Khao Sok National Park
In our recent travels, we’ve been on a tour of the Khao Sok National Park, and all the surrounding areas. Here’s a guide to all of our favourite spots and off the beaten track gems that are not to be missed.
Download the full Khao Sok National Park PDF
Cheow Larn Lake General Info
The Lake is part of KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK. It is one of the largest bodies of freshwater in South East Asia, and was created with the building of Rajaphrapha Dam. The spectacular scenery is formed by the rugged, jungle topped karst peaks which surround the lake. Boat tours, to the various sightseeing points around the lake, are available at Ratchaprapha Marina.
Getting there: Many people going to Khao Sok for the first time inevitably go to the National Park HQ area, some 65 km away from the marina. To get the lake you’ll need to arrange transport, or get on an organised tour from the park HQ area. Another option is to rent a scooter and go independently. The downside of this however, is you’ll need to back-track to return it.
Note: Although there are some nice jungle hikes around the park HQ area, the fact is the primary feature of Khao Sok is Cheow Larn Lake. Click the following link for directions from the Park HQ area, to Ratchaprapha Marina – Click here
Coming from Phuket: To get to Cheow Larn Lake directly from Phuket, the main options are by bus or taxi.
Travel options for travel from Phuket to Surat Thani
Coming from Bangkok: From Bngkok, the best travel options are to either fly, or take the train, to Surat Thani.
Travel options for travel from Bangkok to Surat Thani.
Surat Thani to Cheow Larn Lake: Transportation options are limited to mini-van, taxi, or self drive.
Travel options from Surat Thani.
Ratchaprapha Marina
This is the primary departure point for boat tours around the lake. The marina has a ticketing office (where you can book a boat tour), restaurants, and restrooms. It can get quite busy during the peak season (December – March), so it’s a good idea to arrive early (8 am) if you want to take a boat tour and avoid the crowds.
Note: The standard boat tour lasts approximately two hours, and the price is 2000 THB per person.
Lake-side accommodation option: A great option for accommodation at Cheow Larn is to stay at Klong Pae Range Station Bungalows. To do this, you’ll need to leave your motorbike in the secure parking area at the marina and pay for a boat transfer to Klong Pae Bungalows. The boat transfer can be arranged and paid for at the ticket office next to the marina.
Note: The current price for accommodation at Klong Pae Marina is 1000 THB per night.
An additional benefit of staying at the Klong Pae Bungalows is that it’s located just 700 meters from the start point for the hike to Nam Talu Cave.
Recommended accommodation near Cheow Larn Lake: If you would prefer to stay somewhere closer to the marina, a great inexpensive accommodation choice is Baan Suan Hill Resort. Click here for booking inquiries.
Nam Talu Cave Tour
Doing the Nam Talu Cave Tour: The standard tour on Cheow Larn Lake is 2 hours and costs 2000 THB per person. The Nam Talu Cave Tour offers far better value at 3030 THB per person for a 6-7 hour outing.
The Nam Talu Cave tour includes:
- Three hours of sightseeing on Cheow Larn Lake (by boat).
- Approximately 5 km of jungle trekking in the national park.
- A full traverse of Nam Talu Cave (approximately 700 meters).
- An experienced tour guide (who is also the boat driver).
- Note: It’s a good idea to get to the marina early (be on the boat by 8 am) to avoid the heat and crowds. Arriving at 7.00 am also allows you to have breakfast at a restaurant at the marina.
Crossing the lake: The ride across the lake to the start of the hiking trail (to the cave) takes almost two hours. On the way, the boat driver will show you the attractions typically seen on the standard two-hour tour. The lake, created when the dam was built, is truly impressive in size, with rugged and spectacular scenery.
Getting to the hiking trail: The start point is at the far western edge of the lake, just a few hundred meters from the Klong Pae Range Station Bungalows. Note: The bungalows are floating on the edge of the lake, and you’ll pass them on the way to the hiking trail’s starting point.
