Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Thailand: Bangkok, Khao Sok and Koh Samui
9 days from Bangkok: the Grand Palace at opening, a jungle lodge and a raft house night in Khao Sok, three nights on Koh Samui with Ang Thong by boat.
9 days · Round trip from Bangkok · up to 12 guests
Raft houses on the lake in Khao Sok National Park Photo: Marcin Kaliński marcinkalinski, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Khao_Sok_National_Park,_Khlong_Sok,_Thailand_(Unsplash).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Bangkok
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3.5 h on day 5No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking in heat and humidity: about 4 hours on foot around the Bangkok temples, an easy 2 to 3 km rainforest trail in Khao Sok, and boarding longtails and speedboats, sometimes from a beach. The hardest moments are on the Ang Thong day: about 15 minutes of steep steps to the Emerald Lake viewpoint and an optional steep climb of 30 to 60 minutes with ropes at Ko Wua Talap. Every climb and the night walk can be sat out.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 455 (estimated price)
- Season
- December to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha at the 8:30 opening, then Wat Pho and Wat Arun by cross-river ferry
- A Chinatown street food evening with your guide ordering for the group
- An easy rainforest walk and a torchlit night walk at the edge of Khao Sok National Park
- A night on a raft house on Cheow Lan Lake, with longtail safaris at dusk and at dawn
- Ang Thong Marine National Park on a speedboat for our group: the Emerald Lake viewpoint, kayaks and snorkelling
- A day across to Koh Phangan's shrine and royal waterfall, ferry included, or a slow day on Samui
- Three nights in one Samui hotel near the Fisherman's Village, with the Big Buddha on the way to the airport
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 455 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3.5 h, on day 5.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to your hotel near the Chao Phraya River
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), about 30 km east of the centre, where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall. The drive into the city takes 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on traffic. We stay near the Chao Phraya River, close to the old royal quarter, so tomorrow's temples are a short ride or a river ferry away rather than an hour in traffic.
Afternoon
Take the afternoon as it comes: a swim, a nap or a first walk along the river while the boats go past.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing: how the flights, boats and ferry fit together, what to pack for the raft house night and how to dress for the Grand Palace. Then we sit down to a welcome dinner near the river, with central and southern Thai dishes to share. If your flight lands late, we meet you at breakfast instead.
Included
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the early evening briefing
The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Chinatown
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho, a ferry to Wat Arun, then Chinatown at dusk
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 30 min
We are at the Grand Palace gate when it opens at 8:30, before the heat and the biggest tour groups. Inside the walls, Wat Phra Kaew holds the Emerald Buddha, a small green figure dressed in a different robe for each of Thailand's three seasons, and your guide walks you along the cloister murals of the Ramakien, the Thai telling of the Ramayana. Then ten minutes on foot to Wat Pho and its 46-metre Reclining Buddha, covered in gold leaf, with mother-of-pearl on the soles of its feet. A cross-river ferry takes a few minutes to reach Wat Arun, whose porcelain-studded spire you can climb part of the way.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal by the river, then the hot middle of the afternoon is free at the hotel.
Evening
At dusk we head into Chinatown, where Yaowarat Road fills with food stalls, and your guide orders for the group, from noodles and grilled seafood to mango with sticky rice.
Included
- The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) at opening, with your guide
- Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha
- Cross-river ferry to Wat Arun
- Sit-down lunch by the river
- Street food dinner on Yaowarat Road in Chinatown
Optional experiences
- A Thai massage at the Wat Pho massage school, at your own cost
Easier option: Skip the Wat Arun climb and see the spire from the ferry and the riverbank.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About 4 hours on foot in the morning heat, on flat paving with steep steps at Wat Arun. The Grand Palace dress code is strict: covered shoulders and knees, no shorts, sleeveless tops or ripped trousers.
Fly south to Khao Sok
Bangkok to Surat Thani by air, then by road to Khlong Sok at the park entrance
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Khao Sok
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After an early breakfast we fly south to Surat Thani, a flight of a little over an hour from Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi, depending on the schedule we book. Our vehicle and driver meet the group at the airport for the drive west, about two hours on a good road through rubber and oil-palm plantations, until limestone cliffs start to rise out of the forest.
Evening
Lunch is at a local restaurant in Khlong Sok, the small village at the park entrance, where we stay tonight at a lodge with private rooms. Khao Sok National Park protects one of the largest stretches of rainforest left in southern Thailand, and the late afternoon, when the heat eases, is for walking into it. A local guide leads an easy trail along the Sok River, pointing out strangler figs, giant bamboo and, with luck, macaques and hornbills. After dark, join a short guided night walk on the lodge side of the river, outside the park boundary, to look for frogs, insects and sleeping birds by torchlight, or rest at the lodge.
