Exceeding Expectations At Khao Sok Lake House

Enjoying the floating lifestyle at Khao Sok Lake House

Khao Sok National Park in addition to the Cheow Lan Lake

I never idea it would happen, but later relaxing on some of the most beautiful islands in addition to beaches inwards Southern Thailand for iii weeks, nosotros started to long for change. Sometimes likewise much of a proficient thing tin grow tiresome. With to a greater extent than white sand in addition to clear waters inwards our immediate future, nosotros decided to mix the scenery upwards in addition to headed for Khao Sok National Park.

We dreamt of dense jungle, long hikes in addition to a cacophony of sounds from the native wildlife. Upon arriving inwards the national park, in addition to checking into our accommodation at Smiley’s Bungalows, nosotros felt a moving ridge of relief equally the notion of our dreams coming truthful seemed to eventuate. Surrounded yesteryear intense limestone cliff formations in addition to a multitude of evergreen trees, nosotros were satisfied.

Khao Sok’s most famous drawcard is the magnificent Cheow Lan lake, which was formed when a hydro-electric dam was installed flooding the landscape behind it. After an exhausting but rewarding 16km hike nosotros contemplated whether it was worth adding on a few extra days, in addition to cutting into our budget, to see the lake.

It was.

After call for roughly in addition to considering doing a trip to the lake independently, nosotros decided to merely conduct maintain the like shooting fish in a barrel road in addition to mass an organised tour. The nighttime earlier nosotros left nosotros met some guys who had rented scooters in addition to drove out to the lake to essay in addition to mass a floating raft identify themselves to go along the costs down.

Turns out because they hadn’t booked the accommodation through the government website the total cost, including transportation, was going to endure a lot to a greater extent than than merely doing the tour. And that didn’t include food! Suddenly the 2500 baht ($80) was looking quite cheap. We certain were happy nosotros made the alternative nosotros did. There are a whole bunch of companies that tin assist create these organised trips, non merely Smiley’s.

Before nosotros had fifty-fifty left Smiley’s nosotros met our grouping who would endure accompanying us for the 2 day, 1 nighttime excursion. They were a young, international bunch of exuberant travellers who oozed enthusiasm in addition to zest for life. We knew it was going to endure a fun pair of days! The 1 lx minutes pick-up ride was filled amongst laughter in addition to hilarity (and at 1 point, worried sadness equally our speeding driver hitting a stray dog. It walked away, in addition to so hopefully it was ok).

The adjacent business office of the journeying involved a 1 lx minutes longtail ride to the accommodation. The chatter halted during this trip equally the scenery took our breath away. In every direction especial stone formations reached skyward, dense islands jutted from the surface of the lake in addition to the occasional deceased tree stood inwards lonesome positions, left standing on high points from when the river was dammed.

We arrived at the floating lake identify in addition to were greeted amongst a delicious cooked luncheon in addition to an afternoon of kayaking, bamboo walking in addition to swimming. As eve approached nosotros took off on the boat inwards search of the local fauna. Our grouping enjoyed the playful games of monkeys equally they leaped from tree to tree in addition to admired the stunning landscape. As nosotros headed towards our lake bungalows the combination of the impressive topography, odd clouds in addition to the setting Sun provided 1 of the most royal views nosotros conduct maintain ever witnessed to halt the day.

Our dinner of fresh fish in addition to traditional Thai nutrient was superb. With our hunger satisfied, in addition to the mood happy, our grouping of novel friends cracked opened upwards to a greater extent than than a few Chang beers in addition to eased into the night.

Good music in addition to corking conversation made the hours wing yesteryear virtually equally fast equally the multitude of shooting stars that zoomed through the clear skies. Late-night kayaking in addition to stand-up paddle boarding (au natural!) out into the lake allowed for fifty-fifty ameliorate star-gazing. The Galaxy was in addition to so striking inwards the nighttime heaven that nosotros all felt humbled to endure able to appreciate the universe in addition to so far away from civilisation.

We rose earlier the Sun in addition to made run of the costless kayaks in addition to paddled out, coffees inwards hand, to lookout adult man the dawn of a novel day. Afterwards, amongst breakfast served to fuel us for the adjacent activities, nosotros took off to a far-flung corner of the lake to laid out a jungle hike to a large cave. The hike wasn’t strenuous, but none-the-less beautiful. At the maiden of all of the 800m long cave, nosotros all stripped downward to our swimwear, threw on some headlamps in addition to entered.

Stalactites, stalagmites, crystallised limestone in addition to hundreds of bats in addition to large spiders welcomed us to the undercover chamber. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 river flowed through the cave in addition to at times the depth reached our necks. Slippery stones, sharp, jagged, head-height rocks in addition to claustrophobic passageways added to the feel of conduct a opportunity equally nosotros slow made our agency dorsum to daylight. The atmosphere remained light-hearted equally nosotros sang songs in addition to made jokes the entire agency through.

With lunchtime approaching, nosotros headed dorsum to our floating rooms to fill upwards our stomachs earlier finally leaving the awe-inspiring location. Another lx minutes of bamboo walking in addition to swimming to exhaust the in conclusion remnants of let on energy nosotros had left took us to the halt of our tour. We said our goodbyes to the friendly staff, in addition to started our journeying dorsum to the accommodation inwards Khao Sok.

The tour itself was amazing, in addition to nosotros are definitely glad nosotros chip the bullet in addition to dug into our wallets for the tour. But 1 thing the brochure couldn’t hope was the splendid gathering of novel best friends who nosotros were fortunate plenty to endure grouped together with. For the entire ii days the laughter never stopped. The songs nosotros sang in addition to the experiences nosotros shared both entertained in addition to bonded us. As I reverberate on gazing out into the depths of the galaxies that night, I can’t assist but experience the stars were aligned for us inwards the most positive agency possible. No thing how astounding the excursion is, it is ever ameliorate to endure able to part it amongst incredible people. You must appreciate it for all its worth, because that’s something coin can’t buy.