Tours in Khao Sok National Park

Are you ready for the trip of a lifetime? For a tour where you’ll experience tropical rainforests, exotic animals and stunning scenery, look no further than Khao Sok National Park – the emerald in Thailand’s crown.

 

What to Expect From A Khao Sok National Park Tour

There are a variety of operators offering tours in Khao Sok National Park, so what should you look for in an itinerary? 

 

Boating on Cheow Larn Lake

Cheow Larn Lake, with its emerald waters, dramatic limestone cliffs, and hundreds of rocky karsts which jut from the lake’s surface, is a must-do element on any Khao Sok National Park tour, preferably experienced by boat where you can enjoy views from the lake itself. 

While short tours may not include a visit to Cheow Larn Lake, opting for a longer trip will ensure that you don’t miss out on Thailand’s equivalent to Halong Bay. This is why we don’t recommend daytrips to Khao Sok National Park, but rather suggest that you spend at least 2-3 nights in the area. (Read more on daytrip vs overnight trip to Khao Sok.)

 

Jungle Trekking

Any quality Khao Sok National Park tour should include a trek into our wonderful jungle. Of course, any of the tours in our list of recommendations are “soft”, meaning that they are accessible to anyone with a normal level of fitness.

From here you can witness the beauty of one of the world’s oldest rainforests up close and of course, keep an eye out for some of our unique flora and fauna. With 20x the number of floral species per hectare than what you would find in a European or North American forest, this area is incredibly bio-diverse. 

From within the jungle you’ll be well placed to see any of the 300+ bird species as well as the exotic insects and amphibians that call Khao Sok their home. If you’re lucky, perhaps you’ll even make a rare sighting of one of the rainforest’s large mammals.

A good Khao Sok National Park tour will include a local, well-trained tour guide, invaluable for pointing out things of interest on your trek. To get the best quality tour, make sure your tour guide speaks fluent English and is licensed by the Thai Tourism Authority.

 

Elephants

As this area is home to Asian elephants, a Khao Sok National Park tour wouldn’t be complete without meeting one of these marvelous pachyderms. With only around 3000 thought to be left in the wild in the whole of Thailand, we are incredibly thankful to have approximately 200 of these beautiful creatures roaming free in our park.

While we can’t guarantee sightings of the, often elusive, wild elephant, we recommend you a tour that includes a visit to a chain-free elephant park where you will have the opportunity to meet and feed a gentle giant in a responsible, ethical way.

 

Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting

Drifting down the Sok River as part of a Khao Sok National Park tour is an idyllic way to immerse yourself in nature. Whether by canoe, kayak or raft, being on the water allows you a unique vantage point in which to see the rainforest.

Many tours include a paddler who will do all the hard work for you, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the scenery or dust off the binoculars for some bird-watching. Keep your eyes on the riverbank and you may spot a monitor lizard basking in the sun or a wild monkey hanging from nearby trees.

 

Booking Tours in Khao Sok National Park: Choosing An Operator

One of the most important elements in ensuring you have the holiday of a lifetime is choosing a reputable Khao Sok National Park tour operator. A few of our suggestions for finding the right tour company for you are:

• Listen to what other travelers have to say. TripAdvisor reviews can be a fantastic resource when looking for a reputable tour in Khao Sok National Park.
• Choose an operator who not only tours Khao Sok National Park but is based nearby. Investing in the local community enables our park to remain protected for years to come.
• Check the year that the company was established, the best businesses also tend to last the longest. 
• Don’t support operators who exploit our animal (or human) population. Read Elephant Trekking vs. Elephant Experience to learn more.

The best operators have been around for decades and won awards honoring their commitment to animal welfare and the environment. Alongside TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice and Hall of Fame Awards, some of the very best tour operators in Khao Sok have even been awarded international recognitions from National Geographic, the Thai Tourism Board and the Pacific Asian Travel Association. All of our recommended tours are organized by tour operators living up those expectations.

 

How Long to Tour Khao Sok National Park?

The decision of how long to spend touring our National Park here in Khao Sok is a difficult one. We know because of our fantastic position in South of Thailand, we’re often part of a more extensive itinerary. So should you do a flying visit, or stay a while? 

While we may be biased, we think that Khao Sok National Park is far too exciting a place to spend less than 24 hours. As you’ll see on our Day Trip vs. Overnight Trip page, there is so much to see and do here, that a day trip to Khao Sok is for sure too short.

The shortest tour we recommend is two days, but based on visitor feedback even this is too short, as the 3-4 day trips are by far the most popular and generally receive the highest feedback ratings.

To guarantee that you get the full experience of a Khao Sok National Park tour, we suggest opting for a three or four-day itinerary.

 

Our Recommended Khao Sok National Park Tours

You are spoiled for choice when it comes to tours of Khao Sok National Park, with something for everyone it can be a daunting task to choose any one tour.  However, if you want to experience everything that the park has to offer, we recommend the three-night Khao Sok National Park tour.

 

Rainforest Nature Safari

Spread over four days and including return transfers from a range of Southern Thailand destinations, the Rainforest Nature Safari Tour is suitable for solo travelers, couples and families alike. You will spend three nights in luxury tented accommodation located alongside Khao Sok National Park and from there visit our parks most spectacular sites.

On a three-night Khao Sok National Park tour you will experience a canoe safari along the Sok River, lunch aboard a Burmese junk, the fig tree channel by speedboat and explore our mangrove swamps. Not only that, but you’ll also sail on stunning Cheow Larn Lake, visit one of the local village markets, trek through the jungle, enjoy a range of cultural highlights such as dance performances and cooking demonstrations, as well as take part in an ethical Elephant Experience.

This tour also supports various local projects, monitoring wildlife, supporting local children and helping Thailand’s elephants; your money makes a huge difference to beautiful Khao Sok and all its inhabitants.

This is one of the most popular Khao Sok National Park tours amongst our visitors and is the itinerary we recommend to anyone who is planning their trip.

 

Looking for a Shorter Tour of Khao Sok National Park?

While the three-night itinerary is the best way to experience Thailand’s rainforest, we know that not everyone has the luxury of flexibility. If time is of the essence, but you don’t want to miss a trip to Khao Sok National Park, there are other tours that may better suit your needs. To explore a range of our recommended itineraries for shorter visits, see our Recommended Tours page for alternative options.