On our recent travels to Thailand, we decided to return to one of our favourite places; Khao Lak. It held lots of amazing memories for us and is a very family-friendly destination. In this blog post, we have put together some of our favourite family-friendly things to do in Khao Lak. Hopefully, we will help you organise or inspire your family’s travels to Thailand. For more Thailand inspiration why not check out more posts on Thailand.
Khao Lak is very tourist-orientated with lots of local amenities, great beaches and fantastic resorts. A series of villages that in 2004 were pretty much erased by the tsunami. It remains quieter than its neighbour’s Phuket but if you are looking for a relaxing family vacation, then it’s definitely worth a stop!
Things to do in Khao Lak with kids
Boat trip to the Similian Islands
A national park in the Andaman Sea, best reached from Khao Lak. If you are interested in marine life then the Similian islands are the place to visit. You can book tours for either snorkelling, diving or just a boat ride. Take your camera and be prepared to see some of the most amazing wildlife. We dived here with manta rays, leopard sharks and turtles.
Visit the Tsunami Museum
A visit to the the International Tsunami Museum is a must when visiting Khao Lak. The museum is small but it gives you a real feel of what it must have been like during this catastrophe. There are short films you can watch as well as lots of photos during the time. The entrance fee is 100 baht, and any merchandise brought contributes to the local community. Most of the profits are donated to the victims of the Tsunami. You can finish a self guided tour in around 30 minutes so great for children in tow.
Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet Turtle Nursery
Great hands of experience, learn all about the great work they are doing to help bring turtle number up. You can feed the baby turtles as well as visit the sanctuary to learn about how they are releasing them back to the wild. The entrance is just 30 baht, However! take your passport as it’s in an army base so they won’t let you in without.
Khao Sok National Park
Not in Khao Lak per se, but very close and the best base to take a trip. Nestled in the jungle surrounding Khao Lak this is hands down our favourite place in Thailand. I would highly recommend staying here a night or two if your itinerary allows. You can stay in bamboo huts in the trees. Wild monkeys run around causing mischief and even take an overnight trip on the chiew larn lake. You’ll sleep in a floating hut and spend the dawn searching for gibbons.
Where To Stay in Khao Lak
For a convenient location and easy beach access, I would recommend the Seaview Resort Khao Lak. Set on Nang Thong Beach, a beautiful stretch of white sand and emerald blue waters. The resort is just a short stroll from the main street for all your restaurants, shops and amenities this is a great family choice.
The best time to visit Khao Lak
Khao Lak benefits from being warm all year round with an average daily temperature of 28⁰C-29⁰C. Dry season in Khao Lak is between November and February when the climate is drier and slightly cooler, making this the best time to visit for sunshine, water activities and beach weather. May to October is still very warm however it is the wet season so rain is a common sight.
Getting to Khao Lak
The closest airport to access Khao Lak is Phuket International. It is an hour and a half/two hours drive from the airport. From arrivals, outside the airport, they offer shared minibuses which are nice and cheap and once full it will depart. You can also use a taxi or book a transfer. We used Holiday Taxis for our journey as we could request a car seat and have used them lots of times before.
Food & drink in Khao Lak
There are restaurants galore in Khao Lak, everything from traditional Thai to Italian and even a McDonald’s, so you wont be short of choice. A massive recommendation is to look out for the fruit shake stalls! They will press pretty much any fruit you can imagine mixed with loads of ice and makes the most refreshing fruit frappe.
