One of the best places to see nature and animals in Thailand is at the Khao Sok National Park, which is not too far from Phuket and Krabi. The turquoise lake is really nice, and it’s easy to see animals in the park. We even saw wild elephants!
The best way to experience Khao Sok is to spend several days at the park, exploring the lake by boat, trekking to see animals and caves in the jungle, and staying at least one night in a floating bungalow on the lake.
In this travel guide, I’ll explain how to visit Khao Sok with or without a tour, and all of the top things to see and do there!
How Many Days To Spend At Khao Sok
The first thing to figure out is how much time you want to spend at the park.
Here are your options:
- Day Trip – You can do a day trip to Khao Sok from a touristy area like Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak, or Surat Thani. This is the quickest and easiest option, but you won’t have as much time to see the park. It’s too short, in my opinion.
- Package Tour (2-4 days) – This is another easy option because it includes everything: transport, guide, meals, and lodging. This may be a good option for some people, because it’s convenient and it gives you enough time to see the main highlights of the park.
- Stay In Khlong Sok Village – This option gives you the most flexibility and it’s also more cost efficient. By basing yourself directly at the Khlong Sok village near the park, you can stay as long as you like, and do excursions for the things that interest you most. It’s the best way to visit the park if you’re not limited on time.
Based on our experience, you need at least two days in the Khao Sok area to really make the most of it, and three or four days is better.
How To Get To Khao Sok National Park
• From Phuket
It’s easy to get to Khao Sok independently if you don’t want to use a tour package.
From Phuket, you can get to Khlong Sok village by public bus, shared minivan, or private taxi.
The bus has 5 departures per day, and it’s a 4 hour ride. The minivan has up to 8 departures per day, and the ride takes anywhere from 2.5 to 4.5 hours, depending on where you start in Phuket. A taxi ride will take 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
You can check the schedules and book tickets for any of these online.
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.
After we were finished at Khao Sok, we took a shared minivan back to Phuket, which was arranged by our hotel in Khlong Sok.
• From Krabi
From Krabi, you can get to Khlong Sok by minivan or taxi. There’s no big bus.
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 here.
• From Khao Lak
From Khao Lak, you can get to Khlong Sok by bus, minivan, or taxi. The bus ride takes about 2 hours, while the minivan or taxi ride is a little over 1 hour. You can book here.
• From Surat Thani
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.
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 here.
• From Bangkok
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.