3-Day / 2-Night Private Tour at Cheow Lan Lake (Khao Sok)

The term "rainy season" can be misleading. It does not mean it rains every day. Depending on the year, there may be long dry spells lasting several days, weeks. Occasionally, some areas can even experience nearly a month without significant rainfall.

Rain often comes in short, heavy showers followed by long periods of sunshine. Multi-hour or all-day rain does occur occasionally, but it is not the norm.

To start your enquiry, simply click the green "Send enquiry" button. An enquiry page will then be created for you, where you can ask questions, provide additional information, and communicate directly with us. Every time we reply, you will receive an email notification from our system.

During the enquiry process, we aim to provide transparent and honest information about our tours and floating resort options. If a resort has any known general concerns or limitations, we will inform you so you can make an informed decision.

If/when you are ready to book, we will first reserve the room(s) at your chosen resort and then send you an invoice for the required deposit. After the deposit payment has been received, the reservation will be confirmed and we will send you the booking confirmation.

Two days before your tour starts, we will send all final details, including your guide's name and phone number, meeting location, and other important information.

If you have booked transfers with us, we will also provide the driver's details. Our driver will meet you at your hotel's lobby or another agreed meeting point, such as a different type of accommodation, airport, or pier.

Yes. This is a strictly private tour. You will not share the guide, longtail boat, or floating resort room with anyone outside your booking. Any transfers you book with us are also private.

We currently work with six floating resorts on Cheow Lan Lake: 500 Rai Floating Resort, Panvaree The Greenery, Panvaree Resort, Laguna Cheow Lan, Phupha Waree Raft House, and Sai Chon Raft House.

The resort you stay at depends on your budget, preferred room type, and availability on your travel dates. We will recommend the most suitable option based on your preferences and current availability.

Yes. You are welcome to choose your preferred floating resort, subject to room availability on your travel dates.

Yes. All floating resorts provide electricity during certain periods, but the availability and duration depend on the resort and, in some cases, the room type.

Most resorts operate electricity for limited hours, while 500 Rai Floating Resort is the only resort we work with that offers 24-hour electricity in their Villa and Suite room categories.

Yes. All floating resorts offer free Wi-Fi. However, accessibility varies between resorts; at some resorts, Wi-Fi is available only in the restaurant or common areas.

Internet access may become unavailable during storms or poor weather conditions.

For mobile data, AIS is currently the only mobile network that can be accessed from parts of Cheow Lan Lake. We recommend guests who need mobile connectivity to use an AIS SIM card.

For many visitors, yes. A 2-day/1-night tour provides enough time to experience the highlights of Cheow Lan Lake, including a boat safari, wildlife spotting, kayaking, swimming, and spending a night at a floating resort.

However, because boats normally depart the pier around 10:00 am, resorts have fixed check-in and check-out times, and most floating resorts are 40–60 minutes by boat from the pier, the actual time spent at the resort is shorter than many visitors expect. By the following morning, boats need to return to the pier in time for their next guests.

If your schedule allows, a 3-day/2-night tour offers a more relaxed experience, with extra time to enjoy the scenery, explore the lake, and increase your chances of seeing wildlife. That said, many visitors are perfectly satisfied with a 2-day/1-night tour.

Yes, to some extent. Some parts of the itinerary are fixed due to logistics, while others can be adjusted according to your preferences.

On the first day, we always visit the limestone karst formations (The 3 Rocks) and Diamond Cave. These attractions are located along the route to the floating resort, and once we pass this area, the guide cannot return later in the tour.

For a 2-day/1-night tour, the afternoon activity can be either a waterfall visit or a viewpoint visit. You can decide which option you prefer.

For a 3-day/2-night tour, there is more flexibility. You can choose the order of the main activities during the afternoon of day 1 and the morning/afternoon sessions of day 2.

Please note that for a 3-day/2-night tour, the itinerary includes a full schedule of activities. If one of the major activities is completely skipped, there may not be another included activity of similar duration to replace it, and the tour price will remain unchanged.

For both 2-day/1-night and 3-day/2-night tours, the final morning session is always an early morning safari. Due to the limited time before departure, there is not enough time for any longer activities on the last morning.

The tour normally finishes between 9:30 and 10:00 am on the final day. The exact timing depends on the resort location and the return boat schedule.

The boat must be back and ready for the next guests by 10:00 am at the latest, so we cannot extend the tour beyond this time.

If your budget and schedule allow, a 3-day/2-night tour offers a more relaxed experience and more time to enjoy Cheow Lan Lake.

A 2-day/1-night tour can feel relatively short due to the resort check-in and check-out times, as well as the 40–60 minute boat journey between the pier and many floating resorts. With an extra night, you have more time for activities, relaxing at the resort, and exploring the lake at a slower pace.

That said, many visitors find the 2-day/1-night tour sufficient, especially if they have limited time or prefer a shorter stay.

Yes. Complimentary canoes are available at all of the floating resorts we work with, with the exception of Sai Chon Raft House. At Sai Chon, canoes can be rented for 200 Baht per canoe.

Yes. People of all ages are welcome to join. However, we do not recommend these tours for babies or toddlers, particularly during the rainy season.

Most activities are suitable for the majority of visitors, but the hike to Kri Sorn Viewpoint may be too challenging for guests with weak knees, limited mobility, or families with very young children.

Yes. The cave is suitable for visitors of all ages and is easily accessible for most people. However, the staircase leading up to the cave entrance may be challenging for guests with limited mobility.

No. Night safaris by boat are not allowed on Cheow Lan Lake, as boats are not permitted to operate after sunset.

The following items are not essential but are worth considering:

• Rainwear, especially during the rainy season (longtail boats do not have rain covers)
• A waterproof bag for cameras, phones, and other electronics
• Comfortable walking shoes for hiking
• Sandals or water shoes for caves and waterfalls
• Swimwear and a towel (towels are provided by the resorts)
• Personal toiletries
• A hat and sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• A flashlight or headlamp
• Cash for national park entrance fees, drinks and snacks at the floating resort, and transfers to or from the lake, if booked separately

Mosquitoes are rarely seen on Cheow Lan Lake and are generally not an issue. It is unusual to encounter even a single mosquito during your stay.

However, when hiking to attractions on land, mosquitoes may be present. The number of mosquitoes can vary depending on the season, forest conditions, and time of day. In these areas, insect repellent can be useful, especially during wetter periods.

Yes. Most floating resorts on Cheow Lan Lake sell beer and a limited selection of other alcoholic beverages. Guests are generally welcome to consume alcohol responsibly.

Tour pricing is largely driven by floating resort rates, national park conservation fees, and the complex logistics required to operate deep inside a protected reservoir.

• Remote Access & Boat Transportation: Reaching floating raft houses requires private long-tail boat transfers, licensed captains, and high fuel usage to navigate vast water distances.
• Complex Off-Grid Logistics: Maintaining a hotel in a remote national park means every meal, fresh water supply, laundry run, and waste removal must be transported across the water by boat, alongside running self-contained solar and generator power systems.
• All-Inclusive Experience: Unlike standard Thailand tours where you pay for meals and activities separately, multi-day lake packages include round-trip land and water transfers, full-board meals, national park guides, and all activities like kayaking, wildlife safaris, and cave treks.
• High Demand & Limited Capacity: Strict environmental regulations cap the number of floating raft houses allowed on the lake. With room availability far lower than mainland hotels, high demand keeps resort rates high year-round.

Unfortunately, short-notice cancellations are generally not refundable. Regardless of which tour company or agency you book with, the cancellation policy is largely determined by the floating resort's policy. Most resorts have strict cancellation conditions, with the non-refundable period often starting at least one month before arrival.

