Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok Thailand
I can't believe that I managed to live less than 2 hours from this place and in over a decade never went to it until recently.
the view from the top in the welcome center
Perhaps you are familiar with Khao Sok, the 2nd largest national park in all of Thailand. Well, Cheow Lan Lake is part of that and in my opinion the best part. I think i feel that way because most of the other features of the national park involve several hours of walking and hiking in tropical heat whereas this involves paying $60 or so for a boat that could easily have had 20 people on it (there were only 3 of us.)
This is a man made lake, and it is absolutely stunning.
The water is crystal-clear and of course it is fresh water, which i much prefer over ocean water. It is also very closely protected by the park police so there is no pollution or even litter anywhere to be seen - which trust me, is a very unfortunate aspect of most of the "unprotected" parts of Thailand.
The water is very cool and also a little bit eerie, and I'll tell you why: Since these are actually mountains or karsts, there is no gradual shoreline in most places. So if you tie your boat off on the side somewhere to go for a swim, it immediately shoots down hundreds of feet - you are not going to retrieve your sunglasses from the bottom.
oh look, a beach! not really
We went to a floating welcome center where there is a koi farm i think it was where they are hoping to eventually populate the lake with thousands of these fellas as some point . I don't really know what is going on there but since this lake has only existed since 1982, there are no natural fish species for the most part. Speaking of which, what is your favorite kind of seafood? Mine is Alaskan king crab legs - which is all but impossible to get in Thailand. :(
'
you can eat here if you want to, we didn't
One of the more popular things to do on this lake is to stay at one of the floating bungalows and you have the lake as your personal swimming pool right outside your front door.
these are absurdly expensive so we didn't stay there
this is more in my price range
One of the things to really keep your eyes open for is to spot the Oriental Hornbill. I had never seen a bird like this before and was quite stunned about how big they are. At first i thought it was a medium-size monkey or a pterodactyl. It calmly flew away before i could unlock my phone to take a photo.
i wasn't fast enough, this photo is from the Khao Sok official website, i don't think they would mind
Overall, I would say if you find yourself in Thailand and want to take a break from the beach this should be on your list. It is one of the most awesome things i have seen since moving here and wasn't even that expensive. It is probably even cheaper if you go on a group tour but that's not how I roll.
one last picture and then we'll call it a day:
get your own boat, it makes a load of difference because you can dictate the pace / direction
As always thanks for reading and I welcome your comments
Can't believe such a river is man made river, considering it years of it existence is another thing worthy of my wow.... Smile
I love The look of the water, it look so cool. I'm not a good swimmer, but seeing this kind of clean and good water and cool water, I won't think twice before i dive into the water just like the man in the above picture.... Smile
My favorite sea food remains crayfish.... Yummy tummy... I so much Love it.
So easy to prepare, so easy to eat, it goes with almost all Nigerian food. Lol
I haven't see such a mighty bird before as well, I'm sure, it meant a lot to the park owners for them to have it on their site, thanks for sharing it anyway. If I were you, next time I'm visiting, I would prepare myself to capture such a beautiful moment by ensure my smartphone is ever ready... Lol
Nothing spotted still..... Lol
maybe my editing is getting better haha. Crayfish. I miss those. As far as i know we do not have those here. I wll have to ask.
I like the way you show me around Thailand. You showed where to get cheap food, The Tiger Cave Temple then here is a beautiful lake. If I stayed anywhere close to this place I’ll visit everyday.
The water in the lake looks fresh and actual does not look polluted but to hear there are no species of fish. Is that because it is man-made?
It brings me to asking if there are litters around in other unprotected places or lakes in Thailand.
So hilarious, a medium-sized monkey. It must be really big
This lake looks amazing. I can only already guess what it costs to be in any of those bungalows.
