JUNGLE TREKKING IN KHAO SOK WITH LEECHES

Khao Sok National Park is located in the south of Thailand. It has always captured my imagination. You will find fantastic trekking, camping, and limestone karsts. There are also beautiful lakes. I have been trying to get to Khao Sok since my first visit to Thailand. But the road twists in strange ways, and I have never been able to make it.

This time I used my friends visiting and my job as a “tour guide” to convince myself that I was finally going to the park. This is the best national park in Thailand. I have been to many other beautiful ones, and I am glad I did.

Three days of being surrounded by a thick jungle, animals, and cool air were my experience. My jungle trek was the highlight of my trip. My friends and I started our day at 9:30 am. We met our guide and bought our park tickets. Then we drove to the far end. Instead of walking back along the main trail twice, we would hike 400m to see giant flowers, then head towards a waterfall to eat lunch and walk back to the main entrance.

It was all easy enough. It was a well-worn trail with a moderately strenuous day hike. It was only 11km in the jungle, so it wasn’t a walk-in. However, I expected this trek to be manageable, especially as the last half of the hike was on the main road.

I was wrong.

It is very wrong.

The hike was challenging, stressful, leech-infested, and thrilling.

It was easy to start — we hiked 400m to see giant parasitic flowers. These attach themselves to vines and then take the life out of them. They blossom after nine months and spray their seed all over the jungle. Flowers can be quite beautiful when they are in bloom.

It was easy to climb up the mountain. The trail was well-worn and offered amazing views of the surrounding jungles. I didn’t even break a sweat. We could see gibbons moving through the trees as we climbed. Seeing gibbons in Khao Sok is rare, so it was terrific. They had already moved on when I clicked my shutter, so I watched them in all their glory instead of trying to capture a shot.

Our guide said we would hike down to the waterfall once we reached the top. I thought he meant that we would be going down another trail.

I was wrong again.

The trail opened at the top of the waterfall, and our guide looked up at us. “OK, we will eat lunch, but first, we must get down. It won’t be a problem. We have ropes, and I am the first to go.”

My friends and I looked at one another hesitantly. We would have to channel our Indiana Jones spirit to reach the waterfall’s base. You may already know that heights are harrowing for me, so I chose to descend last to build up the courage never to look back.

We didn’t have to face too many steep drops, so I soon became the leader. We would rappel down ropes. We would rappel down ropes when there wasn’t a guide. Instead, we scaled the waterfall’s rocks, holding onto vines to make our way to the base.

The waterfall was alright. We had to walk downriver following the river. It sounds easy. Walking along the riverbed is usually straightforward, but it was here. There was no easy trail. We had to sometimes walk on wet rocks, climb up narrow embankments, or scale down the vines when the river was too high.

The sponges made matters worse. When I left Khao Sok, seven leeches had fallen off my legs. Some even made their way onto my arms. Unlike those in northern Thailand, these sponges were much smaller and easier to grasp than those found in Thailand. My friend saw one at the end. It had grown so large that it left a scar across his foot.

After the leech removal and the river, we were in the final stretch. It was a short walk through the bamboo forest to return to the park entrance. Another troop of monkeys greeted us as we left the park. They weren’t gibbons, but they played in the trees for a while and gave us one more exciting memory.

Our hike lasted just over eight hours. I returned to my guesthouse and took the hottest shower of my life. After that, I washed thoroughly, then collapsed on my bed.

Although tiring, the jungle trek was one of my most memorable. Khao Sok was a place I felt raw and unspoiled. The lack of trails and people makes it feel like you’re exploring the jungle for the first time. It is the best feeling to travel when you feel like you have discovered a treasure trove. It was as if you had found a secret place or a forgotten landmark. Although it may not be accurate, my passion for exploration, wonderment, adventure, and discovery are the driving forces behind my travels.

In Khao Sok, I and the jungle gave rise to that sense of adventure.

However, I could have done it without the leeches.

Logistics

• Surat Thani and Phuket are the best ways to get to the park. You can book private transport from most hotels for 2,000 Thai baht. However, you can also hire a taxi from Surat Thani to get around 1,700 baht or from Phuket to get around 2,800 baht. This is a great deal if you’re traveling with four people.
• The cost of the minibus if you travel by public bus is 240 baht one-way from Surat Thani and 320 from Phuket. The minibus will drop you at the main road leading to the park. The rest of the route will be walked.
• The entrance fee to the park is 300 baht.
• A guide can be hired from a tour operator or guesthouse for 600 baht per half-day and 1,200 for a full day. This is highly recommended because there are no marked trails. Night hiking costs 600 baht from 6–9 pm.
• Only one ATM is available in the town.
• Guest houses are available for as low as 300 baht per night. They offer basic accommodation and hot showers. The rooms are more expensive at 600 baht per person, while the luxurious rooms cost around 1,400 baht. Tents are available to rent starting at 250 baht per person for two people and 300 baht per person for four. Accessories are available for 10 baht per person: pillow, blanket, sheets, and sleeping bag for 30 baht each.