How To Plan A Trip To Khao Sok National Park | Thailand

Khao Sok National Park is a protected rainforest in Southern Thailand, established in 1980. Famously known for the man-made reservoir called Cheow Lan Lake and the floating bungalows you can stay in. But it also has a biodiverse jungle, limestone cliffs and caves, wildlife, waterfalls, and so much more.

In this guide, we want to walk you through how to plan an epic trip to Khao Sok National Park. We have now been here twice and used two different companies, both offering a similar but unique experience.

So we want to share everything you need to know for how to plan an epic trip here, and break down our two different trips, what we liked and didn’t like, and other tips to help you plan your trip here.

So let’s get into it!

This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure policy.

---

Watch Our Video Guide For How To Plan A Trip To Khao Sok

---

Where Is Khao Sok National Park

Khao Sok National Park is located in southern Thailand, in the Surat Thani Province.

How To Get Here

First, you can fly to one of the major airports in southern Thailand, either:

• Surat Thani – about an hour away
• Phuket – about 2.5 hrs away
• Krabi – about 2 hrs away

Or if you are traveling from Bangkok, you can take the Train or bus to Surat Thani. But note you will need an additional ride to the national park area from the drop-off locations.

We will talk a little bit more about transportation in the next section, because it might depend on the tour or hotel you choose.

Where To Stay & How To Book A Tour

Khao Sok National Park is famously known for its floating bungalows, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in this unique accommodation on the water. But you can also stay close to the lake and just take day tours as well.

Two popular areas around the lake are the Bhan Tan Khun District or Phanom District.

But personally, we think the experience is all about staying in the floating bungalow on the lake. There are various accommodation types to choose from and a couple of different ways to book these accommodation types.

We found the two companies we went with just from a quick Google search.

Personally, we have used Smiley Bungalows and Lake House, and a tour company called Khao Sok Lake, which is a community-based company. Both offer complete tour packages that include accommodation, transportation, meals, and daily activities.

But with Smiley Bungalows, you are booking directly with them, whereas Khao Sok Lake offers a few different package types at different floating bungalows.

There are honestly many different companies you can choose from. But we can recommend using both of these companies if you don’t want to have to do all the extra research!

And I will note, booking with these tours is a little old school. Such as, you will need to email back and forth a few times, as well as doing a down-payment in a non-traditional way. Unless you have a Thai bank account. So just be patient with booking your tour, and make sure you do it well in advance to have enough time with this process.

Or another way is to use Google maps and click the hotel icon. This will show you the different floating bungalows to choose from around the lake. But this won’t always provide a tour, which will take you around to all the different attractions around the lake.

So personally booking with a tour company will provide a better experience and make sure you get the whole package. And it basically takes care of most of the planning for you.

And with that being said, many tour companies will help set up transportation to and from the lake. Even for people staying 2+ hrs away in the surrounding areas of southern Thailand.

And some tour companies have accommodations near their office (on the mainland) and will offer additional packages for a multi-day trip.

Because the lake is not the easiest to get to, we’d suggest building in a buffer day before your tour takes off. To give you peace of mind with airport delays and cancellations, transportation mix-ups, etc. And especially if you are coming from one of the islands, because boats are more susceptible to cancellations.

Our first time, we had them set up our transportation, which just made for a seamless trip.

But the second time we wanted to spend one night before our trip in the Phanom District in Surat Thani, which was where the office was located for our tour. But really we were trying to be close to the national park headquarters to get a drone permit, which unfortunately, timing did not work in our favor here! So if you are wanting to drone in Khao Sok, be sure to get a permit beforehand!

Our tour operator also had accommodation on site, where you could book directly with them and any additional tours in the area for an additional price.

But ultimately, setting up transportation with the company is your best and easiest option!

Typical Cost Breakdown


First off, here are some charges everyone must pay on the day your Khao Sok adventure begins.

• National Park Fee of 300 baht per person
• Pier Service Fee of 40 baht per person (20baht for locals)

These fees are usually not included in the tour price and will need to be paid in cash upon arrival. (Note these prices are from November 2025.)

Our most recent trip we went with Smiley Bungalows, which is by far one of the cheapest options we found. We did a 2 day 1 night adventure out on the lake.

Here is the price breakdown:

Both of these accommodations were rustic, but our Khao Sok Lake Superior room was definitely nicer than the Smiley Bungalow room. But again, we paid more for it, so that is what you’d hope for.

All rooms came with a typical bed set-up and attached bathroom. But our Khao Sok Lake Superior room had AC, whereas our smiley bungalow room only had a fan. Luckily, we were always out exploring during the day when it was hottest, and with the fan and windows at night, it kept it cool enough inside.

If you are looking for luxury accommodation, 500 Rai Floating Resort is your best option.

500 Rai starts around 23000 baht for 2 people. (Price costs the same for just 1 person). But this is a basic package that doesn’t include much besides breakfast. But I will say I found a pretty great package for this resort on Get Your Guide (leaves from Khao Lak) that is all-inclusive, even including transportation to and from your hotel. So if you are looking to ball out, this might be the best option! This Get Your Guide Tour leaves from Phuket.

Otherwise, for a budget option, Smiley Bungalow is a great choice. And for a nice mid-tier accommodation, Khao Sok Lake is our suggestion. But like I said, there are other companies that could be worth checking into as well if none of these speak to you!

So overall, for a budget tour with Simely Bungalow w/ roundtrip transportation, expect to pay around 3500 baht per person, which is equivalent to $109 US.

For a superior room tour booked on Khao Sok Lake w/ roundtrip transportation, expect to pay around 5,600 ($179 per person).

