Khao Lak national park tours: the park and its waterfalls

Khao Lak national park tours lean on the forest that gives the coast its name. That forest is Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park, which the Thai government's Phang-nga guide says was established in August 1991 and covers 78,125 rai across four districts of the province.¹ It lies 33 kilometres from Takua Pa district, and TAT counts three national parks near Khao Lak, each with tropical forest to explore.^4,5

The landscape is mountainous. The guide describes rolling mountains such as Khao Plai Bang To, Khao Mai Kaeo, Khao Saeng Thong and Khao Lak itself, all under evergreen forest.⁶ The summit reaches about 1,077 metres, and it is where the province's major rivers divide.⁷ In other words, the high ground behind the beaches is where the province's big rivers begin, which puts streams and falls within a short drive of the sea.

The forest is home to animals most visitors will never see. Hornbills, woodpeckers, bulbuls and hill mynas share the forest, says the guide, with Malayan tapir, Sumatran serow, monkeys, langurs, deer, barking deer and the great argus pheasant.⁸ The list shows how much life the forest holds, even if a half day tour only brushes its edge, and it is a good reason to walk quietly.

The home day includes the Ton Pling Waterfall with refreshments, and it is the waterfall on the home day. The shorter raft-and-turtles tour ends there with a swim, and notes that the water at Ton Pling follows the seasonal rain and can thin out or vanish between roughly February and May. It is a good reason to ask about water levels when you book for the dry months.

Other falls round out the choices. A 5 hour tour stops at the Sai Rung Waterfall for photos and possible swimming, depending on weather and water level, with an elephant sanctuary and the turtle center either side. TAT's Phang Nga article lists the Pak Wip, Sai Rai Rung and Bor Hin waterfalls inland of the beaches as a wonderful afternoon excursion.¹³ The spellings of Sai Rung differ between sources, so check the name with the operator.

The Little Amazon day ends at the Tam Nang Waterfall after a walk of about 800 meters on a gravel and concrete trail. The fall belongs to Si Phang-nga National Park. After flash floods in the rainy season the listing warns of closures lasting weeks, and the Chong Fah Waterfall is the stand-in. Farther south in the neighbouring park, the guide lists Namtok Ton Phrai, a massive waterfall from Khao Ton Yan Sai with shady forest around it.¹⁴

The park is a wild place with wild animals. On wild elephants, the wildlife conservation office, quoted by TAT, says the parks run no organised elephant-watching and that visitors stay on marked trails.²³ It adds that elephants are wild animals, not pets, and that you should keep calm and quiet if you meet one.^24,25 The Khao Lak-Lam Ru fauna list in the government guide does not name elephants.

Follow the same trail discipline for every animal. Stay on marked trails, travel in groups and avoid isolated areas at dawn and dusk, as the TAT guidance recommends for elephant habitat.¹⁷ Take a guide for the longer trails, since the government guide says one is needed.² Insect repellent matters in wet months, as TAT cautions about mosquitoes breeding in standing water.¹⁵

Dress for the forest rather than for the beach. Shoes with grip are better than flip-flops on wet rock, and a lightweight rain jacket handles an afternoon shower. Bring a towel and a spare shirt if you plan to swim, and pack water. Leave nothing behind: a clean fall is a better fall for the next group, and the animals will not thank you for plastic.