Jungle Trekking Amongst Leeches Inwards Khao Sok
Updated: 07/07/18 | July 7th, 2018
Located inwards the S of Thailand, Khao Sok National Park has e'er held my imagination. It’s constantly rated every bit ane of the best parks inwards Thailand, amongst amazing trekking, camping, limestone karsts, cooling rivers, together with a beautiful lake. Ever since I’ve been coming to Thailand, I’ve been trying to see Khao Sok, but the route bends inwards mysterious ways, together with for ane argue or the other, I’ve never been able to build it.
But this time, I used my visiting friends together with my labor every bit “tour guide” every bit the excuse I needed to finally force myself to this park. And I’m glad I did — I’ve been to many wonderful national parks inwards Thailand, but this is ane of the best.
I spent iii days surrounded past times dense jungle, animals, together with cooling air. The highlight of my trip was the day-long jungle trek I took. Starting out belatedly inwards the morning time (9:30), my friends together with I met our guide, bought our common entrance tickets, together with drove to the far cease of the park. Instead of doubling dorsum on the principal trail, nosotros would explore some other trail, hike 400 meters to reckon some giant flowers, caput toward a waterfall, swallow lunch, together with and thence walk dorsum to the principal common entrance.
It all seemed slow enough. I envisioned a well-worn trail together with a mildly strenuous twenty-four hours hike. We were doing xi km inwards the jungle, thence it wouldn’t live a cake walk, but I didn’t anticipate that this trek would live much of a challenge, particularly since the lastly one-half was on the park’s principal road.
I was wrong.
Very wrong.
This hike was stressful, challenging, leech-infested, together with exhilarating all at the same time.
It started out slow plenty — we hiked 400 meters to see giant parasitic flowers, which attach themselves to vines, then sap the life from them to grow. After nine months, they blossom, spray their seed throughout the jungle, together with perish inside four days. However, piece inwards bloom, the flowers are a sight to see.
The hike to the top wasn’t real tough. The trail was good worn and had amazing vistas from which to persuasion the surrounding jungles, together with I didn’t intermission much of a sweat. On the agency up, nosotros caught sight of a troop of gibbons making their agency through the treetops. Gibbons inwards Khao Sok are rare to see, so it was quite amazing, particularly since I dear monkeys, though they moved also rapidly to live photographed. By the fourth dimension I clicked my camera, they had moved on, thence instead of fruitlessly capturing a photo, I only watched them inwards their glory.
When nosotros got to the top, our guide told us nosotros would hike downward to the waterfall. I assumed he meant nosotros would live heading downward some other trail.
Again, I was wrong.
Our trail had opened upwards at the top of the waterfall together with our guide looked at us. “OK, we’ll swallow lunch, but starting fourth dimension nosotros induce got to acquire down. It volition live no problem. We induce got ropes, together with I acquire first.”
My friends together with I looked at each other hesitantly. To acquire to the base of operations of the waterfall, nosotros were going to induce got to comprehend our inner Indiana Jones to rappel downward the side. As you lot may know, heights build me extremely uncomfortable, together with I opted to acquire downward lastly every bit I worked upwards the courage to never expect down.
However, nosotros didn’t run across also many steep drop-offs, together with before long I was vying to the Pb the way. We would rappel downward ropes. When in that location was no rope to guide us, nosotros scaled the rocky sides of the waterfall, belongings on to vines every bit nosotros made our agency downward to the base.
But the waterfall was non the worst of it. After lunch, nosotros had to hike downriver, next the river, which sounds pretty simple. Walking along a river bed is unremarkably non a challenge, but non here. There was no trail or slow path. Sometimes nosotros had to walk on large, moisture rocks, climb upwards the narrow embankment, or scale downward vines ane time again when the river became impassable.
And the leeches exclusively made it worse. By the fourth dimension I walked out of Khao Sok, I had taken 7 leeches off my legs, together with a few fifty-fifty industrial plant life their agency onto my arms. Luckily, different the leeches inwards northern Thailand, nigh of these leeches were modest together with slow to catch off. Unfortunately, my friend didn’t notice ane until the end, which past times together with thence had enlarged thence much, it left a scar on his foot.
After the river together with subsequent leech removal (cue The Life Aquatic jokes), nosotros were inwards the abode stretch — it was at nowadays an slow walk through a bamboo woods dorsum to the common entrance. On our agency out of the common nosotros were given a bye past times some other troop of monkeys. These weren’t gibbons (I forget their proper name), but they jumped closed to for a while, playing inwards the trees, together with gave us ane lastly exciting affair to remember.
When it was all said together with done, our hike had lasted a trivial over eight hours. Back at my guesthouse, I took the hottest shower of my life, scrubbed myself clean, together with collapsed on my bed.
Though tiring, this jungle trek was the nigh exciting inwards my recent memory. I left Khao Sok amongst a feel of rawness. Here the lack of people together with trails allow you lot experience every bit if you lot are exploring the jungle for the starting fourth dimension time. I dear the moments when you lot go that build you lot experience every bit if you lot induce got unearthed a hidden gem. As though you lot had industrial plant life somewhere or someplace long forgotten past times man. That may non live the case, but that feel of wonderment, adventure, together with exploration are what drive me on my travels.
And inwards Khao Sok, it was only me, the jungle, together with that feel of adventure.
But I could induce got done without the leeches.
Logistics
- You tin flaming acquire to the common via Surant Thani or Phuket. Most hotels volition offering you lot individual shipping for 2,000 baht, though you lot tin flaming hire a taxi from Surant Thani for closed to 1,700 baht together with from Phuket for 2,800 baht. If you lot are amongst a grouping of four, this tin flaming live a practiced bargain every bit it’s much quicker together with far easier.
- If you lot acquire past times populace bus, the minibus is 240 baht each agency from Surant Thani town together with 320 baht from Phuket. It volition drib you lot off on the principal route leading upwards to the park. You’ll induce got to walk the residual of the way.
- The common entrance fee is 300 baht.
- Hiring a guide from ane of the tour operators or guesthouses (very recommended due to the lack of marked trails) costs 600 baht for one-half twenty-four hours together with 1,200 baht for total day. Night hiking is 600 baht for half-dozen pm till nine pm.
- There is exclusively ane ATM inwards town.
- You tin flaming detect inexpensive invitee houses for 300 baht per black amongst real basic accommodation together with mutual coldness showers. Rooms acquire improve at closed to 600 baht per black together with luxurious closed to 1,400 baht per night. Tents available for rent from 250 baht for 2 people or 300 baht for 4 people. Accessories toll per person; pillow 10 baht, blanket 10 baht, sleeping handbag xxx baht, canvass 20 baht.
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