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This page gives but a thumbnail sketch of
the richness and diversity of the rain forest of Khao Sok National
Park. For those interested in detailed descriptions of the forest,
we recommend that you browse the vast store of information available
on the World Wide Web as described at the end of this page.
Wildlife
The rain forest is a habitat for many species of wildlife, including
gibbons, porcupines, elephants, gaur, banteng, langur, panthers, monkeys,
snakes, lizards, bats, and birds. It contains over 370 species of
birds, 87 species of reptiles,
and 25 species of mammals. (Click
on the highlighted text to see a list of of the generic, English,
and scientific names of each wildlife group.)
Topography
Khao Sok is classified as both a tropical evergreen forest as well
as a rain forest. Rainfall occurs every month, making it Thailand's
wettest area. The heaviest rain is between May to November, with the
"dry" season extending from December to April.
The forest is dominated by tall trees underneath which are figs and
woody climbers. The ground vegetation has evergreens including bamboo,
rattan, and ferns and palms.
The mountains in the park are intersected by a range of limestone
karsts - tall (as high as 960 metres) cliff-like formations standing
majestically alone. The karsts are the leftovers of a coral reef system
that stretched across the seas of Southeast Asia millions of years
ago.
History
The Khao Sok mountains date from the Permian Carboniferous periods,
around 345 - 280 million years ago. The first human habitation arrived
in the late 1700s as refugees from the attacks by Burma on the coastal
towns along the Andaman Sea. This group survived easily with the abundance
of wild cattle, deer, and other animals in the area. They hunted,
fished, gathered wild fruits and vegetables. They also farmed, planting
rice, vegetables, and fruits.
The new settlements prospered until 1944, when an unidentified epidemic
struck and reduced the population greatly. The abandoned village where
they lived came to be called Khao Sop, or Village of the Dead. Khao
Sop was later changed to the less dreary name of Khao Sok.
Later, human beings again converged on the Khao Sok area, clearing
land, logging, and building roads. However, the area was miraculously
spared the destruction of the other wooded areas of Thailand by the
communist insurgents of the 1970s, who fled into what is now the park
area for refuge. The insurgents held off all incursions into the area
for their own defense rather than conservation reasons.
In the mid 1970s, surveys by the National Parks Division confirmed
the biodiversity of the flora and fauna, rare vegetation, and limestone
karsts, cliffs, caves, rivers, and waterfalls. In 1980, Khao Sok
was designated a National Park, and all mining and logging operations
were stopped. However, the subsequent building of a dam by the Electric
Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) resulted in flooding and the
destruction of wild life, much of which was miraculously saved. On
the positive side, the dam created a beautiful reservoir which is
a primary attraction at the park.
Accomodations
If you want to visit Khao Sok, please see the OUR
JUNGLE HOUSE page (if you haven't already) for a description of
our rooms and activities at the lodge. The lodge can arrange a guide
to take you through the park or on a river rafting trip. Click here
to book a room, to ask questions or to get additional information.
Park Location and Headquarters
Khao Sok Park is located off the Surat Thani - Takuapa highway 401
near the Kilometre 109 marker. Park headquarters is 1.3 kilometres
off the highway. Brochures, books, and other written materials about
the park are available in the office. Dormitory and camping facilities
are available at the park (although we would naturally prefer that
you stay with us at OUR JUNGLE HOUSE)
Publication References
We can recommend two excellent books. Waterfalls and Gibbon Calls,
by Thom Henley is a paperback and offers detailed information on Khao
Sok, as well as a visitor's guide. It provides more comprehensive
detail than Wild Thailand, The book is on sale in the park headquarters.
Copies of the book may be obtained by inquiring to the follows address:
Thom Henley 1996
P. O. Box 35
Krabi 81000
Thailand
The second book, Wild Thailand, by Belinda Stewart-Cox and Photos
by Gerald Cubitt, is a large "coffee-table" publication
with many beautiful photographs of the National Parks of Thailand
and some text; the book devotes a special section to Khao Sok. It
was published by New Holland Publishers Ltd. (1997), 24 Nutford Place,
London W1H6DQ, United Kingdom.
World Wide Web References
Many excellent descriptions of the park and its rain forest are available
at many world wide web locations. We recommend that, using your favorite
search engine and entering either Khao Sok (or Khao Sok - two spellings
exist) National Park and poke around yourself.
Here's an extract of a park description taken from InfoHub:
"The [monsoon] rain routine arrives by moving across the hills
and valleys. You can see it coming, but the most awesome aspect of
the setting is hearing it coming. It gives us time to put away binoculars
and sunglasses. . . . The sound itself is like a smooth constant shhhhhh
sound. The closer it gets, the louder it gets.
Kayaking is the absolute best way to view wildlife at the reservoir
in Khao Sok. Why? The jungle is thick and there aren't many trails.
. . It's difficult to walk through the jungle. . . . The shores of
the reservoir are lined with sunlight-hungry banana trees. . . Raptors
use these trees too. They make great viewing platforms for these predators.
A male Crested Serpent Eagle sat proudly on one of the trees in front
of us. He was not too concerned about us either."
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