Included
- Flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani (URT)
- Khao Sok National Park entry
- Rainforest trail along the Sok River with a local guide
- Guided night walk outside the park boundary, near the lodge
Easier option: Skip the night walk and have a quiet evening at the lodge.
Free time: Evening free for dinner in Khlong Sok village
Activity: The river trail is about 2 to 3 km on mostly flat forest paths, which can be muddy and humid. Wear shoes with grip; leech socks help after rain.
A night on Cheow Lan Lake
Khlong Sok to the Ratchaprapha Dam pier, then by longtail boat to a raft house
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cheow Lan Lake
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
Breakfast is unhurried.
Evening
Pack a small bag for one night on the water; the rest of your luggage stays locked in our vehicle until tomorrow. About an hour and a quarter by road brings us to the pier at the Ratchaprapha Dam, where a longtail boat takes the group across Cheow Lan Lake, the reservoir that flooded these valleys when the dam was built in the 1980s. The ride takes about an hour, past limestone towers that rise straight out of green water. The raft house is a row of simple floating bungalows moored against the forest, and lunch is served there. In the afternoon swim off the deck, paddle a kayak, or walk with a ranger to Coral Cave, a short trail to a chamber of stalactites. As the heat goes, a longtail takes us into the side arms of the lake to look for gibbons, langurs and hornbills. Dinner is on the raft, and the night is very dark and very quiet.
Included
- Longtail boat across Cheow Lan Lake
- Raft house night with lunch and dinner
- Kayaks at the raft house
- Ranger-led walk to Coral Cave
- Longtail wildlife safari at dusk
Easier option: Stay on the raft for the afternoon: swim, read on the deck or paddle close to the bungalows.
More active option: In place of Coral Cave, the Nam Talu cave hike with a ranger: about 2 hours of jungle trail and a wade through a river cave, run only when rangers say there is no risk of rain.
Free time: Early afternoon free on the raft
Activity: Life jackets are worn on all boat rides. The raft house has a fan, not air-conditioning, and power for only part of the day.
Dawn on the lake, then the ferry to Koh Samui
Cheow Lan Lake to the dam by longtail, by road to Don Sak, then the car ferry to Koh Samui
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Koh Samui
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
Set an alarm for dawn. Mist usually sits on the lake at first light, and an early longtail ride is the best chance of hearing gibbons call across the water before the day warms up. Back at the raft for breakfast, then the boat returns us to the pier and our vehicle. This is the longest travel day of the trip: an hour on the lake, about 2.5 hours by road to the pier, an hour and a half on the ferry and about 25 minutes on Samui. It is broken into parts and no single drive is long.
Afternoon
We stop for a sit-down lunch in Surat Thani, then continue to the pier at Don Sak for the car ferry across the Gulf of Thailand, with time on deck to watch Samui's hills come closer. A second vehicle and driver meet us on the island for the short drive to our hotel near Bophut and the Fisherman's Village, our base for three nights.
Evening
The evening is free, and we do not move again until the flight back to Bangkok.
Included
- Longtail safari on the lake at dawn
- Sit-down lunch in Surat Thani
- Car ferry from Don Sak to Koh Samui
Free time: Evening free on Samui
Activity: Door to door this day takes about 7 hours, with lunch and the ferry as breaks.
Ang Thong Marine National Park by boat
Koh Samui to the Ang Thong islands and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Koh Samui
- Drive about 30 min
Ang Thong is a national marine park of about 40 limestone islands west of Samui, and most visitors see it from a crowded day boat. We go on a speedboat chartered for our group, leaving the pier around 8 am so we reach the first island ahead of the larger boats. On Ko Mae Ko a steep staircase climbs for about 15 minutes to a viewpoint over Thale Nai, the Emerald Lake, a saltwater lagoon ringed by cliffs and fed from the sea through underground channels. At Ko Wua Talap, where the park headquarters sits behind a beach, choose between the climb to the high viewpoint over the whole archipelago or a swim and a rest in the shade.
Afternoon
Lunch is on board or on the beach. In the afternoon we kayak along the cliffs and snorkel over shallow coral where the water is clearest.
Evening
We are back on Samui by late afternoon, with the evening free in the Fisherman's Village.
Included
- Speedboat chartered for the group to Ang Thong Marine National Park, with the park fee
- Emerald Lake (Thale Nai) viewpoint on Ko Mae Ko
- Ko Wua Talap beach
- Kayaking and snorkelling, with gear
Easier option: Stay on the beach at Ko Wua Talap while others climb, and skip the Ko Mae Ko steps if you prefer.
