I tried in one post to make information squeeze on Khao Sok National Park and Cheo Lan Lake, which is located on its territory. Many of the posts I’ve read on the Internet I only caused confusion, because they do not contain the necessary details. Perhaps if you go on an organized tour with Phuket / Samui, then It’s not necessary to know all these nuances, but if you go independently, they are very necessary. At least while i’m I was preparing for the trip, I did not immediately find the answers to my questions
The content of the article
- 1 Important!
- 2 Khao Sok National Park
- 2.1 Jungle Tour
- 2.2 Hotels in Khao Sok
- 2.3 Point on the map where the entrance to the park
- 2.4 Excursion to the lake Cheo Lan
- 2.5 Point on the map with berth
- 3 How to get to Khao Sok from Phuket / Samui
- 3.1 By car
- 3.2 By bus
- 3.3 Taxi
Contents
Important!
If you go on a guided tour from Phuket, Samui, or Khao Lak, The information in this post is most likely not useful to you. Duplicate here in the post its recommendation – there is a good and proven Agency Alpha Travel, where you can buy a tour without problems go to Khao Sok. For the money will come out just as if you were go on your own, if not cheaper, so as to save on transportation and overnight stay. Write to them, see the description on site, pick up from the hotel and take you where you order.
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Excursion to Khao Sok →
For independent travelers. The easiest option visit Khao Sok National Park: arrive at the hotel in Khao Sok in Visitor Center area, to occupy it for a few days, climb the jungle for 2 days, go on a tour of the lake (you can one in the afternoon, you can spend the night in a house on the water, leaving things at the hotel), return to the hotel, spend the night and move further along your route the next day.
Independent travelers, as well as those who are going buy a tour on the spot in the national park, it will be useful to read my post
- First of all, it should be understood that conditionally there are two points on map, where they go to this national park: jungle and lake. These places are not near, but about 70 km from each other! Therefore, if you read someone else’s review, consider this point, and it is often not mentioned, and it seems that you need to come to one the point where all the interesting things will be immediately focused. Therefore, if you want to get around as much as possible, and visit both there and there, then you need to mortgage at least a few days.
- You should also keep in mind that when you arrive just on the lake, in splendid isolation (not a group), not a fact that you will like the price for a small trip on the lake or delivery boat to the house on the water. And in general on the pier is not a fact that will immediately buy a tour of the lake, including moving by boat, lunch, swimming in the lake, visiting the cave, etc., rather it will be individual excursion, as agreed.
- If you come to the pier yourself, the price of the boat will be Depend on your ability to bargain. Usually boatmen delivered to raft-houses and back for 2000-3000 baht (for the whole boat). You can also arrange for the same boatman to ride you from rafthouse on the lake in the morning or in the evening, brought to the cave. Usually boatmen themselves know all the places of interest to tourists and carry it for them, in the case of a visit to the cave, the boatman will also perform the role of the conductor.
- During organized tours with Phuket, you will be on the way to bring in a pair of temples with monkeys.
Khao Sok National Park
Jungle tour
Entrance to the national park 300 baht, not included tour.
The main hiking trails through the jungle of the national park (National park Khao Sok) start near the visitor center (Visitor Center) near the entrance to the national park. the main the place of interest here is the rainforest of the park itself, its rivers and waterfalls, flora and fauna. Through the tropical rainforest paved several routes. Paths through the forest pass through the hills along the riverbed. rivers and streams, past the waterfalls, of which the park’s total eight. Khao Sok waterfalls are not very spectacular, but they can swim and cool off. All of them are located in several kilometers away from the visit center.
In addition to the waterfalls in Khao Sok, you can also watch numerous caves. But we must remember that in the rain pours them.
Directly from the center’s visit, two trails begin: the large and small. Big has a length of about 7 kilometers and runs along river bed Sok. It has pointers and diagrams, it is wide and good. equipped. Taking a full route along a large trail will take almost a whole day. Especially if you turn to all waterfalls. Small trail more neglected. During and after the rain the jungle is better not to go – the trails are flooded with water, they become very slippery. On the trail leeches can also jump. So dress better in something closing. legs.
