Duration
2.5 hours
Tour Type
Daily Tour
Group Size
10 people
Languages
EN, DE, FR
About this tour
Khao Sok is famous for its lake and its rainforest, but the quietest way to see it is from water level, on a bamboo raft. This half-day trip starts at your hotel and takes you to the Sok River, where local raftsmen have been building and poling bamboo rafts for generations. There is no engine and no paddling for you to do. You sit back while the river carries you under limestone cliffs and overhanging jungle, with a good chance of spotting hornbills, kingfishers and monitor lizards along the banks.
About halfway down, the raft pulls in at a riverside clearing for the part guests talk about most: jungle coffee. Your host roasts the beans over an open fire and brews the coffee inside a length of green bamboo, then pours it into a bamboo cup carved on the spot. The cup and spoon are yours to take home.
After the river, a short drive brings you to Wat Tham Phanturat, better known as the Monkey Temple. It is a small cave temple with a resident troop of macaques, a few shrines inside the rock and a viewpoint over the Khao Sok hills on the way. Your guide explains the temple’s place in village life and keeps you and your belongings a sensible distance from the monkeys.
The whole trip takes around two and a half hours door to door from Khao Sok village. We run it on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, twice a day, in the morning at 09:30 and in the afternoon at 13:30 (08:30 and 12:30 if you are picked up in Khao Lak), so it fits easily around a lake day or a journey onward. Choose an English-speaking or German-speaking guide, and pickup from Khao Sok or from your hotel in Khao Lak, when you book.
Tour Highlights
- Bamboo rafting on the Sok River through Khao Sok National Park, no paddling needed
- Jungle coffee roasted and brewed in bamboo, served in a cup you keep
- Wat Tham Phanturat, the Monkey Temple, with its cave shrines and macaques
- Viewpoint over the limestone hills of Khao Sok
- Morning (09:30) or afternoon (13:30) departure, English or German guide
- Hotel pickup in Khao Sok village or from Khao Lak, small groups
Included/Excluded
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (Khao Sok village, or Khao Lak with the Khao Lak option)
- Bamboo rafting with a local raftsman
- English- or German-speaking guide
- Jungle coffee tasting with a bamboo cup to keep
- Visit to Wat Tham Phanturat (Monkey Temple)
- Drinking water and soft drinks
- Life jacket
- Accident insurance
- Meals (the trip runs between meal times)
- Tips for the guide and raftsman (optional)
- Personal expenses
Itinerary
Pickup from your hotel at 09:30 or 13:30 (Khao Sok village; Khao Lak hotels about 75 minutes earlier with the Khao Lak option). Guests staying at Cheow Lan Lake or in Baan Takhun are given a meeting point when booking.
About 30 minutes by air-conditioned van along the edge of Khao Sok National Park.
Around 70 minutes on the Sok River. Your raftsman steers with a bamboo pole while you watch the cliffs, jungle and wildlife slide past.
A 20-minute stop at a riverside clearing. Beans roasted over the fire, coffee brewed in bamboo, served in a bamboo cup that is yours to keep.
A short drive with a stop to look out over the limestone hills.
About 15 minutes at Wat Tham Phanturat, the cave temple with its monkeys.
Back to your hotel, about 2.5 hours after pickup in Khao Sok village.
Frequently asked questions
No. The raftsman poles the raft and the river is calm. Anyone comfortable sitting on a low raft for an hour can join.
Clothes and sandals that can get wet, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, a towel and a dry bag for your phone or camera. A change of clothes is handy.
Hotels in Khao Sok village, the area around the national park headquarters, are included. Choose the Khao Lak option for pickup from Khao Lak, Bang Niang and Khuk Khak hotels. Guests at Cheow Lan Lake or in Baan Takhun get a meeting point instead.
Yes. Pick English or German in the booking box. Your guide meets you at pickup.
Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with two departures: 09:30 and 13:30. Choose the time in the booking box.
Yes. Children aged 4 to 11 pay the child price, under-4s travel free, and everyone gets a life jacket. It is not suitable for pregnant women or guests with limited mobility, because of the steps down to the river.
The trip runs for a minimum of two people. Solo travellers are welcome to contact us; we can often add you to another group on the same day.
The rafting route depends on the river level. In the rare case the river is unsafe we offer another time or a full refund.
Tour's Location
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Owner
Edwin Aquino
Member Since 2023
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