’ll definitely need protection. Another thing you have to bring is a local repellent. You can find it in every 7eleven. The sun in Thailand is also very strong, so we recommend you bring sunscreen. Another recommendation is water shoes, as the itinerary may include trekking in the nature (ours was through a waterfall). Last but not least, we had a waterproof backpack with us in which we had all our equipment and of course the camera and gopro! If you want to fly a drone, you will need a permit.
Accommodation in Khao Sok
If you arrive in the national park as part of a tour, e.g. directly from Phuket or Krabi, you will probably have everything arranged – accommodation, transfers, guide and so on. If you decide to arrive on your own, most of the accommodation is in the village of Khao Sok.
You will find accommodation in different price ranges, so it’s up to you what your preferences are. We stayed at the Chillax Khao Sok Hostel, but we paid for a private room. For one night for two we paid 29€. You can then choose the services of various companies that offer trips directly to Cheow Lan Lake. It is located about 60 km from the village.
All accommodation options in Khao Sok can be found on this page.
Khao Sok Riverside Cottages
We opted for Khao Sok Riverside Cottages. Since we had paid for a 3-day trip and wanted to be there a bit early, we arrived in Khao Sok village a day earlier. We spent one night in the aforementioned hostel and the next day we moved to Khao Sok Riverside Cottages, where we were in for quite an adventure.
The company offers different types of trips – 2-day, 3-day or 4-day trip. All of them include a visit to the famous Cheow Lan Lake, which can be considered the highlight of the whole trip. Since we just did a 3 day trip, this article will be more focused on the itinerary for this length of stay.
3 day trip Khao Sok National Park
For a 3 day trip with Khao Sok Riverside Cottages we paid 120€ per person. The price included accommodation for two nights – one night in a jungle bungalow, one night in a water house on Cheow Lan Lake. We also had full board, so breakfast, lunch and dinner, drinking and some snacks during the day. As part of the price of the trip we also had transportation, a guide and various activities such as. canoeing on the lake, renting a kayak, hiking in the jungle, etc. We chose a group tour and there were 20 of us in total. But of course you also have the choice of smaller groups, for which you pay more.
Day 1
On the first day we were picked up at the agreed time directly in the Khao Sok village. From there we took a jeep to Khao Sok Riverside Cottages, where we were greeted by very friendly staff. We were given the keys to our cabin, which was in the middle of the jungle. It was raining at the time, so it had an even better atmosphere. The bungalow was very simple but spacious with a private bathroom and also a terrace that offered a wonderful view.
On the first afternoon we could choose between two activities – canoeing on the river or an hour-long massage. As we are more adventurous, we opted for the first option. Together with a guide we went rafting down the river and it was quite an experience. We saw different species of birds, snakes and enjoyed local coffee in the middle of the jungle. The whole thing took about 1.5 hours. After a delicious dinner, we had a beautiful ceremony, as November 27th was an important day in Thailand called Loy Krathong. All together we symbolically lit small wreaths (in Thailand they are called krathongs) and released them on the lake. It was a truly magical experience.
Day 2
On the second day we had a very early morning wake-up call, breakfast and the biggest adventure. The big advantage was that we could leave our big suitcases and backpacks at the resort and we went on our next trip with only small backpacks, which contained everything we needed. We took two minibuses directly to Cheow Lan Lake. The journey took about 1.5 hours.
After arriving at the parking lot by the lake, we already met several smaller and larger groups of tourists who came from different parts of Thailand. The whole time we were looked after by our guide Yaya, who was absolutely awesome. It was obvious that he loved his job, he really knew everything about the national park, and he was extremely fun to work with!
At the port we paid a fee of 6-7€ per person to enter the national park. This entrance fee was not included in the tour price. After a few minutes of waiting in the harbor, we took a small boat to our second accommodation. The boat ride took about 1 hour and we enjoyed the beautiful views during the boat ride. But when we arrived at the place, we were absolutely enchanted. There were 16 water bugalows, literally in the middle of nowhere.
Water Bungalows
The houses are very simply furnished, but there was even a window in the middle of the floor through which one could see the fish below. The house also had a terrace from which you could jump directly into the water. Amazing! You cannot book this accommodation individually, it works on a partnership with Khao Sok Riverside Cottages.
Overall, there are several such resorts on Cheow Lan Lake, but they can be accessed through group tours like the one we took. These resorts are usually not just open to the general public, as it requires arranging not only the accommodation itself, but also the transport from the port and also the food, as there is absolutely nothing in the area.
After a quick lunch, the first activity was waiting for us. We took the boats deeper into the national park and the scenery around was really beautiful. We also had several stops, such as cave or a lookout. The last point of the program was a trek right in the jungle, where we crossed the waterfall to the top. It was truly an experience, and we recommend bringing water shoes to avoid any injuries. After a busy day, we went back to our accommodation, where a great buffet dinner awaited us.
Day 3
On the last day we started before 7 am, as we had a morning “safari”. At a time when nature is waking up, we took a boat out to the middle of nowhere and watched monkeys, different kinds of birds and reptiles around. If you are lucky, you may see elephants.
After our morning adventure, we made our way back to our accommodation where a hearty breakfast awaited us. After breakfast, we took our kayaks and went exploring. It was quite cloudy and the clouds were very low, so it gave the whole thing a very mystical atmosphere.
Just before lunch we packed up all our stuff and headed back to the marina. We had a lunch there and then back to the resort near the village of Khao Sok, where we picked up our stuff and our adventure was over. If you decide to take a longer trip, your itinerary will include 2 nights on the lake along with other activities right in the national park.
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