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 raft house for wildlife watching. The tour includes two nights stay in a raft house (floating bulgalows/floating resorts) 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.
Raft house options
500 Rai Floating Resort (high-end)
500 Rai Floating Resrt is one of the best raft houses 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 |
Panvaree The Greenery Floating Resort (high-end)
The raft house is located in the entrance of Khlong Long tributary. Compared to other optiong in the lake, Panvaree The Greenery Raft House 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 raft houses 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 Raft House
Laguna Cheow Lan Raft House 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.
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 raft house, 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 raft house.
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 raft house. 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 raft house 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 rainy season
- 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 Krai Son or Phupha Waree raft houses; 1,900 Baht fixed price and 200 Baht per person entrance fee for Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary
- From Sai Chon or Panvaree The Greenery raft houses; 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 raft house 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 | 16,000 THB |
| 3 | 8,800 THB | 10,000 THB | 12,400 THB |
| 4 | 7,600 THB | 8,850 THB | 12,400 THB |
| 5 | 6,900 THB | 8,600 THB | 11,000 THB |
| 6 | 6,450 THB | 7,800 THB | 10,100 THB |
| 7 | 6,100 THB | 7,450 THB | 10,450 THB |
| 8 | 5,900 THB | 7,200 THB | 9,750 THB |
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | Panvaree Resort | Panvaree T. G. | 500 Rai |
| 2 | 17,600 to 19,700 THB | 16,700 to 19,300 THB | 28,700 to 58,500 THB |
| 3 | 14,100 to 15,900 THB | 16,800 to 20,700 THB | 26,300 to 39,500 THB |
| 4 | 11,200 to 12,700 THB | 12,800 to 15,500 THB | 23,000 to 31,500 THB |
| 5 | 12,700 to 14,600 THB | 14,900 to 18,800 THB | 26,000 to 26,700 THB |
| 6 | 11,700 to 13,500 THB | 11,700 to 14,400 THB | n/a |
| 7 | 10,400 to 12,000 THB | n/a | n/a |
| 8 | 9,400 to 10,900 THB | n/a | n/a |
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 raft houses 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: Frank Vrijburg | posted Thu 21 Nov, 2024 | Panvaree T. G.
Wonderful setting Panvaree for time to relax. Food was good. Staff always around for instant service. Chairs at Panvaree bungalows are not comfortable at all. Larger relaxing area with appropriat would be appreciated.
By: Niels Grolleman | posted Sat 16 Nov, 2024 | Laguna
We had a wonderfull time. Kitcha was an excellent guide. He knew a lot about the park and took us to beautiful places.
And mr.M is a funny, crazy guy says (Kristy) :-).
James is also very friendly and is good at spotting animals.
Kind regards,
Niels and Kristy
By: Mathilde C | posted Thu 14 Nov, 2024 | Laguna
Had an amazing stay at Laguna for 2 nights. The food is amazing, our guide Tham is fantastic despite not speaking really English and we had the chance to see wild elephants ! The hike was challenging under the sun but the spectacular view was worth it.
Thank you to Rushen from Thai national parks for his reactivity in answering all my concerns prior to the trip as well.
All in one everything was really amazing
By: Sebastian Puin | posted Wed 13 Nov, 2024 | Phupha Waree
Where to begin… honestly, there are no words; the place is magical. Staying in the park is 100% worth the experience. Our lodge, Phupha Waree, was absolutely incredible—the food was delicious and always more than enough. The accommodation was luxurious, especially considering how remote the location is. The national park is a 10/10, and the best part was the park’s organization. Starting with our contact, Rushen, who was always attentive to answer our questions and help with all the logistics, and what can I say about our guide, Bee? He went above and beyond, always making an extra mile effort to ensure we had the best experience.
Infinite thanks for everything.
