Destination guide
Khao Sok Floating Bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake
A night on the water inside a rainforest national park, from bamboo huts to floating villas.
The Khao Sok floating bungalows are raft houses moored on Cheow Lan Lake, a 165 km² reservoir inside Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand, where karst cliffs rise straight out of green water. You drive to Ratchaprapha Pier, about 65 km from Khao Sok village, and take a longtail for 35 minutes to over an hour to your raft. They range from open bamboo huts with shared bathrooms to air-conditioned floating villas, and most people stay one night as a two-day package with the boat, meals and a lake trip included.
The lake fee is ฿300 for foreign adults plus a ฿40 pier fee. It's the most memorable night in this part of Thailand, and I'd plan around it rather than see the lake on a day trip.
Arriving in Khao Sok
Where to stay in Khao Sok
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Key Facts
The rafts are an hour's boat ride in
Longtails leave Ratchaprapha Pier for the rafts in the lake's arms, 35–50 minutes to Khlong Long and Khlong Ka, up to 70 minutes to Khlong Pey and 80 minutes or more to Khlong Yee.
Two fees, paid in cash
The lake fee is ฿300 for foreign adults and ฿150 for children, plus a ฿40 pier fee. Some packages include it, so check before you pay twice.
Three kinds of raft
Bamboo huts with shared bathrooms and fans at best, mid-range rafts with private bathrooms, and luxury rafts with air conditioning. Power comes from generators, so it can be audible.
Most stays are packages
Two days and one night with the longtail, meals and a lake trip is the standard. Booking a room alone online often leaves the boat and meals to pay for on top.
No boats after dark
Boats can't run after sunset, so plan to reach the pier by mid-afternoon. Life vests are compulsory on boats and kayaks.
December to April is the season
The water is clearest and the caves open in the dry months. February to May nights are hot without air conditioning, and the rainy season is lush but wet.
Are the Khao Sok Floating Bungalows Worth It?
Yes, for one night. You wake to mist lifting off the cliffs, swim and kayak straight off your deck, and take the boat to Khao Sam Kloe, the three limestone pillars that are the lake's famous view, when the day-trippers have gone. Gibbons and hornbills live in the forest around the lake, and a longer stay gives you a real chance of seeing wild elephants on the shore.
Go in with the right expectations. The bamboo rafts are basic, a mattress on a platform with a shared bathroom, and from February to May the nights are hot without air conditioning. The generators hum, the restaurant closes after dinner, and there's often no phone signal. If you need comfort, pay for a mid-range or luxury raft rather than skipping the night.
Floating Bungalow Types and Prices
| Type | What you get | Rafts | Price guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bamboo | Open bamboo huts on a raft, a mattress and a fan at best, shared bathrooms | Krai Son, Klong Ka, Ton Toey, Nang Prai | Two-day, one-night packages with meals and the boat from about ฿2,500 per person |
| Mid-range | Wooden or glass-fronted rooms with private bathrooms, some fan-only | Smiley, Phutawan, Sai Chon, Praiwan, Keereewarin, Phupa Waree | Between the two, so ask exactly what the package includes |
| Luxury | Air-conditioned floating rooms and villas with private decks | Panvaree The Greenery, 500 Rai | Panvaree's superior rooms were listed under US$250 a night in 2026, and 500 Rai is the most luxurious |
Tiers follow the lake's operators, who sort the rafts into bamboo, modern, superior and luxury. Room-only rates usually exclude the longtail and meals.
The Best Floating Bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake
Six raft houses across the price range, from the luxury resorts down to a simple lakehouse. None of them pays to be here, and every one is a longtail ride from Ratchaprapha Pier.
1. Panvaree The Greenery, Cheow Lan Lake
Best luxury valueModern floating rooms with big hammocks over the water, sold as all-inclusive packages from two days to four, and capped at 30 to 35 guests a day so it stays calm. Coral Cave, an early-morning mist boat and kayaking are on the program.
