Private Tour | 2-days/1-night private tour in Cheow Lan Lake
The boat prices in Cheow Lan Lake will increase from November onwards. The price difference will be 1,000 Baht for a 2D/1N tour and with 1,500 Baht for a 3D/2N tour. This price difference will add to the total price of the all displayed per person prices further below.
Situated between Khao Sok National Park and Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Cheow Lan Lake has one of the most beautiful scenic views in Thailand.
The lake deserves more than one night of stay, but if you only can stay one night, you will still be able to enjoy a few activities with this tour. If you truly want to enjoy more of the lake, then a 3D/2N tour is recommended.
With the 2-days/1-night tour in Cheow Lan Lake you will be able to see scenic rock formations, hike to a viewpoint, visit a cave, hike in the jungle, kayak, swim and drive around for wildlife watching. The tour includes a stay in a raft house of your choice, a private guide and a private boat with driver. No others will share the guide or the boat with you during the tour.
Raft house options
500 Rai Floating Resort (high-end)
500 Rai Floating Resrt is one of the best raft houses in the lake, with 15 houses/units of various sizes. It is located at the far end of the lake, between Phupha Waree and Krai Son raft houses, with one of the best views in the lake. It is the only option in the lake providing electricity 24 hours/day (deluxe option with only 12 h/day a/c powered, others 24 h/day).
Following are the room types;
| Deluxe (4 pax) | 36 ㎡ - Master bedroom with double-size bed, loft with two mattresses. 1 kayak, 5 life jackets. A/c from 6 pm to 6 am. Check-in 2pm, check-out 9:30am |
| Villa (4 pax) | 42 ㎡ - Master bedroom with double-size bed, loft with two mattresses. 1 kayak, 5 life jackets. A/c 24h/day. Check-in 2pm, check-out 9:30am |
| Family Villa (8 pax) | 72 ㎡ - 2 connecting villas, 2 master bedrooms with double-size bed, 2 lofts with 4 mattresses, a/c 24h/day, 2 kayaks, 8 life jackets. Check-in 2pm, check-out 9:30am |
| Deluxe Suite (4 pax) | 72 ㎡ - Master bedroom with double-size bed, loft with 2 mattresses, a/c 24h/day, 2 kayaks, 7 life jackets (2 sofa beds for additional 2 pax if needed). Check-in 4pm, check-out 1pm |
| Family Suite (10 pax) | 86 ㎡ - 2 master bedrooms with double-size bed, 2 lofts with 6 mattresses, a/c 24h/day, 2 kayaks, 7 life jackets (2 sofa beds for additional 2 pax if needed). Check-in 4pm, check-out 1pm |
| Honeymoon Suite (4 pax) | 92 ㎡ - Master bedroom with double-size bed, loft with two mattresses, a/c 24h/day, 2 kayaks, 4 life jackets, private swimming pool, jacuzzi. Check-in 4pm, check-out 1pm |
Panvaree The Greenery Floating Resort (high-end)
The raft house is located in the entrance of Khlong Long tributary. Compared to other optiong in the lake, Panvaree The Greenery Raft House has fewer cabins/houses which makes it a relatively quiet place even when the place is fully booked, ideal for people avoiding crowds. Quality wise it is no doubt one of the best and most popular raft houses in the lake. Electricity is provided from 5pm until 9am.
Following are the room types;
| Superior room (2 pax) | For couples or 2 adults + small child (child to share same bed as parents but quoted half price). Rooms can be with either a double bed or twin beds, unfortunately can't be chosen, either one can be booked depending on availability and other circumstances. |
| Family section (4 pax) | For families up to 4 pax, 2 storeys, 2 rooms, 1 bathroom, 1 king size bed in each room. |
The price for the rooms varies depending on week-day, week-end day or holidays.
Panvaree Resort (high-end)
Located right next to Panvaree The Greenery, Panvaree Resort has similar quality and price level with different type of bed settings, it too has less cabin/houses. The rooms gets a bit cheaper at Panvaree Resort for groups of 3 people or more.