In addition, tour operators have commitments to guides, boat operators, and other service providers, which means costs may still apply even when a guest cancels.

For these reasons, cancellations made at short notice are normally not eligible for a refund, regardless of which company you book with.

The exact cancellation period and any possible refund amount vary depending on the resort. We will always clarify the applicable cancellation policy during the enquiry process before you confirm your booking.

We are firmly opposed to businesses that keep elephants for commercial profit, including so-called "elephant sanctuaries."

We refuse to profit from the exploitation of elephants and therefore do not support or promote these businesses. In our view, they are unethical and cruel, and elephants belong in the wild rather than in captivity for tourism.

There are only a couple of truly ethical elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, one of which is WFFT in Phetchaburi Province. Most other businesses have simply renamed themselves "elephant sanctuaries" to give the impression that they are ethical, despite continuing to operate as commercial elephant attractions.

No. Hotel transfers are not included in the tour price. Our guests commonly arrive from Khao Sok village, Phuket, Khao Lak, Ao Nang, Krabi, and Surat Thani. Because transfer distances and costs vary significantly between these locations, it isn't practical to include them in a fixed tour price. Transfers can be arranged separately when you book your tour.

Our tours normally begin with visits to the Three Rocks and Diamond Cave before continuing to your floating resort for lunch. If you arrive late, you will miss these attractions, as your guide cannot return to this area later in the day. For this reason, it is important to arrive at the tour departure point on time.

If a Cheow Lan Lake tour is your first activity in southern Thailand, we recommend flying to Surat Thani Airport, which is the closest and usually the most convenient airport. We also recommend arriving at least one day before your tour to minimise the risk of travel delays.

From Khao Sok village, Khao Lak, Phuket, Ao Nang, Krabi or Surat Thani:

We recommend booking a private transfer through us. Your driver will meet you at your hotel and coordinate directly with your guide, helping to ensure a smooth arrival at the tour departure point.

If you are travelling from Bangkok or elsewhere in central Thailand, most of our guests choose the overnight train to Surat Thani. Several trains arrive between approximately 5 and 8am, making this a convenient option for continuing to the lake. Comparatively few guests travel by long-distance bus.

We strongly recommend avoiding travel to Cheow Lan Lake on the same day as your tour if you are arriving by flight or travelling from the islands.

Public transport may be available from some nearby towns. However, we do not recommend using public or shared transport to reach the tour departure point. Some journeys require changing to a second minivan, and connections are not always available. A private taxi is the most reliable way to ensure you arrive on time. Public transport is generally less of an issue after the tour.

In our experience, guests using public transport frequently arrive late for the tour, resulting in the loss of valuable morning time on the lake.

Please note that public transport services use shared minivans. These vehicles often make multiple detours to pick up and drop off passengers, so journey times can vary considerably and delays are not uncommon.

We strongly recommend avoiding public transport from Phuket, Krabi, Ao Nang, and Khao Lak. While the direct driving time is only around 2–3 hours, shared minivans often make numerous stops along the way, significantly increasing the journey time.

Furthermore, not all services continue to Cheow Lan Lake. You may need to change to another minivan or songthaew in Ban Tha Khun, and onward connections are not always available or well coordinated. Minivans and songthaews departing from Ban Tha Khun often wait until there are enough passengers before setting off.

If you prefer to travel by public transport despite our recommendation, your hotel can usually arrange it after you arrive. Most hotels work with local minivan operators, and the minivan will often pick you up directly from your hotel.

When you book a private transfer through us, we arrange it with one of our regular drivers. We have worked with many of these drivers for years, and they are familiar with our tours and the meeting point at Cheow Lan Lake. This helps make your journey to the tour start as straightforward and reliable as possible.

Yes. Guests are welcome to drive to Cheow Lan Lake Pier.

Secure paid parking is available near the pier for overnight stays. Parking costs 80 Baht per night.