Khao Sok Jungle Safari & Cheow Lan Lake Explorer

These 2.5 days were just wonderful! The pick-up and support worked great. After the first two stops the guide changed, which turned out to be very lucky for us, because he was extremely experienced, friendly and above all with a lot of joy and love for nature. He could also speak English relatively well, so he could answer many questions. His work seemed to give him real pleasure himself, he stalled here and there with the car and told us something about the plants we asked questions about. Always punctual and friendly was master of our side. Through his obvious experience, we also guided ourselves safely in the jungle and in the national park during boat trips, as well as in the cave. It's also great that he brought us flashlights. The colleague who drove the boat also made a very professional impression and was also totally friendly and always in a good mood. Describing the beauty of nature that we were allowed to see on this tour would take at least 5000 characters again here. So very briefly: you become humble! It's wonderful. We saw many Meranos, butterflies, colorful fish, lizards that could change color, who encountered in several places, monkeys, saw bison on the shores of Lake Bison and were even lucky enough to see the horn bird fly twice. We especially liked the fact that our guide and the boat driver occasionally displayed the engine so that we could hear the sounds of the jungle.

The lake stay and activities were great, longer time for canoeing or swimming would have been welcome. The jungle safari and stay were the outstanding highlights, the accommodation was basic but very comfortable, and luxury compared to the boathouse. The food (Tom yum soup and Panang) was astonishingly good, and the homely, family vibe was so welcoming from the hosts. Great jungle stories and a challenging jungle trek was topped off with lovely dinner. The wonderful breakfast after an unbroken 10hr sleep was followed by a very relaxing bamboo raft down the river back to our hosts. The best Pad Thai we have ever had then concluded our trip. Would defintely recommend, and if you're short for time go for the jungle stay.

The locations we visited and the accommodation were nice, but unfortunately our guide pulled down the overall experience of our trip. For some reason, the two activities were swapped such that we went first to the lake and then to the jungle. Not a big deal, but it would have been nice to be informed about it. Furthermore, it meant that the second day was very packed, and we had to make a one hour detour on the last day to drop off some other participants going to the lake. The main problem during our trip, however, was our guide. We did not start of well, having to stop twice on the first day because he was vomiting. I feel sorry for him if he was ill (he never told us what was going on), and maybe this explains his lack of interest, but he seemed to feel better towards the end of the first day. However, his role seemed to mainly be to give us logistical information. On the first day, we were dropped first at a mangrove forest and then at a temple, simply with the information that we had to be back one hour later. He did not tell us anything about the places we visited, or what we could expect to see. The same was the case on the lake. During the jungle walk, it all seemed very rushed, and he made no effort to help us spot any animals, or to tell us what we could expect to see. Whenever we wanted to stop and look, we were rushed on. At the end of the trip he left the car without even saying goodbye. Luckily, we also had a very kind driver with us, who in the end seemed to care more about us than our guide... We did enjoy the trip, that took us to very beautiful and interesting locations. But we are left with a feeling that we could have gained a lot more from the trip if we had had a guide with us who actually cared.

The nature at Khao Sok and Cheow Lan Lake is undeniably beautiful and worth visiting, though this specific tour was a major disappointment in terms of service and value for money. On the positive side, the staff at the first jungle accommodation were very welcoming; the lady who seemed to be the owner spoke good English and made us feel at home, and the food there was quite nice. Additionally, the accommodation on the lake was a stunning and unique experience. However, the actual guiding service was very poor throughout the entire trip. This did not feel like a "guided" experience in any professional sense. To start, the guide never even introduced himself, so we didn’t even know who he was or how to address him. He showed a complete lack of engagement; at the temple and during the initial walk, he simply dropped us off and waited in the parking lot without providing any information or context. Just saying we have an hour to explore. This lack of effort continued during the safari, where his limited English made communication difficult, and he didn't seem particularly knowledgeable or interested in helping us spot wildlife. We saw very few animals and felt we were essentially paying a premium for transportation rather than an expert-led safari. The logistics also fell short regarding the food on the second day. While the first location was good, the food at the lake was not of the same quality, and the limited portions provided left us feeling hungry after lunch. Given the high price of the package and the basic nature of the first accommodation, the overall trip feels significantly overpriced. I would recommend visiting this beautiful area, but I would suggest looking for a different operator if you are looking for an informative experience.

An amazing experience if you want to see and feel the Koh Sok national park. Dont expect luxury but expect the beauty and diversity the lake and jungle has to offer. Well organised, lots to see and our guide Pradep was a gem.