Khao Sok or Khao Yai National Park?

Khao Sok and Khao Yai are some of the most famous National Parks in Thailand. They are great places for wildlife spotting, hiking, visiting waterfalls, and enjoying the refreshing mountainous air.

In this article, I will compare Khao Sok and Khao Yai National Park to help you to decide which one is best for your preferences. I will outline the differences and similarities based on their locations, accommodations, nightlife, hiking trails, waterfalls, wildlife, shopping, and food.

I’ve been lucky to travel around Thailand, visiting many national parks, including Khao Sok and Khao Yai. So I hope to give you the best recommendations from my firsthand experience.

Is it better to stay in Khao Sok or Khao Yai?

In my opinion, both Khao Sok and Khao Yai are excellent choices for nature enthusiasts and wildlife lovers. These are two of Thailand’s major national parks, featuring lush rainforests, abundant wildlife, and clean, peaceful natural settings.

Both parks offer chances to see monkeys (macaques, gibbons), hornbills, deer, snakes, and many bird species. There are more chances of wild elephants in Khao Yai Park.

Both offer self-guided on short nature trails and require hiring a local guide for long trails. You can hike to the waterfalls, viewpoints, and observe many wild animals along the way.

The main difference between Khao Sok and Khao Lak is their location, landscape, wildlife, and activities. The most popular activity in Khao Sok is taking a boat ride on Cheow Lan Lake, while in Khao Yai it’s going on a safari tour to spot wild animals.

Khao Sok, located in the south, famous for its dramatic limestone cliffs, Cheow Lan Lake, floating bungalows, and jungle adventures like kayaking, cave trekking, and wildlife spotting. Khao Yai, located closer to Bangkok, has more scenic waterfalls, viewpoints, with easier wild elephant spotting.

Generally speaking, Khao Yai is the better park if you want to see wild elephants crossing the road and explore nature without traveling far from Bangkok. Khao Sok is a better location for those who want to stay in a floating house, and enjoy the dramatic limestone landscape on Cheow Lan Lake.

My recommended accommodations in Khao Sok:

Mid-range: Khao Sok Tree House Resort
Budget: Khao Sok River & Jungle Resort
Budget: Khao Sok Morning Mist Resort

My recommended hotels in Khao Yai:

Luxury: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
Mid-range: Lala Mukha Tented Resort
Budget: Chomklong Experience

Location & How to Get There

Khao Yai is located in Central Thailand, around 130km away from Bangkok. It takes 2-3 hours to drive on the road, and 3-4 hours on the train. If you travel by train, you can get off at Pak Chong station, which is around 30km away from the park.

Khao Sok is located in South Thailand, close to famous places like Krabi, Phuket, and Koh Samui. It is around 700km south of Bangkok. You can fly into nearby airports at Phuket, Ko Samui, or Krabi, then take additional road transport to get to Khao Sok.

You can also take a train to Surat Thani Train Station, then take a bus or taxi to get to the park. There are also long distance buses from various locations in Thailand to Khao Sok.

Accommodations

Both Khao Sok and Khao Yai have a wide range of accommodations for all preferences. There are budget backpacker hostels as well as mid-range guest houses, and luxury hotels. In both areas, you can find campsites inside the parks and rustic accommodations with jungle settings.

In addition to typical accommodations, Khao Sok has a unique floating hotel style, which allows you to stay right on Cheow Lan Lake surrounded by limestone cliffs and rainforest. There are more options for luxury five star hotels in resorts in the surrounding areas of Khao Yai.

Accommodations are often in high demand in the high season, so make sure to book in advance. You can secure a good spot and have a better deal if you book early.

See more:

Hiking trails

Both Khao Sok and Khao Yai have short trails you can hike on your own, as well as longer trails that require a local guide. The entrance to the national park is around 200-400 baht a day for foreigners.

In Khao Sok, I stayed in Khao Sok village, so it was easy to do a self-guided hike because it is walking distance to the park’s headquarters. I did the trail to Bang Hua Rat and to San Yang Roi Trail.

There are many wild animals along a 3km long trail from the park’s headquarters to Bang Hua Rat waterfall. The black monkeys are special spices in this area. If you don’t mind the steps, you can check out the 2km long San Yang Roi Trail.

If you want to extend the trail to Ton Kloi Waterfall or Sip-et-chan Waterfall, you need to take a guided tour or hire a local guide. If you’re visiting the right season, you can take the trail to see the Rafflesia flower, which is especially popular in the region.

In Khao Yai, I stayed in Pak Chong village around 30km away from the national park, so it wasn’t convenient to do self-guided hiking by myself. I took a full guided tour, which involved several hikes including the one to Haew Suwat Waterfall and Haew Narok Waterfall.

Overall, if you love hiking, there are plenty of hiking opportunities in both Khao Yai and Khao Sok. There are beautiful viewpoints, waterfalls, and plenty of wildlife along the way.

