Location & Map
The single biggest planning mistake at Khao Sok is heading to the wrong entrance. The park has two very different zones about 50 km apart, in two different districts. Know which one your hotel, tour or raft house is in before you set off.
← Back to the full Khao Sok guideThe main land-based entrance: rainforest trails, waterfalls, Rafflesia spotting, the visitor centre and jungle lodges around Khao Sok village. This is where most day hikes and the night safari start.
The emerald reservoir of limestone karsts, reached only by boat from the Ratchaprapha Dam. This is where the floating raft houses, long-tail boat trips and the famous Three Sisters karsts are. Set your map to Ban Ta Khun, not Phanom.
A search for 'Khao Sok National Park' usually drops the pin on the lake area, not the HQ. Set your destination by district — Phanom for the park HQ, Ban Ta Khun for the dam pier — or use the Plus code XJHQ+37 for the lake. Refuel before leaving town: petrol stations thin out west of Surat Thani.
About 50 km. The park HQ in Phanom District and the Cheow Lan Lake / Ratchaprapha Dam pier in Ban Ta Khun District are in different districts and take roughly an hour to drive between.
For Cheow Lan Lake you need the Ratchaprapha Dam pier in Ban Ta Khun District, not the park HQ in Phanom. The lake is reached only by boat from the dam.
The maps pin (Plus code XJHQ+37) marks the Cheow Lan Lake / Ratchaprapha Dam area in Ban Ta Khun District — not the park HQ. Use it when navigating to the lake.
Yes, but it is tight. The zones are about an hour apart; most visitors pick one zone per day, or stay one night in each.
Distances are estimates for normal driving. During Thai holidays and the December–April peak, allow extra time and confirm your exact destination before setting off.