It’s like living close to the garden of Eden without visiting there . This is a really beautiful lake to behold . The fact that it’s man made won’t let me stop viewing the pictures over and over again. This is breath taking . Nice shots too, you captured a wonderful price there, that moment will be forever in history { The flip into the water picture}
Like really, wow. So many places I need to visit. And probably take a selfie with the medium sized monkey. That was a joke
The water is so clear, the water makes water transportation seem so fun, i have never gone on a boat transport before, i have a great phobia for large water so to say. My favourite seafood is oyster and almond fish. I really consider looking forward to a group tour, the sights ive seen from your adventure have been quite endearing and inviting, it has to be worth it.
You know, it sometimes take time for us to appreciate what we have around us. Similar incidents have occurred to me several times, but it's no big deal - I just wish I appreciated such places earlier. @gooddream, that's an insane place you lived next to. You have like the biggest olympic pool right next to you. From my bio, you can tell I'm a pool freak- I swim and have competed in numerous events so I can not restrain my self when I see such beautiful water bodies. Man, If I were to be there, I would swim till I get a muscle-pull..haha. This article might seem like an expository easy about nature, however it is also appealing to our conscious minds to appreciate nature,the people and animals, and as well as the things we have around us. These resources sometimes even serve as inspirations. Great post @gooddream
I know a man-made Ghana, which actually the biggest in West Africa, i dunno know if you know about it, Volta Lake, unfortunately it not as crystal clear as the one your narrating however there are some Spas and recreational facilities around it where you can go for a holiday retreat. There's also a nice Island in a town Called which requires about two hours in a boat.
Is nice to know that these beautiful sceneries exist, visiting these places helps take your mind off the hustle and bustle of life. Thanks for the post
I like how you always teach me a little something about Ghana every time i write a story. It is good to learn about new places yes? Thanks for reading !
Yes indeed, your welcome, thanks for sharing too
That Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok is very beautiful. Am surprise it was actually a man made, that means they really invested a lot to make this place look so great.
Haven't seen that kind of bird before, guess there is a whole of creatures that are yet to me.
That bungalow with swimming pool, I will love to go swimming there if I ever visit.
Just the perfect destination for tourist to visit
yep it's a pretty awesome place. I don't know if they originally intended for it to be so naturally beautiful. The original project was a dam to create electricity.
Really, after creating the dam. The environment became too beautiful and decided to change the plan
Thailand is your favorite place? @gooddream. Things to see in Thailand, so much that I just want to go to Thailand.....There was such a beautiful place in Thailand that I did not know before.Only you know so much about Thailand........Every place here is so beautiful and with each picture...............Every man should travel because the mind is refreshing when traveling, mind is sitting in the work.......
i don't know if it is my favorite place. I just happen to live here and it is the place i know most about :)
You may not have loved, but the pictures have become my favorite place.........seeing this post, I became a fan of Thailand.....If I ever go to Thailand then I'll definitely go to your post's places......
Aww so amazing and beautiful place, some green mountains and crystal clear water and resorts all is so good for living Joyfully life, I wana be live there to whole life, and also your photography really very good, especially the photo of beach, well which camera using you this photography? And thanks a lot for sharing these beautiful photos.
lol, my camera is attached to my mid-priced Samsung phone. Thanks!
What a beautiful place @ gooddream sometimes happens to us that we spend years in a place and we do not know how beautiful it can be, I think it's because we prefer to leave our zones and know other places and we stop appreciating what we have nearby. However, the turns of life, always take us to our site of origin and we can see what we could not see before, to appreciate the beautiful place where you have lived for many years but in reality you do not get to know in depth.
I loved your photographs, they remind me of our national park mochima, everything you describe in this post is repeated in our park, what you have inspired me to write about our paradisiacal special place, I hope you visit me so that you know it, through my pictures. I like to read you, blessings.
Buena energía y cariños para tu simpática mascota por ella, te conocí jejjejeje.
please let me know when you write about Mochima, i would be interested to read it and see your photos. Thanks for reading!
Sure @gooddream when you do it, you will be the first guest hehehehe!
Blessings and good energy