FAQs on our Khao Sok National Park Tour
In November 2023, we took a trip to Khao Sok National Park after hearing a lot of excellent feedback. We can confirm that the place is every bit as amazing as it’s hyped up to be, and we would fully recommend it to anyone who loves to get out into nature and have some time away from the beeping tuktuks and mopeds of Thailand’s bustling towns.
We’ve put together a list of questions and answers that we think will be helpful to anyone considering embarking on a trip to Khao Sok National Park, and have tried to think of everything we asked Google before we went.
What tour company did we use to go to Khao Sok National Park?
The name of the tour company we used was Khao Sok Lake, and we stayed at The Laguna Chiewlarn. We’d recommend booking through the tour company, as this included convenient pick up from our hotel in Ao Nang.
What tour option did we choose?
2 Day 1 Night Superior Group Tour, Taxi pick up - Krabi/Ao Nang and Transportation
How much is a Khao Sok National Park tour?
For our package, for two adults and one night in a floating bungalow, we paid a total of 11,200 Thai Baht. This included a taxi pickup from Ao Nang, a taxi to the lake itself from the tour operator’s office, all boats, activities and food during the tour, and a taxi back to the tour operator’s office at the end.
You also have to pay for an entry to the National Park upon arrival, this is 300 THB per person.
Khao Sok National Park Itinerary - What did we do?
Day One
8am: Pickup from hotel
10am: Arrive at the tour office
~11:30am: Minivan pickup to take us to the lake, pay for our entrance to the national park, etc. then get on the longboat (approx. 45 minutes on the boat including photo opportunities by famous rocks, etc.)
Noon: Arrive and check in at the floating bungalows - free time here to swim in the lake/relax
1pm: Lunch
2pm: Back on the boat to take us around the lake a little more, spot some more wildlife, do a bit of jungle trekking, get on a raft to take us to the cave, visit the cave, do the whole thing again in the reverse order
~5pm: Dinner
Day Two
5:30am: Wake up and meet for a very early breakfast
6:30am: Early morning mist trip on the boat, and see the sunrise. Afterwards, we cruised around the lake for a little longer while trying to spot more wildlife through our tired eyes
8:30am: Back to the bungalows to pack
~9am: Back on the boat and head back to the terminal
~10:30am: Stop off at a beautiful garden and meet the owner who grows an abundance of fruit and veg
11:30am: Restaurant for lunch, then return to the office
How far is Khao Sok from Bangkok?
Approximately 450 miles.
How to get to Khao Sok National Park from Bangkok
You can take an overnight bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani. From here, get a taxi to Khao Sok National Park. If you go with a tour operator, they can help organise the pickup/drop-off for you.
How far is Khao Sok from Ao Nang?
Approximately 75 miles, and takes around 2 hours by taxi. Again, this taxi was arranged by the tour company - it picked us up from the hotel, and took us to the tour operator’s office.
How do you get to the Khao Sok National Park tour starting point?
As mentioned above, there are options from as far away as Bangkok - just remember that Surat Thani is probably the closest big town you’re going to get to, before needing a taxi/minivan. We haven’t researched this extensively, as we had the taxi organised for us, but we just thought it was easier that way.
What is Khao Sok National Park?
Khao Sok National Park is a huge natural park in Thailand, home to many species of wild animals, and also has a massive man made lake called Cheow Larn Lake. Cheow Larn Lake is Thailand’s largest manmade freshwater lake, and it was built in 1987. It’s 165 km2 in area, and 90m deep at its deepest point. Within the National Park, you can stay in floating bungalows, do some kayaking, swimming, rafting, and cruise around the lake on longboats with your group.
Accommodation in Khao Sok National Park
We stayed in a floating bungalow for one night. It was a fairly basic room, but the fact we were on the lake itself and had the most magnificent views of the limestone rocks that were surrounding us, made it so special. In our bungalow, we had a double bed, a toilet, shower, wardrobe and small terrace/balcony with a ladder straight down into the water. At the resort, there was a small restaurant where we ate all of our meals during our stay, and it also served beer (for an additional price).
What to pack for a one night trip in Khao Sok National Park
With the tour company we used (named Khao Sok Lake), they had a secure luggage storage area, and advised us to take a small backpack for the one night that we’d be there. They also sent us a list of things to pack:
T-shirt
Shorts
Sunglasses
Sun cream
Insect repellant
Hat
Headlamp
Camera
Towel
Swimsuits
Trainers
We didn’t have a headlamp, but the staff had enough torches to share around the group for when we went to the cave. We also would recommend taking some alcohol wipes and plasters in case you get any pesky leeches stuck to you in the cave (like I did… twice).
I’d recommend taking some cash, too, in case you want to buy some extra drinks while you’re there, or souvenirs at any of the shops at the boat terminal.
What wildlife do you see in Khao Sok National Park?
While we were there, we were lucky enough to catch a few glimpses of wild elephants! Our captain heard them snapping bamboo down to graze on from quite a distance away - we were impressed! - so we turned the engine off and got as close as we ethically could, to watch them going about their day. It was magical.
We also saw macaques on a number of occasions, a majestic eagle, and two beautiful Great Hornbills.