More active option: The steep climb to the Ko Wua Talap viewpoint: about 500 m of trail, 30 to 60 minutes up, with ropes in places.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: Speedboats can be bumpy in a swell; take seasickness tablets if you need them. The Emerald Lake is a protected lagoon and swimming in it is not allowed.
Koh Phangan, or a slow day on Samui
Koh Samui to Koh Phangan by ferry and back, for those who want it
- Breakfast
- Stay in Koh Samui
- Drive about 1.5 h
Today is yours to shape.
Morning
For anyone who wants a look at Samui's quieter neighbour, your guide takes the morning ferry to Koh Phangan, a crossing of about 30 to 60 minutes depending on the boat, with the ferry tickets and island transport included. Phangan is best known for its monthly beach party at Haad Rin, which we leave out. Instead we drive up to the Chao Mae Kuan Im shrine, a Chinese temple on a hillside with a view over forest and coconut groves, then cross the island to Than Sadet, a stream of boulders and pools where Thai kings have visited and left their initials carved in the rocks.
Evening
Lunch is at a beach restaurant of your choice, at your own cost, and we take the afternoon ferry back to Samui in time for sunset. If you would rather stay on Samui, the day is free: a beach, a massage, a cooking class or nothing at all, and your guide helps you book whatever you choose.
Included
- Koh Phangan day with your guide for those who want it: return ferry and island transport
- Chao Mae Kuan Im shrine viewpoint
- Than Sadet waterfall
Optional experiences
- A Thai cooking class or a massage on Samui, at your own cost
Easier option: Stay on Samui for a free day at the beach.
Free time: The whole day is free for those who stay on Samui
Activity: Short walks on uneven rock at Than Sadet; wear sandals with grip.
Around Samui, then back to Bangkok
Hin Ta and Hin Yai, Wat Plai Laem and the Big Buddha, then Samui Airport to Bangkok
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
Check out after breakfast for a morning loop of the island with your guide. We start at the Hin Ta and Hin Yai rocks near Lamai, two granite formations at the water's edge with a local legend attached, and get there before the coach parties arrive. Then north to Wat Plai Laem, where a white, eighteen-armed statue of the Chinese goddess Guanyin stands over a lake, and next door to Wat Phra Yai, the gold Big Buddha, about 12 metres high on a small island joined to the shore by a causeway.
Afternoon
Lunch is close by, and Samui's small open-air airport is a few minutes away for the flight of about an hour to Bangkok.
Evening
We are at the hotel by late afternoon, with time for a shower before a farewell dinner together. If you would rather fly home from Samui, tell us when you book and we drop you at the airport for your own flight instead.
Included
- Morning loop of Samui with your guide: Hin Ta and Hin Yai, Wat Plai Laem and Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha)
- Lunch on Samui
- Flight from Samui (USM) to Bangkok
- Farewell dinner
Activity: Temple dress applies at Wat Plai Laem and the Big Buddha: covered shoulders and knees.
Depart from Bangkok
Your hotel to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast. Nothing is planned this morning, so you can sleep in, take a last ride on the river ferry, or walk to a market near the hotel before you pack.
Evening
Your guide says goodbye at breakfast, having checked everyone's transfer time the evening before. Our driver takes you to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at the time your flight needs, allowing about an hour for the drive and three hours at the airport for an international departure; if you leave from Don Mueang (DMK), we drop you there instead. Transfers run to your schedule, so any flight time works, though a flight after about 11 am keeps the morning calm. If you want more time in Thailand, we can book extra nights in Bangkok before or after the trip, or join our longer Thailand trip with Chiang Mai and the Krabi islands, and suggest how to fit them together.
Included
- Drop-off at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK)
Free time: Morning free until your transfer
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am for an unhurried morning.
