Khao Sok is one of the top national parks in Thailand. It is known for its massive man-made Cheow Lan Lake with dramatic limestone karsts, emerald water, and the floating raft houses. The park also offers lots of hiking trails, and opportunities to see many wild animals.
In this article, I will cover the best things to do and see in Khao Sok National Park. These include boat trips to Cheow Lan Lake, jungle trekking, waterfalls, wild animals spotting, and Sok River activities.
Khao Sok National Park is one of the oldest rainforests in the world, covering an area of 739 square kilometers. It has two main areas, Khao Sok Village where the park headquarters are located and Khao Sok Lake. These two areas are around 70 km apart.
Cheow Lan Lake is the best known attraction in Khao Sok National Park. Spanning 165 square kilometers, the lake offers many activities such as taking scenic boat rides, admiring the towering limestone cliffs, visiting caves, natural springs, jungle trekking, or staying in a floating bungalow for a night.
Additionally, you can take many hiking trails inside the park to explore the dense jungle, see waterfalls, spot the rare Rafflesia flower, and encounter various wildlife species.
The main town of Khao Sok is Klong Sok. It is a great place to enjoy the nightlife. It is a long street with lots of tourist amenities such as resorts, hotels, restaurants, bars, convenience stores, travel agencies, massage shops, and souvenir shops.
From the main village, you will have easy access to several hiking trails, waterfalls, and activities such as night safari, kayaking, tubing on the Sok river.
The ticket to the National Park costs 200 baht and is valid for one day. If you buy the ticket after 4.30pm, you can use it for the next day. The staff will stamp on the ticket to make it usable for the next day.
If you buy a ticket after 4.30 and plan to visit Cheow Lan Lake the next day, the staff will also stamp to make it usable at the Lake. The entrance to the Lake is 300 baht. You can tell your tour guide that you have a 200 baht ticket, and pay only 100 baht in addition to it.
If you want more detail of my itinerary and how I get around Khao Sok, you can check these articles:
I traveled to Khao Sok from Koh Samui by taking a ferry to Donsak Pier, then a bus to Surat Thani Town, and finally transferring to a van to get to my hotel. This was easily done by taking a combination ticket with Phantip Company.
I explored Khao Sok mostly on foot and by tours. If you can drive, you can rent a motorbike at one of the many shops in Khao Sok Village. If you stay in the main village, you can easily walk to the park for hiking, visiting waterfalls, and night safari. To explore the lake, you can easily take a day/ overnight tour.
9 Best Things to Do in Khao Sok National Park
#1. Day Trip/ Overnight Trip to Cheow Lan Lake
Cheow Lan Lake is the highlight of Khao Sok National Park. You can choose to explore the lake by either taking a day trip or overnight trip to the lake. The tour can be organised easily through local travel agencies, or your accommodations in Khao Sok Village.
The day trip is a good option if you just want to see famous attractions on the lake within a short time. The overnight trips are ideal for those who want to experience a stay in a floating raft bungalow, with a chance to enjoy the tranquility of the lake at sunrise and sunset.
The one night and two night trips are the most popular overnight trips to Cheow Lan Lake. Most visitors choose to stay a night in Khao Sok Village before their overnight stay at the lake.
Both day and overnight trips have similar activities but the overnight trip offers a more immersive experience. You will both take the boat ride, visiting the caves, jungle trekking, swimming, kayaking around the floating houses. The overnight trip has more activities such as night boat safari.
Boat Ride Cheow Lan Lake
Taking a long tail boat ride is one of the best activities in Khao Sok. The boats depart from Cheow Lan Lake Pier, also known as Ratchaprapha Pier.
The pier is located 65 km from Khao Sok Village. You can reach the pier as a part of a day and overnight trip. If you don’t take guided tours, you can hire a private taxi, and rent a scooter to get to the pier.
You can book boat rides directly at the lake’s pier for a couple of hours to see attractions around the lake. If you travel independently and are traveling in the high season (November to April), I recommend arranging the boat driver in advance to secure your spot.
The boats can splash water on you, especially if you’re sitting at the front. You can consider wearing light rain coats and bringing waterproof bags to keep your phone, camera, or any electronic items.
As you cruise the lake, you’ll be surrounded by towering limestone karsts, lush greenery, and emerald green waters. They are great for making incredible photos.
It takes around 1 hour to reach the symbol of Cheow Lan Lake, the three limestone karst formations rising from the water. It is the first stop of many boat tours. The boat drive will stop here for everyone to take photos.
Continue the boat ride, you can visit one of the several caves, floating houses, and jungle trails.
Jungle Treks
Cheow Lan Lake is surrounded by lush jungles. There are opportunities to do some trekking through ancient rainforests and to the lake’s viewpoint.
I took an organised day trip to the lake, which included a one hour trek into the jungle. It was an easy trek, passing through natural spring, and lots of ancient trees. The tour guide showed us some small animals such as spiders, termites, and cicadas.
