Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 08 1892 2208;
www.goldenbuddharesort.com
; bungalows 3200-14,000B)
The area's most posh resort
attracts yoga aficionados and families keen for a secluded getaway. Accommodation is in
naturalistic-chic privately owned wooden houses rented out short- or long-term. All have
open-air bathrooms with views of the sea and the surrounding forest. There's also a dive
centre.
Future plans include an updated and renovated club house, and a group retreat centre
featuring smaller, cheaper guest rooms. At research time, renovations were scheduled to
be completed in January 2014.
Getting There & Away
There are no regular boats to Ko Phra Thong, but you could theoretically charter a long-
tail from the Khuraburi pier for around 1500B each way - boatmen are hard to find. It's
better and probably cheaper to contact your resort in advance to arrange transport.
Locals of Tung Dap village on the southern tip of Ko Phra Thong have requested that
tourists not visit their area, so please be respectful and avoid this corner.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Khao Sok National Park
If your leg muscles have atrophied after one too many days of beach-bumming, consider
venturing inland to the wondrous Khao Sok National Park (
0 7739 5025;
www.khaosok.com
;
park admission adult/child 200/100B)
. Many believe this lowland jungle - the wettest spot in Thai-
land - to be over 160 million years old, making it one of the oldest rainforests on the
globe. It features dramatic limestone formations and waterfalls that cascade through juicy
thickets drenched with rains and morning dew. A network of dirt trails snakes through the
quiet park, allowing visitors to spy on an exciting array of indigenous creatures.
The best time of year to visit is between December and April - the dry season. During
the June to October wet season, trails can be extremely slippery, flash flooding is com-
mon and leeches come out in force. However, animals leave their hidden reservoirs
throughout the wet months, so you're more likely to stumble across big fauna.
