Information on Khao Sok 2 Day 1 Night Tour
As I mentioned above I had pre-booked this trip a few days prior with Smileys via email or you could always DM them on Instagram.
This tour was seriously one of the best things I’ve ever done in Thailand. The whole national park and particularly Cheow Lan lake is absolutely stunning.
Our Boat left Cheow Lan Lake Pier and took just under 2 hours to reach the lake house, and we were stopping & slowing down along the way to enjoy the scenery.
The limestone cliffs towering out of the emerald lake, covered in lush jungle, and filled with amazing amounts of wildlife were so magical to see. Cheow Lan Lake is a man-made lake, created in the 80s. I found this so hard to believe because the lake is massive.
Smileys Lake House / Khao Sok Floating Bungalows
Sleeping at Smileys Lake House & waking up surrounded by all this was the absolute best, Khao Sok floating bungalows are the most unique way to experience this part of Thailand!
The Lake House bungalows were basic but had everything we needed. Including electricity & phone charging ports, hot water, an outdoor private ensuite, comfortable mattresses on the floor and direct access to the lake. Our room also had heaps of floor-to-ceiling windows so the fantastic view was never obstructed.
The bungalow we stayed in was to the right of the dining area (if you were looking at smileys) and these were bigger and looked newer compared to the others. So maybe try and request the right side when booking.
In the middle of the lake house was a large dining hall and this is also where the boats dock. All the meals provided during the tour were included in the price.
I’m Vegan and had mentioned this while I was booking the tour. As soon as we checked in our tour guide “Kit-Kat” (who was awesome by the way) confirmed this with me and always ensured I had plenty of food. Which I did, I was so impressed with all the meals, everything was delicious & even being vegan I still had so much variety.
During the first day, we had time for swimming & kayaking. The Kayaks are tied to the deck and are free to use. The water is so beautiful & very warm, I loved it but some people complained it was too warm and not at all refreshing.
Hot Tip; when swimming in the lake wearing a life jacket upside down (clip it up and put your legs in the arm holes), is by far the most comfortable way to float around the lake.
Other Activities in Khao Sok National Park
On both days of the tour, your guide will take you on a longtail boat safari, one in the late afternoon & another early the following day.
I loved these trips, comfortable & relaxing, then, of course, the scenery is beautiful. Before I even arrived at Khao Sok I was determined to see a Hornbill during our trip. And I couldn’t believe it when we saw two flying close by before the boat had even left Smileys for our first safari.
I was so excited!
Then the next morning we saw around 10 more hornbills, along with monkeys jumping through the trees & Bison on the river banks.
We didn’t get overly close to any of these animals but close enough to see them all clearly.
Now, this part of the itinerary I must have skimmed over because I didn’t know what we were in for with a Khao Sok jungle Safari.
On day 2 of the tour we did nearly a 5km hike through the jungle and also went caving.
The hike along with Nam Ta Lu Nature Trail was beautiful but since there was recent rainfall parts of the trail were pretty slippery and so many leeches! Unfortunately, we didn’t see any wildlife during this hike, we could hear Gibbons so there is definitely plenty out there.
Then at the halfway point of the hike, we entreated Nam Talu Cave, it was pitch black and so many bats flew above.
A word of warning about Nam Talu Cave, there are sections of this cave that are very narrow (but never was the roof of the cave low) and you will get completely soaked, at one point the water was up to my neck.
Coming out to the other side of the cave was a relief and also felt like a great achievement. This ended up being one of my favourite parts of the tour.
The Cave isn’t open all year round and usually closes from June 1st to December 14th. During those months there’s heavy rainfall so would be unsafe to go all the way into the cave.
And, if visiting during this time groups are usually taken to a nearby waterfall instead.
Khao Sok 2 Day 1 Night Tour Itinerary
This was the itinerary we did and it can also be found on Smileys website.
08:30-8:45 pick up from your hotel in Khao Sok
09:00 minivan transfer to Cheow Lan lake
10:00 stop at 7/11 shop (ATM available)
10:30 local boat transfer to Smiley lake houses. On the way visiting Guilin of Thailand rocks
Noon lunch and free time
17:00 evening boat safari
19:00 dinner
Next Day
06:30 morning boat safari
08:00 breakfast
09:00 Nam Taloo cave trekking
Noon lunch
14:00 local boat transfer to Cheow Lan lake pier
15:00 minivan transfer to Khao Sok Village
Instead of going back to the Village, we were dropped at a local bus station after the tour as we were travelling to Surat Thani City. So if you didn’t want to return to town just mention it to your tour guide and they can organise alternative transfers for you.
But if you were returning to Khao Sok Village, you could leave most of your luggage stored at your accommodation and just take a small overnight bag to the lake.