Where to go during the rainy season?
After scrolling through various websites for a long time, I finally decided on this place.
"Cheow Lan Dam"

The Ratchaprapha Dam, also known as "Cheow Lan Dam," its original name before being renamed Ratchaprapha, a name bestowed by His Majesty the King. The Ratchaprapha Dam is a multi-purpose rockfill dam with a clay core, standing 95 meters tall and 700 meters long. The reservoir above the dam is filled with natural limestone mountains of various shapes. The juxtaposition of water and limestone mountains creates a serene and picturesque landscape, making it a world of tranquility and beauty.


Things to do

• Relax by the lake on a floating platform, read your favorite book, and listen to soft music.

• Embark on a scenic boat ride above the dam, admiring the Three Friends Mountain, a highlight among the limestone mountains nestled within the reservoir.

• Kayaking or canoeing, which some accommodations offer to tourists free of charge.

• Explore Tham Nam Thalu, a cave located 6 kilometers from the park ranger station by foot. It is a large cave with a flowing stream and beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Guided tours are required for cave exploration.

Source: http://thai.tourismthailand.org/สถานที่ท่องเที่ยว/เขื่อนรัชชประภา-เขื่อนเชี่ยวหลาน--5494


Transportation Methods

1. Bus from Bangkok to the entrance of the dam

Boat Trip to Khao Sok National Park from Bangkok

Transportation:

  • Take a bus from the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) in Bangkok to Phang Nga. Look for buses going to "Khao Sok" or "Cheow Lan Dam" (เขื่อนเชี่ยวหลาน). Several companies offer this route, and the last bus typically departs around 8 pm.
  • The journey takes approximately 9 hours, arriving in Surat Thani around 5 am.
  • From Surat Thani, take a songthaew (shared taxi) to the pier. Alternatively, you can contact the raft house directly and arrange for them to pick you up.
  • The bus ticket costs between 700-800 baht.


2. Train from Bangkok to Surat Thani

Train 167 (Express) departs at 18:30 and arrives at 6:23.

Express Train 85 departs at 7:30 PM and arrives at 7:06 AM.

Express Train 41,39 departs at 22:50 and arrives at 08:05.

If you plan to take the train, it is recommended to allow extra time as there may be delays or cancellations. However, the express train we took arrived on time without any delays. The ticket price was 608 baht.


3. Airplane

The flight was originally priced at 590฿ during a promotion, but due to a 2-hour delay in booking, the return flight cost 790฿. Upon arrival, passengers transferred to a vehicle to reach Surat Thani city center, followed by a van to the dam entrance.

This post is not a review, but rather a travelogue of our journey. We will try our best to provide all the necessary details, but please forgive us if we miss anything.

DAY 1
We drove from Buriram to Korat in the afternoon, where it was raining heavily. The bus ride should normally take only 4 hours, but due to heavy traffic, we arrived in Bangkok at 9 pm. We missed our bus, which was scheduled for 7:50 pm, so we changed our plans and took the train instead. We were lucky to get a special express train at 10:50 pm, and the train was not delayed. We arrived in Surat Thani at around 8 am. If you are planning to take the train, we recommend getting a sleeper car, as the seats are very uncomfortable. It is also a good idea to bring a jacket, as the air conditioning on the train is very strong.


DAY 2 Upon arriving at the dam, I must admit that I was secretly afraid of whether it would be as beautiful as in the pictures. Would the water be clear? Would the weather be good? I thought about all sorts of things until the van dropped us off at the pier. All my questions vanished, replaced by this view.


After contacting the pier staff who were waiting, they boarded the boat to their accommodation.


Upon nearing the accommodation, all mobile phone networks abruptly ceased functioning, plunging us into the natural world and severing all social media connections.


This trip, we stayed at the Pha Tawan Floating Hut in a capsule room (the normal glass house room would be 400 baht cheaper).


The price of a 3-day, 2-night capsule package is 4,000 baht per person for accommodation.

- 2 nights' accommodation

- Six meals

  • Boats entering and exiting the floating market.

- Nature tour boat

- Free kayaking

The 2-day, 1-night package is likely to cost 2,800 baht, if we remember correctly.


The front of the building has a water play area, but we didn't play because we were afraid. We're not very good swimmers. 555



Today's first meal was incredibly satisfying, with unlimited refills!



During the day, there is no electricity here, and the weather is quite hot (very hot), so we could only walk around the raft and take pictures. In the late afternoon, we went kayaking.

Dinner tonight was so good, we were stuffed! Our little one really enjoyed the meal. 555



DAY 3

The next morning, we took a boat to see the various highlights. The mountains here are incredibly unique and beautiful. We enjoyed taking photos until our batteries were almost drained.

A popular spot for everyone to take photos.


Arrive at the pier to hike to the coral cave.


The distance is not too far, approximately 3 kilometers round trip. However, I felt very tired and reached the point where I had to get on a bamboo raft.


