Overview
Spend a magical night in one of the famous bamboo floating bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake in the heart of Khao Sok National Park. Enjoy jungle trekking, kayaking, caving, swimming and long-tail boat trips amongst the amazing limestone cliffs. Wake in the morning to the blissful sounds of nature. This tour includes basic accommodation, meals, all activities and a local English-speaking guide.
Khao Sok Floating Bungalow Trip Itinerary – 2 Days, 1 Night
Day 1:
- Meet at the office in Ban Ta Khun at 10 am: The best way to reach the office is by taxi. A taxi pick-up an be arranged from anywhere in Southern Thailand. Please let us know when booking (in the additional information box) where you would like to be picked up from. If you do not yet have a pick-up address, you can let us know the address later. (Taxi cost is not included in the price of the trip.)
- Hop aboard your long-tail boat on the beautiful Cheow Lan Lake. You’ll be awe-struck by the incredible scenery on the boat ride to the raft house and floating bungalows – a fairytale landscape that you will never forget!
- Lunch! Arrive at your Raft House. Enjoy a tasty lunch of fresh fish from the lake and delicious vegetables. (Vegetarian options available).
- Go for a hike! Depending on the season, your guide will lead you through the jungle on a memorable trek! You will either visit the spectacular Coral Cave (with its amazing stalagmites and stalactites), climb up to an amazing viewpoint, or visit a sparkling waterfall. Experience one of the oldest rainforests in the world, spot wildlife and get sweaty!
- Evening boat safari before dinner. After returning to the raft house, go for an afternoon wildlife safari by long-tail boat to explore more of the amazing scenery and karsts. Swimming involved.
- Enjoy a delicious traditional Thai dinner and then spend overnight on the lake in the unique floating bungalows. Fall asleep to the gentle sounds of the forest. An experience like no other.
Day 2:
- After an early morning wake-up (around 6.30 am), you’ll go on a morning mist safari! Head out for a guided kayak trip (or long-tail boat ride) to see langurs leaping from trees and giant orchids in the canopy. Spot giant hornbills, monkeys, and gibbons feeding in the trees before breakfast.
- We head back to the bungalows for breakfast around 8.00 am.
- Free time: After breakfast, you can relax by the bungalows or enjoy one last swim in the emerald-green waters.
- Just after 9.00 am we will check out of the raft house.
- Enjoy a scenic boat ride back to Rachapraba Pier. Along the way, your boat driver will show you some more stunning bays and rock formations that make the lake so special. Enjoy a packed lunch along the way!
- The tour finishes at Ban Ta Khun Office at 1pm:
- From here you can make your own way via public bus/minivan or taxi to your next destination in Thailand. If you would like us to arrange a taxi for you please let us know.
Accommodation
This tour package includes a one night stay in the original floating bungalows on Khao Sok Lake. Please be aware that the bungalows are very basic and are are not perfectly sealed containers. The bathrooms are shared. Some bungalows are quite small. All are made of wood and bamboo and are ‘rustic’ (we like to say ‘charming’). Electricity on-site is limited to certain times. Example of budget raft houses used on the tour are: Krai Son Raft House and Ton Toey Raft House. Specific raft houses are chosen by the tour guide and are subject to availability and conditions.
🛌 Looking for a little more comfort?
Choose this 👉 Khao Sok Lake Superior Tour Package that includes a one-night stay in more comfortable, modern floating bungalows on Khao Sok Lake. For only $25 USD more per person, you can enjoy more comfort and private bathrooms. Perfect for couples and families. (This is by far the most popular Khao Sok Bungalow Tour.)
What’s included?
- Accommodation: 1 night in Khao Sok’s famous bamboo floating bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake.
- Food: Lunch and dinner on day 1. Breakfast and lunch on day 2. Delicious Thai food and some Western favourites. (Vegetarian and vegan food available.)
- English-speaking guide. (All of the guides are locals, who are trained experts in the area.)
- Activities: All activities mentioned in the itinerary – trekking, caving, kayaking etc.
What’s not included?
- Entrance fee to Khao Sok National Park – Must be paid upon entrance to the national park (currently 320 THB).
- Transport to and from the Khao Sok Lake office in Ban Ta Khun. (You can get here by taxi or motorbike. See taxi fares below. Please let us know if you would like us to arrange a taxi for you and where you require pick-up in the additional information box when booking.)
