Khao Sok National Park

The area has been settled since at least the early 19th century, and in the 1970s its caves sheltered student activists and communist insurgents. Khao Sok was declared Thailand's 22nd national park in 1980, protecting what is often described as one of the oldest rainforests in the region.

In 1982 the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand completed the Ratchaprapha Dam on the Khlong Saeng River, flooding a valley to create Cheow Lan Lake and generating power for the south. Wildlife was rescued from the rising water, though many species were affected. In 2021 Khao Sok became Thailand's seventh ASEAN Heritage Park, recognising rare species such as the Malayan tapir, the mainland serow and Rafflesia kerrii.

Khao Sok village grew around the park entrance and is now a strip of guesthouses, tour offices and small restaurants run by families from Surat Thani and Phang Nga provinces. Many guides grew up near the forest and know its plants and animals well. Around the park, rubber and oil-palm plantations are a reminder of the farming economy that surrounds the protected area, and southern Thai curries, often very spicy, are a staple of local menus.