Just below the Isthmus of Kra (the narrow neck of Thailand) there is a mountain range which forms the backbone of the Thai/Malay peninsular. It is here where you will find Khao Sok National Park, believed to be part of the oldest rainforest on Earth. Kho Sok is joined by Klong Naka and Klong Seng wildlife sanctuaries plus two more national parks, Sri Phangnga and Klong Phanom. The combined size of these protected areas is around 4000 Km2, with Khao Sok being 739 km2in size.

Khao Sok is one of the wettest areas in Thailand with an average annual rainfall of around 3,500mm. This will generally be restricted to between the months of May and November. At other times of the year the area is generally dry apart from the odd day of rain which helps to maintain the lush surrounding rainforest. Khao Sok is made up of hundreds of limestone Karst Mountains which vary in height starting from around 400 meters and reaching to 960 meters at the peak of the highest.

In the beginning the whole area of Khao Sok and all of Southern Thailand was under water. The area resembled a river delta which was much like the Mississippi today.

In this shallow sea surrounding the delta, a huge coral reef formed. The reef stretched all the way from where Borneo is today to southern China, making it the largest reef system known (5 times bigger than the great barrier reef!). Erosion from the delta and sediment from the surrounding sea built up and under the extreme force of compression from the sea formed the limestone rocks which are the basis of the mountains you can see here today. This all happened around 280 million years ago.

Around 160 Million years ago the sea began to recede and the Khao Sok rainforest developed around the delta. When the Himalayas were formed the Eurasian and Indian land plates collided. This was a huge (but slow) impact and created such a force that the rocks underneath Khao Sok were crushed together. Thailand was rotated and pushed south eastwards and the Khao Sok mountains uplifted. Subsequent erosion shaped many of the mountains that can be seen today.

Another factor adding to the unique appearance of Khao Sok is the last Ice Age. The area was never glaciated like parts of the South American Rainforests (causing them to revert to savannah and grassland). The falling of the surrounding sea level during this ice age gave life to the river systems and created even more erosion. When the Ice Age finally retreated the water levels rose once again and reduced the impact of erosion, creating beautiful, slow flowing river systems which still exist now.

The Diversity of the flora and fauna in the area is immense and is yet to be fully studied. Per hectare you have 200 different floral species including the worlds largest flower Rafelesia which can grow flowers one meter in diameter. There is also a species of Bamboo which is one of the largest in South East Asia. There are many orchids, ferns and palms, including the extremely rare White Back Fan Palm. The variety of insects is huge. Wild Elephant, a small number of Tiger, Bear, Monkeys, Gibbons, Porcupine, Pangolin, Deer and the rare Mountain Serow live in the park. Several species of bird inhabit the park including the Hornbill and reptiles are in abundance. These animals however are not easily seen due to their shy nature combined with the extremely thick rainforest vegetation. The main reason to visit khao sok is to appreciate the world class nature and scenery of the area. We are sure that when you visit us at Elephant hills you will be stunned by the natural beauty of the area, this combined with the sound of gibbons calling in the morning will make it an experience you will never forget.