Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

Khao Sok isn’t on every Thailand itinerary, but it was one of the highlights of our trip. In addition to having otherworldly scenery, it is a true place to unplug – with no cell service or society whatsoever. If you’re looking to connect with nature, this is the place for you.

Khao Sok isn’t the easiest place to get to or traverse, so for that reason it is difficult to separate the destination from the accommodation. Most hotels in the area offer all-inclusive packages of some sort, and where we chose to stay was no different: The Greenery Panvaree. We did a good amount of research in advance to pick accommodations that would feel as comfortable as possible (given the remote surroundings), and we have zero regrets with our decision. It was an above and beyond experience.

---

---

Hotel Review: The Greenery Panvaree

When booking with Panvaree, we opted for the two-day, one-night package. Given how much we were trying to fit into our two weeks in Thailand, this felt like the right amount of time to spend in Khao Sok. After experiencing it firsthand, we do think an extra night would have been amazing for truly unwinding—but even just one night was more than enough to appreciate how special the national park is.

Our first day started early in Krabi, where we’d stayed the night before. We arranged private transportation from Ao Nam Mao Pier to Khao Sok through Panvaree. It likely wasn’t the cheapest option, but between the roughly 2.5-hour drive and the amount of luggage the four of us had, the convenience was well worth it. Having a spacious, air-conditioned van made for a relaxed start to what would be a long travel day.

Once we arrived at the national park, we weren’t done commuting yet. From Cheow Lan Pier, we still had to take a longtail boat to reach The Greenery Panvaree. Before that, we checked in with the Panvaree staff at the pier and waited for our shared boat departure. There wasn’t much to do during the wait beyond taking in the lake views, but there are a few food and drink options at the pier if needed.

As soon as we set off on the longtail boat, it became clear that we were in for something special. Limestone cliffs rose straight out of the water in every direction, completely surrounding the lake and creating some of the most breathtaking scenery we saw in Thailand. Even though the ride to the hotel took about 45 minutes, it flew by. Approaching the hotel—floating seemingly in the middle of nowhere at the base of the cliffs—felt almost surreal.

When we docked at the raft, we were welcomed with a drink and quickly checked in. The rooms themselves were comfortable and well-appointed by any standard, especially considering the remote, floating setting. But the real highlight was the balcony. Each room has a deck with incredible views and a hammock chair that quickly became our favorite place to sit, relax, and take it all in.

Eventually, we managed to pull ourselves away from the view to head to the restaurant for our included lunch—though thankfully, the restaurant offers the same stunning scenery. The food was genuinely excellent. While it wasn’t formally presented this way, the multi-course meal was essentially all-you-can-eat, with staff frequently returning to offer more of each dish. The quality and home-cooked feel of the food pleasantly exceeded our expectations.

After lunch, our package included free time, which we put to good use. We took out the hotel’s kayaks to paddle around the surrounding area, then went for a swim in the lake. The water was colder than we expected, but still refreshing, and we lingered for a while just soaking in how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful place.

Later in the afternoon, we returned to our room to freshen up and relax on the deck before the evening’s organized boat ride. Cruising around the lake again, we admired the different rock formations and were lucky enough to spot monkeys hanging out in the trees along the shoreline.

After the boat ride, it was time for dinner—which somehow managed to top lunch. The fish, in particular, was outstanding. By that point, it was dark and the day had caught up with us, so we turned in early.

The next morning began with another guided longtail boat ride, this time focused on wildlife spotting. It took a bit of patience, but we were eventually rewarded when we came across a cove with several gibbons. While they were too far away to see clearly, hearing their calls echo across the lake was an unforgettable experience.

After returning to the raft, we enjoyed breakfast back at the restaurant—another delicious meal—before boarding the longtail boat back to the pier. That final ride felt different, as we were still processing the fact that we’d just spent 24 hours immersed in one of the most beautiful and unique places we’ve ever visited.

---

Other Tips & Tricks

• Getting to Khao Sok: The closest airport to Khao Sok is Surat Thani, located about an hour from the pier. Flight options in and out of Surat Thani can be limited, so if you’re traveling somewhere other than Bangkok before or after Khao Sok, you may need to use an alternative airport. Both Krabi and Phuket are within roughly three hours of the pier and are much easier to work into a multi-stop itinerary. To keep things simple, we recommend arranging ground transportation through your hotel; we didn’t try using Grab in Khao Sok, but it wouldn’t surprise us if options are limited.

• What to Pack: For the most part, you can pack as you would for any lake-focused stay: swimsuits, sunscreen, and comfortable clothes. Two items that are especially important to remember are bug spray and cash. While we didn’t have major issues with insects at Panvaree, we applied bug spray regularly given the presence of mosquitoes in the region. Cash is essential due to limited cell service at the hotel. We were initially told we could pay our remaining balance by credit card upon arrival (with a fee), but the card machine wasn’t working when we checked in due to weather-related connectivity issues. Fortunately, conditions improved later in the day—otherwise, we wouldn’t have had enough cash on hand to settle the balance.
  

• Arranging Accommodations: Booking Panvaree wasn’t quite as seamless as booking a typical U.S. hotel. Although the hotel has an online booking portal, the “reservation” I submitted via it never made it to the hotel, so we arranged both our rooms and ground transportation via email. While the process required a bit of trust—especially when paying via a PayPal link that didn’t clearly match the hotel’s name—it ultimately worked out without issue. The staff was responsive, helpful, and easy to communicate with throughout the process.

Happy traveling!

Kitrina & Jordan