Following are the room types;
|
Garret house king (4 pax) |
Semi-detached to a garret house queen, with a king size bed and a loft area with 2 single mattresses on the floor. |
| Garret house queen (4 pax) | Semi-detached to a garret house king, with twin beds and a loft area with 2 single mattresses on the floor. Max 4 people |
| Private garret (4 pax) | Solitary unit (not semi-detached), with twin beds and a loft area with 2 single mattresses on the floor. Max 4 people |
The price for the rooms varies depending on week-day, week-end day or holidays.
Laguna Cheow Lan Raft House
Laguna Cheow Lan Raft House is located in Khlong Long tributary, in the middle of the lake. Each room have a king size and a single bed, private bathroom, a/c, balcony and can accommodate up to 3 people. The beds are on the floor. Electricity is provided from 6pm until 6am.
(a new increased price will apply for Laguna Cheow Lan from January 2025 onwards)
Phupha Waree Raft House
Phupha Waree Raft House is set back in a private alcove just inside Klong Pey, compared to most basic raft houses in the lake it is considered a bit better option. The rooms are equipped with 2 joined queen size beds, a private bathroom, a/c, balcony and can accommodate 2-4 people. While the smaller rooms will be booked for up to 3 people, the larger rooms will be booked for 4 people. Electricity is provided from 6pm until 6-7am.
Sai Chon Raft House
Sai Chon Raft House is a cheaper alternative. While being a very basic raft house, it is still a better option when compared to most other basic options in the lake mostly because the rooms have ensuite private bathroom. The raft house is located in Khlong Long tributary of the lake, not too far from the pier. The quality is somewhere between bamboo and average options. While the smaller rooms have 1 king size bed, the larger rooms have 2 king size beds. The rooms are equipped with fan only, electricity is provided from around 6pm until 6-7am.
Unlike the other raft houses, kayaking is not free at Sai Chon Raft House, rental will cost 200 Baht per kayak. The kayak fee is optional, not included in our listed prices for Sai Chon Raft House.
Itinerary
There is no strict itinerary with our lake tours, the following itinerary is just an example. Depending on the location of your raft house, weather conditions, your preferences the itinerary may be much different. Example; you may decide to do more kayaking, skip some activities for the other, or simply just decide to relax and spend some time with friend(s)/family at the raft house.
Day 1
- 10 am pickup from Cheow Lan Lake Pier to board your long-tail boat
- Scenic tour of limestone karst formations on the way to your rafthouse
- Check in to the raft house. Enjoy a traditional Thai Lunch prepared with rich southern Thai curries, delicious local vegetables.
- Guided hike to see viewpoints on dry season or to a waterfall on rainy season (optional)
- Afternoon wildlife safari by boat
- Return to the raft house for a swim, relax and enjoy the scenery
- Enjoy a delectable dinner of fish, Thai soup, and veggies.
Day 2
- Rise before breakfast for the morning mist safari, the best time to gibbons, macaques and dusky leaf monkeys
- Alternatively explore the surrounding area by kayak
- Return to raft house for breakfast
- Depending on the raft house and it's location the tour ends around 9:30 to 10 am at the pier
Where & When?
The tour starts at Cheow Lan Lake Pier (Rajjaprabha Dam), 65 km from park headquarters. We can arrange transfer from/to Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi, Ao Nang, Surat Thani and Khao Sok village straight to tour start in the morning or transfer to the mentioned towns after the tour.
The nearest airports are Surat Thani (~1h), Krabi (~2h) and Phuket Airport (~2.5h), you are recommended to arrive to the area a day before the tour start. This tour is not recommended to start the same day when arriving from the islands or the airports.
This tour is available throughout the year.
When to book?
High seasons periods in the lake are November to mid April and mid July to end of August. Bookings for these months should be done well in advance, earliest possible. Even if some of the raft houses may still have rooms available days/weeks before, guide availability is more of a concern. The guides may get fully booked months in advance for the busiest times of the year.
Panvaree The Greenery superior rooms should be booked at least 6-12 months in advance for the busier months of the year, family rooms too may get booked far in advance.
Laguna Cheow Lan should be booked at least 3-6 months in advance for the high seasons months.
Phupha Waree can be booked a couple of months ahead, for the high seasons months they may get fully booked for most dates 1-4 months before.