Doing the hike: After disembarking from the boat, your guide will lead you along a trail that follows a stream bed for approximately 500 meters before branching right onto a grassy plateau above the river. At this point, there are signs and a trail map pointing you to the 3 km jungle track leading to the cave entrance.
The jungle track: The track is easy to follow for most of the way and is not a difficult hike. However, there are several streams to cross, so wear footwear you don’t mind getting wet.
The cave exit point: Approximately halfway along the trail to the cave entrance, you’ll pass the cave exit. From this point, it’s another 1.5 km to the cave entrance. Along the way, you’ll encounter some impressively large old-growth trees.
Download the full Khao Sok National Park PDF
The Phang-Nga Province
Phang-Nga Province borders Phuket directly to the north. For those who can drag themselves away from the beach resorts, there are excellent sightseeing attractions in this lesser-visited area of the country.
Khao Lak is a quieter beach resort location, situated on the western coastline and approximately 90 km north of Phuket Island. Other notable mainstream attractions in Phang-Nga include Samet Nangshe Viewpoint, James Bond Island, and the Monkey Cave.
Attractions in the Phang Nga Provice:
- Mountain scenery
- Caves
- Viewpoints
- Buddhist Temples
Motorbike Tour: The Phang-Nga Loop is a newly developed motorbike touring trip in Southern Thailand for those who want to get off the beaten track and away from the mainstream tourism in Phuket.
The loop goes up through Phang-Nga Province, showcasing picturesque landscapes, amazing viewpoints, interesting caves, and unique Buddhist temples. Click here to see the full loop circuit.
Touring Phang-Nga Province
Getting there: To do the Phang-Nga Loop Trip, you will need your own transport (motorbike) as local tour companies aren’t offering this trip. Motorbikes, such as the one shown in the photo, can be easily rented on a daily basis from any of the many rental outlets in Phuket.
Note: The starting point for the loop tour is Sai Kaew Beach, simply because it’s the closest recognizable point (on Google Maps) before getting off Phuket Island.
Day one of the Phang-Nga Province Loop tour includes the following destinations:
Sai Kaew Beach
Sai Kaew Beach is an uncrowded, clean beach located just a few kilometers north of the airport. If you’re looking for a beach that isn’t packed with tourists, this spot is worth stopping at for a swim and some lunch before heading off Phuket Island.
Click here for directions from Sai Kaew Beach to Samet Nangshe Viewpoint.
Sarasin Bridge
This is the smaller old bridge which can be seen below (on the left side) the new bridge as you cross. To get a closer look, and walk along the old bridge, there’s a turn-off on the left.
Samet Nangshe Viewpoint
Samet Nangshe is one of the most spectacular panoramic views in Thailand. The sunrise view is very popular, but it’s also worth going there in the late afternoon to get a daylight perspective as well.
The parking area (just off the road) is where you buy a ticket (90 THB) for a ride up to the peak. The dirt road is quite steep in places and the distance is approx. 1 km to the top. Some people choose to walk, but in the late afternoon heat, a ride in the back of a pick-up seems like a more sensible option.
Monkey Cave
This popular cave and temple site is another of the primary sightseeing attractions of Phang-Nha Province. The site is just a few kilometres south of Phang-Nha Township and is nearby Highway 4.
Click here for directions from Samet Nangshe Viewpoint.
As with most Buddhist Temple sites with caves in Thailand, there is a large troop of Macaque monkeys living on the cliffs above the cave entrance. Before entering the cavern complex, tourists can buy bags of bananas from the hawker’s stalls and feed the monkeys, which drop down off the cliff face to pester them.
One of the positive developments of the site in recent years is that there’s now a fence around the limestone peak which stops the monkeys from coming out into the car park.
Phang-Nga Township
Approximately 10 km further along Highway 4 from the Monkey Cave is Phang-Nga Township. With a population of just over 10,000, it’s very sedate compared to Phuket. The town is situated in a narrow strip along both sides of Highway 4 and is surrounded by jungle-clad karst peaks.
Directions from the Monkey Cave to Phang-Nga Township.