Waterfalls

Both Khao Yai and Khao Sok have beautiful waterfalls. The waterfalls in Khao Yai are bigger and more dramatic, especially in the rainy season. Khao Sok is smaller but very atmospheric, surrounded by dense rainforest.

You can swim at the waterfalls in Khao Sok but in Khao Yai, swimming is generally not allowed in the most popular waterfalls like Haew Suwat Waterfall. Reaching these waterfalls requires either a short or a long hike through the jungle. The trail often has more wildlife in Khao Yai.

Notable waterfalls in Khao Yai are Haew Suwat, Haew Narok, and Pha Kluai Mai Waterfall. Haew Suwat is famous from The Beach movie; wide, scenic, easy to reach. Haew Narok is the tallest and most powerful in the park.

Popular waterfalls in Khao Sok are the Ton Kloi Waterfall, Bang Hua Rat Waterfall, Wing Hin Waterfall, and Sip Et Chan Waterfall.

Wildlife

Wild elephant crossing the road Khao Yai

Both national parks have animal spotting tours and night safari tours. One of the main reasons for foreigners to come to Khao Yai is to spot wild animals, and the main reason for them to come to Khao Sok is to sleep in the floating house and explore the lake.

This means, in my opinion, Khao Yai is a better place to spot wild animals, especially the wild elephants and big mammals. Khao Yai National Parks also have paved roads and open landscapes that make animals.

In both places, you can spot wild monkeys, dusky langurs, hornbills, monitor lizards, snakes, or giant squirrels, deers, and different types of birds.

Water Activities

Khao Sok has more water activities because it is surrounded by the massive lake, waterfalls, and a river. There are activities such as kayaking, canoeing, tubing, or swimming.

Khao Yai is not a water-activity destination. The park’s water features are mainly waterfalls and streams, but no swimming is usually not allowed. You can hike to waterfalls and sightseeing.

Caves

Khao Sok is a better place for cave exploration, especially around Cheow Lan Lake. Major Caves are Coral Cave (Pakarang Cave), Nam Talu Cave, and Pra Kay Petch Cave (Diamond Cave). Some caves are easily accessible by boat, while others require a long hike.

Khao Yai does not have iconic caves with stunning scenery like Khao Sok. But there are couples of caves to explore such as the Underground Stalactite Cave at Wat Sa Nam Sai, or watching millions of bats stream out at the Bat Cave at sunset.

Viewpoints

In my opinion, there are more classic national park viewpoints that are easy to reach in Khao Yai than Khao Sok. These viewpoints often have wide, high-altitude lookouts with sweeping forest and mountain scenery.

Best Viewpoints in Khao Yai include Km. 30 Viewpoint (easy roadside stop), Pha Diew Dai Viewpoint, Nong Phak Chi Wildlife Viewpoint, and Khao Khiaw Viewpoint.

Khao Sok’s strengths are limestone cliffs, lake panoramas, but most viewpoints require boat access or hikes. One of the most iconic views in Khao Sok is the Krai Sorn Viewpoint. It’s located on top of a vertical limestone mountain where you can watch the sweeping views of Cheow Lan Lake.

Nightlife

Both Khao Yai and Khao Sok are places for nature lovers. These are not places for parties and vibrant nightlife. You still find a good range of restaurants and cafes for food and drink. There is even a night market in Pak Chong village near Khao Yai National Park.

Most nightlife in Khao Yai is concentrated in the Pak Chong Village. There are some restaurants and shops around the main road connecting the village and the park, as well as the areas surrounding the park.

Nightlife in Khao Sok is concentrated in the main village near the entrance to the park’s headquarters. I found, it is easier to find places to eat in Khao Sok village, and the restaurants in Khao Yai are quite spread out.

Shopping

There are no modern shopping malls in both Khao Yai and Khao Sok. There are several souvenir shops where you can buy typical Thai souvenirs. Pak Chong near Khao Yai has a night market, so you can find some local products here.

Both places have local minimarts where you can buy basic groceries. There are 7-Eleven in Pak Chong but in Khao Sok, only local family-run minimart exists.

Food

You can easily find Thai food in both places. There are small Thai eateries, local restaurants, and bars serving local dishes like fried rice, pad Thai, or Thai curry. In Pak Chong near Khao Yai, you can try street food at the Pak Chong Night Market located close to the train station.

Getting Around & Transportation

Both Khao Sok and Khao Yai are located in quite remote areas of Thailand, so there are no convenient public systems like bigger cities such as Bangkok. You can get around by renting a scooter, using a local taxi, or taking a guided tour.

Each area has a small village center, where you can find shops, cafes, restaurants, ATMS, and local supermarkets. In this town center, you can get around on foot.

Taking guided tours is the most popular way to explore the park. Two popular tours in Khao Yai are a half day tour to the bat cave, and a full day tour inside the park. Popular tours in Khao Sok are hiking tours to the waterfalls, viewpoints, and full day tours to Cheow Lan Lake.