Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We've compiled the best of the best in Surat Thani - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Vaguely resembling Koh Samui's Overlap Stone, this massive, gravity-defying rock hides in Surat Thani's Khiri Rat Nikhom district in the middle of the rainforest. Drive a car or ride a scooter to this rock, and you'll find yourself surrounded by nothing but rubber trees, cacti, and the calming sounds of coucal birds and the nearby waterfall.
A landscape of tall mountains, lush greenery, and small streams, this 161,000-acre park contains the most beautiful forest in Thailand. The diverse and rare wildlife that thrives here includes gaurs, bantengs, sambar deer, bears, Malayan tapirs, macaques, gibbons, mouse deer, and porcupines. Khao Sok is also one of the few places to see a rafflesia, the world's largest flower, and rare bird species such as hornbills live here. Hiking, boat rides, and night safaris are some of the activities that take place in the park.
Rain is frequent in Khao Sok, as the weather is influenced by monsoon winds from both the northeast and west—the best and driest time to visit is between December and April. Both the national park and some private resorts offer various types of lodging. Only very basic accommodations can be found in the park. But there is additional private accommodation outside the park, some of it very comfortable indeed. The bus ride (B230–B320) from the station in Surat Thani to the park takes about two hours. Minivans (B290) leave from the center of town and take around two hours. The TAT office in Surat Thani has information about the park.
Open only on Sundays, this enchanting market some 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) from the city center lies in a steaming jungle. It's not exactly a floating market—not many vendors set up stalls along the riverbank, or on boats—but there are plenty of waterways around. Bamboo huts covered with the leaves of Nipa palms sell fresh produce, as well as ready-made treats, like sticky rice-flour dumplings bathed in shredded coconut, plenty of Pad Thai, and tasty silver barb cakes. Don't miss hopping on a wooden boat for a tour down the 450 meter–long, Nipa palm–lined tunnel.
Every night the sleepy downtown turns into an electrifying street fair centered around the San Chao Night Market, which is illuminated by the lights of numerous food stalls and shop carts. The market is popular with tourists and locals, especially for the tasty seafood meals on offer.
