This is the story behind Lost Horizon Resort: a vision shaped over many years through life in Khao Sok, a passion for nature and hospitality, and the belief that travel can feel more connected, personal, and grounded in place.
Hidden between the rainforests of Southern Thailand and the limestone landscapes of Khao Sok, Lost Horizon Resort was never imagined as just another resort.
It grew from decades of living with the jungle, building with nature, and creating experiences that connect people to the landscape around them.
The story begins long before Lost Horizon itself.
A Life Shaped by Nature
The founder of Lost Horizon, Dick Sandler, first arrived in Thailand more than fifty years ago. Originally from New York, he developed an early connection to forests and the outdoors during childhood summers in Vermont and New Hampshire. That relationship with nature would later shape his life’s work.
In the 1970s, long before eco tourism became part of the global travel industry, Dick began developing nature based travel experiences in Thailand. One of his earliest projects was on the River Kwai, where he introduced floating bungalow experiences connected to the surrounding landscape rather than conventional hotel tourism.
Over the following decades, he became known as one of the early pioneers of sustainable tourism in Southern Thailand, developing projects in Krabi, Phang Nga, and eventually Khao Sok.
The Beginning of Our Jungle House
In the 1990s, Dick discovered Khao Sok, a landscape of towering limestone cliffs, rivers, and one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Rather than clearing the land for large scale development, the vision was to create a place that blended into the jungle itself.
That idea became Our Jungle House.
Treehouses and jungle bungalows were built carefully within the forest, using local materials and maintaining large areas of untouched rainforest. The philosophy was simple: low density tourism with a strong connection to nature. Guests came not for luxury in the traditional sense, but for immersion in the jungle experience itself.
At a time when mass tourism was rapidly growing across Thailand, Our Jungle House offered something very different. Nights were filled with the sounds of insects and frogs instead of entertainment systems. Open air treehouses replaced sealed hotel rooms. Nature became the main experience.
Expanding the Vision: Our Jungle Camp
As interest in Khao Sok grew, the concept expanded with the opening of Our Jungle Camp.
While still deeply connected to the rainforest, Our Jungle Camp introduced a broader family focused experience with larger accommodations, an organic farm, educational activities, and immersive nature programs for children. Bamboo structures, treehouses, and nature bungalows were designed to remain integrated into the surrounding landscape.
The resort also became known for helping shape adventure and nature tourism in Khao Sok through activities such as river tubing, bamboo rafting, guided jungle hikes, canoeing, and overnight lake experiences on Cheow Lan Lake.
More importantly, both resorts became platforms for environmental education and conservation.
Jungle Life Camp and Environmental Education
One of the most meaningful parts of the story is the creation of Jungle Life Camp, a non profit environmental education initiative connected to the resorts.
The idea was rooted in a simple belief: conservation begins with children understanding and appreciating nature.
Supported through resort operations and guest stays, Jungle Life Camp provides free nature camps and educational experiences for Thai children from different communities and backgrounds. Thousands of children have participated in programs focused on rainforest ecology, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and outdoor learning.
Children learn by being outdoors. Building shelters, identifying insects, understanding river ecosystems, creating nature art, and experiencing the rainforest directly become part of the learning process.
This educational mission continues to remain part of the wider philosophy behind the resort family today.
The Creation of Lost Horizon Resort
After decades of creating nature based stays in Khao Sok, the idea for Lost Horizon emerged from a different question: could a resort offer a stronger sense of comfort and design while still remaining deeply connected to the landscape?
That vision became Lost Horizon Resort Khao Sok.
Lost Horizon represents a new chapter in the evolution of hospitality in Khao Sok. Private villas replace treehouses, offering more space, privacy, and air conditioned comfort, while still maintaining a strong connection to nature. The resort sits between Khao Sok National Park and Khlong Phanom National Park, surrounded by rivers, jungle, and limestone cliffs.
Rather than positioning itself simply as accommodation for travelers visiting Cheow Lan Lake, Lost Horizon was designed as a destination in itself.
Experiences shape the stay. Days unfold through bamboo rafting, cycling through local villages, rainforest hikes, eco printing workshops, cooking experiences, private dinners by the river, and moments of stillness beside the water.
The architecture and atmosphere draw inspiration from old Indochine influences while remaining grounded in the natural surroundings of Southern Thailand. The resort was intentionally created around slower tropical living, where guests spend time exploring the property itself rather than rushing through activities.
More Than a Resort
Today, Lost Horizon continues the philosophy that began decades ago with a simple connection to nature.
Across Our Jungle House, Our Jungle Camp, and Lost Horizon Resort Khao Sok, the common thread remains the same: creating experiences that allow people to reconnect with landscapes, communities, and a slower rhythm of travel.
In a world increasingly shaped by fast tourism and overdevelopment, the story of Lost Horizon is ultimately about protecting what makes Khao Sok special in the first place.
The story of Lost Horizon continues with every guest who arrives, slows down, and experiences the rainforest in their own way.
Discover private villas, curated nature experiences, and a different rhythm of travel in Khao Sok at Lost Horizon Resort Khao Sok.
From the early days of jungle travel to a new generation of nature focused hospitality, the vision behind Lost Horizon continues to grow across Khao Sok.
Each place tells part of the story:
