Khao Sok National Park

Years ago, we happened upon a video that showcased a beautiful wild-looking place in Thailand called Khao Sok. Lots of water and steep jungly cliffs. But we didn’t know any more than those impressions. Nonetheless, Khao Sok went into our bucket list.

Fast forward to our decision to explore Thailand for the first time, from north to south. Checking our (mental) bucket list, we googled Khao Sok. We discovered that it is a very large inland lake only a couple hours by car from famous Phuket. Not too difficult to get to. It’s a national park. A most intriguing opportunity was to stay a few nights at one of the few accommodations, most of which float on the lake.

Khao Sok National Park was established on December 22nd in 1982 as Thailand’s 22nd National Park. Today, it comprises 739 km2 [285 sq mi], including the marvelous man-made Cheow Larn Lake…. Khao Sok is part of the largest stretch of protected Rainforest in Southern Thailand….

This is also reflected in its rich biodiversity: 48 species of mammals have been recorded to date, including wild elephants, gaurs, Malayan Sun Bears, leopards and many more. Furthermore, 311 species of birds were counted, 38 different species of bats – and of course Khao Sok is home to a huge, so far unknown number of insects and reptiles. (source)

We’d like to share a bit of our three-night visit to Khao Sok and our full-board rustic hotel, Panvaree The Greenery.

Arrival at the mainland wharf, and long-tail boat ride to the hotel.

They get their current name from the engine set-up: motor up out of the water, and propeller at the end of a long shaft — which looks like the boat’s tail. Hence, “long-tail” boats.

Cheow Larn Lake exists today because a hydro-electric dam was constructed on the Khlong Saeng River in the 1980s. The lake filled many river and stream valleys, so its form is a collection of fjord-like water fingers. 

[In the 1970s,] both the EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) and the National Park Division showed considerable interest in the area. Research from the government and EGAT proved Khao Sok to be the largest watershed in southern Thailand, while research conducted by the National Park Division found an unexpectedly rich biodiversity, definitely worth being protected.

The ink was barely dry on the entitlement paper [to create the Khao Sok National Park] when a huge part of the … Park was flooded by the EGAT to create a 165 square kilometre big reservoir to generate hydro-electricity….

The flooding process was a disaster for wildlife. Forced to leave their territories, many animals got trapped on the more than 100 islands created by the rising water levels. The EGAT funded and attempted the biggest wildlife rescue operation in Thailand’s history. Sadly it was largely unsuccessful and rather soothed guilty consciousness than saving wildlife. From the 1,364 captured animals, most died of stress and many were relocated into areas already overcrowded by the other refugees… (source)

At the wharf, the surrounding hills are not particularly notable, but as we motored deeper into the lake, the landscape transformed. One minute we’re in a scene from Avatar, then perhaps the dinosaurs will emerge from over the ridge.

300 – 400 million years ago: Where modern Thailand is today, there used to be an ancient landmass called the Shan-Thai landmass. From that landmass, sediments were washed down continually, accumulating around a delta system at the edge of a deep ocean basin. Those instable deposits of sediments periodically avalanched down into the ocean basin due to heavy erosion. Bit by bit, the sea got shallower and warmer. Soon, the conditions were perfect for corals and other organisms to thrive.

About 250 million years ago: During this period the probably biggest coral reef of all times was forming and growing. It is said to have been about five times as big as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, reaching from the South of China all the way down to Borneo. That is why for example places like Halong Bay in Vietnam, Guilin in China or parts of Southern Thailand have a very similar topography. All of today’s Khao Sok and its national park used to be under water as part of this gigantic coral reef. (source)

All meals were included — more about that in a minute. And three outings on the lake and through a bit of its surrounding jungles.

Outing One: sunset long-tail boat ride among the limestone islands and cliffs.

Outing Two: sunrise long-tail boat ride in search of sightings of monkeys, elephants and great hornbills. Way up in the trees we saw a few monkey and hornbill silhouettes, but too far away to get good photos. (Don’t worry, we were more successful on Outing Three.)