Sai Chon tends to have more availability compared to the other raft houses we offer, sometimes days/weeks before. But for the certain peak dates, they too will eventually get fully booked many months before.
Tour details in short:
- Duration: 2 days/1 night
- Type: Private tour
- Price: * see the pricing table *
- Group size: 2 or more people
- Grade: Easy
- Transport: Long-tail boat
- Start: 10am (day 1)
- End: around 9:30 to 10am (day 2)
What to bring:
- Rain clothing, specially on rainy season
- Sneakers for hiking, sandals for waterfall/cave visit
- Personal toiletries
- Swimming clothing & towel
- Hat
- Flashlight
- Insect repellent
- Sunblock lotion
How much?
The tour will be led by a private guide which means no others will join you while exploring the lake and surrounding areas. The price for this tour package depends on the choice of accommodation and number of people, please see price per person further down.
The prices below do not include entrance fees to the national park.
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | Sai Chon | Phupha Waree | Laguna |
| 2 | 6,700 THB | 7,050 THB | 8,000 THB |
| 3 | 5,200 THB | 5,300 THB | 6,500 THB |
| 4 | 4,450 THB | 4,700 THB | 5,700 THB |
| 5 | 4,000 THB | 4,500 THB | 5,300 THB |
| 6 | 3,700 THB | 4,050 THB | 5,000 THB |
| 7 | 3,500 THB | 3,850 THB | 4,750 THB |
| 8 | 3,350 THB | 3,750 THB | 4,600 THB |
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | Panvaree Resort | Panvaree T. G. | 500 Rai |
| 2 | 9,700 to 11,500 THB | 9,800 to 11,300 THB | 15,600 to 31,900 THB |
| 3 | 7,800 to 9,300 THB | 9,600 to 12,000 THB | 12,700 to 21,700 THB |
| 4 | 6,200 to 7,500 THB | 7,600 to 9,350 THB | 11,300 to 17,400 THB |
| 5 | 6,900 to 8,500 THB | 8,500 to 11,000 THB | 14,100 to 14,900 THB |
| 6 | 6,400 to 7,900 THB | 6,900 to 8,700 THB | n/a |
| 7 | 5,700 to 7,100 THB | n/a | n/a |
| 8 | 5,200 to 6,500 THB | n/a | n/a |
Displayed prices are per person
Tour rates include:
- Lodging
- Guide
- Long-tail boat transportation
- Lunch and dinner on day-1, breakfast on day-2
- Drinking water
- Kayaking (not included at Sai Chon Raft House)
- Accident insurance for incidents during the tour (covering the hospital costs)
Tour rates doesn't include:
- Entrance fees to the park
- Transfer to the lake from the nearby towns
- Kayaking (only at Sai Chon Raft House, the fee is included at the other raft houses we offer)
Reviews from our guests
By: Erik | posted Wed 1 May, 2024 | Sai Chon
We had a fantastic private tour in the Khao Sok. Partly due to the good guidance and care of Bee (and the gentleman from the longtail boat)! He told us a lot about nature and animals. I would recommend anyone to visit Khao Sok.
By: Haico Van der werf | posted Mon 22 Apr, 2024 | Phupha Waree
Amazing experience! I highly recommend to anyone looking to unwind and explore some beautiful jungle in an ethical manner
By: Taylor | posted Tue 16 Apr, 2024 | Phupha Waree
We had Bee as our guide and he was truly amazing. Super funny, candid, and knowledgeable about the park. This tour (2 Day 1 night at phupha waree) was perfect for my partner and I (couple in our mid 20s) but I can see if you do not like camping or the outdoors or if you have back problems this would probably not be for you. The whole process was very streamlined and organized very well. Nothing to complain about on our end.
By: Samantha Gerken | posted Mon 8 Apr, 2024 | Phupha Waree
We had the best time! We wish we’d done 2 nights. I’ve done nothing like this so it was a new experience and one I’ll recommend to anyone that comes to Thailand. Beautiful scenery and activities and Hnum was an incredible guide, always full of energy, funny and amazing English. Couldn't have asked for anything better
By: Kirsten Smith | posted Thu 28 Mar, 2024 | Sai Chon
The beauty of the park is without question a stunning display of nature at her finest. The hut comfortable enough for one night and the food average watered down Thai food.
