Khao Sok National Park, in dreamland on a floating lodge

In 2008 I visited Khao Sok National Park for the first time in my life. A few years after the all-killing tsunami. It’s like a hidden gem of Thailand. It has one of the oldest rainforrests on earth, huge limestone mountains shooting straight up in the air, deep valleys, breathtaking lakes, exciting caves, wild animals and much more. We just booked one night on the Ratchaprapha lake and this was an unforgettable experience! 

We stayed in Khao Sok Plern Prai Raft House which had comfortable wooden cottages in the middle of nature.Angelica and I arrived very early with the train from Bangkok and arrived in Surat Thani. In front of the railway station we were picked up by a minivan. After an hour enjoying the views of mountains and forest and a quick stop at a local market, we arrived at the pier of the lake. We hopped into the long tail boat which seemed not very stable (luckily this was not the case).

We went across the lake and before we knew, it was only us and nature. It felt like entering Jurassic Park and see dinosaurs around the corner of the lake. Of course that didn’t happen but it was just magical.  We heard sounds of birds, insects and monkeys but couldn’t see them. 

After an hour we arrived at our floating lodge which existed of a floating pier and around 20 basic floating lodges. The lodges are made of wood and have a matras only. The view was amazing!  Every lodge has a canoe which we used to explore the lake. After the canoe trip we stepped into a long tail boat and we were driven around to spot some animals in the jungle. We saw monkeys and a lot of birds. In the evening we had a delicious meal with fresh fish from the lake, rice, fruit and a lot more. The sky was full of bright stars and the best of all: No mosquitos!
The next morning we woke up early to see the sunrise. We had breakfast and headed back around noon to the pier. This was such a great trip and I can recommend it to everyone who loves to go on an adventure

 

How to get there
Khao Sok National Park is situated in the south of Thailand, 100 km south of Surat Thani. From here you can arrange a minivan to take you to the pier of the lake, it takes about one hour.  The minivans are comfortable with airconditioning and before you know, you’re already there