And for a luxury trip, expect to pay anywhere from 17,000 – 25,000 baht plus($550 to $735+).

What To Do In Khao Sok National Park

Cheow Lan Lake covers 115,000 acres (71 square miles or 185 square kilometers), so there really is a lot to explore here.

And just on a 2 or 3-day trip, you will basically only scratch the surface. But that’s what makes these tours unique. It’s not just about one single location where all the tours crowd each other out. Instead, the lake just feels huge, and like you rarely get stuck behind other groups.

We were worried that our different trips would overlap too much. But surprisingly, there was only one attraction that we visited on both trips.

Which was the Guilin Viewpoint (aka: Khao Sam Kler or Three Brothers Rock).

Many tours will bring you to caves, waterfalls, go on a wildlife safari, hikes, etc.

Sometimes the exact activities change based on the weather or the seasons. Which helps make no two tours the same.

On our first tour we rode on a bamboo float to Coral Cave. And did two wildlife safaris, where we got to see wild elephants!

And on our second tour we visited, Pra Kie Petch Cave. And one wildlife safari where we saw wild gibbons and macaques, along with lizards and birds. And the next day we ventured out to a crazy waterfall climb through the jungle.

So both tours were unique, offering two different experiences.

Plus, at your accommodation, you can kayak or swim during the break times between activities.

Some tours might also bring you to Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary.

And there are also a handful of unique things to do in the surrounding areas of the national park away from the lake. So many tours will offer a multi-day package to bring and offer activites such as:

• Kayaking
• Sunset/sunrise wildlife spotting
• Jungle hikes (guided only)
• Night safari
• Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary
• Elephant sanctuary (ethical ones only)
• Tubing or canoeing on the river
• Waterfalls (Ton Kloi, Bang Hua Rat)

As you can see, there is a ton of unique activities to do in the area. So we encourage you to shop around and find a tour that covers a handful of fun adventures that match your desires.

Food On Board

If you book a tour, most will include every meal during your stay. But there are a few accommodation types that will have a paid restaurant on site instead. And additional costs may apply.

For example 500 Rai doesn’t always include meals in every package.

But for the most part tours will offer a buffet or family-style meal 3 times a day. And typically it’s classic Thai food. I’m personally quite impressed with the quality of food they serve to such large groups.

Best Time To Visit

Dry Season is typically from January to April, which also means it’s the busiest time to visit Khao Sok Lake.

Rainy Season is from May to December (with September and October often being the wettest months). But this also means it is lush and green because of the rain.

We visited in both November and February. Both trips did have somewhat heavier cloud cover with sunshine still peaking through. Neither time was overly busy, and tours took us to different spots from major crowds.

Overall, this area can be beautiful no matter the time of year.

Money

In Thailand, they use the Thai Baht. ($1 USD = ฿ 32)

ATM’s are limited in the Khao sok area. You can find them in the nearby towns, but not at the pier. And, as mentioned before there are national park fees where you will need cash.

Plus many of the tour companies will ask for a down-payment beforehand, and either keep a card on file for the second payment or disclose how much you owe upon arrival. And it’s likely they only accept cash. So plan for this payment as well.

And additionally your floating bungalow will sell little drinks and snacks on site, so having cash can be great if you want a little snack or beverage.

Drinking Water

Most accommodations will provide drinking water, but check with your tour company or hotel to make sure this is provided. Otherwise they will likely have water for sale on site for purchase.

But we always like to bring our own insulated bottle. And personally we still like to have a filter, even though it is technically safe drinking water. You’re not always sure how clean the tanks are and some of the nozzles have some questionable cleanliness.

So we recommend the epic water filter. They have just a simple filter that helps clean drinking water from any viruses and bacteria, plus filters out microplastics. But they do also have an everywhere filter, which can be used with the tap water in Thailand. You can check out their study about what it filters out. Use Code: TwoRoamingSouls for 15% off your order.

But for our purposes we just tend to use their every tap filter to clean out any water that is already certified as safe.

Although, traveling with the everywhere filter is a great idea as a backup plan, incase of a natural disaster or you find something happens where drinking water is not readily available.

👉 Check out Epic Water Filters Use Code: TwoRoamingSouls for 15% off your order

Staying Connected

You will be in the middle of a lake, so cell service is very spotty. But, some accommodations do offer wifi.

Both our accommodations had wifi, but I never really got them to work or at least have a strong connection. So I’d say, just take this time to disconnect and relax with the beautiful scenery.

What To Bring & Luggage Storage

You might be wondering what to bring and what to do with your big suitcase. Most companies will recommend only bringing a small bag and to store your luggage with them at their office. But if you have a small carry on, you are still allowed to bring it, just note you are responsible for bringing it on and off the boat.

There are a few items you might want to bring additionally to your normal packing list:

• Rain Jacket – of course for when it rains
• Hiking Pants & High Socks- If your tour takes you on a waterfall hike, there are small leeches on land, so our guide recommended long socks and hiking pants if you were afraid of leeches, (aka me!).
• Hiking Shoes or Sandals – you should be okay with them getting wet.
• Swimsuit
• Sunscreen
• Bug Spray – But honestly, we didn’t encounter mosquitoes on either trip. Not sure how that’s possible being on a lake surrounded by dense jungle, but it can be good to have bug spray just in case!
• Dry Bag, these are the best option for bringing whatever you need for each excursion and be sure it stays dry.
• And on that note, assume that you might get wet anytime your on a boat. If you don’t have hard-sided luggage a rain cover for your pack is a highly-recommended.
• Binoculars (if you have the space in your bag, binoculars would be excellent for the wildlife saf

---

Save This Post For Later