How To Get To Khao Sok National Park

Written by: Bishal Khatri Updated on Sep 04, 2024

{"time":1725425562941,"blocks":[{"id":"xU5mYdnbIO","type":"header","data":{"text":"\u2022 From Phuket","level":3}},{"id":"Vs22_tVjjs","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From Phuket, you can get to Khlong Sok village by public bus, shared minivan, or private taxi."}},{"id":"6axvhF1f5k","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The bus has 5 departures per day, and it\u2019s a 4 hour ride. The minivan has lots of departures every day, and the ride takes anywhere from 2.5 to 4.5 hours. A taxi ride will take 2.5 to 3.5 hours, depending on where you start in Phuket."}},{"id":"vQLzdMd9NK","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"You can check the schedules and book tickets for any of these online&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/12go.com\/en\/travel\/phuket\/khao-sok\/?z=9744658\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>."}},{"id":"8NmQDzko1s","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Minivan"}},{"id":"ISEvU1w8Om","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Van seats"}},{"id":"woePqVdA13","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"We got a private taxi and had a good experience. They brought us from the Phuket airport to Khao Lak, where we stayed for a few days, and then from Khao Lak to Khao Sok National Park. Everything went smoothly."}},{"id":"IZ6OSoRMGW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"After we were finished at Khao Sok, we took a shared minivan back to Phuket, which was arranged by our hotel in Khlong Sok.&nbsp;"}},{"id":"uRNNNnAiec","type":"header","data":{"text":"\u2022 From Krabi","level":3}},{"id":"h-gAIzQ2Ta","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From Krabi, you can get to Khlong Sok by minivan or taxi. There\u2019s no big bus."}},{"id":"33c-1SjNm1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"They have lots of minivan departures every day from either Ao Nang or Krabi town, and the ride takes about 3 to 4 hours. You can book&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/12go.com\/en\/travel\/krabi\/khao-sok\/?z=9744658\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;"}},{"id":"vjA2_ONVd7","type":"header","data":{"text":"\u2022 From Khao Lak","level":3}},{"id":"ky2vxC5rHP","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From Khao Lak, you can get to Khlong Sok by bus, minivan, or taxi."}},{"id":"MgzuyVtylN","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The bus ride takes about 2 hours, while the minivan or taxi ride is a little over 1 hour. You can book&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/12go.com\/en\/travel\/khao-lak\/khao-sok\/?z=9744658\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>."}},{"id":"y5kfCZOY0f","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Bus seats"}},{"id":"CDjiBH2lbc","type":"header","data":{"text":"\u2022 From Surat Thani","level":3}},{"id":"J1q4jJapDr","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From Surat Thani, you can get to Khlong Sok by bus, minivan, or taxi. This is the closest airport and starting point for visiting the park."}},{"id":"P2Z-2YsLsm","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The bus ride takes about 2 to 3 hours, while the minivan is 2 to 2.5 hours. A taxi takes 1.5 to 2 hours. You can book any of these&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/12go.com\/en\/travel\/surat-thani\/khao-sok\/?z=9744658\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;"}},{"id":"xic58R8QF-","type":"header","data":{"text":"\u2022 From Bangkok","level":3}},{"id":"cbA88eYO50","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"From Bangkok, the quickest option would be to fly or take a train to Surat Thani, and then get ground transport to Khlong Sok from there.&nbsp;"}},{"id":"zISU1AeXnP","type":"header","data":{"text":"Getting Around In The Khao Sok Area","level":2}},{"id":"mNDG7iT_XU","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Once you reach Khlong Sok village, you can arrange tours of the park through your hotel or one of the local agencies, or you can do some things independently like we did."}},{"id":"7COY9wf1vN","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Many of the hotels in Khlong Sok are located within walking distance of the national park entrance (map&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/pQr7DCnidGqjToN4A\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>), so it\u2019s easy to do jungle trekking. For transport everywhere else, we rented a motorbike through our hotel."