Khao Sok Nation Park is one of the most beautiful national parks in Thailand. Due to its majestic scenery and biological diversity the park is nicknamed the ‘Gui – Lin of Thailand’, which refers to a very beautiful place in China. The name ‘Khao Sok’ is derived from the word ‘ Ban Sop”, which means ‘house of dead bodies’, The Royal Forest Department declared Khao Sok as the 22nd national park of Thailand on December 22nd, 1980.

The park has a total area of 738.74 square kilometers, which covers parts of the Khlong Yee and Khlong Pra Sang forests as well as portions of the Krai Son and the Khao Pung sub-districts in the district of Ban Ta Khun and the Khlong Sok and Panom sub – districts in the province of Suratthani.

Khao Sok National Park in Southern Thailand is an amazing place. It is covered by the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world, huge limestone mountains shooting straight up in the air, deep valleys, breathtaking lakes, exciting caves, wild animals and much more.

Khao Sok is a fantastic place to go on vacation. Elephant trekking, trekking on foot, canoeing and jeep safaris are all possible activities, which will give you the experience of a lifetime. Khao Sok is perfectly situated on the mainland between Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak and Koh Samui, the most popular destinations in southern Thailand.

For bird watcher craving that special retreat from the world, we off you Khao Sok National Park. Our birding trips are just the right blend of paddling and hiking to offer you the most opportunities to add birds to your life list. PaddleAsia offers several trips which include birding. Dave Williams, PaddleAsia’s birding specialist, is a fanatic birder.

The terrain in Khao Sok varies from flatland meadows to towering limestone karst formations. The shoreline has a lot of bamboo, offering easy bird watching from the comfort of a kayak. Different birds are spotted in different parts of the park.

The dense forest is rich in its diversity of trees and other plants, thus offering a wide variety of habitat for a diverse range of birds. Hornbills are common. The Great Hornbill is actually very easy to see, as are Oriental-pied and Bushy-crested Hornbills. On most trips we see the weird-looking Helmeted Hornbill. We know where a pair of Wreathed Hornbills go to roost in the evening. We see them on most trips as well. Occasionally, we are treated to spotting the White-crowned Hornbill. The Black Hornbill used to reside in Khao Sok as well. Maybe we'll see it again.

Besides seeing the colorful kingfishers and many species of woodpecker, the jungle has less common birds such as the pittas, paradise-flycatchers, broadbills, trogons and parrots. Barbets sing constantly, setting the scene for a relaxing and peaceful journey. Click here to see a Khao Sok birding Checklist.

Khao Sok National Park is a huge area. The entire area of contiguous jungle is even larger as two wildlife sanctuaries, Khlong Nakha and Khlong Saeng, share borders with Khao Sok. Sri Phang Nga National Park is also part of this expanse.

Cheow Lan Reservoir is a superb place to paddle a canoe. It's sheltered from the weather by the towering cliffs and rugged mountains. There are hundreds of coves just waiting for you to explore. We specialize in running easy birding tours and Khao Sok is our favorite place for easy paddling.

Geography

The park has a general topographic composition of Limestone Mountains and possesses the scattered peaks of Ka Lo Mountain whose form resembles those of towers. The highest peak to reside in the park measures at 961 m above sea level. The area in which the park is located contains highly acidic, sandy soil that is easily eroded during rainstorms.
Climate

The weather is influence by monsoon winds from both the Indian and Pacific Ocean with rain beginning in late April until late December. Heaviest rain is during May to November. The best time to visit the Khao Sok Park is December to April.
Flora and Fauna

Khao Sok National Park is a virgin forest where various types of plant life can be found. This includes a number of very rare and sacred tree species such as the Neobalanocarpus heimil. A few other plants that can be seen in this park include the following: Genus Hoper, Chisocheton and Anisoptera etc., as well as small bushes such as the Rafflesia kerrii, palm, rattan, betel palm, and various types of bamboo.

The park serves as a home for a wide variety of wildlife such as the gaur, banteng, sambar deer, bear, Malayan tapir, macaque, gibbon, serow, mouse deer, porcupine, marbled cat, wild boar, and Asian wild dog. It also acts as the natural habitat for several for several bird species.