Khao Sok National Park, Thailand’s Off-the-Beaten-Track Jungle Holiday Escape

Tucked in the deep south of Thailand’s mainland between the popular western Andaman coast and Samui, Tao, Pa Ngan islands on the Gulf of Thailand, Khao Sok National Park is a patch of one of the world’s oldest evergreen rainforest, enclosing limestone karsts shooting up in the air, emerald-color lakes, rushing waterfalls, rivers running through lush valleys, glittering limestone caves, and diverse wildlife. Destination Thailand checked this jungle holiday destination out and found that to describe our travel experience as being ‘rewarding’ would truly be an understatement.

Khao Sok National Park covers an area of 739 square km², a part of the region’s natural heritage aging over 160 million years. The area has the highest level of rainfall in Thailand – 3,500 mm per year thanks to the high mountains and the fact that it is sided by sea, which means even in the driest season, it still receives enough rainfall for the forests to remain evergreen.  

Species diversity is high in Khao Sok. There are about 200 different floral species per hectare and over 415 fauna species. Among these are the rare ones of the smelly Rafflesia, the biggest flower in Thailand, animals on the country’s list of Wildlife Conservation and Protection Bill such as tapirs, marbled cats, the loud cicada, the poisonous tarantula, and many more.

The present threat rising among the pre-existing illegal logging and poaching is unregulated tourism in the last decade which burdens the park’s capacity itself. However, the local’s rising awareness has driven acts to keep it under control and in fact, visitors are crucial as the park fee goes to the maintenance and protection of the area.

Upon our arrival, we checked in at Our Jungle House, a nature resort on a piece of a privately owned rainforest 5 minutes from the national park itself. The resort is one of the most eco-friendly accommodations in Thailand. Their tree houses and cottages made from natural materials and built within the 25-acre property hardly had to cut any trees. Trails snaking through the land bring you to your rooms and also lead you to discover beautiful wild trees, lianas and flowers in the woods growing around the resort. The rooms without air conditioning, hot water, and TVs certainly reduce carbon emissions yet remain comfy. All waste is sorted into compost, glass, plastic, metal, and paper which are then reused, and recycled. Upon waking up on your bed, you’ll be greeted by the sound of wild gibbons and several types of monkeys while walking out of the room, what maybe waiting at your balcony is a hornbill. No need to say how quiet and peaceful it is here. You can never sleep in a well-maintenance guestroom closer to nature than this.  

Once you arrive at Our Jungle House, there are loads of outdoor and eco activities you can do. Choose among day and night treks, a rubber boat or tubing trip down a stream, elephant back riding, or the extended day trip to the nearby Chiew Larn Dam.

At the national park’s head quarter, you can get really useful information of trekking on the park’s 3 nature trails. Each, ranging from 2 to 9 kilometers, can be completed as a one-day trip but can as well be extended if you want to camp in the park’s forest. The trails pass through waterfalls, rafflesia bushes, bamboo forest, tall canopy trees, and all sorts of landscapes a rainforest can offer. While some visitors preferring guiding themselves on the well-marked trails, some hire local trekking guides from their resorts. We got ours from Our Jungle House and headed to the Bang Hua Raed – Tone Kloy Waterfalls Trail.    

We were told this was a 9-kilometer trail one-way but definitely could be shortened using shortcuts. It was a fairly easy hike while khun Kai engaged us with the stories of the forest, the fact about the area’s flora and fauna, and his excitement when he found something and pointed it out to us almost every 5 minutes or more frequent. If you’re with a guide, what you might be seeing the most depends on the subjects your guide is specialized in, some are insect lovers, some know so much about plants and herbs, and some, like our guide, are bird-watchers. Every moment was exciting and informative, just like khun Kai promised us, that if we kept our eyes, nose, and ears open to the surrounding, and were quick enough to follow his pointing fingers, we would discovered that every single square meter, there could always be something waiting to surprise us. 

To learn more about Our Jungle House, visit www.khaosokaccommodation.com and to get some insightful information about the park, go to www.khaosok.com.

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