}},{"id":"ZbpPI8G-nD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The lake access is a 1 hour drive from the main park headquarters and village, and it can only be explored by longtail boat, so your options are more limited there."}},{"id":"EMk8Vh1abl","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Fingers of the lake"}},{"id":"wARehjckZn","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Another leaf monkey"}},{"id":"nI0HytYQdD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If you show up early in the morning at the main harbor, the Ratchaprapha Marina, you can hire a private or shared longtail boat on the spot."}},{"id":"LY554Fi2nl","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"We did that one time and there were big crowds by late morning. Waiting in line for a boat was chaotic and it wasted hours we could\u2019ve spent in the park, so I\u2019d only recommend this approach if you can get there before 9 AM."}},{"id":"dvBsmiAxyj","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The boat prices start at around 1,700 baht (~$50 USD) for a 2 hour private tour, which can be pretty economical if you share it with friends. Two hours is really not long enough though, so you might want to negotiate and pay extra so you can have more time on the lake."}},{"id":"Pnz-Qno_Ux","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"These are all relatively economical ways to visit the park, although Khao Sok is still kind of overpriced compared to other places in Thailand, so there\u2019s no truly cheap way to go there, unfortunately. Khao Sok just isn\u2019t cheap."}},{"id":"f2QQoSuAUs","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Boat on Cheow Lan Lake"}},{"id":"GKouUS-VDl","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Massive cliffs"}},{"id":"He4GuTJHo4","type":"header","data":{"text":"Best Things To See &amp; Do In Khao Sok National Park","level":2}},{"id":"zgFXeA7I37","type":"header","data":{"text":"\u2022 Cheow Lan Lake","level":3}},{"id":"c1IJHyRaeW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One of the main attractions of the park is the Cheow Lan Lake. It\u2019s a nice turquoise lake surrounded by limestone mountains, with caves and islands to explore."}},{"id":"DVeoG2cfhm","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Boat tours on the lake will normally take you to an iconic spot called Khao Sam Kler, where 3 rock formations stick out of the water, seeming to float."}},{"id":"6xGaZs8Q9E","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Usually they\u2019ll also take you to at least one cave, which you can walk through with flashlights. The cave we visited was called Pra Kie Phet and it had great views of the lake, almost like a picture frame."}},{"id":"fnDpxT3CS_","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"We went ashore to see a cave"}},{"id":"WBO9T8NjIJ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Pra Kie Phet cave"}},{"id":"TxvICGjpBn","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"In the evening, we did a little side excursion by boat to look for wild elephants."}},{"id":"DpvHA7PWS4","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"We were lucky to see a mother and baby elephant feeding by the edge of the lake, close enough to take pictures from our boat! Near the end of the trip, we also spotted a hornbill in the treetops."}},{"id":"JWfMRWEMDB","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Wild elephants!"}},{"id":"swQmHnCQja","type":"header","data":{"text":"\u2022 Lake Bungalows","level":3}},{"id":"GRJ1qXiBeJ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One of the great things about the lake is that there are floating bungalows where you can stay overnight and wake up to see the mist and sunrise on the lake."}},{"id":"3Gd_ccy9Tu","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"There are lots of these floating bungalows scattered around different areas of the lake, and they range in price and quality. Some of the high end places are beautiful, like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.booking.com\/hotel\/th\/panvaree-resort.en.html?aid=1687967&amp;no_rooms=1&amp;group_adults=2\" target=\"_blank\">Panvaree Resort<\/a>."}},{"id":"i1gaNGGix1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Even the most basic lake hotels are pretty comfortable, with mattresses, showers, flush toilets, fans, and electric outlets via solar power. We stayed at Keeree Tara Rafthouse, which was a bit run down, but it had all of these necessities, so we didn\u2019t mind."}},{"id":"9xqnOt037i","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Most importantly, all of the lake bungalows have amazing views of the national park. You should spend at least one night on the lake. It\u2019s a great experience!"}}],"version":"2.30.2"}

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