TL;DR
Since June 2026 the Khao Sok National Park entrance fee is ฿200 per adult (฿100 child, 3–14) at the headquarters area and a separate ฿300 (฿150 child) for Cheow Lan Lake, plus a ฿40 pier fee. Thai citizens pay ฿40/฿20. Tickets are single-day unless you sleep inside the park. Pay cash.
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The Khao Sok National Park entrance fee, as of June 2026, is ฿200 per adult and ฿100 per child (3–14) for the headquarters area around Khao Sok village, and a separate ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child for Cheow Lan Lake, plus a ฿40 pier fee at the lake. Thai citizens pay ฿40 and ฿20. A ticket is valid for one day unless you sleep inside the park (camping or a raft house). Pay in cash.
Many blogs and tour listings still quote ฿300 for the headquarters too; that was the old foreigner rate. Here's what you'll pay, where, and whether a tour includes it.
Field notes
- Khao Sok headquarters entrycosts฿200 per adult and ฿100 per child aged 3–14
- Cheow Lan Lake entrycosts฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child, paid separately
- The Cheow Lan pier feecosts฿40 per person
- Thai citizenspay฿40 per adult and ฿20 per child
- The visitor centeris open08:00–16:30 daily, all year
Entrance Fee Details
Current Entrance Fee for Khao Sok National Park
| Area / item | Adult | Child (3–14) | Thai citizen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters area (trails, Sok River, visitor center) | ฿200 | ฿100 | ฿40 / ฿20 |
| Cheow Lan Lake | ฿300 | ฿150 | ฿40 / ฿20 |
| Cheow Lan pier cleaning fee | ฿40 | ฿40 | Varies |
| Klong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary (Coral Cave hike) | ฿200 | ฿100 | n/a |
| Camping at headquarters | ฿30 per person; tents from ฿225 a night | ||
Recent changes: Thai National Parks reports the headquarters fee at ฿200 for adults as of June 2026. Older sources, including tour companies, still say ฿300, which remains the lake fee. Tour listings usually bundle the lake numbers as "฿340 adult, ฿170 child" (fee plus pier fee).
The validity period of the entrance ticket: one day, for one area. It stays valid for multiple days only if you stay inside the park, camping at the headquarters or sleeping in a raft house on the lake. So an overnight lake tour costs one lake fee, while two day visits to the headquarters cost two tickets.
Different Fees for Tourists and Locals
Yes, there are separate fees: Thailand's national parks use dual pricing. Foreign tourists pay ฿200 (headquarters) or ฿300 (lake) per adult; Thai citizens pay ฿40 per adult and ฿20 per child in both areas.
Identification for local rates: you'll need Thai ID. Foreign residents sometimes get the local price with a Thai work permit; a Thai driving licence alone usually won't do it, according to long-term residents' guides. Special rates for children or seniors: children aged 3–14 pay half; tour operators generally treat infants under 3 as free. We found no published senior discount for foreign visitors.
Access and Attractions
Access to Cheow Larn Lake
The headquarters entrance fee doesn't cover Cheow Larn Lake (usually spelt Cheow Lan). The lake has its own ticket, ฿300 per adult, paid at the Ratchaprapha Dam pier area, plus the ฿40 pier fee. If you do both areas on different days without staying inside the park, you pay both.
Attractions available at Cheow Larn Lake: long-tail boat trips between karst pillars, raft houses and floating resorts, kayaking and swimming, caves (Diamond Cave; Coral Cave in Klong Saeng; Nam Talu, closed 1 June–30 November), and dawn and dusk wildlife safaris. Boats can't run before sunrise or after sunset.
Additional fees for lake activities: the boat itself (arranged through a tour or raft house), the ฿200 Klong Saeng ticket for Coral Cave, and optional cave add-ons on some tours (฿300 for Diamond Cave from one Krabi operator). The lake tour guide covers prices.
Additional Costs Beyond the Entrance Fee
Common additional costs:
- A guide for trails beyond the Ton Kloi checkpoint: about ฿600 for a half day, ฿900–1,500 for a full day
- Night safari: ฿600–800 per person
- River tubing: ฿300–500; guided canoe about ฿800; bamboo rafting about ฿1,200
- Lake day tour: ฿1,500–1,800; overnight: ฿2,400–2,800 (compare tour packages)
- Rafflesia hike (December–March): about ฿900
- Scooter rental: about ฿300 a day
Tips on budgeting: carry cash for every fee (there are no ATMs on the lake), ask tour operators in writing whether fees are included, and remember that a lake overnight uses one lake ticket for both days.
