Leaving Phuket by bus, we arrived in Khao Sok and checked into a nice tree house / stilted hut at Nung house. Looking through the tour brochures over lunch, we decided to book on a 2 day tour of Cheow Lan Lake including a nights stay in a bamboo raft house.
Setting off at 9am the next morning, we met our tour companions Caroline and her two sons Lee & Reece (hi to you all) and a Finnish girl (sorry forgotten your name). After an hours drive we arrived at Cheow Lan Lake ready to board a longtail boat that took us to the raft houses. Cheow Lan Lake was created when the Rajjaphapa dam was built in 1982 and covers an area of 165 sq. km. Due to the mainly limestone Karst topography of the area, the lake and surrounding area resemble Halong bay in Vietnam. Boarding the longtail boat, we sped off across the lake taking in the beautiful landscape where semi submerged trees rise out of the still waters and dense jungle covers every rocky outcrop.
After about an hour we arrived at the raft houses and went to investigate our homes for the next two days. The huts were, to say the least, basic and ours had definite lean (it didn’t appear to be sinking though!). The inside consisted of a mattress, some bedding and a mosquito net (while we understand that a net is supposed to be a series of holes, ours appeared to be more hole than net!). After dropping our stuff off, we quickly changed into our swimming gear and leapt off the hut’s balcony into the lake to cool down. Following a nice swim we had a very good lunch and were told that we would be heading off on a short jungle trek (the duration seemed to range from 1hr to 3hrs, possibly a translation problem). Caroline decided to forgo the trek, choosing instead to relax by the lake, so the rest of us boarded the boat for a short ride and headed into the jungle. The trek was most notable for the ridiculous leaf hats that were made for Lee and Reece by Pom, our guide. Somehow I managed to avoid this, perhaps because I was already wearing a hat, Debs however was fashioned a very nice vine tiara. By the end of the trek we were weighed down with hats, tiaras, a rattan ring, bamboo flute and a leech!
Trek completed we returned to the raft houses where we removed the aforementioned leech from Debs’ foot and then borrowed a canoe to explore the lake. It was really nice to take in the scenery at a more leisurely pace without the noise of an engine. Heading slowly back to the raft houses, we encountered Lee and Reece, who have to be the two worst paddlers we have ever encountered (being towed back to the raft house doesn’t count as getting there first lads!). Arriving back safely we just had time for a short swim before boarding the longtail boat to go wildlife spotting. We were fortunate enough to see an eagle at rest on a tree branch but all the other animals were clearly shy; the landscape reflected in the calm waters gave us some spectacular views though.
By the time we returned to the rafts it was time for dinner, which again turned out to be excellent with some very tasty fresh fish. After dinner we set off on the lake again for a night safari, where we saw a Slow Loris (a small nocturnal marsupial) and several Giant Hornbills sleeping in the trees. With the first day over, we headed off to our hut for the night thoroughly exhausted knowing that we had to be up at 6:30am for a morning safari. Deciding the mosquito net was a waste of time, we covered ourselves in insect repellent and tried to sleep in the sweltering heat (more than once it crossed my mind to run and jump in the lake).
One of the highlights of the trip had to be the ability to wake at 6am, step out of the hut and into the lake for a morning swim as the mist rolled over the surrounding hills. The morning safari gave us the opportunity to see lots of Macaques as they came down to the waters edge and lots of birds, including a beautiful Kingfisher, several eagles and some hornbills in flight. While we realise that to see animals in the wild requires a lot of time and patience, it is always nice to come away from a national park having seen a few. The main event for the day was a trek through the jungle to visit Namtaloo cave. From reading the tour brochure we knew that the cave would take one hour to travel through, including several sections where we would have to swim or wade through an underground river. Anyone with claustrophobia, a fear of bats, insects, spiders and the complete absence of light need not apply. After some initial uncertainty (especially from Debs) we really enjoyed the trip. The cave had some amazing stalactites/stalagmites, lots of freshwater crabs, large spiders and narrow river wading sections (some over 6ft deep where had to hold on to a rope). It was very nice to see daylight at the other end though. As we returned through the jungle, we encountered a lizard, lots of butterflies by the waters edge and Debs was made a rattan bracelet to go with her rattan ring.
When we arrived back it was time for lunch, a quick swim and then back on the boat for the return journey to our guesthouse. Somehow I managed to injure my foot while in the boat, which proved a bit of a problem when trying to get out the other end. I am still not really sure what I have done, but it seems to be getting better. On arrival back at Nung house we waved goodbye to the others and went to check back into our room only to find out it had been invaded by ants. One room change later we headed to the restaurant for some food; that is where we stayed as the heavens opened and we encountered the heaviest rain we have seen so far on the trip. Finally braving the downpour as it eased, we headed back to our room for the night.
The following day we decided to go and have a look at one of the many waterfalls that are housed within the national park. We had a really good trek of a few km, where we saw lots of different lizards and birds. Unfortunately the waterfall was not really more than a trickle and due to the large numbers of leeches in the area we weren’t too keen to swim. Having had a good walk but starting to suffer from the heat we headed back to the guesthouse. The rest of our time in Khao Sok was spent resting, visiting a nearby river where monkeys gather in large numbers on the bank and packing for our journey to Ao Nang in the morning. We had a really good time in Khao Sok and we would recommend it to anyone who is in Thailand, if only for the stunning scenery. The only unfortunate thing about our time there was that we missed the blooming of the Rafflesia (the world’s largest flower) by a day, so we will have to try and see it later in our travels.
