Private Tour | 3-days/2-nights private tour in 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 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 and drive around in the vicinity of your resort for wildlife watching. The tour includes two nights stay in 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 options
500 Rai Floating Resort (high-end)
500 Rai Floating Resrt is one of the best floating resorts 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 |
360° Issara Floating Resort (high-end)
360° is the a brand new high-end resort opened in January 2025, currently with 12 deluxe rooms with a temporarily restaurant area available. In early February 2025 the restaurant area and another 12 rooms will be ready.
360° Issara is located in Khlong Long tributary of the 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 will have total 10 deluxe rooms for couples, 10 deluxe rooms with a king-sized and a single bed and finally 4 villa rooms for up to 4 people.
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 in the entrance of Khlong Long tributary. Compared to other optiong in 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 resorts 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
Laguna Cheow Lan 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.
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 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 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) enjoy the scenic tour of limestone karst formations on the way to floating bungalows
- Check in to the resort. Enjoy a traditional Thai lunch
- Depart for a guided hike to a nearby viewpoint which has a breathtaking view over the lake
- Return to the resort for a swim, relax and enjoy the scenery
- Afternoon wildlife safari by boat
- Enjoy your dinner
Day 2
- Breakfast
- Board long tail boat for a morning wildlife safari by boat
- Return to the rafthouse for free time
- After lunch, guided jungle hike
- Return to the raft house for a swim, relax
- Enjoy a traditional Thai dinner
Day 3
- 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: 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; 1,900 Baht fixed price and 200 Baht per person entrance fee for Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary
- From Sai Chon, Panvaree Resort or Panvaree The Greenery; 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 in 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 2,000 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 | 11,100 THB | 13,300 THB | 15,300 THB |
| 3 | 8,800 THB | 10,000 THB | 11,900 THB |
| 4 | 7,600 THB | 8,850 THB | 11,900 THB |
| 5 | 6,900 THB | 8,600 THB | 10,500 THB |
| 6 | 6,450 THB | 7,800 THB | 9,600 THB |
| 7 | 6,100 THB | 7,450 THB | 9,900 THB |
| 8 | 5,900 THB | 7,200 THB | 9,300 THB |
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | Panvaree Resort | Panvaree T. G. | 360° Issara |
| 2 | 17,600 to 19,700 THB | 16,700 to 19,300 THB | 16,300 to 24,100 THB |
| 3 | 14,100 to 15,900 THB | 16,800 to 20,700 THB | 15,600 to 21,300 THB |
| 4 | 11,200 to 12,700 THB | 12,800 to 15,500 THB | 13,000 to 16,100 THB |
| 5 | 12,700 to 14,600 THB | 14,900 to 18,800 THB | 14,200 to 17,900 THB |
| 6 | 11,700 to 13,500 THB | 11,700 to 14,400 THB | 11,900 to 15,000 THB |
| 7 | 10,400 to 12,000 THB | 12,600 to 15,800 THB | 12,200 to 16,500 THB |
| 8 | 9,400 to 10,900 THB | 11,200 to 13,800 THB | 11,300 to 14,500 THB |
| Price per person | |
|---|---|
| Pax | 500 Rai |
| 2 | 28,700 to 58,500 THB |
| 3 | 26,300 to 39,500 THB |
| 4 | 23,000 to 31,500 THB |
| 5 | 26,000 to 26,700 THB |
| 6 | 23,700 to 24,500 THB |
| 7 | 22,100 to 23,000 THB |
| 8 | 19,000 to 22,000 THB |
Displayed prices are per person
Tour rates include:
- Lodging
- Guide
- Long-tail boat transportation
- 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)
- 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 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: Federico Respini | posted Mon 20 Jan, 2025 | Phupha Waree
Thanks for everything, it was awesome!