It's the one I'd pick for a comfortable night without 500 Rai's prices. Pay only into the company account it names on its site, because it warns about fake sellers.
2. 500 Rai Floating Resort, Cheow Lan Lake
The most luxuriousThe lake's best-known luxury resort, with floating villas, family suites, a honeymoon suite and a floating pool, plus cooking classes and massage on the water.
There's no Wi-Fi or phone signal, which suits a honeymoon. It's the most luxurious way to sleep on the lake but not always the best value, so check what the package covers in transfers and the park fee.
3. Keereewarin Raft House, Cheow Lan Lake
Everything in one priceA mid-range raft that sells numbered programs, from a day trip to three days and two nights, with the longtail, meals, kayaks, the park fee and travel insurance included.
Good if you want one price and no surprises. Foreigners pay an extra ฿200 each on the park fee, and the boat out passes Khao Sam Kloe.
4. Phutawan Raft House, Cheow Lan Lake
Groups and familiesOne of the larger rafts, with 32 glass-fronted floating rooms and a reception raft. Boat tours and kayaks come with the stay, and the kitchen cooks lake fish in the southern style.
A step up from bamboo without luxury prices, and big enough for a group to book together.
5. Praiwan Raft House, Cheow Lan Lake
A cool-season middle choiceA family-run raft with simple standard rooms and deluxe rooms that add a private bathroom but are fan-cooled.
Fine from November to January, harder in the hot months when there's no air conditioning. Check whether the boat and meals are included.
6. Khao Sok Smiley Lakehouse, Cheow Lan Lake
Simple and good valueSimple floating bungalows with meals and loaner kayaks included, for people who care more about the lake than the room.
It's the easy budget pick if the bamboo rafts feel too basic. Book ahead from November, when the lake fills up.
How to Book a Floating Bungalow
There are three ways in. A package, two days and one night or longer, includes the longtail, meals and a lake trip, and often the transfer from Khao Sok village, Khao Lak or Phuket, so it's what most people book. A room booked alone online, through the raft or a booking site, is often cheaper on paper, but the boat from the pier and the meals usually cost extra, and food on the rafts costs about what you'd expect for somewhere you can't leave. The cheapest option is a bamboo-raft trip booked in cash through a guesthouse in Khao Sok village.
The lake's operators say you should go with a licensed operator rather than turn up and find a boat, and from November to April the boats at the pier can mean a wait of hours. Book your raft before you arrive, ask what's included in the boat, meals, cave trip and park fee, and pay only to the raft's official account.
One Night or Two?
One night covers the essentials. You arrive around midday, see Khao Sam Kloe, swim and kayak, take an evening boat before dark, and go back after a morning trip. That's what most packages are.
Two nights is better if you want the Coral Cave trek and a slower day, or if wildlife is the point. On a three-day, two-night stay the chance of seeing wild elephants is put at about 30 to 40 percent. A day trip shows you the lake but not the dawn, and it means a long day in a van.
Things to Do on Cheow Lan Lake
Cheow Lan Lake filled a valley in 1987 when the Ratchaprapha Dam was built, drowning all but the tops of the karst peaks, and more than half of it lies in two wildlife sanctuaries. Everything here is done by boat, kayak or on foot.
Khao Sam Kloe
The three limestone pillars that rise out of the water, about 35 to 40 minutes from the pier, are the lake's signature view and usually the first stop.
Swimming and kayaking
Hundreds of people swim off the rafts every day, and most rafts lend kayaks, many for free. Don't swallow the water, which can upset your stomach, and wear the life vest the staff hand you. Kayaking is only allowed from the rafts and never after dark.
Coral Cave
Coral Cave, Tham Pakarang, is a 400 m cave in the Khlong Saeng wildlife sanctuary, about 45 to 50 minutes from the pier, reached by a forest walk of about a kilometer and a bamboo raft across an inner lake. The sanctuary charges ฿200 for adults and ฿100 for children on top of the lake fee.
