We took an overnight sleeper train from Bangkok and arrived at Sutatani Railway Station early the next morning. A small restaurant diagonally opposite the station offered ride-hailing services. We and several other Caucasian tourists took a 7:15 AM minibus to Khao Sok National Park in Thailand. The journey took about 1.5-2 hours and cost 300 baht per person. The minibus dropped each passenger off at their respective hotel.
We booked the Three Tops River Huts hotel, located right at the park entrance. Our rooms and restaurant were situated by a stream. The hotel staff helped me carry my luggage to my room. The toilets and bathrooms were shared, requiring us to remove our shoes, but they were very clean. We crossed a small bridge to reach the park. The hotel provided three meals a day, but lunch took an hour to arrive.
Entering Khao Sok Park from the main gate, there's a forest hiking trail. Without a guide, we walked 3 kilometers along the dirt path by the river, where we saw monkeys and rested at a nearby stream. As a non-athletic tourist, 3 kilometers was my limit in the hot weather. Hiking enthusiasts can hire a guide for a full day or half a day. The scenery consists of tropical rainforests, bamboo groves, and streams.
The hotel offers bookings for day trips or half-day tours to the surrounding lakes, including boat rides, elephant rides, or bamboo rafting. This area is mostly populated by white tourists, with very few Chinese visitors. Those not interested in hiking shouldn't bother coming.