By: Elke Sommer | posted Sun 19 Jan, 2025 | Phupha Waree
Der Guide hat sich sehr um unser Wohl bemüht, ist auf uns eingegangen. Er bekommt 5 Stars. Der bootsführer hat das Boot sehr sicher geführt und hat uns viele Tiere und Pflanzen gezeigt. Er bekommt 5 Stars. Lediglich der Bungalow war renovierungs bedürftig dafür nur 3 Stars
By: Sam Black | posted Sun 19 Jan, 2025 | Panvaree T. G.
We stayed for 2N3D and it was amazing from start to finish! Au and Mi our guide and boat driver went above and beyond and were very knowledgeable about the area and animals which we loved to hear all about, the service and food at the hotel was also fantastic. We will definitely be recommending! Thank you!
By: Anja Pingel | posted Sat 18 Jan, 2025 | Sai Chon
If I could give 10 stars for the guides, I would. Au was knowledgeable, super organised, punctual, fun and warm. Mee was a reliable and warm-hearted boat driver who took us everywhere safely.
The accommodation at San Choi was very basic, especially the rock hard mattress. We expected that and it still was a great experience as the location is simply breathtaking. And only a kayak ride away were the wild elephants coming out of the bush for a drink and bath which was amazing. The food was good as well, just too much for us to eat! Lots of variety dishes. The highlights were the boat trips and wildlife safaris. Simple amazing!
By: Marco Mende | posted Sun 12 Jan, 2025 | Phupha Waree
The whole trip was very well organized and the raft house Phupha Waree met our expectations. The food there was really good. Our guide Ae was really nice and took well care about us.
All in all a great experience.
By: Leiki Hartel | posted Sat 11 Jan, 2025 | Phupha Waree
The tour was very well organised. We utilised the transfer service offered from train to the lake and then from the lake to Ao Nang afterwards. Both drivers were on time, friendly and provided a good service. Our guide for the time on the lake, Tham, was very good. He spoke good English and showed us the highlights of the area. He also helped us spot gibbons, monkeys, lots of birds, guar and deer during the trip. We stayed at Phupha Waree raft house. It was simple but clean and had power for AC and lights at night. Having said that, it looked like some maintenance of the sewage system was much needed and of note was that the water from the shower and the sinks simply flowed back into the lake. Unfortunately our son became very, very sick from accidentally swallowing some of the lake water. Tip: enjoy swimming and kayaking but do not accidentally swallow any of the water. The food provided was excellent and they were able to cater for gluten intolerance. Our only complaint was that there was too much food and we felt terrible for wasting so much of it -we just couldn't eat that much! Overall we would definitely recommend the 2 night/3 day tour for an incredible experience.
By: Dominik Bauer | posted Fri 10 Jan, 2025 | Phupha Waree
We had a wonderful stay in the national park, the organization was flawless.
Our guide Au, who welcomed us and our children very lovingly and accompanied us throughout our stay, deserves special praise. She adapted the excursions for our children and also helped us a lot with them.
Our boat driver Mee took us everywhere safely and securely.
The handovers between the cab drivers and our driver were also very good.
The food was very tasty and you could always order more.
The only drawback was that the Phuphawaree accommodation was a bit dated in places.
The accommodation is very simply furnished and the floating jetties squeak, but that didn't bother us too much. However, the mattresses were extremely saggy and you could feel every single spring. The pillows were as hard as stone, but otherwise the accommodation was quite adequate.
By: Sabine Debel | posted Fri 10 Jan, 2025 | Laguna
We enjoyed the tour. The environment is amazing and unique. We ware glad that we paid more for seaview. Num was a good guide. A bit crazy in the positive way, but he cared about us and learned us a lot about nature. He made us bamboo cups. Ideaal for hot tea. Tutu, de boat driver has a good eye for birds. We would certainly recommend this trip to everyone.
By: Laura | posted Wed 8 Jan, 2025 | Phupha Waree
Incredibile experience! Our guide was super fun and competent. We had one morning of heavy rain unfortunately but our guide showed us how to make glasses out of bamboo and it kept us busy!
I truly recommend a private tour. It made the whole experience very special and unique.