It was with a feeling of excitement and sense of adventure that we departed the Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort for our drive to Khao Sok National Park, for we knew that within the next few hours we would be checking into the remote yet beautiful Panvaree Resort for a two-night stay.
Having first heard about the Panvaree Resort on the YouTube channel of Paddy Doyle, I was excited to make the booking and relax in the serenity of the most beautiful lake in Thailand, and, if the Khao Sok National Park website is to be believed, surrounded by the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world.
We arrived early to the meeting point, the BaiPad Coffee Shop, right at the tourist entry point to Khao Sok National Park. After meeting the Panvaree representative and lamenting the difficulties we had with arranging payment (we did not have enough cash and they did not have their credit card machine available), we made our way, with a great deal of difficulty given that we do not travel lightly, down the stairs and onto the longtail boat.
What then followed was a boat ride through the majestic scenery of the Khao Sok National Park, and the beautiful Cheow Larn Lake. We passed a few other resorts along the way, always expecting something more interesting and extravagant around the next bend in the river or hidden behind that next mountain. After 45 minutes, and with ears still pounding from the sound of the engine of the longtail boat, we arrived at the very lovely Panvaree Resort.
Immediately upon arrival, and barely five minutes after check-in, we were greeted with lunch. The amount of food was excessive so make sure that you take the extra rice with you to feed the fish when they come to say hello off the deck of your private, over-water, floating chalet.
The early afternoon was spent relaxing at the resort, and how could you not relax given the beauty of the surroundings? Towards the late afternoon it was back onto the longtail boat for a cruise to a selection of the 100+ limestone cliffs aiming skywards from Cheow Larn Lake. We spent around 90 minutes on the lake, being mesmerized by the stunning scenery, before returning to the resort, and, you guessed it, another meal.
The dinner was unremarkable yet copious in amount. Remember though that there are fish just off your outside deck waiting for the errant grain of rice to fall into their hungry mouths. Make sure that you take that leftover rice to share with them, and watch as they challenge each other to see who claims the most of your remaining dinner.
Since we stayed for two nights, whereas most people seem to stay for just one night, we spent the morning of the second day quietly at the resort, again feeding the fighting fish as well as making use of the canoe for a quick trip onto the lake.
Right after lunch, we took another longtail boat cruise to the start of the hike through the Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary in search of elephants. After hiking for around 40 minutes, with varying degrees of difficulty over slippery terrain, we arrived at the next meeting point. What came to meet us was a weirdly designed watercraft that can best be described as a floating set of large bamboo poles, roughly held together with rope and attached to a large, noisy engine. This cruise liner wannabee was to take us to Pakarang Cave, also known as Coral Cave, across the other side of the lake.
After braving the journey on ‘Cruising Miss Daisy’, we arrived to the base of Pakarang Cave and made our way up the steps to the entrance with our guide. We spent around 10 minutes at Pakarang Cave before heading back to the bamboo raft and back to where we started. We then reversed the hiking trail, still on the lookout for elephants. Unfortunately, we did not spot any elephants this time around but we were assured that they were around and would have loved to meet us. Perhaps they were otherwise engaged.
The afternoon, once back at Panvaree Resort, was spent relaxing and taking photo’s before it was soon time for dinner again. Right next door to Panvaree Resort, literally within 100 meters of each other, is Panvaree The Greenery. From what I can tell, these are separate resorts, but I cannot say for sure. We did not go across to Panvaree The Greenery but you may want to consider either resort for your quiet and peaceful stay in Khao Sok National Park.
We left the resort the following morning for the boat ride back to the meeting point from two days previously, where our rental car was parked. We enjoyed our visit to the Panvaree Resort in Khao Sok National Park. Next time I will book for even longer than two nights as I did not feel that I had a good opportunity to relax and truly appreciate the beauty of the resort and one of the largest lakes in Thailand.
Book your accommodation at Panvaree by clicking here. Otherwise consider one of the other accommodation options in Khao Sok National Park by clicking in the box below with booking.com or with Agoda here.
Booking.comOur other posts from Thailand may be found here.
(Visited December 2021)