We were almost screaming. It was so beautiful, truly beautiful.


At this point, there will be shops selling drinks, snacks, and ice cream. There are umbrellas for rent and hats to borrow before boarding the raft.



The water was incredibly still, reflecting like a mirror. It was fortunate that we arrived early in the day, as the water was still calm.



Cave entrance



The cave is pitch black, with no light or sunlight penetrating. The guides provide small flashlights, but we found them to be inadequate. We recommend bringing your own flashlight. For those who intend to take photos in the cave, a flash is essential. We forgot to bring a flash, so we were only able to capture a few angles, resulting in noisy images.

The sky began to darken slightly as we emerged from the cave.


The weather at 11 am is incredibly hot. We need ice cream to cool down.



We then took a boat back to the floating house. The boat driver was super cool! 5555


A hearty lunch, a real feast, as I didn't have time to eat breakfast.


After lunch, the other boat driver kindly offered to take us on another boat trip. We were excited to take photos of the spots we missed in the morning. When we arrived, my sister and I decided to relax at the bamboo pavilion near the cave entrance because we were too tired to walk. The kind boat driver even bought us each an ice cream.

Sleeping soundly while waiting for the group to enter the cave in the afternoon. It took almost 3 hours, and it was time to return to the raft. The weather was very cloudy, and it started raining again.


After returning to the raft, we went for another round of paddling.


We took turns taking photos because my younger sibling wanted a picture of themself dangling their legs from the capsule. I was so scared of the camera falling! 5555



The heavy rain poured down, leaving nothing to do but take playful photos of the tiger.

The uncle said that the tiger has been here since it was a cub. In total, it has lived a pure life on the raft for almost 9 years. It has never met another cat, so its personality is not like a cat at all. It doesn't eat the fish we give it, but instead eats squid and seafood (-_____-) We waited until evening, but the rain showed no signs of stopping. So we had nothing to do but eat. 555555

After finishing our meal, we were left with nothing to do but sleep and listen to the sound of the rain. We set our alarms for 3 am to capture the Milky Way, but when we woke up, the sky was overcast and it was still drizzling. We canceled our plans and went back to sleep.


DAY 4 Today's activity will be a boat trip to enjoy the scenery and birds. The morning air is very pleasant, cool and with low-lying fog.
The boat driver took us to a small island for about half an hour to take pictures.

And then sailed around.


This area is also home to hornbills, but unfortunately, we didn't bring a telephoto lens, so we couldn't capture any images for you.


As the sun rose higher in the sky, we reluctantly returned to the floating raft to gather our belongings and prepare for the return trip to the mainland. The thought of leaving filled us with a deep sense of sadness, for we had fallen head over heels in love with Khao Sok National Park. This enchanting place had allowed us to truly immerse ourselves in the embrace of nature.



Our sincere gratitude to the boat captain who took us on a multi-round tour, providing historical insights about the dam, offering valuable guidance, and ensuring our well-being throughout the experience.



It's time to go back...


Upon returning to the shore, we sought out picturesque locations to capture the moment.

After capturing the perfect shots, we hopped back in the car and headed towards the bustling city center.



During the journey, we stopped at the Heart-Shaped Mountain Suspension Bridge and the Cheow Lan Camp.

Waiting for this moment for a long time. The baby elephant is so cute.


Upon arriving in the city, we embarked on a quest to discover the culinary gems of Surat Thani. Our first stop was 69Milk, where we indulged in a delightful sweet treat.

This bingsu shop is delicious and the price is not too bad. If you are a bingsu lover, don't forget to stop by and try it if you are in the area.


After a satisfying meal, they headed to the airport for their return trip to Bangkok.

We'll meet again. We promise to return here again.


Expenditure Summary

Bus fare 739฿

Train fare 606฿

The cost of a van to the dam is 250฿.

Accommodation package price at Phu Tawan Resort for 3 days 2 nights is 4,000 baht.

The cost of a van into the city is 450฿.

The cost of a taxi to the airport is 200฿.

Flight cost: 790฿

Note: The cost of transportation includes two round trips because we missed the bus. If we hadn't missed it, we would have saved the train fare and the van fare to the dam (856฿).

Note 2: The cost of a van from the dam can be cheaper if there are more people. We only had 4 people in our entire van, so it was more expensive than usual.

We booked a 3-day, 2-night package for 4,000 baht. This includes accommodation, meals, and tour guide fees.

Note: The 3-day program is the same as the 2-day program, except for the number of meals. The 2-day program costs 2800฿/person.


Khao Sok National Park is a popular tourist destination year-round. However, the most scenic time to visit is between late September and October, when there is less rain.

The weather is expected to be pleasant during this period. It is recommended to visit during this time. This information is based on what I have heard from others, so I cannot be certain.

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Thank you to everyone who has followed and read to the end.

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