Khao Sok National Park - Thailand

One of the major features we wanted to explore in Thailand were the abundance of national parks spread across the country. Thailand is well known for its well equipped national parks, many of them complete with luxury bungalows and modern conveniences.

Khao Sok National Park, located in the south of Thailand, was our first foray into real Thai wilderness (Phuket doesn't count!). And what a foray it was. We made the drive into the park after sunset, in pouring rain, driving on a highway surrounded by magnificent limestone spires towering steeply hundreds of meters into the air.

This first image was taken on the morning after that impressive downpour - along a jungle trail. The ground was still spongy with moisture and the leaves slick with humidity. 

Khao Sok National Park is enormous. The whole park covers 645 sq km - the heart of a complex of five contiguous conservation sites that comprise the largest protected forest on the Thai-Malaysian peninsula, covering over 4,000 sq km.

The construction of Ratchaprapha Dam across the Paseang river created the enormous lake depicted here - Chiaw Lan Lake - which occupies some 165 sq km.

A one hour long boat ride from the National park headquarters is one of the most amazing experiences i had in Thailand. We were lucky enough to experience it just before sunset, as the spectacular limestone outcrops which protude from the lake's surface (some as tall as 960m!) were set against a dramatic cloudscape.

We spent the night in a series of floating bunglaows, far, far away from the hum of the city.



An experience not to be missed!