- Alcoholic beverages.
- Breakfast on day 1. Dinner on Day 2.
Taxi pick-up to the starting point of the tour (Ban Ta Khun Office)
The tour starts at 10 am at the Khao Sok Lake office in Ban Ta Khun which is 15 minutes away from Cheow Larn lake. The best way to get here is by taxi. A taxi pick-up can be arranged from your accommodation in Khao Sok Village or from anywhere else in Southern Thailand. You can arrange your taxi after you have reserved your place on the tour by replying the the email confirmation that you receive. If you know your pick.up address then you can add it in the ‘additional information’ box when booking.
All taxi fares below:
- From Khao Sok Village (1 hour) – 1500 THB (1-2 people), 1600 THB (3-10 people)
- From Surat Thani Train Station (1 hour) – 1400 THB (1-2 people), 1600 THB (3-10 people)
- From Surat Thani Airport (1 hour) – 1400 THB (1-2 people), 1600 THB (3-10 people)
- From Surat Thani Town (1 hour) – 1600 THB (1-2 people), 1800 THB (3-10 people)
- From Surat Thani, Tapee Pier (1.5 hours) – 1900 THB (1-2 people), 2100 THB (3-10 people)
- From Don Sak Pier (2.5 hours) – 2600 THB (1-2 people), 2800 THB (3-10 people)
- From Krabi / Ao Nang (2 hours) – 2400 THB (1-2 people), 2700 THB (3-10 people)
- From Khao Lak (2 hours) –2400 THB (1-2 people), 2700 THB (3-10 people)
- From Phuket Airport (2 hours) – 2900 THB (1-2 people), 2900 THB (3-10 people)
- From Phuket Central: Town, Surin, Bang Rong Pier (2.5 hours) – 3200 THB (1-2 people), 3400 THB (3-10 people)
- From Phuket Southern: Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai (3 hours) – 3400 THB (1-2 people), 3600 THB (3-10 people)
- From Ranong (Koh Phayam pier) (4 hours) –4600 THB (1-2 people), 4800 THB (3-10 people)
- From Koh Lanta (+100 Baht per pax for ferry ticket) (4 hours) – 4400 THB (1-2 people), 4600 THB (3-10 people)
FAQs
- What is the age range of people on this trip? The tour is specified for people aged 4-75 but most people tend to be aged between 18 and 50. (And, if you are an active 75+ year old then you are more than welcome!)
- Are children allowed? Yes, children under 9 yrs receive a discount of 500. We will apply this discount after you have made the deposit before we send the confirmation.
- I am a solo traveller, will I stay in a room alone? In the case of single travellers, we usually place them in their own room with a single occupancy charge: (600 THB extra) This is because people usually prefer to have their own room on the tour.
- What kind of food is served on the tour? The food is local Thai food made with fresh ingredients. Breakfast usually consists of: eggs, rice porridge, toast, sausages, fried rice, noodles. Lunch and dinner usually consists of steamed rice, red / green curry, omelettes, vegetable stir fry, chicken stir fry, local fish.
- Do you cater to vegans and vegetarians? Yes, upon request. Please make a note in the ‘additional information’ box when booking.
- Do you cater to allergies/specific dietary requirements? Yes, upon request. Please make a note in the ‘additional information’ box when booking.
- What should I bring with me on the trip? You should bring: Sun protection – hat, sunscreen, long sleeves, Swimsuit, Plastic bag for clothes and other dry items, Headlamp or torch, Hiking clothes – these will get dirty! Hiking shoes (we recommend tennis/running shoes), Mosquito repellent, Towel.
- I will stay in Ban Ta Khun the night before the trip. Can you recommend any hotels? Many travellers choose to spend one night in the small village of Ban Ta Khun before they embark on the tour the next morning at 10 am. For accommodation in Ban Ta Khun close to the office, we recommend staying at Takhun Mountain View and Belong Jin The Dam Resort.
- Does this tour run in the rainy season? This tour runs all year round. From June to December, (peaking in August/September), there is a higher probability of rain and all that goes with it. Some travellers will love the increased peace and quiet, the probability of coming up close to wildlife and occasionally, the chance to weather a storm whilst floating above a lake in the jungle. Other travellers may struggle with the reduced level of comfort. Travellers, know yourselves!
