5.8 Khao Lak: Things to Do

Khao Lak is most famous for its 25 km of beautiful beaches. However, a stay in Khao Lak offers far more than that with a wealth of places to go and things to do, including a range of tours, from cultural to adventures and expeditions.

Here is a list of some of the exciting things to do in Khao Lak:

• Visit Khao Sok National Park. Activities includes trekking, waterfalls & river rafting/canoeing around one hour’s drive from Khao Lak. Home to dense virgin jungle, tower-like limestone karst formations and the man-made Cheow Lan Lake. Visitors can spot species such as the giant parasitic Rafflesia flower, hornbill bird, gibbon and tiger, go on a hiking trail, or kayak via the Sok River.
• Diving and snorkelling trips to world-class sites in the Similan Islands and Surin Islands. The Similan Islands is a national park which consists of 11 islands. For convenience, the Thai Department of National Parks (DNP) has assigned numbers to the islands. From north to south, they are:
  • Island 11: Koh Tachai
  • Island 10: Koh Bon, also known as Koh Talu
  • Island 9: Koh Ba-ngu, also known as Koh Bayu
  • Island 8: Koh Similian
  • Island 7: Koh Hin Pousar
  • Island 6: Koh Payu, also known as Koh Pa Yu
  • Island 5: Koh Ha
  • Island 4: Koh Miang, also known as Koh Meang. Park HQ is here.
  • Island 3: Koh Payan, also known as Koh Pa Yan
  • Island 2: Koh Payang, also known as Koh Pa Yang
  • Island 1: Koh Huyong, also known as Koh Hu Yong

Boats leave from Tap Lamu Pier, about 25 minutes’ drive from Khao Lak or Kuraburi, just over an hour to the north.

The Surin Islands include 5 islands: Ko Surin Nuea, Ko Surin Tai, Ko Ri, Ko Kai and Ko Klang, with Ko Surin Nuea and Ko Surin Tai being the two main islands in the group.

Both the Similian and the Surin Islands are closed during off peak season (May – October, dates vary every year). Ko Tachai is closed indefinitely to protect its natural environment.

• Visit Takuapa Old Town to see the Sino-Portuguese architecture and wander around the quaint shops (best in the early morning), about 45 minutes’ drive from Khao Lak.
• Bang Niang Market (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons/evenings). A typical local market selling inexpensive clothing, vegetables, spices, trinkets, cheap electrical goods, watches, flowers and edible bugs!
• Turtle Conservation Unit at Thai Muang, about 50 minutes’ drive south of Khao Lak and the Royal Navy Turtle Conservation Unit on the Navy Base at Tap Lamu about 25 minutes south.
• Visit Kho Khao Island for its great beaches about 45 minutes’ drive north from Khao Lak, plus a ferry crossing.
• Tsunami Memorial at Baan Nam Khem, about a 40-minute drive north of Khao Lak.

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