Another popular route in the park is a walk to rafflesia. These are huge flowers with a diameter of about 1 meter, which are often depicted on the tourist booklets of the park, this is one of the symbols Khao Sok and one of its main attractions. Rafflesia rather rare flower, therefore, than to search for it yourself, it’s better to go with a local guide, then a chance to find one of the main wonders of the park will be much higher.
Map of the National Park Khao Sok – you can get an idea where rafflesia
From the visitor center, trekking to Lake Cheo Lan is also possible. directly through the jungle to him closer than the road. But this option is possible only with a guide.
In addition to morning and afternoon tracks, the park hosts nightly safari. This is either a walking tour with a guide or a boat ride on lake or rafting on the river Sok on a raft or kayak. Also practically all the tourist offices in the village at the entrance offer tours by canoe rafting on rafts, tubing, riding on elephants. Excursions in the tourist Khao Sok village is sold at almost every hotel. Price everywhere about the same.
In general, there is quite a lot of information on Khao Soku in the network. If a quite interested in the details, you can read more informative The thread on the Vinsky forum, there are many in the report and in the comments. useful detailed information: The long road to rafflesia – Kao Sok, Cheo Lan.
Hotels in Khao Sok
Between the entrance to the national park where the Visitor Center is located, and highway 401 is located the bulk of the hotels, including most highway towards the lake. And when they talk about hotels Khao Sok and generally about the national park, it is usually mean exactly a place. Not Lake Cheo Lan, but this particular area. I stayed at Khaosok Treehouse Resort is a cool hotel with tree bungalows, right in the jungle, here is my detailed review of it.
In the vicinity of the lake on the way to the pier and the dam there are also hotels but there are quite a few of them, and as I understand, they are not very popular. Usually, if they spend the night on land, they spend the night near the center visit, hence they go on excursions in the jungle (for example, to the rafflesia flower), here they ride elephants and go to the lake for a 1-2-day tour, bought at the hotel. You can spend the night in the houses on the water (rafthaus). Some kind of immersion in a nature reserve where it does not catch Internet, give electricity on a schedule, and around just silence, stars and wild beasts. There are tracks alongside some rafthouses. on the national park, including rafflesia.
Hotels on land (which is about the visit of the center, which is near the lake) can be easy to book through RoomGuru – highly recommend this resource with self-planning vacation. According to its functionality, it It is on a par with the best in this segment, and there are often come across more lucrative offers. For ease of familiarizing with the service, here You have a green button with a direct link to the meta search engine.
Hotels on Khao Sok →
But with the rafthouse more difficult. Cottages on the lake Cheo Lan divided into owned by the park administration and private. Now floating hotels there are already about 20 pieces. Reserve a bungalow national park can be through the official website of national parks of Thailand or location in the office of the national park. The rest of the bungalows are reserved. through Thai travel agencies.
Prices per day in floating bungalows start at 500 baht with man (the cheapest – bungalows owned by the administration national park), for private bungalows the price starts from 1000 baht per person per night. The most expensive bungalows – up to 5,000 baht per person. AT The cost also includes three meals. In the most simple bungalows there are neither amenities nor furniture itself, only mattresses on the floor. AT more expensive houses conditions closer to civilization. The bungalow, though floating, is still not in the middle of the lake, rather near the shore. Everyone who spent the night in a hut on the lake among jungle, they say that it was one of the most vivid impressions trips and taking a two-day overnight tour is definitely worth it.
Map of hotels on Lake Cheo Lan
Houses on the water (rafthouse), toilet on land
Inside the house on the water, maybe both better and worse
Point on the map where the entrance to the park
Most hotels are located on the way from highway 401 to this points.
Excursion to the lake Cheo Lan
Entrance to the national park 300 baht, not included tour.
The easiest and cheapest option to visit the lake is to buy Group tour in one of the hotels of Khao Sok. As I wrote above, Tours are usually bought at hotels near the visit center. In my opinion this option gives much more freedom than buying a tour directly on Phuket / Samui and akin to self traveling. Because you can decide how much you need time to walk through the jungle, how much time to the lake, how much overnight at the hotel, how to get to Khao Sok and from where. With a trip to Cheo Lan with a tour from Khao Sok, things can be left in minibus, which carries from the hotel to the lake. This also applies to baggage, if after the tour you are going to go by bus farther.
