Private Tour | 3-days/2-nights private tour on Cheow Lan Lake
Situated between Khao Sok National Park and Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Cheow Lan Lake has one of the most beautiful scenic views in Thailand.
While a 2-day/1-night stay leaves less time for various activities due to check-in and check-out times from the floating resorts, a 3-days/2-nights tour gives a much better opportunity to enjoy more of the attractions and activities around the lake.
Activities
With the 3-days/2-nights tour at Cheow Lan Lake you will be able to see scenic rock formations, hike to a viewpoint, visit a cave, hike in the jungle, kayak and drive around at the vicinity of your resort for wildlife watching. The tour includes two nights stay at a floating resort (floating bulgalows/floating raft house) of your choice, a private guide and a private boat with driver.
Why to book a private tour?
While the group tours in the lake are conducted with larger boats shared by up to 18 people and has a fixed itinerary, no others will share the guide or the boat with you during our tours. Our tours are strictly private and flexible, our guests can decide their day-to-day activities with the their guide.
Floating resort at Cheow Lan Lake
500 Rai Floating Resort (high-end)
500 Rai Floating Resort is one of the best floating resort on Cheow Lan 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 at the lake. It is the only option at 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 |
360° Issara Floating Resort (high-end)
360° is the a brand new high-end resort opened in January 2025.
360° Issara is located at Khlong Long tributary of Cheow Lan Lake, around 40 minutes boat ride from Cheow Lan Pier, somewhere between Sai Chon and Laguna Cheow Lan. When at full capacity, the floating resort has total 10 deluxe rooms for couples, 10 triple deluxe rooms with a queen-sized and a single bed. 4 more villa rooms will be ready later this year with a king-sized bed and a sofa bed (for 2 adults and 1 child).
While the deluxe rooms will be a/c powered from 6pm until 6am, the villa rooms will be powered 24 hours/day.
The 360° Issara Floating Resort offers three seasonal pricing tiers: the lowest rates are available from May to June, higher rates apply from July to October, and the highest rates are in effect from November to April.
Panvaree The Greenery (high-end)
The resort is located at the entrance of Khlong Long tributary. Compared to other optiong on the lake, Panvaree The Greenery 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 floating resort on 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
Laguna Cheow Lan is located at Khlong Long tributary, on the middle of Cheow Lan 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.
5 of the rooms called "see view rooms" are charged at a higher rate, they are the rooms with best views, facing the mountains on the opposite coast.
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 on 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 resort, 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 resort.
Day 1
- 10 am, Board your long-tail boat at Rajjaprabha Dam (Cheow Lan Lake Pier)
- The first stop is a scenic tour of limestone karst, also called 3 rocks or Khao Sam Kloe, then to Diamond Cave
- Check in to the resort. Enjoy a traditional Thai lunch
- Depart for a guided hike to Kri Sorn Viewpoint or Bang Hoi Waterfall
- Return to the resort for a swim, relax and enjoy the scenery or late afternoon wildlife safari by boat
- Enjoy your dinner
Day 2
- Start the day with a hearty breakfast
- Set off on a morning mist/wildlife safari in long-tail boat
- Return to the raft house for some leisure time, swim, kayaking, relaxing
- After lunch, embark on a guided jungle hike
- Unwind at the raft house—swim, relax, or go kayaking
- Conclude the day with a delicious traditional Thai dinner
Day 3
- Rise before breakfast for the morning mist/wildlife in with long-tail boat
- 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 for 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: 3 days/2 nights
- 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 to10 am (day 3)
What to bring:
- Rain clothing, specially on the rainy seasons (no rain protection on longtail boats)
- Waterproof bag/cover for all your electronics in case of rain
- 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.
Optional charges;
Coral Cave Rafthing
- From 500 Rai or Phupha Waree; 2,900 Baht fixed price and 200 Baht per person entrance fee for Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary
- From Sai Chon, Panvaree Resort or Panvaree The Greenery; 1,400 Baht fixed price and 200 Baht per person entrance fee for Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife oriented tour
Although our tour is more about visiting the attractions, enjoying the scenery and water activities at the lake, our price includes a bit of safari driving around the lake in hope to see a glimpse of wildlife around.
If you wish a more wildlife oriented tour, we can arrange it for an additional 2,500 Baht for on early morning of a late afternoon session a bit further away from your resort area. Please let us know in case. The wildlife oriented tour is only suitable for the 2nd day over a 3D/2N tour and for this price, only one driving session.