Unfortunately, most tours bring visitors here, so the hiking areas are very crowded. If you like hiking or you’re just an adventure traveler, you can consider hiking to the top of Kri Sorn Viewpoint.
It is a 3km round trip trail with steep inclines, so make sure you’re physically fit to do it. The hike to the top is around 1.5 hours. The top has sweeping views of the lake, limestone cliffs, and its jungles.
To reach the starting point of the trail, you need to take a long tail boat from Cheow Lan Lake Pier. It is around 75 minute boat ride. It is best to do it as a group because the boat ride is usually expensive.
Visit Caves (Diamond Cave, Nam Talu Cave, Coral Cave)
There are several caves scattered around Cheow Lan Lake. They are Diamond Cave, Nam Talu Cave, and Coral Cave. On my guided day trip to Cheow Lan Lake, we visited Diamond Cave.
Diamond Cave (Pra Kai Petch Cave)
Diamond Cave is located in the southern sections of Cheow Lan Lake on the Klong Ka canal. It is just a couple of minutes walk from the boat docking area to the entrance of the park. Most day tours stop here, so it was a bit crowded, and we had to wait for another group to come out before we could go in.
We spend around 20 minutes inside the cave, admiring its stalactites and stalagmites formations that have the shape of diamonds. Our tour guide told us that there is an underground water source flowing through the cave.
Nam Talu Cave
Nam Talu Cave is a 700m long cave with an underground river flowing through it. The cave is in the southern region of Cheow Lan Lake, close to Klong Pey canal.
The cave is closed from June to December. It is extremely dangerous after heavy rain. There are few incidents that happen in the cave due to the flash flood.
The headtrail to Nam Talu Cave can be only accessible by boat. It is a 1 km walk through the jungle from the starting point to the cave’s entrance and another 700m walking inside the cave. The trail has some steep and slippery parts.
You can visit Nam Talu Cave by taking a day trip/ overnight lake to Cheow Lan Lake that includes a trekking to Nam Talu Cave. You’ll need a guide to visit this cave.
Coral Cave (Pakarang Cave)
Coral Cave is a 400m long cave located in the northern area of Cheow Lan Lake, in the Klong Long canal. To reach the cave, you’ll need to take a 45 minute long tail boat ride from the lake’s pier to the trailhead to Coral Cave, followed by a 20 minute hike to the raft station and a short bamboo rafting.
If you like hiking and exploring the cave, Coral Cave is a great place to visit. You can visit the cave by taking a day trip/ overnight lake to Cheow Lan Lake that includes a trekking to Coral Cave. The entrance fee is 30 baht in addition to the national park fee.
Lunch, Swimming and Kayaking at the floating Raft House
Cheow Lan Lake is packed with floating raft houses. You’ll be likely to see them when taking the boat ride around the lake. I visited Cheow Lan Lake as part of a guided tour, and the boat driver stopped at a floating house in Klong Ka Canal for lunch and swimming.
We had a buffet lunch at the raft house. There are typical Thai dishes to share that include steam rice, chicken stir fry, fish stir fry, and vegetable stir fry.
After lunch, we rested for a couple of hours at the floating house. You can choose to just chill and enjoy the breathtaking views, or swimming and kayaking around the house. It is required to wear a life jacket if you want to participate in these water activities.
Stay overnight at a Floating Raft House
If you take an overnight trip to Cheow Lan Lake, you can experience a stay in the raft bungalow. Most accommodations are often simple with beds, mosquito nets, and limited electricity and amenities.
Without internet or phone service for the most part, it’s an opportunity to enjoy the peaceful surroundings, read a book, or simply relax. Watching the sun set behind the towering limestone cliffs or rise over the tranquil waters is a highlight of staying in a floating raft house.
Most floating raft houses offer all-inclusive meal packages, serving freshly prepared Thai dishes. Meals are often enjoyed on the floating decks with stunning lake views.
Night Boat Safari
If you take the overnight tour, you can join the Night Boat Safari to see Nocturnal animals around the lake. It is a special way to experience the wilderness around Cheow Lan Lake.
#2. Klong Sok Village
Khao Sok Village, aka Klong Sok, is the main village located right at the entrance of Khao Sok National Park Headquarter. It is around 2 km long, connecting the park’s entrance and highway 401.
Khao Sok Village is packed with amenities such as restaurants, bars, and resorts. After a full day exploring at the lake and hiking, you can spend a night in the village, checking out nice bars and restaurants to explore.
There is no 7-11 at Klong Sok Village but it has many local mini mart, selling everything you would need for your stay. From the village. You can easily walk to the national park for some hiking and animal spotting.
#3. Ton Kloi Waterfall Nature Trail
Ton Kloi Waterfall Nature Trail is a 7km long trail and is one of the most popular hiking paths near Klong Sok Village. You can do the first 3km without a local guide, if you need to go all the way to Ton Kloi Waterfall, you need to take a guided tour with a guide for around 1200 baht.