Conservation and Facilities
Contribution to Conservation Efforts
Entrance fees go to Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, which runs the park: ranger stations and checkpoints, trails, the visitor center, campground and the lake's controls. The park doesn't publish a project-by-project breakdown of how its fee income is spent, so we won't pretend to know one.
Why conservation matters here: Khao Sok is a real rainforest, evergreen tropical forest often described as older than the Amazon, and together with Klong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary it forms one of southern Thailand's largest protected forest blocks. It shelters wild elephants, gibbons, hornbills and the giant Rafflesia flower. Poaching has already made the helmeted hornbill rare. Fees are a small contribution; staying on trails and not feeding wildlife count too.
Paying the Entrance Fee at the Visitors' Center
The Visitors' Center sits at the park entrance at the end of Khao Sok village's main road, 1.8 km from the Highway 401 bus stop. It's open from 08:00 to 16:30 every day of the year.
The payment process: buy your ticket at the counter before walking onto the trails and keep it with you; rangers staff the checkpoint on the Ton Kloi trail. On tours, the guide usually collects fees from you in cash and pays at the counter or the lake pier. Accepted payment: bring Thai baht in cash; don't rely on cards or QR payments for foreign visitors. Night entry is possible only with a guide on a night safari, and only in the headquarters area.
Special Rates and Discounts
Discounts and Special Rates
Available discounts for groups or students: none are published for foreign visitors. Every adult pays the same rate regardless of group size, and student cards aren't recognised for a reduced fee as far as we could find.
Seasonal promotions or offers: the park fee doesn't change with the season. Tours and rooms do: travelling in the rainy season (May–October) usually means cheaper rates.
How to qualify for special rates: be a child aged 3–14 (half price), be under 3 (usually free), or be a Thai citizen or, sometimes, a resident with a Thai work permit (local rate). That's it.
Overall Cost of Visiting
Total Cost of Visiting Khao Sok National Park
An estimate of total costs per adult, including entrance and tours (September 2026):
| Trip style | Fees | Tours / guide | Rough total per adult |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY day on the headquarters trails | ฿200 | None (first 2.9 km of Ton Kloi) | ฿200 + food |
| Trails + night safari | ฿200 | ฿600–800 | ฿800–1,000 |
| Lake day tour from the village | ฿340 | ฿1,500–1,800 | ฿1,840–2,140 |
| 2-day lake overnight | ฿340 | ฿2,400–2,800 | ฿2,740–3,140 |
| 3 days: trails, night safari, lake overnight | ฿540 | ฿3,000–3,600 | About ฿3,500–4,100 + rooms and food |
The value of guided tours versus self-guided visits: can you visit Khao Sok without a tour? Yes. The headquarters trails, river and village are easy to do yourself for ฿200. Where a tour earns its price is the lake (boats and rafts are hard to arrange on arrival in high season) and wildlife (guides find it). How to visit Khao Sok National Park on a budget: walk the trails yourself, do one lake overnight with a tour, skip day trips from Phuket.
Tips for cost-effective planning: stay in the village (see where to stay), book the lake direct with a local operator, carry cash, and go in May–October if you don't mind rain. Our what to do and getting there guides fill in the rest.
FAQ
Are there tigers in Khao Sok?
No tigers have been seen in Khao Sok for decades, not even on camera traps. A few may survive in remote forest, but no trail, tour or safari will show you one. Your park fee does help protect the forest where elephants, gibbons and hornbills still live.
Is Khao Sok really worth it?
Yes, Khao Sok is really worth it, and the fees are a small part of the cost: ฿200 for the headquarters trails and ฿340 for the lake. The lake overnight is the part most travellers call unforgettable.
How long do I need in Khao Sok National Park?
You need about 2–3 days in Khao Sok National Park: a day on the headquarters trails and river, and a night on Cheow Lan Lake. If you sleep on the lake, one lake ticket covers both days.
Is Grab available in Khao Sok?
Grab isn't something you can rely on in Khao Sok; it works in larger towns such as Phuket, Krabi and Surat Thani. In Khao Sok village, guesthouses arrange taxis, and lake tours include transport to the pier.
Sources, checked September 2026: Thai National Parks (fees as of June 2026, opening hours, validity, camping), It's Better in Thailand (resident rates), Smiley Bungalows (pier fee), Monkey Mansion (Klong Saeng fee), Viagotour, Department of National Parks. Fees can change without notice; check at the counter.