13 Epic Things To Do In Khao Sok National Park + Essential Travel Guide

With ancient jungle dating back hundreds of millions of years, towering limestone karst cliffs and an abundance of wildlife, Khao Sok National Park is one destination in Thailand that you don’t want to miss. 

In this Khao Sok National Park travel guide, we’ll cover getting there, where to stay, what to do in Khao Sok and all of the other information you need to ensure you make the most out of your time in this magical little piece of paradise. 

Khao Sok National Park

Khao Sok National Park is Thailand’s largest protected park and covers 738 sq km. The park consists of thick native rainforest, waterfalls, majestic limestone cliffs and an island-studded lake.

Khao Sok is also incredibly biodiverse, home to an abundance of wildlife, including bears, tapirs, gibbons, marbled cats, and wild elephants and there are even rumours of a tiger.

While we can’t substantiate the tiger claims, we did see wild elephants and gibbons here (which was insane). Despite being relatively on the beaten path, this is still a wonderful destination, whether you opt for hanging out at Khao Sok Lake or go for something more active, like some Khao Sok hiking.

Heading to Bangkok? Check out our article on Bangkok’s Top 5 Coolest Neighbourhoods

When to Visit Khao Sok National Park

The best time to visit Khao Sok National Park is during the December – April dry season. During the June – October wet season, the Khao Sok hiking trails become very slippery and saturated with leeches.

If you’re willing to brave the rain and the leeches, the benefits include spectacular waterfalls and partaking in some adventurous things to do in Khao Sok such as tubing and kayaking. 

Where Is Khao Sok National Park? 

Khao Sok National Park is located in the southern province of Surat Thani. The park sits in between some of the most popular tourist destinations in the country such as Koh Samui and Phuket.

Read about a Thailand Vipassana Meditation Retreat in Surat Thani

Khao Sok Overview

The small tourist village is located not far from the main entrance of the national park and this is most likely where you’ll initially stay and get yourself organised. 

The village itself is a typical tourist village. There are a few small shops, lots of restaurants, guesthouses and travel agencies. It’s a good place to base yourself, but in itself doesn’t offer a lot of excitement. 

Cheow Lan Lake, the famous Khao Sok Lake studded with towering mountains and set up with floating bungalows, is 65 km away from the village. 

Read next: Chiang Dao: Northern Thailand’s Hidden Gem

How to Get To Khao Sok National Park

Being so close to some of Thailand’s most famous destinations, it’s easy to get to Khao Sok National Park. 

If you’re in Bangkok and need to get down south, the nearest airport is Surat Thani. For the cheapest flights, have a look on Skyscanner.

You can also take an overnight train from Bangkok to Surat Thani. Check fares here. 

Coming from Surat Thani, you can take public transportation to Khao Sok or arrange a minivan through a travel agency. 

To take public transportation, take any public bus going towards Takua Pa and explain that you would like to be dropped off for Khao Sok. It will cost between 120 – 250 THB. You will be dropped off on the highway, about 2 km from the national park. From there, you will have to either walk to your guesthouse, arrange transport, or grab a tuk-tuk for 50 – 100 THB. 

Alternatively, many travel agencies in Surat Thani have direct minivans to Khao Sok. It should take about 3 – 4 hours and cost around 400 THB. Most minivans will drop you off directly at your guesthouse if you let them know where you are staying. 

Coming from the Andaman Coast, take a Surat Thani-bound bus and explain that you would like to be dropped off at Khao Sok. You’ll also be dropped off on the highway. 

From Phuket, Krabi or any of the bigger destinations, you will be able to organise a direct ride via a travel agent easily. You can also very easily organise a tour of the main Khao Sok activities from these locations as well.

If you are coming from anywhere else, have a look at 12Go Asia. 

Khao Sok National Park Entrance Fees

Khao Sok is one of the most expensive national parks to visit in Thailand. Entrance fees are calculated on a per-day basis. For foreigners, it’s 300 THB a day. 

