An unforgettable day in the jungle of Khao Sok National Park

The day started at 08:00 o’clock with a one-hour drive north. Our target today was the national park Khao Sok. Our first stop was at the canoe station, from which we were paddled across the Sok river for about 1.5 hours. The paddle guides always kept their eyes open and showed us every animal they spotted. So we saw monkeys, some frogs, a black and yellow mangrove snake, a monitor lizard and countless butterflies and birds in the most beautiful colours. Smaller rapids made ​​the trip a memorable one.

After a short drive by minibus we arrived at the cave temple in Khao Sok National Park. This temple houses among others a mummified monk, who was very important for the native inhabitants. There was also a large Buddha statue inside the temple, as well as a few smaller ones on the outside. In front of the temple were a lots of monkeys which we could feed with bananas and peanuts. They were a little bit cheeky and tried to steal the whole bag of peanuts from me, but other than that it was a great experience to get so close to these still wild animals.

At midday we stoped at the georgeous Rock and Treehouse Resort in Khao Sok National Park. This newly opened resort offers accommodation in treehouse bungalows that fit perfectly into the jungle environment. We had a very nice buffet lunch in the resort with lots of Thai specialties such as the delicious Massaman Curry (curry with chicken, potatoes and carrots), fried vegetables, noodles and fried chicken.

After having fuelled up with that delicious lunch, we got back onto the minibus to reach our last stop of the day. Once we arrived at the elephant camp, we went up the platform and sat down on the seats of our huge jungle friends. I have to admit I was a bit scared when I saw, how high it actually was. But the fear was overcome by excitement just a few minutes after that. It was really a once in a lifetime experience to sit up there and see how these gentle giants cross all kinds of obstacles without making even one wrong step. After about half an hour we got down from the elephants so we could walk / climb to a small waterfall. Getting there was an adventure, but no problem with the help of the mahouts. After having seen the waterfall, we got back on top of our “jungle-taxi”. The mahouts offered us to sit right on the neck of the elephant if we dared. This was probably my highlight of the whole day. It was an unique opportunity to get as close as possible to these amazing creatures and definitely an unforgettable adventure.

To find out more about this tour visit our website or the Khao Sok tour page.

Khao Lak Safari- Jungle, Beach and Elephants

For those who are looking for a mix of jungle, beach and elephant trekking look no further- the Khao Lak Safari is exactly the right tour for you. To find out more about this diversified tour, read the article written by our intern Sina:

On my second day of work with Khao Lak Land Discovery I had the chance to get to see more of Khao Lak and its surroundings by joining todays Khao Lak Safari. My colleague Ben, who will be today’s tour guide will teach be about some factors that will lead to a successful tour.

Most important factor? Happy guests that are ready to enjoy a lovely day in the outdoors with us.

So, together with our friendly driver Suriya, Ben and I make our way to the hotels to pick up the customers. With eight smiling faces on board of our bus, we are ready to head to our first stop of the day: 

15 day old turtle hatchlings

The Turtle Nursery in Thap Lamu is definitely worth a visit. 

Here you can see the development of the Green Sea Turtle. The smallest ones are just a few days old, while there are also a few which are already fully grown up to 1 meter. While looking at the turtles, Ben feeds us with plenty of information about the animals and about the Nursery Station. After having seen all the different sized turtles we head on back to the bus, as we still have lots to see and do today.

Bamboo raft through the jungle

Our next stop is the Bamboo Raft Station. On our way, Ben tells us about the importance of rubber export in Thailand and we even stop to have a closer look at one of the trees to see how the collection of latex functions. Once we arrive at the bamboo station, the rafts men already await us and we can hop on the rafts two at a time. The 45 minute ride on the Wang Khiang Koo river anticipates an amazing jungle feeling. We listen to the sounds of birds and cicadas and look out for sleeping snakes in the trees, while the rafter tells us about flora and fauna with a mix of Thai and English. 

Small Sandy Beach

Back on shore again, we have gotten a little bit wet on the ride, it is just the right time to go to the beach to dry in the sun or to get even wetter while having a swim in the beautiful waters of idyllic “Hat Lek” or “Small Sandy Beach”. With the minibus it only takes about ten minutes to reach the entry of Lamru National Park from where we take a short jungle walk down the hill. The sound of the jungle is astonishing and reaches from the shrill chirping of the cicadas, to yelling monkeys and finally, as we get closer to the beach, the breaking of the waves.  Once we arrive there, we realize: We are the only visitors this afternoon. The only other person at the beach is an employee of the National Park, at whose bar some of our guests treat themselves to a fresh coconut. 

After one relaxing hour on the beach, we make our way up to the minibus again, which takes us to the restaurant at Ton Pling waterfall. A delicious Thai lunch is served here, including Massaman Curry (curry with chicken and potatoes), spring rolls, Thai omelet, vegetable soup and of course rice.  After all guests have finished, we treat them to some fresh watermelon for dessert and a cup of coffee before slowly heading to our next and last stop of the day. 

Elephant trekking at Sairung Camp

The elephant trekking is the highlight of the tour for most of our guests… When else do you get the chance to trek through the amazing jungle on a 3 meter tall animal? As big as the elephant might be, it is astonishing to see how gentle they are and how well they can balance their huge feet.  The ride might be a bit shaky at first but you will get used to it very fast and then you can just enjoy the lovely ride, passing by many rubber and palm oil plantations.  After the one hour trek, our guests have the chance to thank their “jungle taxi” by feeding them some bananas or pineapples, before we all head back to the hotels in Khao Lak.

After having dropped off all our customers, I can look back on a great tour: we had perfect weather, an excellent tour guide and most importantly: super happy guests.

Sounds interesting? Find out more about this tour, prices and other Khao Lak tours.

If you want to find out more about us and our other tours, please visit also our Website.