Khao Sok National Park Thailand kayaking tours

Thailand - Khao Sok National Park Kayaking tour
Birdwatching & wildlife spotting

Level: very easy (our easiest trip)
Season: all year Khao Sok National Park kayak tour
Activities: kayaking, jungle trekking, mountain climbing, caving, birdwatching, swimming
Feature: abundant wildlife, unique floating bungalows & stunning limestone formations
Sample Itinerary

Our Khao Sok National Park kayaking trip is aptly labeled a "soft adventure". It's our easiest small group tour and the perfect vacation in Thailand. The pace is very slow and easy as the main focus of this trip is spotting wildlife. The birding in Khao Sok is superb and the wildlife sightings are astonishing. Khao Sok is by far the best eco tour in southern Thailand to view wildlife!

Birdwatching in Khao Sok

Hornbills are actually common on this kayaking adventure tour. We frequently see several species and we have seen eight species so far. We see Great Hornbills, Bushy-crested Hornbills, Wreathed Hornbills, Oriental-pied Hornbills, Southern Pied and Helmeted Hornbills on almost every kayaking trip. The Plain-pouched and White-crowned Hornbills also reside in Khao Sok. If you’ve never seen a hornbill, this eco tour will prove to be very special.

But hornbills aren't the only birds we see on this small group tour. Serious birders can easily add a plethora of tropical birds to their life lists after only a couple of days on their vacation. A large number of kingfishers also reside in the area, along with many other colorful resident birds of Thailand. You never know what you'll see when you paddle into a cove.

Dave and his team of top Thai birders (our lead bird guide is Aew) have sighted and are familiar with most of the birds in southern Thailand. But, you don’t have to be a seasoned birder to enjoy the pleasures of birding in this tropical wonderland. Dave’s and Aew's enthusiasm with this small group tour will make your Thailand birding vacation both educational and fun.

Monkeys and other Wildlife

Long-tailed Macaques (monkeys), Pig-tail Macaques, Dusky Langurs (monkeys), and even White-handed Gibbons (apes) are seen on this kayaking tour. One thing is inevitable, you’ll see and hear the monkeys of southern Thailand on your vacation! We’ve had numerous close-up wild pig sightings. Elephants can still be found in the park, but they are a uncommon element of this eco-tour. However, it's not uncommon for us to encounter elephant tracks or hear elephants rustling beyond the underbrush. Other animals that we've see a few times include the very rare Serow (a type of endangered mountain goat), Gaur, Tapir, Red Muntjac (deer), Yellow-throated Marten, Binturong, a couple of species of otter and porcupine.

Orchids

Orchids are a plentiful element of the Khao Sok kayak eco-tour. There are so many different species of orchids in the trees that it looks like something out of a Disneyland vacation theme park. Our small group tours glide silently through one of the best kept secret eco tours of southern Thailand. Orchid are only part of the plant life that makes this trip so enjoyable.

Your kayak adventure can be as tame as you wish. Sitting in secluded coves watching wildlife or viewing orchids is something we love. We only offer small group tours. Nature, to us, is a personal experience. Large impersonal group tours won't allow you to be as intimate.

Guest comment - Deb Cliburn - Sept 13 to 16, 2008:
"It was incredible. Our first trip out on Saturday evening we saw 2 elephants and another two showed up and got in the water for a swim. We had to back up the kayak. It was incredible. Anyway, on the different trips over the 4 days, we also saw a barking deer, (and heard it bark.) We saw at least 3 different hornbills including a group of 5 or so great hornbills.. We saw sun bears 3 times and I have great video of those. And we saw dusky Langurs, macaques and gibbons. We saw a pair of woodpeckers. I forget their exact names but they are beautiful. The male has a red crest and is black and white and the female is more yellow colored. And if I remember right there is a great whatever woodpecker and a common whatever woodpecker and we saw the common ones. We saw osprey, gray-headed fish eagles, asian fairy bluebirds and an owl. And yesterday we saw, although not very clearly, a wild boar. At the bathhouse I saw a 4 foot monitor lizard and I am unsure who jumped further."

Jungle Trekking

There are plenty of opportunities for you to go trekking in the jungle of Khao Sok National Park. There are only two main trails that most tourist visit. We have dozens of trails that we've developed for you. They range in difficulty from flat and easy to rugged, strenuous and a bit tricky.

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.

The limestone karst topography in Khao Sok National Park is some of the highest in the world. The tallest is 960 meters high! This dwarfs anything in famous Phang Nga Bay. Read more about the karst topography of Khao Sok.

Click here to see a map of Cheow Lan Reservoir in Khao Sok.

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.

Your vacation headquarters are unique floating bamboo bungalows located in a remote area of the massive 165 square kilometer Khao Sok National Park 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 of southern Thailand. There is no electricity in the bungalows, but there is electricity in the restaurant and toilets. The shared toilets are clean and adequate. Amazingly, mosquitoes are rare in the area. No one seems to understand why, but it certainly makes for an easy-going kayak adventure vacation in the middle of one the most expansive jungles in all of Southern Thailand.

The bungalows have fairly firm mattresses and the floating walkways to the bungalows and toilets are not well maintained, requiring constant attention to foot placement. These accommodations are not up to normal PaddleAsia standards but is what is provided for us by the National Park and the government under contract. However, the jungle solitude of this eco-tour and the joy of a kayaking trip amidst the profusion of birds and wildlife bring us back here time after time. This is Dave's personal favorite destination in all of Southern Thailand. 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. white-handed gibbon in khao sok national park

You'll want a closer view of the animals and binoculars are a 'MUST' at Khao Sok National Park.

Khao Sok Photo Galleries:
(note: the animal photos were all taken on PaddleAsia trips)

If you'd like to see a photo gallery of Khao Sok, check out this photo gallery. There is a wildlife gallery. We also have a reptile gallery,a bird gallery and a butterly photo gallery. Click here to see some photos of Khao Sok taken by one of our guests.

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

Malayan Tapir sighting
More rare animals
Baby pig rescue
International School of Bangkok trip
Chieo Lan Reservoir
The amazing Great Hornbill Story
Khao Sok in the low season - abundant wildlife
New South Wales kayaking club
The Serow connection mountain goat)
Plenty of birds
Thale Noi and Khao Sok
Khao Sok and further south
Khao Sok with kids
Mountain climbing

You can read a feature article about is in Khao Sok written in the Bangkok Post. This same story is online at Ecology Asia.

We are part of the natural system. Humans cannot live separate from nature. Take a look at our Systems Theory page to read more.

No kayaking experience is necessary

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.

Our trips are all-inclusive

This price includes: all transfers (airfare not included), all equipment, accommodations once on the trip, all meals, all snacks, cofee, tea, a complimentary PaddleAsia shirt and insurance.

Our Khao Sok National Park Kayaking Tour is suitable for everyone!

We concentrate on honing our safety sense, outdoor skills and getting certified to international standards.
Dave has the only BCU Level 2 Coach certificate in Southern Thailand			Guides certified

Contact us

9/71 Moo 3 Thanon Rasdanusorn, Ban Kuku, Phuket 83000
Tel/fax: +66 76 216145 tel: +66 76 240952
Dave's mobile: 081 8936558
Moo's mobile: 081 7974855

Tourism Authority of Thailand License Number 31/0204
Insurance by New Hampshire Insurance Co. of Manchester New Hampshire Policy #670158