Khao Sok and Cheow Lan Lake lie about three hours north of Phuket, so the real choice is between one long day and two days. The figures below come from Phuket Tour’s programme cards for the day trip and for two days with a night on the lake, from the national parks authority (DNP) and from Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) records, all as of 3 November 2026. The programme with photos and safety notes is on our Khao Sok page.
Day trip or one night: side by side
Phuket Tour programme cards, price per person, 3 November 2026. The park ticket is in both prices.
| Day trip | Two days, one night | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, adult / child 4-11, baht | 2,600 / 2,200 | bungalow 4,600 / 4,050; capsule 5,200 / 4,700 |
| Pickup at the hotel | 06:30 | 06:50 |
| Stops on the way | Samet Nangshe viewpoint 08:00, lake viewpoint 10:50 | Sarasin Bridge viewpoint 08:05, elephant village 09:30, Wat Bang Thong 11:50 |
| At the Cheow Lan pier | 11:10 | 13:20 |
| On the lake | longtail safari from 11:20, Guilin rocks 12:00, lunch at a floating restaurant 12:40, canoeing and swimming, boat back 14:30 | longtail trip with a photo stop at Guilin rocks, lunch 14:30, check-in, swimming and canoeing, evening safari 17:00, dinner 18:30 |
| Next morning | none | breakfast 07:00, boat to the pier by 10:00, viewpoint 10:15, Wat Suwan Kuha and its cave 11:30 |
| Leaves for Phuket | 17:00, after Wat Bang Thong at 16:20 | 12:00 |
| Time at the lake, pier to pier | 3 h 50 min | about 20 h 40 min |
| Included | lunch, soft drinks, national park tickets | lunch, dinner, breakfast, second lunch, soft drinks, park tickets, lake accommodation, Russian-speaking guide |
| Back at your hotel | not on the card | not on the card |
The night costs THB 2,000 more per adult and THB 1,850 more per child in a bungalow, and THB 2,600 and THB 2,500 more in a capsule. For two adults and two children aged 4-11 the card fares add up to THB 9,600 for the day, THB 17,300 with bungalows and THB 19,800 with capsules (our sums).
How far it is and how much of the day is the road
OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data, without traffic, to the Cheow Lan dam where the boats start:
| From | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Phuket Old Town | 180.2 km | 2 h 57 min |
| Patong | 183.5 km | 3 h 02 min |
| Phuket Airport | 155.1 km | 2 h 34 min |
From Old Town that is 5 h 54 min of driving there and back before any stop. Phuket Tour’s day card takes 4 h 40 min from the 06:30 pickup to the pier at 11:10, with two viewpoint stops, and its two-day card 6 h 30 min with a viewpoint, an elephant village and a temple. The road is the same for both formats: the night buys time at the lake, not less driving. Route from Old Town to the dam on OpenStreetMap.
What the night adds and what the day has that it lacks
- Evening safari. At 17:00 on day 1 the card has a longtail trip where, it says, you may see monkeys, night cats, boars and rare birds, then dinner at 18:30. The day trip has left the lake by 14:30
- Morning on the water. Breakfast at 07:00, then a longtail ride to the pier with sights on the way. The card has no sunrise item, so if dawn is why you stay, ask the operator before booking
- Bungalow or capsule. The card sells accommodation as either, with THB 600 more per adult for the capsule, and describes neither room. Ask for photos, bathroom and power details in writing
- Elephant village on day 1. The two-day card stops at one at 09:30 and lists elephant spa options, riding and a baby elephant show. We advise against riding and crowded bathing: tell the operator you will skip it and ask what replaces it. Our reasons are in the guide to elephants without riding
- What only the day card has. The Samet Nangshe viewpoint at 08:00. The temple on day 2 of the overnight card, Wat Suwan Kuha, is not on the day card, which stops at Wat Bang Thong
When to go: the dry season and what TMD records show
DNP describes the park as monsoon-driven: the south-west monsoon from May to September brings abundant rain, the north-east monsoon from October to December brings continuous rain, and the dry season runs from about the end of December or early January to April, which DNP calls the best time to visit. DNP’s status page on 3 November 2026 lists two closures in Khao Sok, the Sip Et Chan waterfall and the rafflesia site (Bang Man ranger unit), and not the lake. Phuket Tour’s cards carry no seasonal restriction.
