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3 Day Phuket to Khao Sok National Park Tour: paddle through turquoise lake

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Duration3d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Paddle through emerald water, hike into rainforest that predates dinosaurs

You're picked up from your Phuket hotel and driven north to Khao Sok National Park, where you spend two nights in a mainland hotel. Day one includes a bamboo raft down the Klong Sok river with views of limestone cliffs and wildlife; day two is a longtail boat tour of Cheow Lan Lake with swimming and kayaking time, plus a cave hike and floating restaurant lunch; day three is a three-hour jungle trek before your return transfer. All meals, accommodation and transport are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Travel to Khao Sok and rafting

Pick up from Phuket hotel
Rest and photo stop at Sarasin Bridge
Visit Tsunami Memorial Site at Khao Lak
Stop at Khaosok scenic viewpoint
Lunch at local restaurant
Bamboo rafting on Khao Sok river
Check in at Khao Sok accommodation
Dinner with jungle sounds

Day 2 — Cheow Lan Lake boat tour

Breakfast and depart for Cheow Lan Lake
Arrive at Cheow Lan pier and board boat
Cruise to Khao Samklur rock landmark
Short hike to cave
Lunch at floating restaurant
Free time for swimming and kayaking
Boat trip back to Cheow Lan pier
View at Ratchaprapha Dam viewpoint

Day 3 — Jungle hike and return transfer

Breakfast
Jungle hiking in Khao Sok National Park
Check out from accommodation
Lunch at local restaurant
Transfer back to Phuket or nearby areas

The Experience

The pickup starts early—between 7 and 8:30 a.m. depending on your hotel in Phuket—and the drive north takes you past the Tsunami Memorial Site at Khao Lak Beach before you reach the park's edge. You'll stop at a scenic viewpoint for the first real look at Khao Sok's limestone ridges, then break for lunch at a local restaurant before the afternoon's bamboo raft glides down the Klong Sok river. The water is clear enough to see the limestone cliffs rise straight from it, and if you're quiet, you might spot birds or monitor lizards moving through the trees along the banks. By 2 p.m. you're checked into a three-star mainland hotel where the jungle sounds start as soon as the sun drops.

Day two is built around Cheow Lan Lake, a turquoise reservoir that looks transplanted from southern China—locals call it the Guilin of Thailand. You board a traditional longtail boat at 9 a.m. and cruise past the famous three-rock landmark Khao Samklur, then hike to a cave before the boat carries you to a floating restaurant for a Thai lunch. The afternoon is yours to swim or kayak (self-paddle) in the lake, or simply sit on the water and watch the limestone walls rise around you. The boat returns you to the pier by late afternoon, and you're back at the hotel for dinner.

The final morning brings a three-hour jungle hike through the rainforest—this one is 160 million years old and still wears it. You'll walk on foot looking for plants, flowers, butterflies, birds and reptiles that live nowhere else in Thailand. After checkout and a final lunch at a local restaurant, the driver takes you back to Phuket, Krabi or Khao Lak by late afternoon. The whole trip is designed to move you through three different ways of seeing the park: from the river, from the water, and on foot.

What’s included

Hotel pickup from Phuket (7–8:30 a.m., time varies by location).
Sarasin Bridge viewpoint stop.
Tsunami Memorial Site visit at Khao Lak.
scenic viewpoint at Khao Sok.
bamboo raft down Klong Sok river.
two nights at a three-star mainland hotel.
all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner each day).
Cheow Lan Lake longtail boat tour.
Khao Samklur rock landmark.
cave hike.
floating restaurant lunch with Thai cuisine.
free swimming and self-paddle kayaking time.
three-hour jungle hike through the rainforest.
return transfer to Phuket, Krabi or Khao Lak.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Gembira Tour

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Khao Sok's three distinct landscapes—river, lake and rainforest—without arranging transport, park entry or meals yourself. The fixed itinerary and included accommodation mean you arrive and the park unfolds in front of you over three days.