Nearest airport: Surat Thani (URT), 1.5–2 hours by road. Phuket (HKT) is 2.5 hours and usually has more international flights.
From the west coast: Khao Lak 1–1.5 hrs · Phuket 2.5–3 hrs · Krabi 2.5–3 hrs.
From Samui, Phangan or Tao: ferry to Donsak, then 2.5 hours by road.
All five, with real dates and prices
Per person, minimum two guests. Hotel pick-up both ways, a local guide, meals as listed, drinking water and insurance are included. The national park fee — 340 THB per adult, 170 THB per child — is cash at the gate, and it is the only thing we cannot collect for you. How the fee works.
- The Cheowlan Everyone Dreams Of A full day on the lake · every day · 09:30 3,800 THBper person Check dates
- The Khao Sok Way Elephants and a mountain kitchen · Sun, Wed, Sat · 12:00 7,900 THBper person Check dates
- The Khao Sok Adventure Worth Taking Jungle trek, waterfall and river tubing · Tue, Fri · 09:30 5,900 THBper person Check dates
- Life Around Cheowlan Village afternoon, bamboo raft and sunset · Mon, Thu · 12:00 5,900 THBper person Check dates
- Before the World Wakes Sunrise boat · Fri, Sat, Sun · 06:30 · Cheowlan side only 2,500 THBper person Check dates
Prices are per person and our minimum is two guests. Pick your month with the › arrow, choose a date, and the total for your group shows before you pay.
Ask us on WhatsApp Travelling alone, want a date that is not showing, or not sure which day suits you? We would rather answer the question than have you guess.
Decide this before you book anything
Most travellers do not realise until they arrive that Khao Sok and Cheowlan are two different places, about 45 minutes apart.
Khao Sok is the jungle river town — cafés, a night market, limestone cliffs above the rooftops, other travellers to talk to. Cheowlan is the lake itself, reached only by boat, and the village that the lake created when the dam rose. Small family-run resorts, rubber trees, temple mornings, and the pier minutes away.
This matters for your journey twice over. The times in the tables below are to the Khao Sok side. The Cheowlan pier is about 45 minutes closer if you are coming from Surat Thani or the islands — and about 45 minutes further if you are coming from the west coast.
It also decides one thing you cannot change later: Before the World Wakes, the dawn boat, can only collect you if you are staying on the Cheowlan side.
From Surat Thani and the islands
| From | Time | Car | Van |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surat Thani Airport (URT) | ≈ 1.5–2 hrs | 1,300 | 2,400 |
| Surat Thani Train Station (Phun Phin) | ≈ 2 hrs | 1,300 | 2,400 |
| Surat Thani Town | ≈ 2 hrs | 1,600 | 2,900 |
| Donsak Ferry Pier (from Samui · Phangan · Tao) | ≈ 2.5 hrs | 2,600 | 4,200 |
| Khanom | ≈ 2.5 hrs | 3,000 | 4,500 |
| Chaiya | ≈ 2 hrs | 2,000 | 4,200 |
From the west coast
| From | Time | Car | Van |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khao Lak | ≈ 1–1.5 hrs | 2,900 | 4,200 |
| Kuraburi | ≈ 1.5 hrs | 2,600 | 4,900 |
| Phang Nga Town | ≈ 1.5–2 hrs | 3,300 | 3,500 |
| Phuket Airport (HKT) | ≈ 2.5 hrs | 3,600 | 5,200 |
| Phuket Town | ≈ 3 hrs | 3,900 | 5,900 |
| Patong Beach | ≈ 3 hrs | 4,200 | 5,900 |
| Kata & Karon Beach | ≈ 3 hrs | 4,200 | 6,200 |
Further afield
| From | Time | Car | Van |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krabi Town · Ao Nang | ≈ 2.5–3 hrs | 2,600 | 4,200 |
| Lanta Pier | ≈ 4 hrs | 3,900 | 6,500 |
| Koh Lanta (on-island drop-off, via car ferry) | ≈ 4.5 hrs | 4,600 | ask us |
| Pak Nam Pier, Chumphon | ≈ 3.5 hrs | 3,900 | 6,900 |
| Ranong | ≈ 3.5 hrs | 3,900 | 7,200 |
| Khao Sok ↔ Cheowlan | ≈ 45 min | 1,300 | 2,400 |
Prices are per private vehicle, one way, in THB — not per person — to either the Khao Sok or the Cheowlan side. The car seats up to 4 guests; the van seats up to 12 with luggage, so the more of you there are, the less it costs each. Request a transfer here.