No TMD station stands inside the park, so here are the two on either side. Rainfall in millimetres and rain days per month, climate normals:
| Month | Takua Pa, west of the park (1991-2020) | Surat Thani, east of the park (1997-2020) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 62.1 mm, 6.3 days | 75.0 mm, 7.4 days |
| February | 45.1 mm, 5.6 days | 24.1 mm, 2.6 days |
| March | 145.1 mm, 10.4 days | 84.0 mm, 5.2 days |
| April | 221.7 mm, 15.6 days | 73.3 mm, 7.6 days |
| May | 430.9 mm, 22.4 days | 151.2 mm, 16.0 days |
| June | 456.6 mm, 21.1 days | 133.4 mm, 16.0 days |
| July | 465.8 mm, 22.3 days | 134.4 mm, 17.1 days |
| August | 570.0 mm, 22.7 days | 127.3 mm, 16.2 days |
| September | 635.7 mm, 24.1 days | 171.9 mm, 18.6 days |
| October | 529.4 mm, 24.1 days | 202.3 mm, 20.0 days |
| November | 231.7 mm, 16.8 days | 254.8 mm, 16.7 days |
| December | 78.4 mm, 9.0 days | 170.3 mm, 13.2 days |
| Year | 3,872.5 mm, 200.4 days | 1,602.0 mm, 156.6 days |
Takua Pa is about 40 km from park headquarters and 69 km from the dam, Surat Thani about 73 km and 42 km (straight lines, our calculation from the stations’ coordinates). Read the table as a range, not a forecast: the west-coast station gets about 2.4 times the rain of the eastern one, and DNP’s own figure for the park is 1,635.5 mm a year (1961-1995). Both stations agree that February is the driest month and November is wet, and they disagree on December (78.4 against 170.3 mm), which fits DNP’s start of the dry season at the end of December. Today is inside the north-east monsoon. In wet weeks we would take the night: a shower at midday eats into a 3 h 50 min window, and two days leave room to shift (our judgement, not a source). More on the rainy months is in the low season guide and the Khao Lak climate page, which uses the Takua Pa station.
Park fee and what the price covers
By the DNP fee table (edition of 2 June 2023, file checked on 3 November 2026) a foreign adult pays THB 200 and a child THB 100 at Khao Sok; Thai nationals pay THB 40 and THB 20. Phuket Tour lists national park tickets under Included on both cards, so there is nothing to pay at the gate. With another seller, ask whether the fee is in the price and keep the receipt.
Which format suits whom
- Day trip: you want to keep one Phuket hotel, can spare one day rather than two, want the lower price and can sit about 6 hours in a minivan. The lake and the cliffs are the main thing for you
- One night: you want the evening safari and dinner on the water, and a morning on the lake while the day trip is still on the road. You accept a simple bungalow or capsule and can ask the right questions about the room
- Neither: you have less than a week in Phuket and came for the beach, you get carsick, or you travel with a child under 4, since the cards give fares only from 4. A sea day such as the ones in what to book first in Phuket fits better
What another operator charges
Tisland’s own pages on 3 November 2026 show smaller groups: 6-11 people for the day trip and 6-12 for the overnight, with only hand luggage allowed in the minivan on the overnight. Its day trip starts from THB 3,500 per person, child ticket for ages 4-11 THB 3,000, back at the hotels between 19:30 and 20:30. Its two days with a night in a standard bungalow start from THB 4,900 per person, single occupancy costs THB 2,500 extra, the group is back at the hotels at 13:30 on day 2, and cancellation is free up to 48 hours before. The programmes differ from Phuket Tour’s, so compare the Included lists, not the totals.
What we could not confirm
- The time Phuket Tour’s cards bring you back to your hotel, on either tour: the cards stop at the departure time
- Cancellation, refund and weather terms for these two cards: the general Phuket Tour terms are summarised in what happens when weather cancels a tour, but the cards add nothing
- What a bungalow and a capsule are like, and whether a day-trip guide speaks English: the cards do not say
- Prices and conditions of the park’s own raft houses at Khlong Kha station: they are booked through the DNP system, which we did not open
- A TMD station inside the park: none exists, so the rainfall table brackets the park from the west and the east
To check seats on a date, use the day trip picker. Prices for the other programmes are in how much Phuket tours cost.
FAQ
Is a Khao Sok day trip from Phuket worth it?