Accommodation: An excellent accommodation choice in Phang-Nga is the TP Place Hotel. The premises are located a few hundred meters off the main highway, in a quieter part of town. The air-conditioned rooms, equipped with hot water showers, are spacious, comfortable, and reasonably priced. Click here for booking inquiries.
Where to Eat: Café Wan is an excellent local restaurant. They serve a good variety of Thai dishes, and the chicken fried rice with a fried egg is a great option for breakfast. Café Wan is situated approximately 350 meters to the north of the TP Place Hotel.
Click here for directions from TP Place.
Download the full Khao Sok National Park PDF
Further Exploring The Phang-Nga Province Loop
Day two of the Phang-Nga Province Loop tour includes the following destinations:
- Ta Pan Cave Buddhist Temple
- Sa Nang Manora Forest Park
- Reusi Sawan Cave & Park
Sam Cave
Sam Cave is a small cave situated just to the north of Phang-Nha town center. It’s a place which few tourists visit, possibly because other larger sites seem more appealing. However, although relatively small, this site has historical significance to the area.
The cave is not very deep (more a cavern than a cave), but the interior walls are covered with rock art, which apparently dates back to the reign of King Rama VI. There’s a nice park and a lake to walk around to get to the cave. Worth thirty minutes of your time to check it out.
Click here for directions from the TP Place Hotel.
Tham Ta Pan Temple
Tham Ta Pan Temple is located near the town center and is quite possibly the most bizarre Buddhist Temple in Thailand. I’ve seen stuff on the web before about it, and one section of the site is seriously macabre.
The site is divided into two distinct areas. One is the Buddhist representation of heaven, which features the usual collection of seated Buddha statues and animals.
Click here for directions from the TP Place Hotel.
Sa Nang Manora Forest Park
This is a fantastic nature reserve located just 12 km north of Phang-Nha Township. To get there, head north up Highway 4, then turn right at the directional signage (or simply use Google Maps GPS). The reserve parking area is approximately 3 km east of Highway 4.
This is a less visited location that is off the beaten track. As of January 2023, there is no entry fee.
Click here for directions from the TP Place Hotel.
Reusi Sawan Caves & Park
This cave site is part of a parkland area on the southern side of Phang-Nha Township. The park features a lake with a walking/cycling track around its center. The western and southern sides of the park are lined with limestone peaks that have caverns running through their base. A cement walkway runs through the caverns, from one side to the other, along the edge of a small pond.
There are a couple of fountains at the center of the pond which come on at 4 pm each day.
Note: The cavern area is populated with a large group of Macaque Monkeys. Do not, under any circumstances, park a motorbike near the caves. Unfortunately, I made this mistake, and after doing the walk through the caverns, returned to find the upholstered seat on my motorbike had been torn to pieces.
Click here for directions from the TP Place Hotel.
Day three of the Phang-Nga Province Loop tour includes the following destinations:
Note: Use the TP Place Hotel as a base and travel out to the listed sightseeing attractions each day.
Dragon Cave Temple
Dragon Cave Temple is another hidden gem of Phang-Nga Province. It is off the beaten track of mainstream tourism and receives substantially fewer visitors than a site such as the Monkey Cave.
The site is located approximately 22 km northeast of Phang-Nga Township. Using Google Maps GPS, there are two options for getting here. The most interesting route is to go north on Highway 4, which offers some fantastic mountain scenery, then turn right at the access road to the cave.
Note: On the way, take a few minutes to check out the view from the tower at Khao Nang Hong Viewpoint.
Click here for directions from the TP Place Hotel.
Bang Rieng Temple
This impressive Buddhist temple is located approximately 35 km northeast of Phang-Nga Township and is perhaps one of the most picturesque temple sites in Thailand.
To get there, continue up Highway 4 and then onto Route 4118. Alternatively, take the southern route on Route 4311 and then onto 4118.
The site is situated in the far northeast corner of the province, in an off-the-beaten-track location, and as such, attracts few foreign sightseers. It is too far out of the way for tour companies to include it in their day tour schedules.
Note: On the day I visited, I was the only foreigner there.
