Luxury Jungle Treehouse in Khao Sok Thailand

I’ve just spent 48 hours in one of Thailand’s most remote and surprisingly luxurious jungle tree houses. From trekking deep into the jungle to bamboo rafting down the river to coming face to face with monkeys, lizards, snakes, and a few things I didn’t expect.

So, where are we? We’re deep in one of the oldest rainforests on the planet. A place so wild that huge limestone cliffs rise straight out of the jungle, mist drifts across the trees in the morning, and the only sounds you hear are the gibbons calling. This rainforest is actually older than the Amazon, and it’s home to some of the rarest wildlife in Thailand.

This is Khao Sok National Park, and tucked deep into the rainforest is a collection of luxury jungle tree houses that make it feel like you’re not just visiting the jungle, you’re living inside of it. Each room is elevated above the forest floor, completely surrounded by dense greenery with open-air balconies where you can sit out and watch the jungle come to life. This is Khao Sok Boutique Camps, and it’s our home for the next 2 days. But what does a luxury jungle tree house actually look like?

So, we just arrived here at our jungle accommodation, and the first thing you notice as you pull up here is this killer view. This seating area over here, this is going to be nice to chill out and relax in. If we take a look into our room here, it’s actually quite nice inside. It’s got AC, very nice comfortable bed here with a nice welcome on it saying sawadee, hello. This is a nice place to sit down and chill out, that’s going to be pretty sweet. We got air con, which is good cuz it’s absolutely roasting hot. And if you go back in the room, it’s only a small room, but we’ve got some dressing gowns I suppose after the shower, and tea and coffee to drink over here to chill out in the morning, that would be good.

And then, I suppose what you’d probably want to know if you’re staying in a jungle tree house is what’s the bathroom like? Well, we got a pretty basic toilet, which is nice and clean and comfortable there though, and a shower place through here. But it definitely looks pretty good, pretty tidy. I actually missed it, but my wife has already seen a 4-ft snake as we were checking in. Uh, she went ahead to go get the people at reception. And whereabouts was it? It’s on the stairs. On the stairs. Hopefully, we’ll see a little bit more of that, but maybe not in the room.

Winding your way through the property, you’ll find these beautiful wooden walkways connecting each tree house and giving you incredible views across the rainforest. So, we figured we’d check out the restaurant area here, and it’s got an absolutely killer view. Then, there’s the treetop pool, one of the best spots in the entire place. You can cool off, swim, and just float there while looking out over the jungle canopy with the mountains rising up in the distance. It’s really a surreal experience swimming above the trees. And that’s what I like most about Khao Sok Boutique Camps is that no matter where you are in the hotel, whether that be in your room, the pool, the restaurant, or reception, you always have killer views of the valley below. In the evening, everything slows down at the jungle restaurant. We spent the night here eating some seriously good food, having a couple of drinks, and just taking it all in as the jungle got darker around us and the sounds of the wildlife started to take over. We called it early because the next morning, we weren’t just staying in the jungle, we were heading deeper into it.

Trekking Through Khao Sok National Park

One of the best moments of my 48 hours in Khao Sok was waking up early in the morning and watching the mist evaporate over the jungle. We just poured a coffee, watched the tropical birds fly from tree to tree, and listened to the sounds of the jungle. We had a long day trekking ahead, so we filled up on a delicious breakfast before heading away from our tree house and to the entrance of the national park.

So, we’re just about to head into the national park to do a half-day trek through the jungle. This is actually the second time that I’ve been here. The first time we came, like 4 or 5 years ago, was during COVID, and it was pretty cool. We did the full-day trek in that time, and we went to a waterfall. I think it was called Huay Sa Mo Waterfall, which is really, really cool. And we saw plenty of stuff, lots of monkeys, lots of lizards in particular. Our guide caught a flying lizard, which was really beautiful. I’d never seen that before. And yeah, it was just one of the best hikes that I’ve ever done in Thailand. So, hopefully we’re going to see the same today. As we arrived at the entrance to the national park, we met our guide for the day, a local expert who knows this jungle like the back of his hand, and more importantly, knows exactly where to find the wildlife hidden inside it.