- What happens if it rains during the tour? Will the trek go ahead? 90% of the time, you will simply wait for the rain to subside. (Even in the rainy season, Thailand’s downpours tend to be heavy and short so the rain usually subsides in an hour or so). Occasionally, you will put on rain gear (provided by Khao Sok Lake Association) and go hiking anyway. Ever-so occasionally the guide will fill the time with a kayak trip or explanations of the local eco system. Most of the time though, the guests opt for free time as the water is quite warm and surroundings are still breathtaking even in the rain.
- I have a special requirement that isn’t covered on this page. If you have any special requirements (dietary, physical, etc.) please include these in the “additional information” box when you place your order.
Payment:
To reserve your place on this tour, you need to pay a deposit online with South East Asia Backpacker via credit or debit card. The remaining payment should be made in cash (Thai Baht) at the Khao Sok Lake Office in Ban Ta Khun village. Please be sure to visit an ATM machine before you arrive at the office. Full payment must be made before you depart on the tour.
Hi, I’m Nikki and I started South East Asia Backpacker in 2008 after my own first solo backpacking trip! My vision was to create a travel diary for everyone, a place for travellers to share their experiences from the road. After backpacking and writing about Southeast Asia for over 10 years, I saw the opportunity to provide backpackers with the kind of experiences that I’d treasured myself in the region!
Beautiful nature and wildlife! The cave was amazing..The accommodation was a bit to simple for us, something falling from the ceiling, small buggs(?). And the whole group ended up getting food poisoning on day two. The hygiene was maybe not the best.
Dear Marte. We received this reply from Austin at Khao Sok Lake:
“We are truly sorry to hear about your experience. At Khao sok Lake we are always trying to improve our services. Sometimes that means helping our local providers (the raft houses, which we do not own) improve their service which is why we have made sure that the raft house in question have updated their kitchen facilities (In this particular case, we believe that there was a malfunctioning piece of refrigeration equipment that the raft house has replaced… we believe this should prevent any further food contamination.) We appreciate your feedback and hope that the rest of your journey was free from incident.”
Hi. We loved our time at Koh Sok national park. Shout to Nikki with whom I spoke with on Whatsapp with my millions of questions regarding pick up, what’s involved, how to book a private taxi through them. The private taxi that we paid for from Khao Lak and it turned up on time and was a smooth comfortable journey. When we arrived at the office they were very organised prior trip and we waited to be collected to be taken to national park. Following this we had an absolutely great time, we did set off a bit later than planned which wasn’t great and there were some communication issues however the trip itself well worth it. We decided to stay on the floating bungalows rather than doing the caving activity just because we felt that’s how we wanted to spend our time so we weren’t feeling rushed from one activity to the next. We sunbathed and swam and kiayaked so that suited us. The lunch time food was lovely the dinner time food also nice but not quite as nice. Water provided and there’s a small on sight shop which was good for cold beers drinks and snacks etc (also really pleased they didn’t over charge for this as it would have been so easy to with no one having access to any other shops). Our hut was canny, small but basic but perfect for the adventure. The night safari was disappointing and a bit pointless if I’m very honest. We were out for a short time and then returned (although I get why for health and safety reasons). The morning safari was more exciting, seeing monkeys etc. free swimming before leaving was also good. Communication was lacking in regards to what vehicle we needdd to be in once we returned and weee waiting to go have lunch at the view point. People just hung about and there were no clear instructions. The lunch and the view point in the park was nice however, had some anxieties about what vehicle we needed to go back to to return to office. It was soon sorted but wish we had all been reassured or that the staff had kept lists as some other people on the trip one the way back wanted to stay sat together as they were going to the same area even though we knew we needed to be on that bus. Staff sorted it eventually. Over all, nice trip, beautiful views, enjoyed relaxing with no phone and kayaking etc. the staff team were lovely just could have been more communicative etc but the place itself beautiful, food nice (breakfast we didn’t eat because wasps were flying around all the jams etc), I you’re not fussed about caving and see only doing the one night I would recommend staying and chilling around the lake. It was so quiet with hardly any one around and meant we had pick of what kayaks to use (some were old and battered and broken). Hope this review makes sense, it’s only showing a small box. Thanks again
One heck of an adventure!