3 Day Tour: Kayaking, Trekking, Elephants in Khao Sok

3 Day Tour: Kayaking, Trekking, Elephants in Khao Sok

There's arguably no better way to pack more into 3 days and experience the very best of Khao Sok National Park.

On day 1 you'll connect with elephants, drift through the jungle by canoe, and 'camp out' in luxury. On day 2 you'llexplore Cheow Larn Lake, have the opportunity to kayak and explore solo and/or chill out by the pool in a simply stunning jungle setting. Day 3 will let you get amongst the jungle on a trek before heading back to camp transferring out.

The 3 days (as compared to also available 2 days: (https://www.adventurehoney.com/Experience/2-days-incredible-elephant-glamping-trekking-tour-1315) just gives you a little more time to immerse yourself in what is a truly remarkable place. For this reason, the 3 day package tends to be most popular, although the 2 day option is ideal if you don't have the extra time to spare.

DETAILED ITINERARY:

DAY 1: INCREDIBLE ELEPHANT EXPERIENCE
Arrive at Elephant Camp:
Pick-up from your hotel or the airport in Phuket, Khao Lak, Phang Nga, Krabi, Surat Thani or even from Koh Samui and transfer to Khao Sok. En-route, glimpses of tropical rural life in southern Thailand. Upon arrival a buffet lunch is served at 12:00pm, a variety of delicious Thai dishes cooked not too spicy (Thai food can get VERY spicy!)

Afternoon Canoe Journey:
After lunch you can relax during a jungle river canoe trip down the Sok River. The canoes are very stable and safe; life jackets are provided as well as a local river guide to paddle the canoe. Drift along the jungle river passing Limestone Mountains and cliffs covered with exotic tropical vegetation. Sometimes hornbill birds can be seen flying high overhead or reptiles basking in the sun on the riverbanks. From the canoe you can experience some of the last areas of primary rainforest, a world that has changed little in thousands of years.

The amazing Elephant Experience:
Get out of the canoe and head over to the elephant sanctuary. Here you can see, touch and learn about the life of Thai elephants and about the local conservation project. You'll get close to and even get your hands on these magnificent animals. There'll be the chance to interact with them and learn the secrets of their mahouts. You'll prepare and feed them one of their daily meals, including their dietary supplements that help with their digestion and their overall well-being, then watch them bathe before you scrub and wash them clean. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really experience the Asian Elephant.

Laid Back Evening in the Jungle:
After some quality time getting back to nature, it's time for a hot shower in the truly unique bathroom of your luxury safari tent. Relax and enjoy the panoramic views of the surrounding jungle-covered mountains – this is nature at its finest. A wide selection of cocktails, wines and spirits is available at the "Jungle explorer's club bar". Optional evening entertainment includes a movie presentation, a traditional Thai dance performance from local school children and a cooking demonstration, where you learn how to properly prepare Thai specialties. At 8:00pm it is time for dinner in stunning rainforest setting, the sounds and the atmosphere will make it a meal like no other! Spend the night in your luxury safari tent with a comfortable bed, reading lights, hot water and a western-style toilet. The tents' doors and windows are covered with mosquito netting as well as canvas flaps, so insects and reptiles will not bother you. Temperatures at night drop a little, the tents are well ventilated; blankets keep you warm in the chill of the night.

DAY 2: SPECTACULAR CHEOW-LAN-LAKE

Good morning Khao Sok:
You'll enjoy that moment when you wake up to the sounds of birds instead of an alarm, when you have to ask yourself: where am I? Oh...that's right, I'm in the middle of Thai jungle in a luxury tent. Nice!
By the time the sun comes up and the mist over the rainforest-covered mountains to the south clears, gibbons’ territorial morning calls echo down the valley. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in your tent for early risers; breakfast is at your leisure. Ahhhh, heaven.

Spectacular Cheow-Lan-Lake:
Today you'll explore Cheow-Lan-Lake by local long-tail boat. The lake is surrounded by Limestone Mountains and cliffs, which are covered in tropical rainforest rising up from the shore of the lake and disappear somewhere in the far distance. The scenery has been compared to Guilin in China and Halong Bay in Vietnam. Few people know of the lake and even less have visited it. There are more than one hundred islands in the lake and it stretches over 60 km from North to South. In the 70’s the area was a hide-out for communists and students opposing the military dictatorship, which preserved the area’s unique environment as it was spared from urbanisation. You can enjoy the spectacular scenery from the boat and will have time to dip into the lake’s emerald water. Ladies: get the bikinis out, gentlemen: have whatever it is you swim in at the ready! Towels are provided at the local raft house, where you will stop over for lunch and relaxation :)

Good night, Khao Sok:
In the late afternoon return to camp (we use the term 'camp' loosely... check photos!) for dinner and overnight in your luxury tent. The jungle bar will be open (yes!) for people wanting to exchange stories of their day’s experiences at the lake, and as extra entertainment there's a movie, a dance performance and a cooking demonstration. Alternitively, you can do your own thing - chill in the pool, kick back in a hammock... either way, you'll have done enough in the day to ensure sweet dreams after being lulled to sleep by the background symphony of insects and frogs.

