Khao Sok

Khao Sok National Park covers an area of 739 km².

The Cheow Lan Lake reservoir has an area of 165 km².

Khao Sok has three seasons:

• The dry season: November – February
• The hot season: March – May
• The rainy season: June – October

You have the best chance of good weather during the dry season. During the hot season, temperatures can reach up to 35°C, and part of the river may dry up. August and September are the wettest months of the rainy season.

Most tourists stay in what is called ‘Khao Sok Village,’ which is actually named Khlong Sok. It’s a small village with cozy cafes, good restaurants, massage salons, hotels, and tour operators.

If you don’t have your own transportation, we recommend staying in the center (which mostly consists of one street) so you can easily get around. We recommend the Khao Sok Jungle Huts Resort.

If you have your own car or motorbike, it can be fun to stay deeper in the jungle. My parents stayed at the Khao Sok Good View Resort and were very enthusiastic about it!

We recommend staying at least three nights in Khao Sok. What most people do, and what we also recommend, is to spend the first night in the village of Khlong Sok, the second night on the lake, and the third night back in Khlong Sok.

However, if you’re someone who easily falls asleep on a boat, it might be more interesting to do the ‘3 days 2 nights Cheow Lan Lake tour.’ Instead of sleeping on a boat, you stay in a floating bungalow, right in the middle of the lake. 👉 Read more about this tour

If you’re not staying on the lake, you can also take day tours to the lake. There’s also plenty to do in the surrounding area to keep you busy for more than three days.

Khao Sok National Park is home to many animals. Think of wild elephants, leopards, muntjac deer, cobras, pythons, sambars, bantengs, and tapirs. Most of these wild animals are not easily spotted by tourists, although wild elephants are regularly seen from boats on Cheow Lan Lake.

In this rainforest, you can also find more than 300 species of birds, various types of monkeys, reptiles, insects, and bats.

In the 1980s, the Thai government conducted research into hydroelectric power and decided to dam the Pasaeng River. The result was the Ratchaprapha Dam, which you can see from the viewpoint.

In 1987, the valley flooded, creating Cheow Lan Lake — also known as Khao Sok Lake. The five villages that were evacuated at the time still lie at the bottom of the lake. The lake is now, on average, 40 meters deep, but in some places, it is even 90 meters deep.

Besides being a source of energy, Cheow Lan Lake also became an important food source for the region. The many fish in the lake turned it into a habitat for numerous bird species, now more than 300 in total. Animals slowly returned, and new species arrived as well. In the jungle around the lake, you can find Malayan bears, tigers, clouded leopards, and wild elephants. While most animals are hard to spot, wild elephants are often seen from the boat. We weren’t so lucky, but you might be!

The famous limestone cliffs are actually the peaks of mountains now submerged under water. They are often compared to Halong Bay in Vietnam.