Khao Sok - Manmade Beauty

My next stop in Thailand brought me to the Khao Sok National Park. It is a huge area and the key feature there is its massive lake, which is manmade and a direct result of a dam that was built a few decades ago. I opted to join an overnight tour because it allowed me to sleep in an overwater bungalow on the lake.

The day started with a c. 1h bus ride from my accommodation to the lake's boat pier. From there we hopped on the boat and drove through the national park. I have to say, its massive limestones, the colour of the water and the tranquility of this place was much more than I imagined. It is a beautiful piece of nature - even if it is manmade.

Once we arrived at our overwater bungalows, we quickly changed into our swimwear and jumped into the lake. Park regulations demand that we always wear a life jacket, but luckily they did not define 'wear' - so most of the group that I joined threw the life jacket into the water and then swam in its very close proximity.

Anyway, after a couple of hours of swimming, lounging and exploring the bungalows, we hopped back on the boat for a short ride in order to see a small cave. To get there, we took a little 30 minute stroll and a bamboo raft. The cave was nice with its animal-looking stones, but not comparable to others I have already seen on this trip.

Once out of the cave, we hopped back on the boat for a little night safari, but did not really see anything apart from a little eagle.
In the evening, we had dinner at our bungalows, looked at the stars (no light pollution) and chatted about travel, life and many other things.

The next morning, it was an early start at 6.30am for a morning boat safari. A couple of us woke up a bit earlier than that and went straight for a dip in the lake, before the safari. During the safari, we hoped to spot wild elephants, but were unlucky and 'only' managed to see monkeys playing up high in a tree.

Then it was already time to say goodbye to the bungalows and we were heading back onshore. It was a very lovely two days in the park that I can only recommend.

For me, it was now finally time to go to Thailand's famous islands in the south.Leggi altro