Where to Stay in Khao Sok

There’s no shortage of places to stay in Khao Sok, ranging from basic hotels in the village to luxury resorts out of town. It’s also worth noting that camping is possible inside the national park itself.

Budget

Khao Sok Silver Cliff Resort 

Mid-range

Monkey Mansion Jungalows

We stayed here and couldn’t have been happier. Bastian, the owner, is so friendly and helpful. We feel like we made a genuine friend. The bungalows are immaculate and spacious. The food is delicious too! 

High-end

Khao Sok Jasmine Garden Resort

Overlooking the outdoor pool and the pleasant hills, each bungalow comes with air conditioning, wooden furniture, and a spacious terrace. 

What to Do in Khao Sok National Park

Wondering what to do in Khao Sok National Park? Well, from Khao Sok hiking to tubing, to even searching for one of the world’s rarest flowers, there are plenty of things to do in Khao Sok National Park to keep you occupied for days.

Read: 12 Awesome Things To Do In Lampang + Ultimate Travel Guide

Khao Sok Hiking

Heading out on a Khao Sok hike is one of the most popular things to do in Khao Sok. There are a number of waterfall hikes you can do in Khao Sok National Park. Popular spots include the Ton Kloi Waterfall, Than Sawan Waterfall and Sip Et Chan Waterfall. 

However, if you like to hike independently, do know that you are technically only allowed to hike a short distance (around 3 km) into the park without a guide. Anything beyond this and you are meant to hire a guide (easily booked through the park headquarters or any guesthouse in town). 

That said, there are tons of maps online for various routes in the park (your best bet is AllTrails and maps.me). If you’re independent and don’t mind getting a bit lost from time to time (the jungle does get pretty thick), you should be able to navigate these Khao Sok hikes on your own.

We went a bit further than we were supposed to, and we also saw many other people doing the same. It does not appear this 3 km rule is policed very strictly. 

Read next: Best of Thailand Off the Beaten Path

We hiked to the Ton Kloi waterfall. This waterfall exceeded our not-very-high expectations. There is a nice sunny spot with nice big flat rocks to lounge on and it’s a good place to take a dip. 

If you would like to do a guided Khao Sok hike, there are many, many options. These will be offered at every guesthouse in the vicinity, but here are some of the more popular ones. 

Khao Sok Hiking: Full-day guided Khao Sok Hike

There are multiple full-day guided Khao Sok hikes you can do that will take you deep into the Khao Sok jungle. You can expect to see multiple waterfalls and explore caves and river crossings. 

These cost between 1300 – 1900 THB per person, depending on group size and lunch is normally included. 

Khao Sok Hiking: Khao Sok Night Hike

Like all tropical forests, the real action in the Khao Sok jungle begins after dark. This is when the insects and small animals come out to feed, followed by the larger predators that hunt them.

The Khao Sok night hikes begin around 7.00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and last for 2 – 2.5 hours. Bats, owls, sleeping monkeys, leaf insects, and stick insects are commonly seen, and if you’re lucky, snakes, frogs and tarantulas.

These treks cost 600 THB – 800 THB per person, depending on group size. 

Note: if you purchase a ticket to the national park after 16:30, you will be allowed to use the same ticket for the following day, so remember not to throw it away after the tour.

Khao Sok Hiking: Rafflesia trek

If you’re lucky enough to be in Khao Sok National Park for the Rafflesia’s blooming season, we highly recommend this Khao Sok hike.

The Rafflesia is the world’s largest, and one of the rarest, flowers. It only grows in a few select places on Earth and Khao Sok is the only place in Thailand where it grows. The blooming season is very limited and the flower only blooms once per year between December and March. There is no way to know exactly when the flower will bloom. Seek local advice to see if it is in bloom. 

Because the flower is only found on high mountain ridges, finding the flower requires a guide and a pretty intense jungle trek. We had to climb high up and deep into the jungle to find it. 

It was extraordinary. It felt very special to get to see something so rare in this world. Honestly, it’s one of the best things to do in Khao Sok because it’s so rare and special.