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | Sai Chon | Phupha Waree | Laguna |
| 2 | 10,850 THB | 12,600 THB | 14,900 THB |
| 3 | 8,550 THB | 9,500 THB | 11,800 THB |
| 4 | 7,400 THB | 8,450 THB | 11,600 THB |
| 5 | 6,700 THB | 8,200 THB | 10,400 THB |
| 6 | 6,250 THB | 7,400 THB | 9,600 THB |
| 7 | 5,900 THB | 7,100 THB | 9,800 THB |
| 8 | 6,200 THB | 7,300 THB | 10,000 THB |
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | 360° Issara | Panvaree Resort | Panvaree T. G. |
| 2 | 15,600 to 21,300 THB | 17,300 to 19,500 THB | 16,800 to 19,500 THB |
| 3 | 13,400 to 19,000 THB | 13,800 to 16,900 THB | 17,100 to 21,000 THB |
| 4 | 12,300 to 17,900 THB | 11,000 to 12,600 THB | 13,000 to 15,800 THB |
| 5 | 11,600 to 17,200 THB | 12,400 to 14,500 THB | 15,200 to 19,100 THB |
| 6 | 11,150 to 16,800 THB | 11,600 to 13,500 THB | 11,850 to 14,600 THB |
| 7 | 10,850 to 16,500 THB | 11,900 to 13,900 THB | 12,800 to 16,000 THB |
| 8 | 11,400 to 17,200 THB | 12,000 to 14,000 THB | 12,200 to 15,100 THB |
| Price per person | |
|---|---|
| Pax | 500 Rai |
| 2 | 29,000 to 50,000 THB |
| 3 | 23,500 to 37,900 THB |
| 4 | 20,800 to 32,000 THB |
| 5 | 22,000 to 26,700 THB |
| 6 | 20,400 to 24,500 THB |
| 7 | 19,300 to 23,000 THB |
| 8 | 19,000 to 22,000 THB |
Displayed prices are per person
Tour rates include:
- Lodging
- Private guide
- Tour around the lake
- Private long-tail boat from the moment of tour start until the tour ends
- Lunch and dinner on day-1, all meals on day-2 and breakfast on day-3
- Drinking water
- Kayaking (not included at Sai Chon Raft House)
- Insurance for incidents during the tour (covering eventual hospital costs)
Tour rates doesn't include:
- Entrance fees to the park
- Transfer to the lake from the nearby hotels/towns
- Parking fee (if you have your own vehicle)
- Kayaking at Sai Chon Raft House (the fee is included at the all other resorts we offer)
Reviews from our guests
By: World Wild Hearts | posted Sun 16 Apr, 2023 | Sai Chon
A video review from one of our guests. This clip wasn't promoted by us, nor were we informed in advance about it.
Review by; World Wild Hearts
By: Sandra | posted Thu 15 May, 2025 | Phupha Waree
everything worked the way it was supposed to. accomodation was good, the food was plenty and delicious. Our guide was friendly and had a good eye for animals.
only critique: it would have been nice if the guide spoke better english, now it was basically not possible to ask questions about the animals or the forest.
overall we enjoyed our trip, thanks!
By: Gabriella Martinotta | posted Mon 5 May, 2025 | 360° Issara
Tour well organised in every single detail! 10 stars to our guide Junn and our Captain that made every second of our stay memorable, trying to find all the animals for us!
Experience highly recommended!
By: Lieta Siano | posted Sat 3 May, 2025 | Panvaree T. G.
All around was better than I was expecting and exceeded my expectations. Au, our guide was fantastic and was engaging and knowledgeable. Our boat driver was great. All pick ups and drop offs were easy and timely. Panvaree, The Greenery was charming and the food was great! Our family for 4 (2 boys aged 8 and 10) had a blast and would recommend this to anyone. We also we able to see wildlife. A fun adventure! Thanks for everything.
By: Yves Thomas Gmür | posted Fri 2 May, 2025 | Panvaree Resort
Our guide Au was very good, you can see that she is loving her job and caring about the animals and nature.
By: Luca | posted Mon 28 Apr, 2025 | 500 Rai
Amazing nature, beautiful wildlife safari and the 500 Rai resort is a great place to spend 2 wonderful nights! All this enabled by our best-in-class guide! Thank you Ham for your passion, kindness and generosity in introducing us to this astonishing place!
By: Margaretha Caroline Zwarts | posted Sun 27 Apr, 2025 | Phupha Waree
We chose the 3d2n tour to increase our chances of seeing wildlife. We're very grateful that we did and we saw many animals. We opted for the wildlife oriented add-on so we'd go somewhere a bit more remote to see rare animals. Unfortunately the boat broke down on the second day, and instead of the longer safari we joined another group on their 'regular' safari. We're fully aware that wildlife might not show regardless, but we'd really hoped to see elephants. Raom was very nice and took good care of us. He's very good at spotting animals, somtimes there's a bit of a language barrier. We were aware of this since we were informed beforehand that our guide wasn't fluent in english. The tour could be improved if the activities were discussed with us, the benefit of a private tour should be that it can be accustomed to our goals. We'd have liked more/longer safaris and less hikes. The lake house we stayed at was great (phu waree).
By: Ben Allkine | posted Mon 21 Apr, 2025 | 500 Rai
Excellent tour and well organised communication was also excellent throughout and flawless, would highly recommend this company for your tour plans
By: Michael M | posted Tue 15 Apr, 2025 | Phupha Waree
My children (13, 11) and I had an amazing time on the 3D/2N tour. Our guide Hnum (apparently there are three guides named Hnum, but ours was brilliant) really knew his stuff, perfect English, and a joyous character to be with. Took us at our own pace, we did two big treks, cooked rice in bamboo, spotted wildlife. Perfect. The accommodation (Phupha Waree) was better than expected. Negative reviews on quality seem to miss the point that you’re in a cabin, floating on a lake, in the middle of the jungle, in the middle of Thailand! Do not expect a floating chalet in the Swiss Alps! Think glamping+ and you will not be disappointed. Food was plentiful and delicious too. Yes it is expensive to have a private tour, but what a unique experience. So glad we did it. A real highlight. Thank you!
By: Amy Ford | posted Sun 13 Apr, 2025 | Phupha Waree
We had a wonderful stay! Our guide Ruam was exceptional. We saw wild elephants, monkeys, giant squirrels and bats, a wild cat, and more! Our accommodation was cozy and comfortable for three adults. This was an unforgettable experience and we would totally recommend this trip to others! Thank you to everyone at Thai National Parks for making our stay so special, and for the ease of booking and excellent communication beforehand.