DAY 3: JUNGLE ADVENTURE

This morning, you're happy you booked the 3 day experience rather than 2 days! One more day in Khao Sok :)

Jungle Trek:
Having experienced the Asian Elephant and been paddled by canoe along the river the day before it' time to really get amongst it. It's not an army survival exercise, there's no prizes for the fastest, snakes and spiders do not jump out at you but, it is an excellent opportunity to explore the ecology of one of the world’s oldest rainforests, to see a great variety of exotic plants, tropical hardwood trees with huge roots, orchids, palms, ferns, bamboos, mosses… the diversity is mind blowing! Birds such as the hornbill live high up above, gibbons can often be heard calling to their mates, a macaque or a leaf monkey may be swinging through the branches, beautiful butterflies buzz around – every day is different. It's a wonderful treat to discover the great variety of life-forms that co-exist here. Walk slowly. Look, smell, touch and listen. Then you too will start to discover some of the secrets of the rainforest. Weather-dependent lunch can be served in the rainforest, cooked in bamboo, an old tradition of jungle explorers from past centuries. No doubt, a very special experience.

Memories for a lifetime:
Sadly around noon it is already time to return to camp. After a refreshing shower the onward transfer to your next hotel or the airport awaits. All good things come to an end, but luckily this unique experience will remain as a memory for the rest of your life!

Destination description

Just below the Isthmus of Kra (the narrow neck of Thailand) there is a mountain range which forms the backbone of the Thai/Malay peninsular. It is here where you will find Khao Sok National Park, believed to be part of the oldest rainforest on Earth. Kho Sok is joined by Klong Naka and Klong Seng wildlife sanctuaries plus two more national parks, Sri Phangnga and Klong Phanom. The combined size of these protected areas is around 4000 Km2, with Khao Sok being 739 km2in size.

Khao Sok is one of the wettest areas in Thailand with an average annual rainfall of around 3,500mm. This will generally be restricted to between the months of May and November. At other times of the year the area is generally dry apart from the odd day of rain which helps to maintain the lush surrounding rainforest. Khao Sok is made up of hundreds of limestone Karst Mountains which vary in height starting from around 400 meters and reaching to 960 meters at the peak of the highest.

In the beginning the whole area of Khao Sok and all of Southern Thailand was under water. The area resembled a river delta which was much like the Mississippi today.

In this shallow sea surrounding the delta, a huge coral reef formed. The reef stretched all the way from where Borneo is today to southern China, making it the largest reef system known (5 times bigger than the great barrier reef!). Erosion from the delta and sediment from the surrounding sea built up and under the extreme force of compression from the sea formed the limestone rocks which are the basis of the mountains you can see here today. This all happened around 280 million years ago.

Around 160 Million years ago the sea began to recede and the Khao Sok rainforest developed around the delta. When the Himalayas were formed the Eurasian and Indian land plates collided. This was a huge (but slow) impact and created such a force that the rocks underneath Khao Sok were crushed together. Thailand was rotated and pushed south eastwards and the Khao Sok mountains uplifted. Subsequent erosion shaped many of the mountains that can be seen today.

Another factor adding to the unique appearance of Khao Sok is the last Ice Age. The area was never glaciated like parts of the South American Rainforests (causing them to revert to savannah and grassland). The falling of the surrounding sea level during this ice age gave life to the river systems and created even more erosion. When the Ice Age finally retreated the water levels rose once again and reduced the impact of erosion, creating beautiful, slow flowing river systems which still exist now.

The Diversity of the flora and fauna in the area is immense and is yet to be fully studied. Per hectare you have 200 different floral species including the worlds largest flower Rafelesia which can grow flowers one meter in diameter. There is also a species of Bamboo which is one of the largest in South East Asia. There are many orchids, ferns and palms, including the extremely rare White Back Fan Palm. The variety of insects is huge. Wild Elephant, a small number of Tiger, Bear, Monkeys, Gibbons, Porcupine, Pangolin, Deer and the rare Mountain Serow live in the park. Several species of bird inhabit the park including the Hornbill and reptiles are in abundance. These animals however are not easily seen due to their shy nature combined with the extremely thick rainforest vegetation. The main reason to visit khao sok is to appreciate the world class nature and scenery of the area. We are sure that when you visit you will be stunned by the natural beauty of the area, this combined with the sound of gibbons calling in the morning will make it an experience you will never forget.

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