The flower itself is a parasite and must attract flies for pollination rather than bees. So, it smells like garbage. Trust me, I gave it a whiff, it does. 

Read: Chiang Mai Road Trip for more hiking opportunities in Northern Thailand

There are two primary locations for Khao Sok hikes to the Rafflesia.

The closest trailhead begins above the main village. It is part of the larger loop to the Tan Sawan Khao Sok waterfall. This Khao Sok hike requires a full day and covers nearly 7km.

The second trail begins at the Bang Man ranger station. This trail isn’t as long and only requires a half-day. However, the ranger station is 20 minutes from Khao Sok town and requires transport to reach.

Khao Sok Hiking: Tours

If you like your activities organised in advance, there are a million and one Khao Sok hiking tours that you can organise. From a full-day hiking and canoeing tour, to going deep into the jungle, to bamboo rafting, there’s a tour for you!

River Tubing

During the rainy season when the Sok River is higher, you can rent inner tubes and float down the river. This is a fun thing to do in Khao Sok if you find yourself there in the rainy season.

Duration: 1 – 1.5 hours

Cost: 400 – 500 THB per person

Canoe Trip

Canoeing is another great thing to do in Khao Sok and a great way to explore the river, relax and enjoy the scenery of Khao Sok National Park.

Keep your eyes peeled as monkeys, snakes, frogs and several bird species are regularly seen, making this trip a favourite for wildlife enthusiasts.

This tour can be booked on the day, starting from 8 am until the last possible tour at around 4:30 pm.

Cost: 800 THB per person

Bamboo rafting

What to do in Khao Sok when you’re feeling lazy? Float down the river on a traditional bamboo raft. You’ll have a guide who will spot wildlife for you. 

Duration: 2 hours

Cost: 800 THB per person

Cheow Lan Lake

There’s no doubt about it: Cheow Lan Lake, is very, very nice and usually what people come to Khao Sok National Park to see. Towering limestone cliffs rise from turquoise water surrounded by jungle. It’s nothing short of stunning.

The lake was actually human-made and was formed when the government created the Ratchaprabha Dam. Villages were flooded (don’t worry, they were evacuated first) and now lie at the bottom of the lake. You can see evidence of what was lost by all the random trees that appear to be sprouting out in the middle of the lake.

The lake is what most people think of when they imagine Khao Sok, and usually their priority for visiting the park and, consequently, one of the biggest things to do in Khao Sok. 

Getting to Khao Sok Lake

There are three ways to get to Khao Sok’s Cheow Lan Lake: a day tour, an overnight tour or independently.

1. Day tour 

It’s possible to visit Khao Sok Lake as one long day tour. On this tour, you’ll take a minivan to the lake and then take a longtail boat ride to the floating bungalows. Once there, you can swim, relax or take a kayak out. 

After lunch, you’ll do some sort of jungle hike, either to a cave or waterfall. Then you’ll get another longtail boat ride back to the pier, where you’ll head back to the village. 

The whole day is 9 – 10 hours and costs 1500 THB per person and includes your transport to the lake and back, lunch and your longtail boat ride. 

This can be arranged through any travel agency or guesthouse in town. If you’re based elsewhere (i.e., Krabi), never fret – you can organise a tour from there.

2. Overnight tour

This is by far the most popular option, giving you more time to spend at the Khao Sok floating bungalows and to search for wildlife via boat. By staying overnight, you can do an early morning safari, when the chances of seeing wildlife are greater. 

You also get more freedom to choose which Khao Sok hike you want to do. You can either hike to the cave or to the viewpoint. 

This tour costs 2500 THB per person. 

It includes 4 meals (1 breakfast, 2 lunches, and 1 dinner), a Khao Sok Lake bungalow, transportation to and from the lake, morning and night boat safaris, and a 3-hour hike and cave trek.

This tour is widely available in Khao Sok and can be arranged through any travel agency or guesthouse in town. You shouldn’t need to book it too far in advance.

If you’re not staying in Khao Sok village but still want to visit Khao Sok Lake, you can organise a tour in advance.