Nam Talu cave
A river cave you wade and swim through, open only from about mid-December to the end of May, and closed whenever rain is forecast. A flash flood killed two guides and six tourists in 2007, and a guide died on an after-dark trip in the rainy season in 2024, so only go with a licensed guide in the dry months.
Wildlife boats and viewpoints
Early-morning and late-afternoon boats look for gibbons, langurs, hornbills and, with luck, elephants on the shore. Further out, the Kri Sorn viewpoint is about 75 minutes from the pier and the Bang Hoi waterfall about 80, so they suit a two-night stay.
Getting to the Floating Bungalows
Every trip starts at Cheow Lan Pier, also called Ratchaprapha Pier, beside the dam in Ban Ta Khun district, about an hour's drive beyond Khao Sok village and the park headquarters. It's about two and a half hours from Phuket and three from Krabi. Packages usually include the transfer, from Khao Sok village or from hotels in Khao Lak and Phuket.
On your own, get to Khao Sok village by bus or van first. They run for about ฿280 from Surat Thani, ฿370 from Phuket and ฿400–500 from Krabi, and then your raft or a village agent arranges the road to the pier. Aim to reach the pier by early afternoon, because boats don't run after dark, and I'd spend a night in the village first so you aren't racing the light.
When to Go and What to Pack
December to April is the season. The water is at its clearest, the caves are open and the weather is most reliable, and December to February is the busiest stretch, so book early. From February to May the nights get hot, which matters on a fan-only raft. The rains run from about May into late in the year, and September is the wettest month in Khao Sok, but showers on the lake are often short, the forest is at its greenest and the rafts stay open all year.
Pack light, because your bag rides in a longtail. Bring cash for the fees and drinks, swimwear and a quick-dry towel, a dry bag for your phone, shoes with grip for the cave walk, a headlamp for when the power goes off, and something warm for the early-morning boat. Mosquitoes are rarely a problem on the water.
More for the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Khao Sok Floating Bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake.
Yes, for at least one night. Waking on the lake, swimming off your deck and seeing Khao Sam Kloe without the day-trippers is the highlight of most Khao Sok trips. The bamboo rafts are basic and hot from February to May, so pay for a mid-range or luxury raft if comfort matters.
Bamboo-raft packages for two days and one night, with meals and the boat, start at about ฿2,500 per person. Mid-range rafts cost more, and luxury rooms at Panvaree The Greenery were listed under US$250 a night in 2026, and 500 Rai is the lake's most luxurious resort. Add the ฿300 lake fee and ฿40 pier fee if your package doesn't include them.
For luxury, Panvaree The Greenery for value and 500 Rai Floating Resort for the most comfort. Keereewarin, Phutawan and Praiwan are good mid-range rafts, and Smiley Lakehouse is a simple, good-value choice. Bamboo rafts like Krai Son and Ton Toey are the cheapest.
On Cheow Lan Lake, the reservoir inside Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani province. You reach them by longtail from Ratchaprapha Pier, about 65 km from Khao Sok village, a ride of 35 minutes to over an hour depending on the raft.
You can book a room directly or online, but you still need a longtail from the pier, which the raft usually arranges for an extra charge, and meals are often separate. The lake's operators recommend going with a licensed operator, and most people book a package that includes the boat and meals.
They run on generators. Bamboo rafts have a fan at best and shared bathrooms, mid-range rafts have private bathrooms and some have air conditioning, and luxury rafts like Panvaree and 500 Rai are air-conditioned. There's often no phone signal, and 500 Rai has no Wi-Fi.
Yes, and hundreds of people swim off the rafts every day. Wear the life vest the staff give you, don't swallow the water, which can upset your stomach, and don't swim or kayak after dark.
December to April, when the water is clearest and the caves are open. December to February is busiest, and February to May nights are hot without air conditioning. The rainy season is quieter and lush, and the rafts stay open all year.
Where to stay on Khao Sok
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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