Khao Sok Day Trip From Phuket: Park Fees and What to Expect

A Khao Sok day trip from Phuket is a lake day: you see Cheow Lan Lake, not the waterfalls and trails on the park-office side. The drive is long, so check the time in Maps for the day you go, and stay a night if you want the trails.

Pick Khao Sok if you want a lake ringed by limestone cliffs more than a beach. This page is for visitors weighing one long day from Phuket against a night near the park. If you would rather have a shorter day on the water, read the Phang Nga Bay day trip, and for a beach-and-snorkel day see the Racha Island day trip.

Khao Sok day trip from Phuket: park fee, tour price and hours

Cheow Lan Lake is the reservoir behind Ratchaprapha Dam (เขื่อนรัชชประภา), and the park charges foreigners by zone, so the lake falls under the dam-zone fee. The mountain zone around the park office costs less, and if you visit both zones on the same day you pay once, at the higher rate. Keep the ticket on you, because park officers may ask to see it.

Checked November 2026. These are the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s zone rates for the park fee. Tour prices differ by operator, so ask two or three operators what is included and compare. No opening times are published for the park, so a self-drive day starts with a phone call to the park office.

What to see at Khao Sok

Khao Sok is really two visits in one: a lake you tour by boat and a mountain side you walk. The whole park covers about 740 square kilometres, so one day from Phuket is a lake visit, not a park visit.

The lake: limestone peaks and raft houses

The reservoir holds over 100 small islands, and a leisurely boat trip is how you see the limestone peaks standing behind them. Khao Sam Kloe is a trio of limestone peaks that rise out of the water. On the dam side the park also lists the Coral Cave, the Kraisorn viewpoint and several raft houses.

The park-office side: waterfalls, trails and rafflesia

The mountain side around the park office has waterfalls, nature trails and a rafflesia trail. Rafflesia can flower any time between November and April, but a bloom lasts only 4 to 5 days, so treat seeing one as luck, not a plan.

Who it suits (and who should skip it)

• Anyone happy with a long drive in return for a day on the lake.
• Families: children pay a lower park fee than adults.
• Skip it if you want waterfalls and jungle walks. Those are on the park-office side, where the park has bungalows and tent sites, and resorts on the lake usually run a free ferry for guests on rafts.

How to get to Khao Sok from Phuket

A group tour with hotel pick-up is the simplest way, but the drive is long, so check the time in Maps for the day you go. The park office is in Surat Thani province, and the lake boats leave from the Chiao Lan Thetsaban pier, which is the name to put into Maps or show a driver.

If you drive yourself, sort the licence and insurance first with the Phuket car rental guide, and check the drive time in Maps for the day you go. Without a car, vans run from Krabi, Phang Nga and Khao Lak to the junction at the park entrance, so from Phuket you would first get to Phang Nga or Khao Lak. That route serves the park-office side, not the lake pier.

When to go and how long

The wet season at Khao Sok runs from late April to December, so the lake gets wetter from late April. If grey skies do not bother you, the Tourism Authority of Thailand sells the rainy season for the mist around the peaks and over the water.

Plan the whole day and do not book a late flight or a dinner out that evening, because a long drive back is part of the trip. For what the weather is like on the Phuket side, see the rainy season guide and the weather by month guide.

Nearby and how to combine it

Khao Sok fills a whole day, so keep other trips for another day. The Phang Nga Bay day trip gives you limestone cliffs from the sea side, the 5-day itinerary shows where a long day like this fits, and things to do in Phuket covers the rest.

If you stay a night near the park, bamboo rafting on the Khlong Sok river is the easy add-on. It runs about 3 km and takes 45 minutes or more, depending on how many swim stops you make, starts at THB 250 per person (as of February 2025), and the recommended times are morning and evening.

Before you go

• Ask two or three operators what is included, including the park fee, and compare.
• If you pay the park fee yourself, keep the ticket on you.
• If you drive yourself, phone the park office before you set off.

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Not confirmed: No opening times are published for the park. If you drive yourself, phone the park office on 0 7739 5139 before you set off. The drive time from Phuket is not confirmed, and tour prices vary by operator, so compare before you book.

General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.

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