Next Ao Nang, Ko Mook and leaving for Malaysia
Setting off at 9am the next morning, we met our tour companions Caroline and her two sons Lee & Reece (hi to you all) and a Finnish girl (sorry forgotten your name). After an hours drive we arrived at Cheow Lan Lake ready to board a longtail boat that took us to the raft houses. Cheow Lan Lake was created when the Rajjaphapa dam was built in 1982 and covers an area of 165 sq. km. Due to the mainly limestone Karst topography of the area, the lake and surrounding area resemble Halong bay in Vietnam. Boarding the longtail boat, we sped off across the lake taking in the beautiful landscape where semi submerged trees rise out of the still waters and dense jungle covers every rocky outcrop.
After about an hour we arrived at the raft houses and went to investigate our homes for the next two days. The huts were, to say the least, basic and ours had definite lean (it didn’t appear to be sinking though!). The inside consisted of a mattress, some bedding and a mosquito net (while we understand that a net is supposed to be a series of holes, ours appeared to be more hole than net!). After dropping our stuff off, we quickly changed into our swimming gear and leapt off the hut’s balcony into the lake to cool down. Following a nice swim we had a very good lunch and were told that we would be heading off on a short jungle trek (the duration seemed to range from 1hr to 3hrs, possibly a translation problem). Caroline decided to forgo the trek, choosing instead to relax by the lake, so the rest of us boarded the boat for a short ride and headed into the jungle. The trek was most notable for the ridiculous leaf hats that were made for Lee and Reece by Pom, our guide. Somehow I managed to avoid this, perhaps because I was already wearing a hat, Debs however was fashioned a very nice vine tiara. By the end of the trek we were weighed down with hats, tiaras, a rattan ring, bamboo flute and a leech!
Trek completed we returned to the raft houses where we removed the aforementioned leech from Debs’ foot and then borrowed a canoe to explore the lake. It was really nice to take in the scenery at a more leisurely pace without the noise of an engine. Heading slowly back to the raft houses, we encountered Lee and Reece, who have to be the two worst paddlers we have ever encountered (being towed back to the raft house doesn’t count as getting there first lads!). Arriving back safely we just had time for a short swim before boarding the longtail boat to go wildlife spotting. We were fortunate enough to see an eagle at rest on a tree branch but all the other animals were clearly shy; the landscape reflected in the calm waters gave us some spectacular views though.
By the time we returned to the rafts it was time for dinner, which again turned out to be excellent with some very tasty fresh fish. After dinner we set off on the lake again for a night safari, where we saw a Slow Loris (a small nocturnal marsupial) and several Giant Hornbills sleeping in the trees. With the first day over, we headed off to our hut for the night thoroughly exhausted knowing that we had to be up at 6:30am for a morning safari. Deciding the mosquito net was a waste of time, we covered ourselves in insect repellent and tried to sleep in the sweltering heat (more than once it crossed my mind to run and jump in the lake).
One of the highlights of the trip had to be the ability to wake at 6am, step out of the hut and into the lake for a morning swim as the mist rolled over the surrounding hills. The morning safari gave us the opportunity to see lots of Macaques as they came down to the waters edge and lots of birds, including a beautiful Kingfisher, several eagles and some hornbills in flight. While we realise that to see animals in the wild requires a lot of time and patience, it is always nice to come away from a national park having seen a few. The main event for the day was a trek through the jungle to visit Namtaloo cave. From reading the tour brochure we knew that the cave would take one hour to travel through, including several sections where we would have to swim or wade through an underground river. Anyone with claustrophobia, a fear of bats, insects, spiders and the complete absence of light need not apply. After some initial uncertainty (especially from Debs) we really enjoyed the trip. The cave had some amazing stalactites/stalagmites, lots of freshwater crabs, large spiders and narrow river wading sections (some over 6ft deep where had to hold on to a rope). It was very nice to see daylight at the other end though. As we returned through the jungle, we encountered a lizard, lots of butterflies by the waters edge and Debs was made a rattan bracelet to go with her rattan ring.
When we arrived back it was time for lunch, a quick swim and then back on the boat for the return journey to our guesthouse. Somehow I managed to injure my foot while in the boat, which proved a bit of a problem when trying to get out the other end. I am still not really sure what I have done, but it seems to be getting better. On arrival back at Nung house we waved goodbye to the others and went to check back into our room only to find out it had been invaded by ants. One room change later we headed to the restaurant for some food; that is where we stayed as the heavens opened and we encountered the heaviest rain we have seen so far on the trip. Finally braving the downpour as it eased, we headed back to our room for the night.
The following day we decided to go and have a look at one of the many waterfalls that are housed within the national park. We had a really good trek of a few km, where we saw lots of different lizards and birds. Unfortunately the waterfall was not really more than a trickle and due to the large numbers of leeches in the area we weren’t too keen to swim. Having had a good walk but starting to suffer from the heat we headed back to the guesthouse. The rest of our time in Khao Sok was spent resting, visiting a nearby river where monkeys gather in large numbers on the bank and packing for our journey to Ao Nang in the morning. We had a really good time in Khao Sok and we would recommend it to anyone who is in Thailand, if only for the stunning scenery. The only unfortunate thing about our time there was that we missed the blooming of the Rafflesia (the world’s largest flower) by a day, so we will have to try and see it later in our travels.
Next Ao Nang, Ko Mook and leaving for Malaysia
2 comments:
Dear Matt n Debb,
I read with great interest about your trip to Khao Sok. I am after Rafflesia, nothing else. Glad if you could share with me on how to get to the place. If you are in Malaysia please call me 012 366 2419
I should have highlighted our blog http://rafflesia-in-bloom.blogspot.com and http://rafflesiamalesia.blogspot.com if you are interested to check out our activities here.
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