We are happy to help you make the best of your stay at Praiwan Raft house.
Praiwan is a floating village in a national park on the Ratchaprapa dam, sometimes known locally as Cheow Lan.
We grew up here and we love living in the heart of this ancient rainforest. We invite you also to slow down, leave your stress behind, and enjoy this incredible place for what it is…
The towering limestone cliffs surrounding us in this remote part of the forest means we are happy to offer you NO wifi – in fact no internet, no telephone signal and no electricity (except for a few hours at night)!
What we DO offer you is the chance to enjoy one of the most natural, peaceful places in the world.
And peaceful doesn’t actually mean quiet – the jungle is noisy and full of amazing sounds even at night.
What you will find is that Nature is very generous and offers you huge night skies, lots of fresh clean water, free sunrises and sunsets. We have build big deck spaces for you to enjoy this.
We love healthy local food and we love cooking for our guests. We serve delicious fresh fish from the lake. We don’t use MSG and we use the best ingredients we can find – we love variety and we can prepare food for your special requirements eg vegetarian or vegan if you prefer.
Wan and Decho
At home in nature
Khao Sok is one of the most special places on our planet – you may have seen similar pictures of Halong Bay in Vietnam or Guilin in China. Our stunning landscape of weathered limestone outcrops are up to 960 metres high, towering above the pristine fresh waters of the lake, fringed by one of the most biodiverse tropical evergreen forests on earth. The forest here is older and richer than the Amazon or the rainforests of Central Africa, says Thom Henley in his informative and detailed guide book to this area.
“Nowhere in the south of Thailand is there a larger protected area for wildlife, more stunning scenery, or more opportunities for wilderness recreation than Khao Sok National Park,” he goes on. Distributed by Asia Books in Thailand, the book is full of great information and insights.
With neighbouring and adjoining wildlife sanctuaries and national parks this is the largest protected forest area in southern Thailand. While the creation of the Ratchaprapa Dam in 1982 flooded the very heart of this sanctuary, it created the lake where we have built our rafthouse. This allows you to visit deep in the jungle, and ensures you are safe and protected at the same time.
We love our home
- We want to do our best to protect the jungle and its inhabitants and keep them safe too.
- We ask you not to do anything to harm or disturb the wildlife or the forest.
- Keep food out of animals’ reach.
- We ask you not to bring garbage like styrofoam or plastic into the jungle. We separate our trash and take out all recyclable garbage by boat.
- We offer you free drinking water – please bring your own bottle to refill.
- Bring your own biodegradable soaps to be kind to the environment.
- If you smoke, please take your butts out with you when you go.
What to expect
Electricity is from about 6pm-9pm only – you can charge your electronic devices in the rooms or at the dining sala.
We offer you free drinking water – please bring your own water bottle.
Things to be careful of
Our rafthouse is build of natural materials in a wild natural forest. At the same time you are safe in our floating world if you take care to:
- Be aware of what’s around you. Remember, it’s a jungle!
- Look where you are stepping on the walkways
- Shake out your clothes before you put them on
- Keep food out of your room
- Don’t use candles, incense or smoke in your room
Children
Children are welcome but note that we have no protected areas for small children or toddlers and our walkways are not safe for very young kids. Bring your own flotation vests and parents should be prepared to watch their children at all times.
What to bring
A sense of adventure and a sense of humour… and some common sense…
You might also want to bring the following:
- Water bottle
- Torch and batteries/ charger
- Camera
- Chargers and appropriate plugs for your camera or other devices.
- Binoculars
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Swimming suit
- Sarong
- Biodegradable soaps and shampoos
- Walking shoes if you want to hike
- Flip flops
- Umbrella or rain gear – it’s a rainforest!
- Fishing pole
- Dry bag to keep your cameras, phone etc
- In case of rain, you will want a large plastic bag or garbage bag to keep your bags dry on the boat ride over.
- In December / January, you may want to bring a long sleeve light jacket or shawl. It can be a bit chilly. For the rest of the year, it’s warm even when its raining.
When To Come
Khao Sok is amazing at every season. Some people prefer the ‘dry’ season from December to May when it’s easier to walk the trails, but even then you can expect some rain. It’s also an amazing experience to visit a rainforest in the rainy season between July to September, and even then you’ll enjoy some dry spells. Ticks are more common in the dry season, leeches in the wet. But you will encounter neither if you stay on the rafthouse and use kayaks and main trails to do your exploring.
December to February is when the giant Rafflesia blooms and January when the hornbills start nesting. June to November is when you are more likely to encounter bigger game on the trails, and when the fruit season is abundant in the region. Whenever you come, you will find lots to discover…
