Khaosok
History
The Royal Forest
Department declared Khao
Sok as the 22nd national
park of Thailand on
December 22nd, 1980.
435–380 million years
ago...(Carboniferous
period)
The erosion of the
Shan-Thai landmass
resulted in the
deposition of sediments
and pebbles into a large
river delta system.
Periodically these
deposits would slide
down the basin edge and
into the sea. Over a
period of millions of
years the sea became
shallower and thus
warmer and resulted in
good conditions for
coral and other marine
organisms to populate
the area.
280–225 million years
ago...(Permian period)
 Limestone
(calcium carbonate)
deposits began to form
as the marine life
established a coral reef
that is said to have
been five times the
length of the Great
Barrier Reef in
Australia, stretching
from China to Borneo.
This is the reason Khao
Sok and Krabi
(Thailand), Guilin
(China) and Halong Bay
(Vietnam) and Sarawak
(Borneo) have such
similar topographies.
The Karoo Ice age was
between 350 and 260
million years ago, so as
sea levels rose as a
result of ice melt, the
coral reefs grew,
keeping pace with the
water surface.
The marine ecosystem was
eventually buried under
another layer of
sediments (the end of
the ice age meant
increased rainfall and
thus increases in
erosion/sedimentation).
The resulting high
pressure from being
buried under hundreds of
metres of sediments
resulted in the
formation of the
limestone rocks we can
still see today.
136–66 millions years
ago...(Cretaceous
period)
Magmatic intrusions of
granite also formed, the
chemical reaction
between the molten
granite and sedimentary
rocks formed deposits of
tungsten and tin.
 66–3
millions years
ago...(Tertiary period)
The Indian plate
collided with the
Eurasian plate, forming
the Himalayas and
causing the landmass of
Thailand to rotate
clockwise and move south
east. The limestone,
sandstone and granitic
rocks were uplifted,
folded and faulted,
exposing them to erosion
by rain and river
waters.
Present Day
The limestone rocks have
been partially eroded,
by acidified water
(resulting from the rain
water flowing through
the rainforest leaf
litter) leaving the
beautiful karst
formations we see today.
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50000 - 37000
years ago
There is
evidence of
human
inhabitation on
Borneo between
37 000 and 50
000 years ago.
The last ice age
ended about 10
000 years ago,
meaning there
could have been
migrations (by
land) from
Borneo to
Thailand during
the period of
the ice age.
Certainly, the
habitat in both
locations was
similar enough
to support these
people. There is
also biological
evidence, for
example, the
bamboo species
Gigantochloa
balui is
normally only
found in
cultivated areas
of Borneo –
never truly
wild, yet this
species has been
discovered
growing wild on
the Thai
peninsula. It is
highly unlikely
this species
moved between
these countries
without being
carried by human
beings.
The 1800s
The first
accounts of
people living in
Khao Sok date
back to the
reign of King
Rama II, when
the Burmese
attacked south
western coastal
towns and many
local people
fled into the
jungle for
safety. As news
spread that the
region was rich
in animal life,
with fertile
fluvial soils
and good
rainfall, more
people came to
the region.
In 1994...
A deadly
epidemic swept
through the
region killing a
large number of
the population,
those who
survived moved
back out of the
area. The
village became
known as “Ban
Sop” – which
means “Village
of the Dead”,
although there
is a mountain in
the local area
known as “Khao
Sop” or “Corpse
Mountain” which
may also be the
reason the
village was
named in this
way.
In 1961...
The 401 road was
constructed
between Phun Pin
(Surat Thani)
and Takuapa (Phangnga).
This opened up
the whole area
for settlements
and plantations,
the modern
weapons and
tools that came
with the new
peoples meant
nature was in
trouble. The
logging and
mining (tungsten
and tin)
industry soon
followed, to the
cost of the
rainforest and
the Sok river,
which began to
run brown with
sediment runoff
as a result of
the soil
erosion.
In 1970s...
Thai students,
who had joined
the communist
insurgency
groups, set up a
stronghold in
Khao Sok, since
it was ideal
territory to
hide and operate
guerilla
warfare. Between
1975 and 1982
these students
not only kept
the Thai Army at
bay, but also
kept the
loggers, miners
and hunters out.
Had it not been
for this seven
year occupation,
Khao Sok’s
forests may well
have gone the
same way as much
of the rest of
Thailand’s
wilderness – up
in smoke.
Also during this
period there was
considerable
interest from
the government
and the
Electricity
Generating
Authority of
Thailand (EGAT),
since research
had shown Khao
Sok to be the
largest
watershed in
southern
Thailand.
The National
Park Division
also carried out
some research
and established
the fact there
was still
considerable
biodiversity
worth protecting
in the region.
22nd December
1980
Khao Sok
National Park
was established.
1982...
EGAT established
the Rajjaprabha
Dam – closing
off the Pasaeng
river and
creating a 165
square kilometre
lake, inside the
National Park
Boundaries.
This dam was
built to
guarantee a
source of
electricity to
the south, which
by now had
become a major
holiday
destination.
EGAT attempted
the largest
capture and
release
operation (to
save the animals
facing drowning
in the lake)
ever in
Thailand.
Unfortunately,
this operation
was largely
unsuccessful and
many of the
species captured
died from the
stress. A World
Bank study in
1995 revealed
the loss of some
52 species of
fish from the
river, because
they were not
adapted to the
deep waters of
the lake.
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