Klong Naka Wildlife Sanctuary

Klong Naka Wildlife Sanctuary protects roughly 530 square kilometres of rainforest in Ranong Province, established in 1972 and expanded in 1991, spanning the Suk Samran, Kapoe, and Kra Buri districts along the Phuket mountain range. It’s one of the larger protected forest blocks on Thailand’s Andaman coast, but its status as a wildlife sanctuary — rather than a national park — means it isn’t built for casual tourism the way Khao Sok or Khao Yai are.

Day access to the checkpoint area and nearby trails doesn’t require paperwork, and this is where hornbill sightings and forest walks are realistic for most visitors. Going deeper — trekking to the sanctuary’s interior waterfalls or camping overnight — requires a written request to the Department of National Parks’ Wildlife Conservation Office in Bangkok, submitted with enough lead time (local guidance suggests at least 15 days) for approval. Most travellers who want the fuller experience go through a tour operator who already holds standing permits and handles the logistics, rather than applying directly.

Watch out: Facilities here are minimal by design — don’t expect a national-park-style visitor centre, marked trail signage, or food stalls. Bring your own water, and check conditions before setting out in the wet season, when stream crossings on the interior trails can become difficult.

Insider Tip: If hornbills are the goal, early morning at the forest edge near the checkpoint is more reliable than a deep trek — you don’t need a permit to get a genuine wildlife sighting here.

Klong Naka sits within Ranong Province, roughly an hour from Ranong town via Phet Kasem Road. If you’re building a nature-focused itinerary in the area, Gong Valley and its coffee plantation make an easy, permit-free stop nearby, and Raksawarin Arboretum is a gentler forest walk closer to town.