I was sorely disappointed to realize that I paid four times as much as everyone else who had the exact same tour and overnight stay. I didn’t realize I could have booked one from a hostel for 2500 THB and have good company the whole time. Instead I paid $300 US dollars for the opportunity to sit in a boat alone, dine alone, and hike alone. It was very isolating. My guide skipped the morning “trek” aka walk because there are so many people so we will go later and do a better one without so many people. I trusted him. Then I ended up wasting the entire day sitting around or swimming while he wanted to leave to “trek at 5pm and I said, enough - I am bored and you said we would trek and it will be dark at 6. So he said ok and we went at 3:30 on an 30’min walk in the woods. Not a trek which I expected a decent hour or two hike into the woods. My guide said, if you trust me I’ll take you out early to see the animals…ok so got up early —- with everyone else as that is the program for everyone! I felt duped. It soured my experience as I felt isolated and misled. When I booked this, I went though the park system who I thought I could trust. I said I wanted to do an overnight and asked if there was room since trip advisor only had trips from Krabi. They said yes but there was no explanation that I was paying to do the tour privately vs a group at a serious 4x premium over other options. I wasn’t told about those options. I could have done the day tour instead of overnight with friends who went the same day for even less cost and at least had the company of friends. I think the park service needs to tell the public what the options are or this is an expensive and lonely excursion.
> Tour operator's response
Hi Kirsten!
You have clearly missed the point this is a private tour, it is clearly stated in this page above this is a private tour. If you rather have booked a shared one to share with up to 12-18 people in one boat, that is really yourself to blame. There is not much we can help with the loneliness if you preferred to have others to join you, because this is a private tour.
I am not sure why you would book the very first tour you came across and then later complain about the price. It is like you go to one shop and buy an iPhone, and then the next to find out the next shop is selling a much cheaper Android variation (the cheapest one in the market), and complain to the first shop about the price difference.
Then also, you are a solo traveller. No matter if you are a solo or a couple, a guide and a boat will be at your service for 2 days, then the price won't be too different from the total price for 2 people. You can't compare a private tour price to a group tour.
Khao Sok Lake is surrounded by steep mountains and cliffs, there are no extensively long trails and longer hikes are not possible.
This is a national park, not a zoo. One can be unlucky with impressive animals sightings like elephants, gaurs etc. And the chances get smaller with a 2D/1N tour vs a 3D/2N tour.
Thanks,
By: Janice Santikarn | posted Thu 28 Mar, 2024 | 500 Rai
A wonderful one night stay at the 500 Rai raft hotel. Service, food and staff all fantastic. The only complaint is we visited when the weather was very very hot and the AC could not cope with that amount of heat. It took a long time to cool down the room - however, once it was cool, it was fine. Our guide(Hnum) was wonderful - fun, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Highly recommend this tour.
By: Philip Van Hout | posted Thu 28 Mar, 2024 | Phupha Waree
The 2 day/1 night tour was a really nice experience. The guide, Pla, was very friendly and attentfull. She brought some sticky rice sticks in bamboo and some big beers for us to enjoy. Her English was not that very good, but she could express herself so we could understand what she was saying. We had bad luck with spotting and seeing wild animals except for some small monkeys. The beds in the Phupha Waree were springy and the sheets were itchy. Therefore 4/5 stars.
By: Sheila Grosman | posted Sun 17 Mar, 2024 | Panvaree T. G.
We loved khao sok national park so much. It was definitely the highlight of our trip to Thailand. Ann was an amazing tourguide and made the experience even better. Thank you so much for your help, everything was organized perfectly! We expected it to be great but this exceeded our expectations! *
By: Tamas Fabian | posted Fri 15 Mar, 2024 | Sai Chon
It was amazing, thank you.
By: Lauren van Maanen | posted Thu 14 Mar, 2024 | Phupha Waree
The private tour was lovely, it’s all worth your money not the be in a big group. Beautiful location, food was amazing. Our guide Aon was great. Rooms are good, beds are rockhard but okay for one night.