By: Stefan | posted Wed 6 Nov, 2024 | Phupha Waree
We booked the three-day, two-night tour and are absolutely thrilled. The scenery around the lake is stunning. The rides on the long-tail boat are both exciting and relaxing. Our tour guide, Bee, was fantastic: he had many stories to tell, was helpful, and knew a lot about the area and nature. Thanks to the sharp eyes of the boat captain, we saw many animals, including, as a highlight, a wild elephant. The agency’s advice was also very honest, suitable, and helpful. Highly recommended all around.
By: Maria Luisa Pereira Marques | posted Wed 2 Oct, 2024 | Phupha Waree
It was a wonderful experience! The park is BEAUTIFUL and still very wild and untouched. We had a guide (Nid) and a boat capitan (Tee) only for us for the 3 days, so we have planned all the activities to our own taste. Nid is a very attentive person, very professional and dedicated. He has a vast knowledge of the wild life and he was able to find animals that were not easy to identify. We have even heard the sound of a wild elephant in the jungle! It was truly amazing! And our captain was super kind and always very careful when piloting the boat! He even offered local sweets to us.
We have stayed at the Phupa Waree Resort and it was ok, but very basic. The food was good.
We have seen some boats in the park (but not many) with groups of 10+ people, for one day trips. And although they are able to see the beauty, it is for sure not enough to truly enjoy it. So I do recomend the 3 days/2 nights in the park.
I will never forget the sounds of the jungle and the gibbon’s shout.
By: Soraya Van Gelder | posted Thu 26 Sep, 2024 | Sai Chon
Insulting much money they put us that hovel Overpriced dirty worn out basic 2 stars fine & conscious choice 2 stars. Not dirty & broken Thai parks takes no responsibility
unkind & unprofessional spoken to Would expect high end & according to Thai parks golden opportunity for compensation reason have seen expensive houses from a distance & realized that my choice was not the right one What? Would be a reception not pointed out or visible Did not check in myself Complaining no point 4 person houses dirty & worn out Been inside of them not occupied Staff don’t speak English Cleaning lady puts her mop in the lake on the bench sweeps mops. No cleaning agent/cloth Saliva of others on mirror Cobwebs, mold water remains after showering Apparently had report the guide -> Thai Parks is the tour operator Did tell the guide Gave little response We thought not his job Let be clear -> not sayed that he is the point of contact for these issues Thai Parks passes by there should be nothing to complain about Paid €700 shabby house good guide captain & friendly staff They get a little if that Also pay parking fee a few € but for €700? Is a principle Don't sleep here literal and figuratively that bed Looks like concrete Book trips & stay outside not with Thai Parks Take a private boat/gide Complaint by Thai Parks for compensation complain of the guy i spoke House not worth a € No response from customer service Professional or not? He indicated to respond to my review do not be misled
> Soraya Van Gelder
The guide Bee, with his captain were fantastic. He guided us very well. Showed us beautiful things and did them with us. We saw wild elephants. Bee has a lot of knowledge about flora & fauna. Spoke very good English. Gave us many tips. Thank you Bee!!
The tour & guide are separate from the house & our unprofessional experience with the customer service of Thai parks.
> Tour operator's response
What you are not mentioning here is, while your guide made a short stop at Phupha Waree Raft House to drop some medicines, you saw how much better it was there and you told your guide you were not happy with Sai Chon. That was probably the moment you realized you booked the wrong raft house.
First of all, these are all your words during your compensation claim from us;
"The guide was great! And a very knowledgeable captain."
"The staff at the accommodation are very helpful & friendly. The food was good."
"But the house, how bad was that." ... and you continued about the room.
From your description, there was a clear case of room not been cleaned properly.
Your guide also sent us some photos of you he took, very clearly you were happy, with you smiling while seeing elephants on the background, smiling while kayaking etc. We published them here with your faces being blurred out, but you asked the photos to be removed, so we dit [this paragraph is edited].
Then, you wanted to claim back money because your rooms weren't clean. When asked if you addressed the issues with the staff, and if you asked your guide to help, you replied with this;
"If we had known that there was a reception at all, we could indeed have mentioned it."
