Khao Lak–Lam Ru National Park

What the park is

Khao Lak–Lam Ru became Thailand's 66th national park on 30 August 1991. It covers 125 square kilometres of mountain and tropical rainforest, rising to about 1,077 metres, and it is the catchment for two of Phang Nga's main rivers, the Takua Pa and the Phang Nga. The name joins the two places it was built around: the seashore at Khao Lak, which was a coastal forest park before, and the Lam Ru waterfall inland.

The headquarters and Khao Lak Beach

The headquarters sits on the coast just off Route 4 (Phetkasem Road), about 50 metres from the main road, with the Chao Pho Khao Lak shrine at the turning. It is at the southern end of the Khao Lak strip, about 33 km south of Takua Pa. Here the shore is a mix of rocky headland, boulders and sand, about 3 km of it, with a viewpoint on the Khao Lak headland. There is some shallow snorkelling off this shore, though not much.

A shop at the headquarters sells food, drinks and ice cream, open daily from 9.00 to 16.30. AIS and TRUE mobile networks work at the headquarters.

The trail to Lek Beach

The short walk most visitors do is the nature trail from the headquarters to Lek Beach, about 2 km along the coast. It follows the shoreline through the forest rather than climbing, so it suits a morning or late afternoon from a hotel on the strip.

A much longer trail runs from the headquarters inland to Ton Chong Fa waterfall, about 9 km.

Ton Chong Fa waterfall

Ton Chong Fa is a seven-tier waterfall in the forest inland from the strip, with its own ranger station. The water runs down rock faces into pools you can swim in, where small fish nibble at your feet. There are nature trails and a camping area. The Phang Nga provincial tourism office puts the fullest flow in December and January.

Lam Ru waterfall

Lam Ru, the waterfall the park is partly named after, is a five-level fall on the inland side of the park, in Kapong district, and it flows all year. It has its own ranger station too, and it is a longer trip from the coast than Ton Chong Fa.

Wildlife

Almost all of the park is tropical rainforest. Species recorded in it include oriental pied and bushy-crested hornbills, the white-bellied sea eagle and the crested serpent eagle, and among the mammals colugos, binturongs and gibbons. Most are shy, and a short walk near the headquarters is more likely to show you birds and the forest itself than large animals.

When to go

The Department of National Parks gives the best period as late December to April, the dry months on this coast. From May to December it rains often, and the waterfalls are fuller for it. The park is on land, so it is not one of the marine parks that shut from mid-May to mid-October, and it makes a good half day when the Similan and Surin trips are not running.

Fees and practicalities

Entry is charged at the park, at a higher rate for foreign visitors than for Thai visitors. Keep the receipt: rangers ask to see it. We have not found a current official fee list, and travellers report different figures, so take some cash and expect to pay at the gate.

The park runs a few bungalows near the headquarters, booked through the Department of National Parks. The park office is on +66 76 485 243.

We cover hotels along this coast — the Khao Lak beaches, Phuket and Krabi — plus a handful on Koh Samui, across in the Gulf. Start with hotels in Khao Lak, or browse every hotel we cover; prices and availability show on the partner's own site.

Planning the rest of the trip? Compare places to stay, or see what is open month by month.