Khao Lak

Khao Lak Travel Wiki

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Travel to Khao Lak

Best of Khao Lak

What to see and do in Khao Lak ?

There are a number of villages in Khao Lak, whose name means Lak Mountain, a peak that’s among the highest in the area. As a tourist you can explore all this and much more. Surrounded by pristine nature, Khao Lak offers visitors a chance to get away from everything, including the tourist trappings, and really enjoy a beautiful part of Thailand.

Much of the accommodation is naturally focused around the beach areas of Khao Lak, providing that quintessential Thai holiday experience: a blend of beach, ocean and rugged mountainous background. Expect to pay the most for your accommodation in Bang La On, and least in Khuk Khak, with Bang Niang somewhere in between with rates.

Khao Lak may be laidback and quiet but that doesn’t mean visitors will be lying on any one of its six beaches all day wondering what to do.

As with every coastal resort all around Thailand, scuba diving is enormously popular in Khao Lak, and there’s any number of dive centres where visitors can go out on day trips, or indeed learn to scuba dive. The waters are teeming with an abundance of colourful sea life that should not be missed.

A tour around the lush surrounding countryside that actually forms national parks is another great way to spend a day in Khao Lak. There’s an elephant centre where tourists can ride these huge but gentle creatures, and up in the mountains tourists can hop aboard a bamboo raft for a thrilling ride downriver.

Another popular activity is kayaking to the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Phang Nga Bay, which is not too far away from Khao Lak. From your vantage point offshore, you can inspect these collapsed limestone islands that are entered by eerie sea caves that lead into lagoons.

A reminder of recent terrible times in this part of Thailand lies in the form of Police Boat 813, which was picked up by the devastating Asian tsunami of 2004 and thrown 2 kilometres inland, where it rests as a monument to the tragedy in the village of Bang Niang.

If you like golf, Khao Lak has a course as well as a driving range. One thing you’re almost obliged to do, however, is have a famous Thai massage, and they’re widely available.

The nightlife in Khao Lak is not as rowdy and titillating as elsewhere in the country’s tourist areas. It’s a more sedate affair, so pull up a chair at a beach bar and have a cold, relaxing one, or two, and watch the sun go down.

About Khao Lak

Khao Lak lies in the south of Thailand on the Andaman coast. The region has taken its name from a small fishing village, which today no longer exists. From here, many divers start towards Similan Islands, where around the 9 Islands a beautiful underwater world is revealed. Those who are not interested in diving, the palm-fringed white sandy beaches of Khao Lak offers a nice alternative.

There are many day tours to different terrific highlights around the area such as to the Khao Sok National Park.

Khao Lak is located 80 km north of Phuket International Airport in Takua Pa District, Phang Nga Province and popular as a departure point for scuba diving trips to the Similan IslandsThe local population is mostly Thai, often with some Chinese ancestry.

The diversity of ethnic groups and cultural influences within and surrounding Khao Lak makes this region rich in agricultural, fishing and dry good products. Tourism is Khao Lak’s revenue generating entity; becoming Thailand’s most popular jumping-off point for the world renowned Similan Islands.

Activities and Sight-seeing

Ban Bo Dan Hot Spring

The water here is laden with minerals, which are believed to relieve the tension of both body and mind.

Phangnga Bay

The marine national park of Phang Nga Bay offers striking scenic views with a mass of limestone formations scattered around in the sea near the shore.

Similan Island

The marine national park of the Siliman Islands is a famous scuba diving spots, including rock formations.

Khao Sok National Park

The national park is located about 1 hours drive from Khao Lak and offers jungle trekking, rafting, elephant trekking. A visit to and boat ride over the scenic Rachapapa lake is a favorit adventure near the park.

Best beaches

Bangsak Beach

A popular picnic beach for locals who like to enjoy the tasty seafood specialties near the beach in one of the many small restaurants. This bay does not offer many accommodation options and is relatively remote. Therefore, this part of Koh Lak is perfect for guests who look for a quiet peaceful place.

Pakweeb Beach

Just south of Bangsak Bay is the Pakweeb Beach. Here are only a few accommodations such as the Le Meridien and Sarojin resort. Reason for this is that the beach belongs to the adjacent National Park and therefore can only be developed to a very limited extent. This has the advantage that the section is very quiet, despite its beauty and clear waters.

Khuk Khak Beach

A real recommendation is the south of Phang Nga Bay located, 3 km long Khuk Khak beach. This section is not over-developed, providing tranquility and idyll. There are also only a few resorts on site. The beautiful beach is lined with palm trees and the water quality is very good.

Bang Niang Beach

The approximately 1500 meter long stretch of beach is located south of Khuk Khak Bay. The beach has nice fine sand, ideal for swimming. The small town Baan Bang Niang is just minutes from the beach away. In the local restaurants you can enjoy a romantic sunset.

Nang Thong Beach

In front of Nang Thong Beach flat rock formations can be seen which extend far into the sea. At high tide only a small part is above the surface. At this beach the swimming is possible at high and low tide. Not far from the beach away are restaurants and shopping opportunities. Many tourists come from Sunset Beach or the northern bays to stock up with the needed items. An evening walk through the Petchakasem Road can be very entertaining.

Sunset Beach

The approximately 500 meters long Sunset beach lies between two hills. A few hundred meters from the beach it goes steeply uphill into the National Park. This bay is ideal for families since children can swim here without problems. In the north are some high-grade bungalow resorts located. On the south side two resorts are built between the beach and mountains.

Khao Lak South Beach

Here stood once the fishing village of Khao Lak, which today no longer exists. Currently the beautiful beach has only a few resorts. During monsoon season it is a little less rough than by other beaches of Koh Lak. The  mountains of the National Park protect this bay from the strong winds and there is less swell. Many tours start from the south of the beach to the Similan Islands. A little further south is the Poseidon Beach.

Getting there and getting around

When you’re travelling on a low budget, the best way to get from Bangkok to Khao Lak is to take one of the blue and white state buses. If you take a night bus from Bangkok’s Northern Bus Terminal, you will wake up there some time next morning.

If you use one of the buses leaving from Khao San Road in Bangkok, you must prepare for a trip via Surat Thani and arrival in Khao Lak will be at around 3 – 4 in the afternoon.

Local taxis or ‘sawng thaews’ go up and down but aren’t that frequent. They can be flagged down from anywhere, and if you are standing by the road looking as if you’re waiting they will honk as they approach to see if you are interested. Standard fare is 20 baht, but this may have increased to 25 or 30 baht by the time you read this or when you get there.

Best time to visit Khao Lak

Visitors to Khao Lak can expect to find the weather to be warm all year round. If really hot weather is not what you like, the cool NE monsoon season, from November through March is the least humid, and the cool breezes keep things comfortable. The average temperature is around 75°F to 89°F (24°C to 32°C) at this time. For sun lovers, the hottest time is from April through May, with temperatures ranging from 80°F to 95°F (27°C to 36°C). There are frequent short heavy thundery showers, offering welcome relief from the temperature and humidity.

June, July and August are less hot, and although the weather is generally fine, there can be brief but heavy showers, with plenty of sunshine between downpours. Temperatures range between 70°F and 90°F (20°C to 33°C). During September and early October the monsoon sets in, but even then there are long intervals of sunshine between the heavy showers.