Khao Sok National Park
After the lack of trekking on the Chiang Mai trek I was determined to get a good amount of walking done at Khao Sok National Park. The park has two well marked trails which lead to a series of waterfalls. The first is around 7km long whilst the second is closer to 14km. If you only plan to walk these trails, there is absolutely no need to hire a guide. Guides are however available to take you off the beaten path and deeper into the jungle.
To enter Khao Sok a permit is required. The permits can be purchased at the main gate and are valid for 24 hours, perfect if like me you arrive early afternoon and want to walk that day and the following morning.
The accommodation at Khao Sok is plentiful, with options for all budgets lining the road which leads to the main entrance. Touts met the bus as we arrived and not wanting to carry my rucksack in the heat I jumped at the best offer available. For around $5 I had a bamboo hut on stilts with its own bathroom. The huts were located off the main road in a large garden so it was very peaceful.
Since it was dry season, the waterfalls were more of a trickle than gushing with water. The walk to them was however good fun. At times it was steep and slippery, fallen trees needed to be hurdled, branches needed clung to and bugs avoided. For the most part the trail was easy going, just as well really as the heat was a bit of a killer.
Animal life on the trails was almost non existent. Apart from a few monkeys, squirrels, birds, insects and a shed snake skin, I didn’t see any of the animals that I could hear. Not surprising really when you consider the number of people walking the trail every day.
The walking in Khao Sok was far more interesting and challenging than the trek I went on from Chiang Mai. Definitely a worthy stop between Koh Tao and Krabi.
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Glad to hear you liked Khao Sok. We stayed there for just under a week in January. One night we ate dinner at Art's Riverview Lodge and saw a family of 14 monkeys playing by the water. The next day we moved for a night to watch the monkeys all afternoon.
We also went out and spent a night on the lake in a raft house. When we were walking on the trails there wasn't really any wildlife we could see other than a few lizards. But we did hear the monkeys in the distance, and some overhead on our boat coming back.
I'd defiantly agree that Khao Sok is a great place to stay if your going from coast to coast.