It works if the lake and the cliffs are the point. On 3 November 2026 Phuket Tour's day trip costs THB 2,600 per adult, and from the 06:30 pickup you get 3 h 50 min at the lake between 11:10 and 15:00, after about 6 hours of driving in the day (OSRM, 177 minutes each way to the dam). If you want an evening and a morning on the water, the two-day trip uses the same road and gives about 20 h 40 min at the lake.
How much is a Khao Sok tour from Phuket?
Phuket Tour charges THB 2,600 per adult and THB 2,200 per child aged 4-11 for one day, and for two days with a night on the lake THB 4,600 and THB 4,050 in a bungalow or THB 5,200 and THB 4,700 in a capsule (3 November 2026). The day price includes lunch, soft drinks and the park ticket; the two-day price adds dinner, breakfast, a second lunch and the lake accommodation. At Tisland the day trip starts from THB 3,500 and the overnight from THB 4,900 per person.
How long is the drive from Phuket to Khao Sok?
By OSRM it is 180.2 km and 2 h 57 min from Phuket Old Town to the Cheow Lan dam pier, 183.5 km and 3 h 02 min from Patong and 155.1 km and 2 h 34 min from the airport, without traffic. Phuket Tour's day card has 4 h 40 min from the 06:30 pickup to the pier (11:10), with two viewpoint stops. Park headquarters, if a tour goes there instead, is 172.5 km and 2 h 35 min from Old Town.
What is a night on Cheow Lan Lake like?
On Phuket Tour's card you reach the pier at 13:20, eat at a floating restaurant at 14:30 and check in, then go on a longtail safari at 17:00 and have dinner at 18:30. Breakfast is at 07:00, the boat takes you back to the pier by 10:00, and the programme ends with a viewpoint and Wat Suwan Kuha before the 12:00 departure for Phuket. The card sells a bungalow or a capsule and describes neither, so ask for photos before you book.
When is the best time to visit Khao Sok?
DNP calls the dry season, from the end of December or early January to April, the best time. In the TMD records February is the driest month at both stations either side of the park (45.1 and 24.1 mm), and November is wet at both: 231.7 mm at Takua Pa and 254.8 mm at Surat Thani. DNP's status page of 3 November 2026 does not list the lake among the closed sites.
Is the Khao Sok park fee included in the tour price?
On Phuket Tour's cards yes: national park tickets are in the Included list of both tours, so you pay nothing at the gate. If you pay yourself, the DNP table (edition of 2 June 2023) gives THB 200 per foreign adult and THB 100 per child at Khao Sok. With another seller, ask before you pay.
Can I take children to Khao Sok?
Phuket Tour's child fare is for ages 4-11: THB 2,200 for the day and THB 4,050 for the night in a bungalow. A day means about 6 hours of driving, which is the hard part for a small child. The cards give no fare or rule for under 4, so ask; Tisland sells its day-trip child ticket for ages 4-11 and carries children up to 3 free without a seat.
Is there an English-speaking guide on the Khao Sok tour?
Phuket Tour's two-day card lists a Russian-speaking guide under Included, and the day card names no guide language. Tisland's pages mention both an English-speaking and a Russian-speaking guide, so the language is unclear there too. Ask in writing for an English-speaking guide on your date before you pay.
Sources
- DNP. National park entrance fees for individuals (CSV, edition of 02.06.2023)
- DNP. Khao Sok National Park: monsoon seasons, best time, Cheow Lan reservoir
- DNP. National park opening and closure status
- TMD. Climatological Data of Thailand for 30 Year Period (1991-2020): Takua Pa, page 81, and Surat Thani, page 70 (period 1997-2020)
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Phuket Old Town to Cheow Lan dam (180.2 km, 177 min)
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Patong to Cheow Lan dam (183.5 km, 182 min)
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Phuket Airport to Cheow Lan dam (155.1 km, 154 min)
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Phuket Old Town to Khao Sok park headquarters (172.5 km, 155 min)
- Phuket Tour. Khao Sok National Park and Cheow Lan Lake, 1 day: price and programme (in Russian)
- Phuket Tour. Khao Sok National Park and Cheow Lan Lake, 2 days: price and programme (in Russian)
- Tisland Travel. Secret Lake day tour to Cheow Lan: from-price, child ticket, return time
- Tisland Travel. Khao Sok and Cheow Lan, 2 days 1 night, standard bungalow: from-price, programme, cancellation
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