Khao Sok National Park Travel Guide: All You Need To Know, 2025

Visiting Khao Sok National Park was at the top of our list of things to do in Thailand. While we traveled through so many places in Thailand (we spent more than 8 months in the country), Khao Sok is definitely one of our favorite places with beautiful nature and lots of activities.

Khao Sok can be a bit of a complicated place to plan a trip to, but we’ll touchdown on all the things you need to know before visiting Khao Sok so you can easily plan your trip!

About Khao Sok National Park

Khao Sok National Park is one of Thailand‘s most beautiful and diverse natural areas.  Located in the Surat Thani Province, the park covers an area of 739 km² and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including elephants, snakes, boar, monkeys, lots of reptiles, many species of birds, and more.

With its lush rainforest, abundant wildlife, limestone mountains, and stunning lake views, Khao Sok National Park is a must-visit destination for nature lovers.

From exploring caves and waterfalls to spotting wildlife and staying overnight in a remote floating bungalow on the lake (a highlight of Khao Sok), this stunning park has plenty of activities to enjoy. 

Short history of Cheow Lan Lake

The Cheow Lan Lake of Khao Sok National Park, also known as Khao Sok Lake, was artificially made in 1987 when they dammed the Pasaeng River to generate energy, control floods, and supply water for the region.

It took a few years for the area to fill up with water. Now, this stunning lake is again booming with animals and vegetation.

And the coolest thing to do in Khao Sok is the Cheow Lan Lake floating bungalows, the only places you can stay on the lake, as no accommodation is allowed on the shore.

How to get to Khao Sok National Park

While at first, it might seem complicated, it’s pretty easy to get to Khao Sok National Park.

Khao Sok is about 2 hours from Surat Thani and Krabi or about 3 hours from Phuket, with many local buses, minivans, and even taxis.

Bus to Khao Sok

Buses and minivans are the cheapest way to get to Khao Sok. Check bus lines to Khao Sok here.

Train to Khao Sok

There are no train connections to Khao Sok. However, you can get to Surat Thani by train, and then take a bus or minibus to Khao Sok Village.

Flights to Khao Sok

While you can’t fly to Khao Sok directly, the closest airport to Khao Sok National Park is the Surat Thani International Airport. Check flights to Surat Thani.

Where to stay in Khao Sok?

Before visiting Khao Sok National Park, it’s important to understand that there are two distinct areas in Khao Sok that you can visit and stay at: Khao Sok Village and Khao Sok Lake (Cheow Lan Lake).

Khao Sok Lake is around 67 km or a 1-hour drive away from the Khao Sok Village.

• Check Khao Sok map.

We stayed one night in Our Jungle Camp and another in a treehouse at Our Jungle House.

We loved our stay in a treehouse at Our Jungle House. A forest of high trees surrounds all the treehouses, and you can hear the sounds of birds, monkeys, and crickets. It’s the closest you can get to living in the rainforest. It’s simply stunning there!

Right next to the property on the river, we also saw a mangrove snake and a big owl.

Khao Sok Lake (Cheow Lan Lake)

The second area of Khao Sok National Park is the Khao Sok Lake, locally known as Cheow Lan Lake (or Cheow Larn Lake) and also Ratchaprapha Dam Reservoir.

Khao Sok Lake is known for its stunning watercolor, high limestone cliffs, and iconic floating bungalows.

The only way to visit Khao Sok Lake is on a tour, either an overnight tour (like this one) or a daily tour (like this one), as tourists are not allowed to explore the lake without a guide. It’s not like you could either way, as the only way to explore it is by boat. 😁

However, if you don’t want to be part of a tour or want a more comfortable stay, there are some luxurious floating bungalows on the lake, the most famous two being the 500 Rai Floating Resort and Panvaree Resort.

What is the entrance fee for Khao Sok National Park?

Khao Sok National Park and Khao Sok Lake entrance ticket cost 300 THB ($9 or 8.5 EUR) for a foreign adult and 150 THB or $4.5 for foreign children (3-14 years old).

Good to know: Khlong Phanom National Park is a park bordering with Khao Sok National Park. It has some hikes that can be done from Khao Sok Village. Read more about it in Things to do in Khao Sok NP section.