No elephants, though. Which actually isn’t surprising. Our guide said that there are indeed wild elephants in the jungles of the national park, but mostly at the far end of the park. Nonetheless, he pointed out spots near the lake shore where elephants had torn up the vegetation as they had stopped to get a drink of lake water.

Outing Three: modest hike in the jungle. Here, we did see some long-tailed macaques up in the trees, and some Spectacled Langurs.

After hiking along a jungle path over a small ridge, we boarded these bamboo rafts for a visit to a cave on the other side of this lake lagoon.

We learned that all this undeveloped landscape (despite the monumental disruption of the artificial lake) comes to us because of some rather amazing history. A sequence of difficult situations kept the extensive development of much of Thailand away from these valleys and ridges.

First, a tragic event and subsequent reputation: In the 1800s, many local people fled into these jungles to escape Burmese invasions. They discovered a wild fertile ecosystem that supported them well. However:

The population in the region thrived until suddenly an epidemic [in 1944] killed all but a few inhabitants. Those who survived moved away, leaving the place abandoned and eerie. The village became known as “Ban Sop”, meaning “Village of the Dead”. Rumours go that the name derived from an unusually shaped mountain in the area called Khao Sop (“Corpse Mountain”). It is hard to tell which came first – the name or the unfortunate incident. In any case, “Khao Sop” was twisted into “Khao Sok” to make it sound a little more inviting. (source)

For about 25 years, people stayed away from this territory. But that changed in the 1970s:

The 1970’s was a time of political unrests. Students protested against the military government which resulted in some tragic events in the Thai history no one likes to remember. On the 6th of October in 1976, the military group launched a bloody assault on student protesters at Thammasat University in Bangkok. Officially, 41 students died in the massacre, but the real numbers are thought to have been much higher. “Hard to remember, yet difficult to forget”, stated the national newspaper “The Nation” thirty years later. In a similar event prior to this one on October 14th, 1973, dozens of protesters were killed.

It was during that second military coup that 170 students fled for their lives into the deepest untouched forest of Thailand. They too had joined the communist insurgency groups and were hunted by the military forces. Setting up a stronghold in Khao Sok, they kept away everyone who was not welcome. PVC pipes were filled with explosives and buried around the stronghold, and armed students observed the area. During their seven year occupation between 1975 und 1982, they not only kept the Thai Army at bay, but also the loggers, hunters and miners. Not even a desperate wildlife poacher would have dared to enter this combat zone. Miraculously, only one student got killed in the entire period when he ran into a military group while patrolling. When the government finally changed in 1982, one by one the students found their ways back home. Apparently, the last “communist” left Khao Sok in 1989.

Were it not for those rebels, the wild forests of Khao Sok national park may well have already given way to commercial plantations and exploitation of natural resources. Their aim was obviously rather to protect themselves than to conserve the environment; but only because of their unintended protection Khao Sok later qualified to become a National Park. (source)

After our little hike, back at the hotel, all we had to do was just relax next to the water, or jump in and float around. We were told that the national park requires that everyone wear a life vest in or on the water. Of course, not everyone complied. But we found it so peaceful to jump into the water (gracefully), and then just float effortlessly in the water that was so goldilocks: not too cold and not too hot.

Then, feeling a little guilty for exerting absolutely no effort, we took a kayak out in the neighborhood.

We enjoyed three lunches and three dinners at the hotel. The meals were what the hotel decided, and fortunately they knew exactly what they were doing. We were amazed by the amount of food at every meal, that the food was different each time, and prepared by a tiny team in a tiny kitchen. For each meal, we were presented with something fried, a curry, stir-fried veggies, a soup, and rice. 

We later learned that this combination of plates is a typical traditional Thai family dinner. Although usually shared by more than just two indulging tourists.

As always with visits to lovely places, the departing transit is bittersweet.

Such a beautiful landscape, even with the awareness of turbulent history and ecological devastation of the new lake — but also protection of the remaining natural environment and its inhabitants. Yet another example of: “It’s complicated.”

So we floated along, trying to be as Buddhist as we could: We stayed in the present to absorb our final magical vistas.

February 2025