What a transfer is, and is not
It is a private vehicle
Air-conditioned, no shared stops, a driver waiting with your name. We time it to your flight or your ferry — tell us the number and we will work backwards from it.
It is not the same as your experience pick-up
Every one of our five experiences already includes return hotel transfers within our pick-up area, on both sides. A transfer here is for getting into the area in the first place, or leaving it. You do not need to buy one to be collected for a day out.
Book it at least a day ahead
Earlier for dawn arrivals and late-night flights or ferries. Those need a driver awake at an hour nobody volunteers for.
What we will not tell you
Public buses and shared minivans run to Khao Sok, and they are cheaper than a private car. We do not operate them, so we are not going to publish times or fares we cannot stand behind. If budget matters more to you than timing, they are worth looking into — and we would rather say that than pretend the only way here is the one we sell.
What we can tell you is that the road in is not the boring part. Limestone walls, rubber plantations, fruit stands. Most guests say it is where Thailand starts to slow down.
Once you are here
Work out how long to stay with how many days you need in Khao Sok, and which months suit you with the best time to visit.
Then pick your days: The Cheowlan Everyone Dreams Of, The Khao Sok Way, Life Around Cheowlan, The Khao Sok Adventure Worth Taking and Before the World Wakes.
Questions people actually ask
What is the nearest airport to Khao Sok?
Surat Thani (URT), about 1.5 to 2 hours by road to the Khao Sok side and roughly 45 minutes less to the Cheowlan pier. Phuket (HKT) is the other common arrival at about 2.5 hours, and it usually has more international connections.
How long does it take to get to Khao Sok from Phuket?
About 2.5 hours from Phuket Airport and about 3 hours from Phuket Town, Patong, Kata or Karon. A private car is 3,600 THB from the airport and 3,900 to 4,200 THB from the beaches, per vehicle one way.
How do I get to Khao Sok from Krabi?
Krabi Town and Ao Nang are about 2.5 to 3 hours away. A private car is 2,600 THB and a van 4,200 THB, per vehicle one way.
How do I get to Khao Sok from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or Koh Tao?
Take the ferry to Donsak Pier on the mainland, then about 2.5 hours by road. A private car from Donsak is 2,600 THB and a van 4,200 THB, per vehicle one way. Tell us your ferry and we will time the driver to it.
Are the transfer prices per person or per vehicle?
Per private vehicle, one way, in THB. The car seats up to 4 guests and the van up to 12 with luggage, so the more of you there are, the less it costs each.
What is the difference between Khao Sok and Cheowlan?
They are two different places about 45 minutes apart. Khao Sok is the jungle river town with cafés and a night market. Cheowlan is the lake, reached only by boat, and the village beside it. Decide which side you are sleeping on before you book a transfer, because it changes your journey time.
Do I need a transfer if I have booked an experience?
No. Every experience already includes return hotel pick-up within our pick-up area on both the Khao Sok and Cheowlan sides. A transfer is for getting to the area in the first place, or leaving it.
Can I get to Khao Sok by bus or minivan?
Yes, public buses and shared minivans run and they are cheaper than a private car. We do not operate them, so we are not going to publish times or prices we cannot stand behind. If budget matters more than timing, they are worth looking into.
How far ahead should I book a transfer?
At least a day ahead, and earlier for dawn arrivals or late-night flights and ferries.