Khao Sok National Park (Thai: เขาสก) is in Surat Thani Province, Thailand. Its area is 739 km, and it includes the 165 square kilometer Cheow Lan Lake contained by the Ratchaprapha Dam. The park is the largest area of virgin forest in southern Thailand and is a remnant of rain forest which is older and more diverse than the Amazon rain forest.
Khao Sok is perfectly situated on the mainland between Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak and Koh Samui, the most popular destinations in Southern Thailand. It is a fantastic place to go on vacation. Close and personal elephant encounters, jungle trekking on foot and canoeing are all possible activities, which will give you the experience of a lifetime.

One of the most interesting areas is stunningly beautiful Cheow Larn Lake in the heart of the National Park with its floating raft houses and luxury tents – an absolute must-see.

A big portion of luck led to Khao Sok National Park being the wonderful place we can explore today. Had it not been for a deadly epidemic in the 1940s and communist insurgency groups in the 1970s, there might not be much virgin forest left in the area by now. But flora and fauna of Khao Sok were fortunate enough to remain largely untouched, until the region was finally declared a national park in 1980. Since then a lot of people in the area have gone to great lengths to protect and care for the beautiful nature in this part of Southern Thailand


Activities

►Meet Majestic Elephants up close Experiencing an Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus) up close is an experience you will certainly not forget. It is often seen as the highlight of visitors’ experiences in Khao Sok

During this Elephant Experience you will get close to these magnificent animals, get an insight into the secrets of their mahouts, and experience hands on what it is like to interact with real life elephants! You prepare and feed them one of their daily meals, scrub and clean and watch them bathe. Feed them their dietary supplements that help with digestion and overall well-being. Fully trained guides will supply plenty of information on elephants, their conservation and their care-takers, the Mahouts. It is truly a once in a lifetime chance to experience the Asian Elephant, the largest land animal in this part of the world.

►Jungle trekking  One of the most popular activities is experiencing the tropical rainforest on foot with a knowledgeable local guide. Khao Sok National Park and the surrounding parks offer quite a few different trekking possibilities for people of all ages and abilities. Treks leave from various places throughout the area and along the length of the parks, including but not restricted to the National Park Headquarters. Rafflesia treks and other quieter treks will leave either east or west of the main entrance.

►Canoeing, kayaking and bamboo rafting.
Sok River is a perfect place for a relaxing canoe ride down the slowly moving stream. Especially if you have a canoe man to do all the hard work and you can entirely concentrate on taking in the breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Paddlers are usually experts in spotting wildlife along the river, too.
Most commonly seen animals include birds, such as kingfishers and herons, snakes, frogs, monitor lizards and, if you are lucky, maybe even some wild monkeys. Besides the animals, you can see stunning limestone cliffs covered with dense jungle, as well as some rural life along the river like locals fishing, washing laundry and getting their daily household water from the river.

►Boat tours to Cheow Larn Lake Definitely one of the most fascinating places in Khao Sok is the Cheow Larn Lake with its majestic limestone mountains rising hundreds of meters above the turquoise waters of the emerald green lake. 
If you are visiting Khao Sok it is highly recommend to go on a day or even an overnight trip to the lake. It is possible to visit the lake for one day to marvel its beauty or stay overnight in one of the many floating bungalows in the heart of the Khao Sok National Park. Staying overnight enables you to visit stunning stalactite caves full of bats, trek in the national park and look for animals in the early morning light or late in the evening. Wake up in the morning to the sounds of the rainforest and calls of endangered Lar Gibbons.