I did the same: arrived at the hotel in the evening, bought a tour on the lake for tomorrow, and then after the lake I moved on about my business. Since I was in my car, I agreed that I was going from the hotel to the pier for the transfer minibus, and then at the end of the lake excursions minibass leaves without me back to the hotel, and I’m going to side Suratkhani on its route.
- One day tour to Cheo Lan Lake costs 1500 baht and includes a transfer from the hotel to the pier (start at 8:30 from the hotel), boat trip on the lake, lunch in the rafathouse, jungle trekking and visiting the cave (all together 3 hours), return journey by boat and transfer to the hotel (usually by 18:00 return). The scheme is worked out, the cost is adequate and almost always There are empty seats. This option is ideal for singles and couples alike. how to save on the whole event. If you take the boat to dock yourself, then just a couple of hours trip around the lake It will cost 1000-2000 baht per boat. Here read how I went on a tour of Cheo Lan, just for a day.
- Two day tour to Cheo Lan lake costs 2500 baht and includes another overnight stay on the lake in unpretentious bungalow right on the water. After settling in rafthouses it is possible so called night safari – boat trip on the lake and dinner in floating hotel. The second day (a little before dawn) begins with morning lake safari from a floating hotel, then tourists return to the hotel for breakfast, then – track to the cave, lunch at rafthouse You can also swim, rent a houseboat. small kayak. There may also be something else in the program, a visit Viewpoint, waterfall. There is a kind of two-day tour with overnight in tents for 2000 baht.
- Alternatively, you can book a tour from the pathos rafthouse 500 Rai Khao Sok Floating (not through the booking system, but on the website). It will cost, for example, 9900 baht for a two-day tour. I am for I myself did not consider this option initially, so I will not tell details, but on their website all infa is. Day tour with them also costs 1,500 baht, since the most expensive among them is itself overnight stay But the one-day tour, judging by the description, without a cave.
- There is an option to see only the lake – to come to the pier and agree with the boatman regarding a private boat for a couple of hours. Then you just ride there and back and that’s it. It will take 2-3 hours. The cost is somewhere 1000-2000 baht, depends on the duration of the trip, the desire to visit something other than the lake, the ability to bargain. Option good when you are a company of several people and you can Cost at all to divide, or if you are interested in express inspection without a tour.
- Near the pier in the building to the right of the road there is a rack Information where you can book accommodation on the water and buy tour. But! All the directories that they have are in Thai, and they themselves also do not speak English.
The prices I have listed are one-, two-day tours. fixed, so in terms of price it does not matter at all what hotel you will take a tour. Except maybe the hotel 500 Rai. Wherein what company you are lucky, will depend excursion program, service and comfort in houses on the water. But in general, all about the same. A year ago, the forums recommended driving through Smiley Bungalows (in common “Smilies”) because of the best price / quality ratio. They have a bungalow complex near the center visit. and their rafthouse on the lake, where they carry. Judging by the description of the tour, besides the lake, show a waterfall and a cave. But now it’s already enough negative reviews, they say, the two-day tour turned into a party with alcohol, and indeed the conveyor.
Warning at the hotel about the cost of tours to Cheo Lan
Here is such a directory in Thai in Information near the pier
Prices for delivery from the pier to the raft-houses on Lake Cheo Lan
And I did not know who went through 
I bought at the hotel Khaosok Treehouse Resort and my tour included: lake, cave, lunch at rafthouse Start at 8:30 from the hotel, return back at 18 o’clock. By the way, you can live in one hotel, and buy a tour in another. Or even book a tour from smiles by mail (they book online do, but not too in advance), and then just drive up to the right time to the bungalow or directly to the pier.
Near the pier is one of the attractions of the lake – hydropower station Ratchaprapa Dam and 800 meters long dam and almost 100 meters high, where you can walk. Also on the hills Nearby there are observation platforms, a park, a cafe. Highly recommend it location, admission is free.
