Private Tour | 2-days/1-night private tour in Cheow Lan Lake
The boat prices in Cheow Lan Lake will increase from November onwards. The price difference will be 1,000 Baht for a 2D/1N tour and with 1,500 Baht for a 3D/2N tour. This price difference will add to the total price of the all displayed per person prices further below.
Situated between Khao Sok National Park and Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Cheow Lan Lake has one of the most beautiful scenic views in Thailand.
The lake deserves more than one night of stay, but if you only can stay one night, you will still be able to enjoy a few activities with this tour. If you truly want to enjoy more of the lake, then a 3D/2N tour is recommended.
With the 2-days/1-night 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, swim and drive around for wildlife watching. The tour includes a stay in a raft house of your choice, a private guide and a private boat with driver. No others will share the guide or the boat with you during the tour.
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.
(a new increased price will apply for Laguna Cheow Lan from January 2025 onwards)
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 pickup from Cheow Lan Lake Pier to board your long-tail boat
- Scenic tour of limestone karst formations on the way to your rafthouse
- Check in to the raft house. Enjoy a traditional Thai Lunch prepared with rich southern Thai curries, delicious local vegetables.
- Guided hike to see viewpoints on dry season or to a waterfall on rainy season (optional)
- Afternoon wildlife safari by boat
- Return to the raft house for a swim, relax and enjoy the scenery
- Enjoy a delectable dinner of fish, Thai soup, and veggies.
Day 2
- 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: 2 days/1 night
- 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 to 10am (day 2)
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.
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | Sai Chon | Phupha Waree | Laguna |
| 2 | 6,700 THB | 7,050 THB | 8,000 THB |
| 3 | 5,200 THB | 5,300 THB | 6,500 THB |
| 4 | 4,450 THB | 4,700 THB | 5,700 THB |
| 5 | 4,000 THB | 4,500 THB | 5,300 THB |
| 6 | 3,700 THB | 4,050 THB | 5,000 THB |
| 7 | 3,500 THB | 3,850 THB | 4,750 THB |
| 8 | 3,350 THB | 3,750 THB | 4,600 THB |
| Price per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pax | Panvaree Resort | Panvaree T. G. | 500 Rai |
| 2 | 9,700 to 11,500 THB | 9,800 to 11,300 THB | 15,600 to 31,900 THB |
| 3 | 7,800 to 9,300 THB | 9,600 to 12,000 THB | 12,700 to 21,700 THB |
| 4 | 6,200 to 7,500 THB | 7,600 to 9,350 THB | 11,300 to 17,400 THB |
| 5 | 6,900 to 8,500 THB | 8,500 to 11,000 THB | 14,100 to 14,900 THB |
| 6 | 6,400 to 7,900 THB | 6,900 to 8,700 THB | n/a |
| 7 | 5,700 to 7,100 THB | n/a | n/a |
| 8 | 5,200 to 6,500 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, breakfast on day-2
- 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: David Rigau Comas | posted Sun 1 Sep, 2024 | Sai Chon
We received excellent contact, information and feed-back from Thai National Parks personnel - congrats ¡¡
Price/ quality relationship of Sai Chon Raft House are only acceptable. The mattress was very uncomfortable and day-trip to a waterfall was quite short and too crowed. The Park is extremely large and in my opinion there no need that several groups do the same trekking at same area.
By: Els Boomkamp | posted Sun 1 Sep, 2024 | Laguna
We had a super nice trip to Cheow Lan Lake (2D/1N) organised bij Thai National Parks. The communication to reserve the trip was perfect! In no time we had a response to all our questions.
Our guide Kiem was very friendly and taught us a lot about the park and animals living there. We stayed at the Laguna which was fine to stay for 1 night.
We saw birds, bats and monkeys and heard elephants eating bamboo. We climbed a waterfall and the views were amazing.
I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone!
By: Carla De Winter | posted Sun 25 Aug, 2024 | Laguna
Wij hadden een 2 daagse tour geboekt met 1 overnachting op het meer. Wat een geweldige ervaring. Onze gids Nhum wist veel te vertellen. De geluiden die je ‘s ochtends hoort als je wakker wordt, zijn geweldig. We hebben een grot bezocht, we hebben een hike gedaan naar een super mooi uitzicht over het meer. Een hele klim, maar het was het dubbel en dwars waard. Niet heel veel dieren gespot, maar het is de jungle, ze staan niet voor je klaar. Maar wat een fantastische belevenis, echt een aanrader!
By: Veerle Vannecke | posted Mon 19 Aug, 2024 | Phupha Waree
Perfect stay and trip. Nice guide. Second time we booked, it was again perfect! Will recommend you with other people.
By: Joost van der Poel | posted Wed 14 Aug, 2024 | Phupha Waree
Friendly people, nice place to stay, good food, thank you!
By: Nena Huybrechts | posted Fri 9 Aug, 2024 | Sai Chon
We really enjoyed the private tour.
By: Maria de Boer | posted Wed 7 Aug, 2024 | Laguna
Everything was great!!
By: Chung Hsuan Hung | posted Tue 30 Jul, 2024 | Sai Chon
We love this trip!!
Aoo is very nice and thoughtful!!
Entire journey is very remarkable and environmental friendly.
Living in rafting house is an unforgettable experience!!
By: Cristina Dominguez Gonzalez | posted Mon 29 Jul, 2024 | Phupha Waree
The guide Aoo was amazing! Always trying to make us feel confortable. Very nice experince!! The only thing, is that the second day, despite the check out of the hotel is at 11am, we needed to leave the hotel at 9am because the boat driver had to be in the pier at 10am, so we could not enjoy some resting time in the lake after the breakfast!
> Tour operator's response
Glad to hear you enjoyed your tour.
This is what we typed you during the enquiry process between you and us;
"Our tour starts from Cheow Lan Lake Pier at 10 am on day-1 and check-out from the raft house on day-2 is around 9:30 am, the tour will end at the pier around 10:30 to 11 am. Your last day planning can be efficient only if you wake up early and have a quick breakfast."
"Important note; At some point this year, the end time of the tour may be changed to 10am. This due to boat availability issues in the lake due to growing number of tourists visiting the lake. If this change goes through, the price will remain the same."
.. due to boat availability issues, we are getting more pressure from the boat owners about tour end time, and your case was the first issue this summer high season. We believe this will be a bigger issue and we have to end up with 10am tour end time at the pier when the real high season begins end of this year.