Khao Sok National Park

Hotels

Things To Do

Eating Out

Khao Sok National Park is considered to be one of the most beautiful national parks in Thailand which is why it is also called the Guilin Of Thailand. The Park was established in 1980 and actually has an amazing history with the rainforest being one of the oldest in the world.

The very picturesque Ratchaprapa Dam was buit in 1982 which created a 165 square kilometer lake now called Cheow Larn Lake inside Khao Sok National Park. You can hire longtail boats for tours of the lake, have lunch at one of the floating restaurants or even stay the night on the lake at one the floating rafthouses.

There are also plenty of good hotels, bungalows etc to stay just outside of the park.

The park is located on the mountain ridge which separates the east and west coasts of the Thai peninsula and is situated in the west of Surattani province. To the west of Khao Sok lies Sri Phang Nga National Park.

There are 3 distinct forest types in Khao Sok these being Rainforest which covers the most area in the park, Limestone Forest which occurs on the steep limestone karst scattered throughout the park and Secondary or Disturbed Forest which are areas that have in the past been used for logging or human activity. This is mainly found around the lake or the banks of the Ratchaprapa Dam.

A few of the attractions within the park are listed below. You can hire guides from the parks Headquarters and maps are also available as well as a small shop for souvenirs etc.

Wang Hin Waterfall is an attractive waterfall on Klong Sok River. Huge boulders litter the stream about 20m from the base of the falls. You can use these boulders as stepping stones to cross the river. The crossing point is known locally as 'Bang Wang Hin' or Narrow Running Rocks.

Tang - Nam is a natural gorge created by the Klong Sok River carving a mountain in two. The steep cliff faces plunge down to the stream. Walk downstream from Wang Hin Waterfall to reach this spot.

Mae Yai (Grandmother) Waterfall. This waterfall is the most accessible as it is close to the Surat Thani to Dagua Baa road at Km 113. The 30m high waterfall is very beautiful.

Bat Cave. Thousands of bats live in this large chambered cave.

Cheow Larn Lake was built to provide hydro electricity for Surat Thani and other towns. There are over 100 islands on this huge lake, most of them are in the narrowest part of the lake, which is known as ' Chong Kaeb Khao Ka Loh' The dam is about a 50 kilometer drive from Park Headquarters.

You can also go kayaking, river tubing, hiking, bird watching tours or if your there at the right time see the amazing and rare giant parasitic Rafflesia flower.

So there is plenty to see and do in this beautiful area of Thailand.