Khao Lak

Khao Lak (Thai: เขาหลัก, pronounced [kʰǎw làk]) is a small village in the Takua Pa District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand, located south of Lak Mountain. Tour operators like to use the popular name to refer to a series of nearby villages, now primarily tourist-oriented, mainly in Takua Pa District. The name "Khao Lak" literally translates to 'Main Mountain'. This was one of the peaks used by ancient seafarers as a landmark to guide them into the safe harbor at Thap Lamu. Lak Mountain is one of the main peaks in the hilly, mountainous region (maximum height 1,050 meters (3,440 ft) in Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park. The tiny village of Ban Khao Lak, the original beach, Hat Khao Lak, and the bay of Khao Lak (Ao Khao Lak) all lie within the Lam Kaen Sub-district of Thai Mueang District. However, the name Khao Lak has now grown to enclose many other villages in the area, mostly on the northern side of the mountain in the Khuk Khak Sub-district of Takua Pa District.