If you want to stay longer at the lake, you can negotiate it directly when you book your tour. Tell them that you want to stay longer at the Khao Sok floating bungalow. You’ll be charged approximately 900 THB per day extra, which will include an extra night at the floating bungalows and 3 meals worth of food for one person. To get back, you will also have to hitch a boat ride out with other tours that are also leaving that day and they should charge you about 500 THB extra for the ride back to Khao Sok Village.

3. Independently 

Theoretically, you can visit Khao Sok Lake independently, but it’s a lot of logistics to organise and actually comes out to be more expensive. 

First, you’ll have to rent wheels in town to get to the lake. This will cost around 300 THB per day. The drive to the dam is easy and will take between 1 – 1.5 hours. 

Once at Khao Sok Lake, you need to hire a longtail boat driver. This should cost anywhere from 1500 THB – 2500 THB for the entire boat. 

Then, you still have to rent a bungalow. You’ll have to rent from the government-run bungalows, which are not that great and surprisingly expensive. These need to be booked in advance. 

If you want to explore the caves, hike to the Khao Sok viewpoint, or look for wildlife around the lake, there will be extra costs for those activities. 

And on top of that, you’ll have to pay for your food at a restaurant. 

It’s important to note that there are always more options as well. You can always choose longer tours on the lake, more luxurious options, or private options. Again, there are multiple places in town organising these. 

Interested in more wild locations in southern Thailand? Check out our Guide to Koh Tarutao

Our Khao Sok Lake recommendation

Our recommendation for Khao Sok Lake, and what we did, was the 2-day/1 night tour. 

If you’ve spent any time on this blog at all, you’ll know that we normally avoid tours at all costs and always choose to do our activities independently. But in this case, it just didn’t make sense nor was it practical. We would have spent more money, had substandard accommodation and probably an overall inferior experience. 

Overall, we had a good experience on our tour. We booked our tour through our guesthouse and we had full control over the activities we wanted to do – i.e., we got to choose what Khao Sok hike we wanted to do and which Khao Sok bungalow we wanted to stay at. 

We had time to enjoy the lake both at the bungalow (swimming) and take multiple cruises along the lake. It was on one of these cruises that we had the great fortune to see both gibbons and wild elephants, which was really magical. 

For additional information and bookings click here.

Pro tip: if your international card gets blocked when booking things on foreign websites, try using a Wise card. It’s what we do and it’s never let us down!

Activities At Cheow Lan Lake 

The main things you’ll do at the lake are swim, go on a wildlife safari and take a hike. 

Hiking

There are two main Khao Sok hikes you can choose from at Khao Sok Lake. 

1. Khao Talu Cave Hike: Located a one-hour boat ride from the entrance to the lake, this is the most popular option for both day and overnight tours. You’ll trek through the jungle to the mouth of this cave. Then you can go inside the cave for a while. Note that the leeches in the jungle are pretty aggressive so be prepared. You will also be spending a lot of time walking through water, so waterproof shoes are handy. 

2. Kri Sorn Viewpoint Hike: This hike goes to the top of a vertical limestone mountain where you will be able to have a panoramic view of the beautiful glistering blue water of Cheow Lan lake and its surroundings. Plan for 4 hours to complete the hike. This option is less popular than the Khao Talu Cave hike. We have not done this hike, but it sounds incredible (if the weather is in your favour). 

Wildlife safari at Cheow Lan Lake

Due to the sheer number of wildlife living in the park, most trips around Khao Sok usually involve a wildlife safari. Many animals come to the water to drink, so cruising the shore at prime times (dusk and dawn) give good opportunities for wildlife viewing. 

We were fortunate enough to see both gibbons and wild elephants. 

Important things to note

There is no wifi or mobile reception at the lake. The Khao Sok floating bungalows are basic but comfortable.

Cheow Lan Lake is increasing in popularity. The result is more floating bungalows, more people, and more noise, particularly during weekends and Thai holidays.  Guests will find less peace and privacy than one might expect from a wilderness area.

Take home point: go to have fun, but don’t expect serenity. 

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