Khao Sok discovery tour
| country: | Thailand | ||||
| location: | Khao Sok National Park | ||||
| price: | From Baht 8,000 - Baht 14,050 (5 days) excluding flights. Prices are per person depending on itinerary & room type. Includes: all activities, accommodation, meals and transfers, as specified in itinerary. Operates daily, all year.
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| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Khao Sok discovery tour
Our 4 night/5 day Khao Sok Discovery itinerary includes all our tour activities other than the elephant trek. Enjoy jungle living for two nights in an original basic style tree house or upgrade to one of our new luxury tree house rooms with air-con, hot shower and private balcony overlooking the jungle; experience the contrast for two nights - just a mattress on the floor in your floating raft house, as you are gently lulled to sleep amidst the sounds of nature! There is no electricity at the raft houses, so bring a torch...the bathroom facilities are an adventurous walk away! Our tour includes accommodation, food and a range of nature activities. We'll take you park trekking, tubing or canoeing, visit a local temple, waterfall and viewpoint. Our raft houses are on the stunning Chiew Larn Lake with its majestic limestone karst scenery; walk to a waterfall, swim in a bat cave, a short night walk to see if we can spot any nocturnal wildlife, an early morning canoe trip and a 3 hour trek to a lake viewpoint; also time to sit back and soak up the beauty of nature in the rainforest of Khao Sok.
Our reception building at the tree house location includes a tree top restaurant and bar area high up in the trees; and our 3m deep lake pool is an adventure in itself! We also offer free internet access and free use of our snooker/pool table. Massage facilities are available at an additional charge.
Featured activities:Tubing/canoeing Temple visit 3 hour park trek 2 night stay at tree houses and 2 night stay at raft houses on Chiew Larn Lake Waterfall walk Bat cave swimming Early morning wildlife spotting by canoe Short night safari 3 hour trek to lake viewpoint.
This itinerary is also available as two nights together at the tree houses, the morning on day 2 being free to relax or explore on your own. The last 2 days are then spent at the raft houses.
Our reception building at the tree house location includes a tree top restaurant and bar area high up in the trees; and our 3m deep lake pool is an adventure in itself! We also offer free internet access and free use of our snooker/pool table. Massage facilities are available at an additional charge.
Featured activities:
day-by-day-itinerary
| Day 1: | Travel to Khao Sok from Phuket Bus Station by the 7.30am air-conditioned public bus. Our staff will meet guests off the public bus on arrival at Khao Sok and transfer, arriving at about 11.30am; or meet at Oum Restaurant opposite Suratthani train station for transfer in by songthaew or minibus leaving at 8am, arriving at about 10.30am. Lunch is served at 12 noon. After lunch, tubing on the Klong Sok in inner-tubes, or canoeing. Visit a viewpoint, a small waterfall and the local temple to feed the monkeys. Dinner and overnight in your tree high room. |
| Day 2: | Bat cave swim. Breakfast, then transfer to Rajaprabha boat dock to meet the 10.30am boat departure, stopping off on the way at the local Takhun Market. Boat journey to the raft houses is about 1 hour. Lunch, then visit a local fishing village, swim in a bat cave and walk to a waterfall. Return to the raft houses to relax before the evening meal; then a short night safari to observe the nocturnal life of the rainforest. Sleep overnight in your raft house. |
| Day 3: | Early morning canoe trip before breakfast; late morning, 3 hour trek to a highland view point. After lunch, the rest of the afternoon is free to relax. Evening meal and overnight in your raft house. |
| Day 4: | 3 hour trek. Breakfast; then journey back by boat to Rajaprabha Dock, arriving about 10am; transfer by songthaew or minibus back to our base in time for lunch. After lunch a 3 hour trek in Khao Sok National Park before returning to relax before your evening meal. Dinner and overnight in your tree house room. |
| Day 5: | Tour ends. Breakfast; then transfer by songthaew or minibus to Suratthani; or to the local bus stop for the public bus to Phuket or Suratthani. |
This itinerary is also available as two nights together at the tree houses, the morning on day 2 being free to relax or explore on your own. The last 2 days are then spent at the raft houses.
best time to go
The rainy season starts around April time until about October; the dry season starts around November and ends around March. But these dates are becoming more variable. We are in the rainforest so expect more rain...but that is part of the experience. Each season has its own drawbacks and benefits. In the rainy season, it just rains more often than it does in the dry season...and once the downpour has passed we have hot sun again.how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
This tour includes a two night stay on Chiew Larn Lake and a trek in Khao Sok National Park. We pay Park Entrance Fees to visit the Park and the Lake, the proceeds of which go towards maintaining the ecology of the National Park area. Our new air-conditioned tree house and tree high rooms are concealed amongst the trees and are constructed of man-made materials whilst still retaining that “jungle feel”. The rooms are built carefully up, on and around the trees without damaging the centre core. Most rooms have the tree growing through the room at some point. The electric supply to the rooms is controlled by a key sensor, so when you remove the key on leaving the room, the electricity will automatically cut off, thereby saving energy. The basic style tree house rooms and our raft houses are constructed of bamboo and thatch obtained from self-sustaining resources of locally grown bamboo. Our guests are usually travelling as couples, families or small groups so we avoid uncontrollable mass tourism in the area. Our Confirmed Booking Vouchers, Invoices and Travellers Code of Conduct guidelines are sent by email to all guests who confirm their bookings. Amongst other things the Code of Conduct suggests ways to reduce the negative impact on the environment and the community, including minimising damage to flora and fauna and appropriate dress code for certain situations. Community We use local long tail boats and boat drivers to ensure we are putting some money back into the local community. We also employ local guides who have a wealth of knowledge of the area they were brought up in and who are happy to impart this knowledge and experience to our guests. The majority of our staff are from the local area and we source our supplies of food, drink and equipment from local businesses where possible. We visit Wat Pantoorat, Khao Soks’ local Buddhist Temple. The head monk often likes to talk with guests and he can be very informative about the local community; as well as the role of the Temple and monks as part of that community. Donations are always welcome to the Temple, though they are not expected. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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