After a 3 km hike from the park’s entrance to the Bang Hua Rat waterfall and the checkpoint, you will see a sign that says “Hike with a guide only”. The continuous path was locked with a fence and gate.
If you don’t plan to hire a local guide, you can explore this 3km trail with another trail in the park (San Yang Roi Trail) within a day.
The first 3km of the trail was easy with flat and wild dirt paths. Sometimes you can follow the smaller trails to head to the stream or pool area to swim.
Along the way, you can spot some animals such as scorpion, spider, and the black monkey. The regular monkey can be seen along the stream while black monkeys can be seen around the main track near the bamboo area.
There is a small shop at the end of the 3km self-trekking route, where rangers sell snacks and drinks. You can rest here and swim at nearby pools.
#4. San Yang Roi Trail
This is the lesser-known trail inside Khao Sok National Park. You can combine a trek on this trail after finishing the trek on the 3km trail to Bang Hua Rat waterfall.
This is a 2km circular trail that involves lots of hiking on long steep wooden stairs in the middle of the jungle. As it is less popular, there are lots of mosquitoes along the way. Be sure to have good insect spray with you, or wear long pants and long sleeves.
At some point near the wooden bridge, the trail continues to Sip-et-chan Waterfall. To continue, you need to do it with a local guide. The trail to Sip-et-chan was not very well marked, and narrow.
I recommend returning back to the visitor center area and booking the ticket for the night safari tour later in the evening.
#5. Night Safari
A Night Safari is one of the most exciting ways to explore the wildlife of Khao Sok National Park. You can easily book a tour with you accommodation, local travel agencies, or directly at the park’s entrance.
I booked my ticket at the park’s entrance after I finished the hike to Bang Hua Rat trail and San Yang Roi Trail. The ticket was 500 baht. I chose the time at 6.30pm. I came back to the hotel to rest and walked to the park later for the tour.
The lovely gentlemen at the ticket counter remembered me buying the safari ticket in the afternoon and assigned a private tour guide to me. We had a lovely 2 hours trekking around the trail to Bang Hua Rat and spot lots of animals.
We saw frogs, lizards, snakes, black monkeys, scorpions, and grasshoppers. My guide used a UV flashlight to see scorpions glowing in the dark. It looked very beautiful. He said he saw wild elephants in this path before.
#6. Local restaurants and bars
Once you explore attractions inside the National Park during the day, and come back to the main village for dinner and some drinks. I had dinner at several restaurants on the main street and really liked it.
Black stone Cafe
Black stone Cafe is a popular cafe located in the middle of the 2km long main street of Khao Sok Village. The restaurant has nice decorations and great food. I tried chicken fried rice and papaya salad, and they both suited my taste very well.
Khao Sok Eagle
This restaurant is located on the main road of Khao Sok Village closer to the national park’s entrance. The restaurant is quite busy at night with people queuing for food. It has a bamboo table and chairs. The staff is lovely.
I had a big plate of mixed fruits and fried rice at Khao Sok Eagle Restaurant. They were served with good potions and tasted good too.
Nongsaw Thai Food
Nongsaw Thai Food is a good place to try buffet Thai style food. You can choose any dishes to add to your plate. The price for 2 curries and the rice is 100 baht. The restaurant is conienely located on the main road of Khao Sok Village close to the entrance of Khao Sok national park.
#7. Get a Massage
There are many massage shops lining the main part of Klong Sok Village. If you are tired after a day exploring Cheow Lan Lake and hiking inside the National park, you can consider getting a Massage. If you want a gentle massage to relax, I recommend trying the oil massage.
If you want to experience traditional Thai massage, you can try it, but remember it can be painful and intense if you are first-time trying it. The pressure can be firm, with the therapist using their body weight to apply deep pressure along your muscles.
A typical 60 minute foot or body massage is around 300 baht. And a 30 minute massage is 200 baht. Oil massage is more expensive, around 400-500 baht per hour.
#8. Sok River (Canoeing, Kayaking, Tubing)
Sok River runs across Khao Village, and is a great place to do some water activities such Canoeing, Kayaking, Tubing. There are some restaurants in Khao Sok village that have a beautiful setting with river seating nets, hammocks, tables, and chairs overlooking the river.
#9. Visit an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary
There are several elephant camps around Khao Sok Village. If you haven’t taken any trip to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, you can consider going to Khao Sok. I did my trip in Chiang Mai and really liked it.
An Ethical Elephant Sanctuary provides a responsible way to experience and interact with elephants in a manner that prioritizes the animals’ well-being and conservation. Places like Khao Sok Elephant Conservation Centre and Khao Sok Elephant Sanctuary have pretty good reviews to look at.
So there you have it, my recommendation on these 9 things to do in Khao Sok. The top things to do is a trip (either day or overnight trip) to Cheow Lan Lake to see its highlights such as the three limestones, the caves, jungle trek, and the floating raft bungalows. Additionally, you can explore Khao Sok main village and explore several hiking trails inside the national park.