Are you in the south of Thailand and looking for a break from beaches, an experience of a lifetime, natural beauty, a night in floating bungalows and adventurous activities?
Then you should definitely add Khao Sok to your bucket list!
I booked my overnight tour through Coco hostel, so that’s what I’ll be talking about in this blog.
However almost all the hostels in Khao Sok do the same exact or very similar tours so the hostel you book with doesn’t necessarily matter.
I definitely recommend that you book at least one night stay at your hostel for the day before your tour
this because the tour starts at 9am therefore you want to be ready for the early morning start.
photos- @a11isaa on Instagram
How much it costs
The overnight tour costs 2,500 Baht per person
However this doesn’t exactly include everything as when you get on the bus you will also have to pay:
- 200 Baht for national park entrance fees
- 40 Baht for pier maintenance
Therefore the total you will have to pay for the two days here is 2,740 Thai Baht (around £60)
What’s included?
- 4 meals: lunch and dinner on day one and breakfast and lunch on day two, also unlimited filtered water
- all of your transport starting at coco hostel and arriving back at coco hostel (or whatever hostel you decide to book with)
- insurance
- accomodation at the floating bungalows
- all of the activities you will be doing here
To do the morning of your Khao Sok tour:
You need to pack an overnight bag (packing list below) and you are able to leave your big backpack/suitcase in a room at the hostel.
If you have any valuables that you don’t want to bring with you such as passport, laptops etc. there are also lockers where you can put these- you will need your own padlock.
Make sure that you check out of your hostel room and return your towel and keycard so you can get your deposit back.
What to bring with you
Like I mentioned earlier you will have to pack a small bag for the trip and leave your big bag at the hostel
My main tip is don’t overpack, so here is a list to help you:
- extra money for the market stop- here you can buy snacks and you may have to buy a headlamp if you do not already have one-they cost about 100 Baht
- a copy of your passport on your phone as you will have to fill out an insurance form which will require your passport number
- clothes for swimming, hiking/sports clothes and a change of clothes for day 2
- a plastic bag to but wet or dirty clothes inside of
- water shoes if you are going to be doing the cave swimming, I had a pair of Teva hurricane sandals and they were perfect as you need to hike through the jungle to get to the caves
- mosquito repellant spray/cream
- sunscreen, hat and sunglasses
- phone charger/power bank as there are charging points in the eating area
- money if you want to buy drinks (water is free)
Program/itinerary
DAY 1
- 9am- depart Coco hostel in Khao Sok and get on the bus, you will stop at Takhun market for only about 15 minutes and then continue to Rajaparaba
- 12pm get on the 1h long longtail boat along Guilin scenic area to get to the bungalows
- 1pm- arrive at the floating bungalows, have a Thai lunch and then free time to relax by the bungalows/ swim in the lake
- 2.30pm- leave for the jungle hike and cave swim, however the cave could also be a waterfall or a viewpoint depending on your guide
- 7pm- get back to the bungalows
- 7.30pm- eat dinner, get a talk about what will be happening the following day and chill time, we played card games and mafia
DAY 2
- 6am- we decided to wakeup early to watch sunrise, you obviously don’t have to but I really recommend this as it looked beautiful
- 7am- morning wildlife safari on longtail boat
- 8am- breakfast
- 8.30am- free time to relax and swim, there are also kayaks you can use but there only about 2 for the whole group
- 10am- leave, on the way stop at a picnic spot and eat fried rice for lunch
- 2pm- arrive back at the hostel
Honest opinions
Now let’s talk about whether or not I found this tour worth the money:
Pros
So on one hand I found it absolutely amazing, to spend 2 days completely immersed in nature, with no service, amazing views and amazing people.
The activities we did were also really exciting. The jungle was really unique and it was also my first time going into a cave which made it even more exciting
So the activities that you do here you wouldn’t really do anywhere else in Thailand
And also the views from the bungalows were stunning, the relaxation time where we swam by the lake was so peaceful
Cons
However on the other hand, although I got to meet a lot of great people, the group was REALLY big.
During the morning safari it didn’t really matter as we all split up in different longtail boats.
However during the jungle hike it was almost impossible to hear what the tour guide was saying as I was at the back of the group.
Having such a big group also meant that it was harder to bond with people, as it felt easier to create our own little groups.
Something else which needs to be mentioned is that although this tour is advertised as a 2 day tour, on the first day you get to the bungalows at 1pm and on the second day you leave at 10am.
That’s more like 2 half days, and you don’t get enough time at the bungalows in my opinion, everything feels a little bit rushed.
Even when we had free time it didn’t feel like long as we had to either hurry to get changed for the jungle trek or pack our bags to leave.
Conclusion
On a whole I do not regret doing this Khao Sok tour in the slightest:
It was an amazing experience and I especially recommend it if you are a nature lover like me
You get to spend your days with like minded people and it’s a chance to disconnect.
Yes, it costed £60 which could be seen as a lot for someone who is backpacking Thailand however you’re spending this money on an EXPERIENCE!