Khao Sok is perhaps the most beautiful part of Thailand. In Khao Sok you will see huge limestone cliffs, various plants and caves, waterfalls and if you are lucky, wild elephants! Khao Sok is one of the oldest rainforests in the world, and it shows. Visit this beautiful area with a two-day tour where you stay overnight at floating bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake. It is an experience never to be forgotten. Below we give you all the practical information about the two-day tour on Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok, share the schedule of the tour, the costs and a handy packing list.
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Khao Sok Village
It is good to know in advance that Khao Sok Village is slightly different from the two-day tour and Cheow Lan Lake. You stay overnight in Khao Sok Village before taking the tour. On booking.com you see many lodging options but this is so not on the lake. You can only go on the lake with a tour.
Cheow Lan Lake
This is the big lake where all the tours go. From here you will take excursions and, if you are lucky, you can even spot wild elephants. Below we show exactly what the days of the tour look like and what to expect.
Day 1: Khao Sok Village
Today you will arrive in Khao Sok. If you arrive from Surat Thani airport there are minivans waiting to take you to Khao Sok for +/- 500 baht (€13) per person. If you are coming from Phang Nga, Koh Samui or any other place, you can easily book a minivan to Khao Sok through 12GO.
Tip: Book the very finest accommodation in Khao Sok from €12 per night here. The super nice host can also arrange the two-day Cheow Lan Lake tour for you!
After arriving at your accommodation, you can relax for a while. In the evenings, Khao Sok Village is very cozy with many restaurants and bars so you can definitely spend an evening here. Be sure to sleep early, though, because most tours leave early the next day.
Day 2: Cheow Lan Lake
Around 08:30 you will be picked up by minivan. It is a one-hour drive to the pier, from where the boat leaves. Along the way, stop to buy some “snacks” at a local market. We found the offerings here very disappointing, there was only a 7-eleven where everyone bought things. Therefore, should you want to bring other snacks (fruit or the like) make sure you buy this already in Khao Sok Village. We did not find it necessary to bring extra food because there are 4 meals included in the tour.
After arriving at the pier, meet your group and guide and take a longtail boat out on the water. This is immediately your morning tour: 1.5 hours of boating and getting to know the giant limestone cliffs of Khao Sok. If you are lucky you will spot wildlife (monkeys or even wild elephants) even now. After 1.5 hours of sailing, you will arrive at your sleeping place for the night: a floating hut. It is very basic but fine for one night. You throw your things in your room and immediately join us for lunch. The food here is very good: homemade delicious curries and different kinds of vegetables.
After lunch you will have 1.5 hours of free time. You can choose to do nothing at all, read a book or just be active: have a nice swim in the lake or kayak. In the afternoon, you are expected for the activity. This depends on the tour and weather conditions. The most common actives are:
- An hour of hiking through the jungle and being taken by bamboo raft to a special cave with salt formations.
- An hour of hiking through the jungle and swimming through a cave.
- An hour hike through the jungle to a high viewpoint.
After the activity, you will rejoin the boat and begin the afternoon safari. You, along with the guide, will search for wildlife. Khao Sok National Park is home to lots of wildlife: wild elephants, gibbons, bears and even tigers. Basically, elephants are the only species occasionally spotted. Still, you have to be very lucky to spot them. On average, they are seen once every 4 days in Khao Sok.
By now it is dinner time and another delicious dinner is waiting for you. After this, it’s free time again and you can relax in your bungalow, chat with fellow travelers at the common room or play a game.
Day 3: Return to Khao Sok and civilization
06:15 your alarm clock is already up. Indeed, at 06:30 you will sail off to go on morning safari. You cruise again through the beautiful Khao Sok area and see the jungle slowly waking up. If you are lucky, you will see the monkeys bathing at the edge by the water or even elephants taking a bath. After 1.5 hours of sailing, it is time for breakfast. After this you will have some free time where you can swim or kayak and pack your gear. It is unfortunately time to leave this beautiful place. You cruise back to the pier via some scenic roads. From here you will depart again for Khao Sok Village, where you will arrive around 13:00 / 14:00 (this depends on your tour). You can choose to stay another day in Khao Sok Village to recuperate for a while or travel on immediately. The last minivan leaves Khao Sok at 4:00 pm. Check in advance the offer on 12GO and book your tickets right here.
Packing list for the overnight tour in Khao Sok
Because you will only spend one night on the water, you will carry a small backpack of gear. You can leave your large suitcase or backpack at your accommodation and pick it up the next day. What exactly should you carry in your small backpack for the two-day tour?
- 1 top and 1 t-shirt
- 1 pair of clean underpants + 1 pair of clean socks
- Shoes you can walk well on
- Bikini / swimsuit
- Sports shirt and sports shorts
- Possibly long jungle pants if you like this
- Sunscreen
- Mosquito spray
- Sunglasses
- Phone + power bank + charger
- Camera
- E-book or regular book
- Game to play in the evening
- Cash money
Where can you book the overnight tour in Khao Sok?
All accommodations in Khao Sok Village offer that you can book the tour through them. We can recommend at least two providers:
This is a wonderful accommodation to spend 1 night in before you go on the tour. The owner, Kon, is SO friendly, the very nicest person we have encountered in all of Thailand. You can book a bungalow with him from as little as €12, and you can chat with him via booking.com before you arrive so he can book a tour for you. Kon makes sure everything goes well and helps you with all your questions.
This tour is especially popular with backpackers to meet others. A number of Dutch people go along every day and there is a nice, chill atmosphere among them. Smileys’ tours are well rated and led by enthusiastic guides. Be sure to book it at least 1 or 2 weeks in advance because Smileys fills up fast!
How much does the overnight tour in Khao Sok cost?
On average, you should expect to pay a minimum of 2,500 baht (€75) for the two-day Khao Sok tour. This includes everything: transportation to and from the pier, accommodation and lunch, dinner and breakfast. The only thing you still have to pay is the national park fee of 220 baht (€6.30) per person. It seems like a lot of money but you get SO much in return and, of course, all the meals. It is well worth every euro!
You can also choose to do a day trip in Khao Sok National Park but you won’t get as good an impression of the park. A day tour, 3 to 4 hours long, costs 2,000 (€58) baht. You can then share this amount with several people, of course.
Additional information Khao Sok overnight tour
In high season (from December to February and July and August), Khao Sok is extremely crowded. The tours sell out quickly, especially the Smileys tour. This makes you sit on a boat with many people and makes it feel less special. There were even 23 of us on a longtail boat when there was only room for 20. The park can’t handle the crowds but they keep accepting people. Should you have the time make sure you do not visit Khao Sok during the high season so you can have a slightly more authentic experience. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful tour to do and is truly one of the most beautiful areas of Thailand.
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