Coral Cave is located in Khao Sok Lake and is usually done on an overnight lake tour. Read more about it in our Khao Sok Lake Guide.

Top things to do in Khao Sok National Park

Although the main attraction and the biggest drive for most tourists coming to Khao Sok National Park is Cheow Lan Lake with its Khao Sok floating bungalows, there are many other things to do around.

1. Stay in a floating bungalow on Cheow Lan Lake

The top thing to do in Khao Sok National Park, and what the park is most famous for, is an overnight stay in a floating bungalow on Cheow Lan Lake.

One of the highlights of staying overnight at Cheow Lan Lake (Khao Sok Lake) is the possibility of seeing wild elephants. Unfortunately, we didn’t see them, but we heard them! Let’s hope you’re one of the lucky ones!

The most common way to organize your overnight trip to the lake is to book it online (there’s lots of multi-day trips and even day trips organized from places like Krabi, Phuket, Khao Lak or Surat Thani) or organize it with your hotel in Khao Sok.

Also, read our detailed Khao Sok Floating Bungalows guide, which explains a bit more about all the possible Khao Sok Lake tours, different floating bungalows, and things to do on Khao Sok Lake (there are plenty of activities!).

2. Observe wildlife on a Night Jungle Safari

Going on a Night Safari in Khao Sok National Park is a great way to see some animals you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see during the day, as they become active at night.

We didn’t know what to expect from the Night Jungle Safari in Khao Sok, but it was a great experience, and we could see a lot of animals, from tarantulas to snakes, monkeys, and more. Our favorite find was a civet cat, slow loris, and many cool insects.

• Book Khao Sok Night Safari here.

Our guide, Rango, was amazing. And we had a great time going through the forest trails and seeing some incredible animals. He excels in knowledge about spiders as he researches them.

We highly recommend going on a night safari in Khao Sok. It’s unique in its own way.

3. Go bamboo rafting on the river

One of the more peaceful things you can do in Khao Sok National Park is bamboo rafting since the Khao Sok area is full of rivers and streams. Besides stunning Khao Sok scenery, you might also see some animals like monkeys.

When we went bamboo rafting in Khao Sok, we went down the river for about 20 to 30 minutes and stopped on the side of the river for a short coffee or tea break. You can also go swimming here.

They served us coffee and tea in bamboo cups that you can take as souvenirs. And the cool thing was that they boiled the water in bamboo sticks above the fire.

4. River tubing, kayaking or canoeing

Some adventurous things to do in Khao Sok National Park are river tubing, kayaking, or canoeing.

It’s something you can easily do even if you’re not visiting the official area of the National Park or Cheow Lan Lake (Khao Sok Lake).

On our visit to Khao Sok National Park, it was the dry season. So, the river in the Khao Sok Village was very shallow. We had to push ourselves from the shallows quite a few times when we got stuck. So, it wasn’t as good of an experience as it would typically be, but we still had so much fun.

However, this was only by using free tubes at our hotel. You could also go on a tubing tour with a guide, but even that is better when the water levels are higher.

5. Hiking and trekking

Hiking and trekking are the best things to do in Khao Sok National Park for any nature lovers. There are quite a few great hikes around the park.

However, you must know that some of these hiking trails are inside a protected area and require a ticket and sometimes even a guide.

For guided trekking, you can check guided tours like this one, or you can find more information on what’s currently available at your accommodation or the park’s headquarters. And then choose between different itineraries.

The great thing about Khao Sok National Park is that you can easily combine many different short hikes with other activities in Khao Sok.

We went on a guided trek up a hill to explore the Kaew Cave. It’s about a 45-minute hike one way.

Fun fact: The Kaew Cave (and some other Khao Sok hikes) are actually in the Khlong Phanom National Park, which borders the Khao Sok National Park (that also means a separate entrance ticket 😅). Yes, there are a lot of national parks in Thailand.

6. Visit waterfalls

There are some nice waterfalls in Khao Sok National Park worth visiting, especially after rain or in the rainy season.

We decided not to visit any as they were mostly dry during our visit. But we would love to return to Khao Sok National Park again in the wet period of the year.

