Khao Sok National Park

Being the most popular mainland national park destination in South Thailand, Khao Sok is a rainforest with great diversity of plants and wildlife. It is one of the few bigger national parks in the country relatively easily accessible by public services from nearby Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak, Surat Thani, Ao Nang (Railey Beach). The main attractions of the park are iconic limestone hills, waterfalls accessible by hiking through the lush jungle, raft houses sperad over Khao Sok lake, caves, few waterstreams of which Sok River is the most popular one.

Khao Sok was established as Thailand's 22nd national park in 1980 by The Royal Forest Department. The park covers 739 km² land area of Amphoe Phanom and Ban Takhun in Surat Thani province and includes the Cheow Lan reservoir dammed by the Ratchaprapha dam. The relatively convenient distance to Koh Samui, Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak makes this park the most popular national park in South Thailand.

Khao Sok is part of Khlong Saeng - Khao Sok Forest Complex covering allthogether around 5,316 km². The complex incorporates 12 protected areas including some offshore islands in the Andaman Sea. Khao Sok has Thailand's largest virgin forests and claimed to be one of the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world.

While the park is home for many exotic wild mammals such as Asian elephant, Malayan tapir, gibbons, it is more famous for the symbolic flower of Surat Thani Province, the huge Bua Phut (Rafflesia kerrii) flower found on a trail starting from main road south of the park. The flower can be up to 70-80 cm in diameter, blooming only around October to December.