"Again, if we had known there was a reception team, we would have told you."
"And it was not clear to us that our guide also served as the point of contact for these kinds of issues."
---
.. so, instead of addressing the issues with the what you described as "helpful & friendly" staff, you took it as a golden opportunity to take photos of some issues to send us AFTER THE TOUR so you can claim compensation?
And these are your excuses; that you didn't know there was a reception there, that you didn't know "if there was a reception team" which was nice & helpful? That you didn’t know the English speaking guide you paid for could be used for communicating with the nice and helpful staff that wasn’t there?
You can't even make your mind if there were staff there or not, one moment they are nice and helpful, next you didn't know there were staff there that could help. I really don't understand all these excuses you come up with to make a point.
Seriously, how many hotels are there without a reception? Here the reception, right next to the restaurant;
https://maps.app.goo.gl/c1PyAfnCtHcBe8YBA
.. and check more photos there of the clean rooms you could have changed to with a bit of effort.
And "no response" from us; We politely replied to you a few times that you have failed to address the issue with the reception team until you repeated yourself with more excuses, we eventually had no other choice to ignore your new messages.
The bottom line here is; of the 6 different raft houses we offer, you booked the most basic one. You are clearly after a high-end resort. Then, you didn't put any effort to address the issues in the middle of a low season month when there were plenty of other available rooms.
You also have your figures wrong. You didn't pay €700 for the rooms. 24,150 Baht you paid for 3 pax is 666 Euro. Room costing 666 Euro would mean the guide/boat/boat driver to work as slaves for 3 days. Of that price, the room price for 2 nights was 7,200 Baht (~198 Euro). This is not a hotel on the mainland, it is in a remote area of a lake with logistics costs, it can't get cheaper than that.
Lastly; you are the first person over the last 10 years to claim money for your parking fee at the pier. Never ever did anybody even complain to us that "they didn't know there was a parking fee". Your parking fee is not our concern.
By: Jeroen Driessen | posted Tue 24 Sep, 2024 | Phupha Waree
we were unlucky with the weather; a lot of rain which makes it a little less. We found the accommodation very disappointing. especially for the amount you pay
By: Jason Paley | posted Tue 10 Sep, 2024 | Phupha Waree
BOOK THIS TRIP! We did so much research knowing we wanted to stay on the lake in Khao Sok National Park and also wanted a private tour to avoid the hassle that comes with traveling in a group, especially in rainy season. Ultimately we landed on this company after reading some reviews, and we are so grateful we did. Everything was lined up perfectly from our arranged travel from Khao Sok to the reservoir pickup, the raft house, and the arranged travel from the reservoir to our ferry to take us to Ko Tao, with the timing planned out perfectly and the cost given up front.
The raft house was what we expected - it was beautiful to be on the lake, have a kayak and access to jump straight in the water, and there were some elements of "roughing it" in terms of the room but again, it is a floating raft house, this was to be expected.
What we cannot say enough about, and what was easily one of the top highlights of our three week travels in Thailand, was our guide Junn and the boat driver Jon. Junn was the coolest, most fun person we interacted with on our whole vacation. She was so knowledgeable about the local plants and animals, and had a child-like excitement spotting the animals and plants she grew up around as a kid (she is a local.) Spending the few days with her on our little safaris, with her perfect photography and understanding of the area made our trip. She allowed us to do all the things we wanted to even in the pouring rain, huge shoutout to Junn!
What you have to understand about staying on the lake, and the tours in general, is that if you are looking for a bougie experience, stick to the islands/cities. It's sad to see people leave bad reviews for the tour company when most of the criticism is about the rain (come on, do your research, and read the info the company sends you) and the raft house (there's only so many places you can stay on the lake, and again, it's a remote floating raft house). If you are looking for a unique experience and can manage some minor issues with the lodging, which you trade for sleeping on the water, this trip is for you. We even got to hop in our kayak, travel for five minutes, and sit watching monkeys swing from tree to tree for an hour, where else can you do this?