7. Go swimming

Swimming is another best thing to do in Khao Sok, especially during hot months. You can easily refresh in most streams and rivers in Khao Sok and many activities offer swim stops.

However, the best place for swimming in Khao Sok is definitely in Khao Sok Lake (Cheow Lan Lake). Read our guide about Khao Sok Lake to get more information about visiting.

8. Find the biggest flower in the world 

Another cool thing you can do in Khao Sok National Park is to hike for 4 hours to find Rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world.

Important: The Rafflesia flowering season in Khao Sok National Park is between November and April.

We didn’t manage to go on this hike, as we had limited time in Khao Sok.

9. Cooking class

Things not to do in Khao Sok National Park

One of the things we would advise against doing in Khao Sok National Park or any location in Thailand (or Southeast Asia) is visiting any of the elephant, tiger, or other animal shows or so-called sanctuaries.

Just because a place has ‘sanctuary’ in its name, it doesn’t mean it is actually a sanctuary! Actually, many times, it is not! If you’re allowed to ride, touch, or bathe wild animals, that is not a sanctuary.

Please check what “elephant crushing” is on Wikipedia or YouTube; you will understand why we do not support elephant or other animal tourism.

Best time to visit Khao Sok National Park 

Generally, the best time to visit Khao Sok National Park is from December to April in the dry season. But this is also the peak season in Khao Sok.

If you want cooler temperatures, you should visit Khao Sok National Park from November until February. This is also the best time for wildlife spotting. However, we visited Khao Sok in January and still haven’t seen wild elephants, so if you can’t visit during these months, don’t be discouraged.

The hot season in Khao Sok is from March to May, and the rainy season is from June until October.

Rainy season in Khao Sok is also known as green season because nature is very lush and there are even more animals, the waterfalls are full of water, and the river is in full flow. Plus, there are fewer tourists.

• Read next: Best time to visit Thailand Guide

So essentially, you can visit Khao Sok National Park anytime and have a great experience with plenty of activities. Each season offers something unique in Khao Sok National Park.

Can you visit Khao Sok without a tour?

Yes, it’s possible to visit Khao Sok without a tour. However, to fully enjoy what Khao Sok offers, you need to join some guided tours, as some areas aren’t possible to visit without a guide.

That includes activities like night safari, some hikes, and the highlight of Khao Sok National Park – Cheow Lan Lake (Khao Sok Lake).

Is the overnight stay at Cheow Lan Lake floating bungalows worth it?

An overnight stay at Cheow Lan Lake (Khao Sok Lake) is a unique experience of staying in a remote floating raft house on the beautiful vast lake surrounded by high limestone cliffs. Therefore, yes, it’s absolutely worth it.

The highlight of spending a night on Cheow Lan Lake is the possibility of seeing wild elephants, kayaking on the lake, and waking up to a beautiful sunrise directly on the water.

• Read more about it in our Khao Sok Bungalows guide.

How long to stay in Khao Sok National Park?

Two to three nights in Khao Sok National Park is enough to see and experience the main things.

We recommend spending at least 1 night at Khao Sok Village and then 1 night at Khao Sok floating bungalows.

On the other hand, our trip included 2 nights in Khao Sok Village and 1 night on the lake, which we found was the perfect amount of time for visiting Khao Sok. Although, we wouldn’t mind returning as the park is absolutely stunning.

Is Khao Sok National Park worth visiting?

Khao Sok National Park exceeded our expectations and is worth visiting for all travelers, from young to old, families with children, and backpackers.

Although it’s worth noting that Khao Sok National Park is a gem of nature, it’s no longer hidden, unlike what some others might say. Many travelers visit Khao Sok National Park daily since it’s now among the top things to do in Thailand.

But, it’s absolutely A LOT more relaxed than other nearby touristic places.

Final thoughts

We are so happy that we went to the Khao Sok National Park, as it was one of the best experiences we had in Thailand.

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Thank you for reading our Khao Sok National Park Travel Guide. We hope we helped you plan your trip. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below! 🥰 And make sure to read our other Thailand guides, including a detailed Khao Sok Floating Bungalows Guide.

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