Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VILLAGE OF THE DEAD
Ban Sok, the village on the banks of the Sok River, near the entrance to the Khao Sok National Park, has a past
so dark it had to change its name. In the 1940s a smallpox epidemic swept through Takuapa and Phuket in a vi-
cious wave of death. Populations were decimated and some chose to escape, hiking high into these limestone
mountains and hoping for the plague to pass. That was not to be, and death followed in such numbers that the
village they settled in 1944 became known as Ban Sop, or Village of the Dead. By 1961, when the road was built
to connect the Gulf Coast at Surat Thani with Phang Nga, the villagers had re-branded, naming their village Ban
Sok, which technically means nothing at all.
Sights & Activities
Khao Sok's vast terrain makes it one of the last viable habitats for large mammals. Dur-
ing the wetter months you may happen upon bears, boars, gaur, tapirs, gibbons, deer, wild
elephants and perhaps even a tiger. There are more than 300 bird species, 38 bat varieties
and one of the world's largest flowers, the rare
Rafflesia kerrii,
which, in Thailand, is
found only in Khao Sok. These giant flowers can reach 80cm in diameter.
The stunning
Chiaw Lan
sits about an hour's drive (65km) east of the visitors centre. The
lake was created in 1982 by an enormous shale-clay dam called Ratchaprapha (Kheuan
Ratchaprapha or Chiaw Lan). The limestone outcrops protruding from the lake reach a
height of 960m, over three times higher than the formations in the Phang-Nga area. Tech-
nical divers can drop into the emerald waters and glimpse ghostly stalagmites with a
number of the Khao Lak-based dive operations. Trips always start and finish at Khao
Lak, but you can also arrange to be dropped in Khao Sok afterward.
Tham Nam Thalu
cave contains striking limestone formations and subterranean streams,
while
Tham Si Ru
features four converging passageways used as a hideout by communist
insurgents between 1975 and 1982. The caves can be reached on foot from the south-
western shore of the lake. You can rent boats from local fishermen to explore the coves,
canals, caves and cul-de-sacs along the lakeshore.
Elephant trekking, kayaking and rafting are popular park activities. The hiking is also
excellent, and you can arrange park tours from any guest house - just be sure you get a
certified guide (they wear an official badge). Various trails you can hike independently
from the visitors centre lead to the waterfalls of
Sip-Et Chan
(4km),
Than Sawan
(9km) and
Than Kloy
(9km), among other destinations. The park office hands out free trail maps.
Outside the park proper,
Wat Tham Phan Turat
is worth a visit; it's known locally as the
Monkey Temple because of the monkey mob that hangs out in the trees here, which is
