Cheow Lan Lake Sunrise Boat Tour

Set an alarm: by 06:30 you are out on Cheow Lan Lake. A local driver steers the wooden longtail out from Ratchaprapha Dam Pier, with an English-speaking guide aboard to explain what you see. The boat heads first for Khao Sam Kloe, a set of three limestone pinnacles whose English name is the Three Brothers. The engine drops to an idle beside them so you can frame your photos while the morning light builds on the limestone. What the morning looks like is up to the weather: you might get low cloud on the hills, a glassy surface or plain open daylight, and each one photographs differently. Next the longtail motors over to a raft house anchored on the reservoir, where fish usually gather near the surface and you can throw them some food. You step back onto the pier at 08:30 with breakfast still to come. Pickup at about 06:00 is included from the Cheowlan-side hotels listed for this tour; if yours is not listed, meet us at Ratchaprapha Dam Pier at 06:20.

1. 1

   Cheow Lan Dam

   15 min

   The boat leaves from the pier at Cheow Lan (Ratchaprapha) Dam at 06:30 and returns here by 08:30. Meet at the pier at 06:20, go through the park ticket booth together, and step straight onto the wooden longtail boat.

2. 2

   Khao Sok National Park

   2 hours

   Two hours inside Khao Sok National Park on Cheow Lan Lake at first light, in a wooden longtail boat: the open lake with the mist still on it, the Three Brothers limestone peaks before any other boat arrives, and a stop at a floating raft house to feed the fish. Your park entrance fee (340 THB per adult, 170 THB per child) is included in the price - there is nothing to pay at the gate.

• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Your Khao Sok National Park entry is part of the booking, so no park fee is collected on the day
• It is cool on the lake before sunrise, so long sleeves or a light jacket will help. A camera is worth bringing
• Every morning on the lake is different: mist, colour in the sky and still reflections can happen, but none of them can be promised
• Guests must be at least 5 years old, and under-18s must be accompanied by an adult

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.