- Bangkok2 nights
- Khao Sok1 night
- Cheow Lan Lake1 night
- Koh Samui3 nights
- Bangkok1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: December to April is the dry season on both sides of this route: warm, sunny days on Samui, calmer water for the Ang Thong boat, and drier trails in Khao Sok. Mornings on Cheow Lan Lake are often misty, which is when gibbons call and hornbills cross the water; wildlife is shy and never guaranteed. The lake level drops late in the dry season, so boat times can change. March and April are hot, so we keep walking to the morning and late afternoon.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first week in Thailand: Bangkok's temples, a rainforest and an island, without long bus days
- Travellers who want a beach base with the boat trips already included
- Solo travellers who want a small group and someone to handle the flights and ferries
- Anyone who would rather sleep on a quiet lake than at a party beach
Not for you if you want
- Travellers looking for the Full Moon Party or a nightlife trip
- Anyone who wants air-conditioning every night: the raft house has a fan only
- Step-free access: boats are boarded from piers and beaches, and the viewpoints are steep steps
- A trip in the wet season: we do not run it from May to November
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Bangkok2 nights
- Khao Sok1 night
- Cheow Lan Lake1 night
- Koh Samui3 nights
- Bangkok1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 2 in Bangkok, 1 at a lodge at the Khao Sok park entrance, 1 on a raft house on Cheow Lan Lake, 3 on Koh Samui and 1 more in Bangkok
- Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with air-conditioning and private bathrooms in Bangkok and on Samui; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) on day 1 and drop-off at BKK or Don Mueang (DMK) on day 9
- Domestic flights from Bangkok to Surat Thani and from Koh Samui to Bangkok
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group in Bangkok, on the mainland and on Samui
- Longtail boats on Cheow Lan Lake, the car ferry to Samui, the Bangkok river ferry and the return ferry to Koh Phangan
- A speedboat chartered for the group to Ang Thong Marine National Park
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from arrival to departure, including on the flights and ferries
- Local park guides and rangers in Khao Sok
Activities
- Bangkok: the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, with entries
- Chinatown street food evening
- Khao Sok National Park entry, a river trail and a night walk
- Cheow Lan Lake: raft house night, kayaks, Coral Cave walk and longtail safaris at dusk and dawn
- Ang Thong Marine National Park by boat with the park fee, kayaking and snorkel gear
- Koh Phangan day: the Chao Mae Kuan Im shrine and Than Sadet
- Koh Samui: Hin Ta and Hin Yai, Wat Plai Laem and the Big Buddha
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 6 lunches
- 4 dinners: welcome, Chinatown street food, the raft house and farewell
Not included
- International flights to and from Bangkok
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities such as massages and cooking classes
- Personal expenses
- Extra baggage on the domestic flights
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 455 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Eight nights in hotels, a Khao Sok lodge and a raft house, 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 4 dinners, both domestic flights, airport transfers, vehicles and drivers, every boat and ferry on the plan, the Ang Thong speedboat with the park fee, the Koh Phangan day, all temple and park entries, and your See Sight Tours guide throughout.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits two longtail boats on Cheow Lan Lake and one chartered speedboat to Ang Thong, and everyone can hear the guide inside the Grand Palace.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all nine days, on both flights and the ferries, and briefs you at every stop. Local park guides and rangers join in Khao Sok, where the park requires them. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
How fit do I need to be, and do I need to swim?
Moderately fit. Expect heat, about 4 hours on foot in Bangkok, easy forest trails and steep steps to two viewpoints on the Ang Thong day, one of them optional. You do not need to swim: life jackets are worn on every boat, and snorkelling and kayaking are always optional.
What is the raft house on Cheow Lan Lake like?
A row of simple floating bungalows moored at the edge of the forest, with a fan rather than air-conditioning and power for only part of the day. Meals are cooked on the raft. It is one night, chosen for the dawn and dusk on the lake, and your main luggage stays in our vehicle.
Is this a party trip? Will we go to the Full Moon Party?
No. We stay near the Fisherman's Village in Bophut rather than in Chaweng, and our Koh Phangan day visits a hillside shrine and the Than Sadet waterfall, not Haad Rin. If a departure falls near the full moon, ferries are busier; we plan the crossing times around it.
I am travelling alone. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own costs from CAD 455 more for the trip, shown before you book, with no surprise at checkout. If you would rather share, ask and we try to match you with another solo guest on request; we confirm before you pay whether we have found a match.
When is the best time to go?
December to April is the dry season here, and our departures run from January to April, when Ang Thong is reliably open. The Gulf coast around Samui is wettest from about October to early December, and Khao Sok is wet from May to November. January to March is the most settled; March and April are the hottest months.
How does booking work?
Pick a departure and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and start from CAD 2,685 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 4,835 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask from the dates section and we quote the same flights, lodge, raft house and boats for you.
Do I need a visa for Thailand?
Canadians can currently visit Thailand visa-free for short stays, and many other passports can too; check the rule for yours before you book. All foreign visitors must fill in the online Thailand Digital Arrival Card in the three days before arrival. We send the current rules with your final itinerary.
How is this different from your longer Thailand trip?
This is a 9-day Gulf-side week: Bangkok, one night in Khao Sok and one on the lake, then Koh Samui and Ang Thong. Our 13-day Thailand trip adds Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai in the north, two lake nights and the Krabi islands and Phi Phi on the Andaman side.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.