Off the beaten Thai track

High cliffs are turning some islets into wildlife fortress. Photos by Pierre Mercan / for China Daily

Long-hulled boats are the only way to reach hundreds of islets dotting Cheow Larn Lake.

Floating cabins made of bamboo and wood are perfect for a peaceful night with a jungle soundtrack.

You don't have to follow the sunblock-slathered tourist mob to the beach once you get to Bangkok. Pierre Mercan reports from a natural wonderland inland.

It's right in the middle of the Thai peninsula, but not too far from the beaches and islands that most tourists visit. What Khao Sok National Park offers is a special opportunity to discover the jungle. Elephant herds still roam around. Monkeys are everywhere, and easy trails allow you to meet all sorts of beautiful living creatures, from colorful bugs to incredible orchids.

If you want to go deeper in the jungle, local guides can help. This is what I did and I experienced a few extraordinary days.

The local landscape is similar to Halong Bay in Vietnam and Guilin in China. It consists of SugarLoaf mountains made of karst and covered with lush forest. It's the largest slice of virgin forest in southern Thailand and it is said to be one of the oldest in the world.

Part of the park is an artificial lake resulting from a dam built in the 1980s. The resulting lake is full of beautiful and delicious fish. Floating strings of rental cabins dot the shore for accommodation.

You reach them from the dam on a long-hulled boat and the trip provides great views: myriad islands, cliffs covered with bamboo, and forests. After an hour-long boat trip you can take a dip in the green water or explore the area by kayak.

Fresh local fish and other delicacies will be served as dinner.

Depending on the weather, you can spend a few days exploring islands and caves by following a number of trails.

If it's raining, that can be rough and even dangerous. Brooks can fast turn into roaring streams of muddy water.

Usually the trail goes along the brook. But sometimes there was no trail to be seen, so we had to follow the stream and quite often, cross it.

When it rains you can be "Khao soaked" in a few seconds. So be ready: pack and double-pack everything in waterproof bags.

The jungle is not a gentle garden. But you'll be rewarded by the sight of graceful flowers, all sorts of weird creepy-crawlies and sometimes much bigger animals such as elephants.

It's not always a good idea see them as they can attack you. Mothers with babies can be especially aggressive. Some trails around the park headquarters are off-limits because of potential encounters.

Exploring elsewhere, you might see signs of the great beasts: gigantic bamboos chewed and trampled, their shafts as wide as a human leg. Big fresh dung piles are also visible on the trail, teeming with a variety of beetles.

Elephants have long been domesticated in Thailand to work in the forest, but I saw none during my trip. Elephant-rides are also offered but not recommended even by local people since they might not be tamed.

If you compare forests in Europe to a place like Thailand, you can be impressed by the notion of "biodiversity". In five minutes along a trail, you see more creatures than in a summer in Europe.

The forest is also quite noisy. Cicadas, frogs, birds and sometimes monkeys provide the soundtrack. They are often hard to see, and it takes patience to locate them.

Such parks have come up with a new way to see nature: the night safari.

In Khao Sok National Park, you go on a boat, using a torch that is supposed to illuminate wild creatures' eyes in the dark.

Sometimes animals are obvious - owls and other raptors on our trip - and sometimes you have to trust your guide for the identification of a pair of red dots very high on a tree. Lorises, Hoolock gibbons and squirrels are all indigenous to the region.

The night soundtrack is intriguing, too. If you are lucky you'll hear gibbons calling each other. Gliding on the water at night is always an incredible feeling; even if no wildlife is to be seen you'll enjoy the trip.

Going back to the park headquarters takes about an hour by minivan. The view from the dam is impressive.

Near the headquarters there is small village. Cabins in the trees are available there and you can choose to relax for a few days enjoying the great food and Thai people's kindness.

Phuket and Surat Thani are the main destinations enroute back to civilization.

Not being crazy about the smell of suntan oil cooking chartered tourists, I chose Surat Thani and enjoyed a slow-paced city with real Thai people, night markets, orange-gowned monks asking for food in the early morning, caged bulbuls singing, and the usual potted plants that turn every corner of the street into a micro-garden.

Something not to be missed, something very Thai.

Contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

Accommodation in floating bungalows is available on Cheow Larn Lake in the Middle of Khao Sok National Park.