Khao Sok Thailand: wildlife adventures in southern national park

Khao Sok Thailand Bird watching & wildlife spotting

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Destination overview

Phang Nga Bay

Paddling Holiday Deals

Phang Nga Bay day trip

River Canoeing Trip

Trang Islands

Khao Sok

Mountain Biking

Mountain Biking Day Trip

Rock Climbing

Mountain Climbing

Birding

Weather Calendar

Adventure Race Training

Custom Tours

Snorkeling

Scheduled Trips

About Us

Our Khao Sok National Park expeditions are aptly labeled as "soft adventures". It's our easiest trip. The pace is very slow and easy as the main focus of this trip is spotting wildlife. The birding in Khao Sok National Park is superb and the wildlife sightings are astonishing. Khao Sok is by far the best place in southern Thailand to view wildlife!

We visit the 165 squre kilometer reservoir known as Cheow Lan. The actual national park part of Khao Sok incorporates the reservoir and covers 446 square kilometers! The park also shares borders with Klong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary and some other smaller national parks.

Hornbills are actually common. We frequently see several species. We see Great Hornbills, Bushy-crested Hornbills, Wreathed Hornbills and Helmeted Hornbills on almost every trip. White-crowned Hornbills and Plain-pouched Hornbills are sometimes seen. If you’ve never seen a hornbill, this will be a very special treat.

Hornbills aren't the only birds we see. Serious birders can easily add a plethora of tropical birds to their life lists. A large number of kingfishers reside in the area, along with dozens upon dozens of other colorful birds.

Dave and team have sighted and are familiar with most of the birds in southern Thailand. You don’t have to be a seasoned birder to enjoy the pleasures of birding in this tropical wonderland. PaddleAsia's guide enthusiasm will make your birding time both educational and fun. Check our our Thailand birding website for more info.

Wildlife sightings are abundant!

Long-tailed macaques (monkeys), pig-tail macaques, dusky langurs (monkeys), gibbons (apes) and even wild elephants are seen on most trips. One thing is inevitable, you’ll see and/or hear monkeys! We’ve had numerous close-up wild pig sightings. Elephants can still be found in the park, but they are uncommon. It's not uncommon to see elephant tracks or hear elephants rustling beyond the underbrush. We come across less common mammal ocassionally too. We've seen Malayan Tapir, Stump-tailed Macaques, Yellow-throated Martens and Serow (a type of mountain goat) in the past.
Orchids are plentiful at Khao Sok. The best time of year to see them in bloom is from late February through April. However, we find the orchid plants to be interesting and unique.

Guest's comments: John Atherton (British)
Despite being middle-aged novice paddlers the Kao Sok Trip was a fascinating experience. Dave Williams is both a kayaking expert and a top bird spotter. His patience on the water enabled us to learn a great deal about handling a kayak AND about birds whilst still relaxing and enjoying the holiday. During the four days we saw nearly thirty different birds (some rare), many being recognized by Dave by their sound before we had sight of them. The tranquility of the water shortly after dawn will bring back happy memories for a long time to come.

If soft adventure travel is appealing to you, Khao Sok is your best choice in southern Thailand. Nowhere else comes close to the amount of wildlife you'll see in Khao Sok. The only way you're going to see this abundant wildlife is from a kayak. We also do some hiking. We don't go where others go as a rule. We prefer to find our own trails and we've found a lot of nice ones.
Click here to see a map of Cheow Lan Reservoir in Khao Sok National Park.

Guest's comments: Mark Strickland (American)
I can't say enough about our fantastic trip to Thailand's Khao Sok National Park with PaddleAsia. It was a great experience from start to finish - well organized but flexible itinerary, with just the right combination of paddling adventures and relaxation. The scenery is absolutely spectacular - we explored miles of pristine shoreline, bordered by towering, limestone mountains and verdant tropical jungle. Thanks to Dave's expertise, we paddled to just the right places to see a wide range of creatures - primates like dusky langurs, pig-tailed macaques and white-handed gibbons, and lots of bird life, including several types of eagles, hawks, and 3 different species of hornbills. We even saw wild pigs feeding at water's edge.

We stay in unique floating bamboo bungalows in a remote area of the massive reservoir. These bungalows are very basic. They are made out of low impact material. Bamboo and thatched roofs provide a very simple, environmentally friendly shelter which fits well with the jungle surroundings. There is electricity in the bungalows, the restaurant and toilets, but it is supplied by a generator. The shared toilets are clean and adequate. Amazingly, there are hardly any mosquitoes in the area. No one seems to understand why, but we're all glad that they're not around.
The bungalows have firm mattresses. The floating walkways to the bungalows and toilets are not well maintained, and require attention to foot placement. These accommodations are not up to normal PaddleAsia standards. They have built some new toilet and shower facilities. These bungalows are owned and operated by the national park, they are not PaddleAsia's property! Most guests find them unique, charming and comfortable.
However, the jungle solitude and the joy of kayaking amidst the profusion of birds and wildlife bring us back here time after time. Click here to see more pictures of the floating bungalows of Khao Sok National Park.
Click here to see a list of common birds found in Khao Sok National Park.
You'll want a closer view of the animals. Bring binoculars.

If you'd like to see some photo galleries of Khao Sok, check out:
Khao Sok wildlife photo gallery
Khao Sok scenery photo gallery
Mountain climbing photos
Scenery and wildlife photos
Khao Sok reptiles
Wildlife photos
Butterfly and moth photo gallery

Click here to see some incredible Khao Sok photos from professional photographer, Frits Meyst of Adventure4ever.com

If you'd like to read more about Khao Sok, check out our trip reports (click on the story)

Past guest story about the Khao Sok Jungle
The Malayan Tapir encounter
The Serow (mountain goat) connection
More rare animals
The baby pig story
Low season wildlife encounters
The amazing Great Hornbill story
Chieo Lan Reservoir
International School Bangkok report
Plenty of birds
Thale Noi and Khao Sok
Khao Sok and further south
New South Wales kayaking club

No experience is needed for any of our trips. The majority of our guests have never paddled before. No problem, we'll teach you proper paddling technique.

Click here to see our tour prices
Our trips are all-inclusive: all transfers from the nearest airport (airfare not included) train station or bus terminal, all equipment, accommodations once on the trip, all meals, all snacks, coffee, tea and insurance.
Tropical mountain climbing trips are also available in Khao Sok National Park. PaddleAsia offers mountain climbing opportunities for all skill and fitness levels.

A highly recommended accommodations in the river area of Khao Sok National Park is Our Jungle House.

Khao Sok Thailand wildlife and kayaking adventure travel

Khao Sok Thailand Bird watching & wildlife spotting

Wildlife sightings are abundant!