Point on the map with berth
How to get to Khao Sok from Phuket / Samui
By car
In my opinion, the easiest way to travel around Thailand is by car. I have a separate post about car rental. Especially it true if you have several people, then the cost can be divided into all. For example, if you go from Phuket, you can to meet in general in 1 day, having arrived at the lake in the morning and having left there in the evening. You can make a multi-day trip, walking along the jungle, spending the night on the lake and drove on the way to the resort city of Khao Varnish
The road to Khao Sok is good all over. Serpentine is, when the mountains begin, but I would not say that he is serious and straining, the more distance is small. Phuket to National Park 130 km and 2 hours drive. You must go first track 4 and then 401. There is an option to “cut off” at 4240 and 4090, but It should get longer just because of the large serpentine. From Phuket to the lake 140 km and also go about 2 hours. First by 4311, then 415 and 401, and a piece without number from 401 to the pier. Themselves See which point you go first, to the park or to the lake. And further Phuket itself can be laid 30-50 minutes, depending on from where you’re going.
In order not to get lost, use the usual Google Maps, it correctly builds the route. We must go as he suggests. There all roads are signed, look, it is not difficult to understand.
You need to book through the economybookings. He will show the sentences from large proven distributors. And the price will be lower than directly to book.
Discounted car rent →
By bus
Getting to Khao Sok by bus is pretty easy both from Phuket and Kao Laka, and from Samui. Along the Andaman Sea, the road goes from Krabi via Phang Nga, Phuket, Khao Lak and in Takua Pa folds on Suratthani. From Phuket, you can take a bus to Takua Pa, and from there either by bus or mini bus to Surat Thani. All these routes pass through Khao Sok. It is also possible with Phuket to immediately sit on bus to Suratthani. After town Takua Pa need ask the driver to stop at the turn on Khao Sok. Bus in In any case, it will only take you to the turn to Khao Sok (to the village 1 km on foot, but if you have a hotel reservation, then most likely you They will meet you at the track for free, drive there only 5 minutes, but not forget to report your arrival time in advance). Get with Phuket to Khao Sok, from threshold to threshold, takes an average of 5 till 7 o’clock
To go to Khao Sok from Phuket, you must first come to Phuket Town, to the bus station Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. Of Terminal 1 buses go to Khao Sok without kondeya. Newer bus station – Terminal 2. From there, drive more comfortable large buses, about 6 flights a day. The first bus goes to 7:30 AM Phuket-Khao Sok bus schedule: 7:30, 8:20, 11:00, 12:20, 13:30, it goes 5-6 hours, costs 180 baht. Minibuses leave the station from 7:00 to 16:00 almost every hour, the cost fare 200 baht. In Phuket do Khao Sok travel agencies sell tickets from 600 baht.
How to get to Khao Sok from Samui: from Don Sak Pier to the National Park – 185 kilometers, you first need to get to Surat Thani, and there transfer to the bus to Phuket via Takua Pa. Not before reaching Takua Pa, first turn right to the Rachaprapa dam (Lake Cheo Lan) and after 50 kilometers – on Khao Sok.
In the morning, there is also a bus from Khao Lak to Khao Sok. located next to the guest-house Monkey Dive Hostel Khaolak.
Back from Khao Sok buses going to Surat Thani depart from 7 in the morning until 14 in the afternoon, every hour. 1-2 hours on the way, the fare is 80 baht. You can also leave Khao Sok for Phuket and Krabi via Khao Lak, with 8:30 to 16:30 The bus leaving Khao Sok arrives at 8:30 Phuket at 12:00.
If you are traveling on your own by bus and get off at the turn on the dam, you need to overcome it 15 kilometers. Usually there You can easily catch a ride or take a taxi.
Taxi
Everywhere you can take a taxi (transfer), if you do not want to take car rental. The cost is appropriate. For example, from Khao Sok Taxi to the pier will cost 1200-1500 baht. Below you still have a photo with rates, which hung at the pier, you can ask the price.
Taxi (transfer) from Khao Sok and Lake Cheo Lan
P.S. If I remember, I will add something else. And I will be glad to your comments with information from personal experience. Pretty theme voluminous, therefore it is impossible to take into account everything immediately.
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