With him leading the way, we stepped off the path and into the dense rainforest, and almost immediately we started spotting things. First up, this incredible lizard perfectly camouflaged against the trees. This is where having a guide makes all the difference because without him, we would have walked straight past most of this. Like this, you can just about see it there coiled up in the branches. That’s a pit viper snake. Pit viper, you said, right? Very poisonous. Sitting silently, completely hidden in plain sight, it really makes you realize out here, there’s way more around you than you think. You just need to know where to look.

It was here that we left the main path and headed straight into the jungle. The trekking itself wasn’t too difficult, but this is where you realize how unpredictable the jungle is. Uneven ground, slippery sections, and you’re never quite sure what you might step on. So, a good pair of hiking boots is definitely worth it if you can pack them. We made our way across a shallow river, stepping over rocks and weaving through the trees when our guide suddenly stopped and pointed to what looked like a small hole in the dirt wall. At first, it didn’t look like much, but then you look closer. Yeah, and that’s why you don’t wear flip-flops in the jungle.

It’s not all creepy crawlies though. We spotted plenty of wildlife moving through the trees, from the cheeky macaques, which you definitely need to keep an eye on unless you want them stealing your snacks, to these dusky leaf langurs calmly jumping between the branches above us. And then, just as we were walking along the path, we stumbled across this huge monitor lizard slowly roaming right in front of us like it owned the place. After about 2 and 1/2 hours of trekking through the dense jungle, we finally reached the halfway point, a simple little clearing, but it felt like an oasis. There were benches to sit down on, a small stand selling cold drinks and fresh coconuts, exactly what you need after hiking in that kind of heat. So, we took about 20 minutes to cool off, catch our breath, and just take it all in. There were some people who even jumped in the river for a quick swim to cool off. Then, it was back on the jungle path and the long walk back to the entrance to the park. After seeing some of the wildlife out there, I was definitely glad we were heading back to an air-conditioned room safely up in the treetops.

Bamboo Rafting on the Khlong Sok River

After the trek, it was time to cool off in the treetop pool before heading out for our next adventure. Okay, so after a quick recharge, it’s now on to the second activity of the day, which is bamboo rafting on the river. We hopped in a van for about a 20-minute drive deeper into the jungle, heading towards the Khlong Sok River.

As soon as we arrived, we stepped straight onto a bamboo raft with a local guide at the back quietly steering us downstream. And after the trek that morning, this was exactly what we needed. Just sitting back, drifting along the river surrounded by jungle on all sides with nothing but the sounds of nature around you. It was way more peaceful than I expected. No engines, no noise, just the gentle movement of the water and these incredible views the entire way.

For most of the journey, we didn’t see another raft. It genuinely felt like we had this whole stretch of river to ourselves. And every now and then, you’d catch a glimpse of monkeys swaying through the trees above. We’d been given a few options, tubing, kayaking, or bamboo rafting, but I’m really glad we chose this one. It just felt way more natural, slower, and quieter, like you’re properly immersed in the jungle.

About an hour in, the rain started to come down. Our guide pulled us over to a small shelter along the riverbank, lit a fire, and used bamboo to boil water for tea. And honestly, this ended up being one of my favorite moments. Just sitting there, watching the rainfall on the river with the jungle completely still around us.

Then, after about 30 minutes, the rain eased off, and we set off for the final stretch downstream.

An Evening Back at Khao Sok Boutique Camps

Back at Khao Sok Boutique Camps, it definitely felt like we’d earned those beers. We just sat there, cold drink in hand, watching the sun slowly dip behind the mountains. The jungle went quiet as the light faded.

Honestly, this was the perfect way to wrap up two unforgettable days out there.