The territory of Khao Sok Park occupies 738 square kilometers, of which 165 is occupied by Cheow Lan Lake. The rest of the territory is covered with jungle and limestone hills. The lake has a huge variety of islands, bays and bays.

And a bit of history - don't you think you really are floating among the mountains! The fact is that

Cheow Lan is a man-made lake. Forty years ago, in its place, in the valley between the mountains, there were several villages. But in 1982, local residents were evicted in order to build a dam and a hydroelectric power station on the river. Water filled the crevice between the mountains, and in such a bizarre way that the resulting lake looks more like a labyrinth.

An interesting and beautiful place, but there are a lot of similar things in Thailand! - this can be said about many Thai temples, lookouts, islands and other attractions, but not about Cheow Lan Lake. There is nothing like it, not only in all of Thailand, but all over the world. The place is unique and insanely beautiful and simply magical - so much so that it makes you fall in love with yourself from the first visit and makes you return to it again and again.

Admiration for Cheow Lan usually builds up gradually. At first, when the boat just leaves the pier, the scenery will be pretty, but rather mundane. However, very soon you will find yourself in a fantasy world that looks more like the scenery from Avatar than an earthly lake. The shores will disappear - instead of them, the lake will be surrounded on all sides by high karst mountains that literally “grow” from the water.

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Underwater village and overnight stay in the middle of the lake

The turquoise expanse of water, bizarre rocks with mountains and caves, the tops of small mountains, more like islands - this is, in fact, only part of the landscapes of Lake Cheow Lan, what is above the water. Below, in the depths, there is another world - a real local Atlantis. The deserted villages were not demolished before the flood, so houses, gardens, schools, temples remained at the bottom of Cheo Lan - dilapidated, covered with silt, creepy and mysterious. In addition to the flooded village, Cheow Lan has many underwater caves and even an underwater forest! In some places, chimneys of houses and skeletons of trees even stick out above the surface - as an identification mark for those who are looking for lost worlds.

You will live right on the water! In special houses on pontoons (rafthouses)! Isn't it amazing?

In addition to boat trips, you can go fishing, go kayaking on your own, and just swim in plenty - the water here is often warm and clear.

But keep in mind that the lake is not at all shallow, its maximum depth is 300 meters!

Khao Sok and Cheow Lan: Jungle and caves in the park

Cheow Lan is only part of the large Khao Sok National Park. An ancient tropical forest inhabited by wild animals grows on its territory. In addition to the monkeys common to Thailand, here you can meet the hornbill, clouded leopard, tapir and other exotic creatures. Of the plants, the most unusual is the rafflesia flower, the largest in the world. It does not grow here at every step, and it is better to look for it accompanied by a guide.

Another attraction of Cheow Lan is the caves. To Coral Cave famous for its stalactites, you must first sail on a boat, then go on foot. But in general, the path to this cave is quite easy, which cannot be said about the road to Nam Talu Cave. This is the largest, most unusual and extreme cave. You need to sail to it by boat, go through the jungle for more than an hour, and in the cave itself, wade knee-deep in water (in some places even swim) and be prepared for spiders and a huge number of bats!