Khao Lak (Thai: เขาหลัก, pronounced [kʰǎw làk]) is a small village in Phang Nga province, located South of the main mountain.

Tour operators like to use the popular name as location for a series of other villages, now tourist-oriented, mainly in the Takua Pa District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand.

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 Khukkhak sub-district of Takuapa district.

Travel options include flights to Phuket followed by a road journey, or direct buses and trains to nearby areas with connecting transportation to Khao Lak.

This emphasis has helped stabilize the economy in a time of uncertainty and showcases the diversity and adaptability of the economic sectors in Khao Lak.

Artifacts dating back to 1,400 years show evidence it was a significant coastal town and trading post of the ancient Maritime Silk Route.

In 1987, over nine huts were found inside cashew nut trees of Khao Lak Resort, which are one of the most beautiful areas of forest where species of Thai wildlife are a common sight.

Khao Lak was the coastal area of Thailand hardest hit by the tsunami resulting from the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

[2] The final death toll was over 4,000, with local unofficial estimates topping 10,000 due to the lack of accurate government censuses and the fact that much of the migrant Burmese population was not documented nor recognized as legal residents.

[5] Others among the casualties were well-known Finnish musician and TV host Aki Sirkesalo and his family, and Imre von Polgar, guitarist for the Swedish rock band, The Watermelon Men.

Almost four years old at the time, a young girl was swept away at Khao Lak and remained the subject of a media-covered intensive search despite being formally identified in August 2005 as a victim.

Audible warning sirens alerted the local population to the possibility of a tsunami roughly 2 hours before estimated landfall, allowing the populace to move to higher ground inland.

The Khao Lak region falls almost entirely within the Khuk Khak Sub-district (tambon) of the Takua Pa District (amphoe) of Phang Nga Province.