Visiting kao sok national parc

One of the must see's in Thailand is definitely the jungle. There are some options to do so, but the closest to khao lak is kao sok national parc.

We've booked this excursion with the same agencies in kao lak town and again had a good service.

We paid 1400BHT per person including:

- pick up from the hotel 

- transfer during the whole day to several attractions

- visit of a local market (20 min.)

- visit of the monkey cava (20 min.)

- visit of a waterfall (20 min.)

- canoe or bamboe trip on the river (60 min.)

- lunch at destination of the river trip.

- elephant tracking (40 min.)

This 1 day trip in the national parc is really a great experience. Although do not suspect to much, as i did from this 'jungle'. It is amazingly beautiful though, but i was really thinking of a jungle where the animale are everywhere, but unfortunately this was not the case. 

I'll comment the trip step by step:

1. The local market is nice to see when you're never seen one. But the small of the meat is terrible and it does not stimulate your appetite when you see the flies on it (meat is not covered nor cold).

But it's Nice to see all the different types of fruit and vegetables.

2. Unfortunately there was a lack of water for the waterfall, so this was not really worth visiting and they should not include this in the program in summer.

3. The monkey cave is not really a cave, but still nice to be that close with the monkeys. But if i can be critica's, i did not really have the impression they lived in the wild. Although they where not tightened, but it was really next to a big road and not in the woods at all.

4. We took the bamboe option to go on the river. This has the same start & end point (which was not the case with the canoes, so i'd recommand to take the canoe, as this is a longer trip along the river throug the forest).

It is a very nice experience, but a bit short. After 500m we stopped to go into the wood and the guy created a fire to make the most original coffee ever in a bamboo. We really enjoyed this (although i don't like coffee at all, but as he did such an effort, it was really tastefull)! Afterwards we could even keep our bamboo bekers. So in the end we where happy to have this unique experience, which is not included on the canoe trip.

So you'll have to chose between the longer trip in the canoe, or the shorter trip with great experience on the bamboo 😃. 

5. The lunch was served on the same location as we've started our bamboo trip. There are also several lodges for those people who book a 2 or 3-day trip in kao sok.

HINT: I'd recommand not to take one of these lodges, as they where really next to the road and if i would book such an experience, I'd really want to be in the middle of the jungle where you have the idee the sivilisation is far away. Which was not at all the case here.

We received 3 different small dishes and a papaya as desert. Tante was really good. Also drinks (water, cola or beer) are included.

5. The highlight of this excursion was definitely the elephant tracking. I know a lot of people will protest on this, but it is such a great experience and these elephants where really in a very healthy condition. They made the elephants wet before departure and they did not hit them hard during the ride throug the water (there was only little as it did not rain for days). We had one of the younger elephants (15 years) and he was very enthousiastic and well trained.

We could sit on the head and he danced when the people song. Even when we dropped our bottle of water, he was learned to pick it up and give it back.

Really such a great and unforgetable experience. 

In the end you can buy them bananas for 100BHT (for 3 baskets) and feed them.

Of course this is a must do to thank them and also a pleasure to see. 

As i said before, I can really recommand this trip. But keep in mind this is a touristic excursion and you don't really see the wildlive of the jungle. But still worth doing this, as we can't find it in Europe 😃.