Elephant Hills is the easiest way for a couple to sleep on Cheow Lan Lake without giving up a proper bed and a hot shower. The company runs two tented camps in Khao Sok National Park: a jungle camp beside the Sok River, where the ethical elephant experience takes place. The second is the Rainforest Camp, a cluster of 20 floating tents moored beneath the limestone cliffs of the lake. Most honeymooners book the Jungle and Lake Safari, which puts you in each camp for a night or more.
This is not a private villa or a quiet couples' retreat. Stays are sold as all-inclusive guided packages with set activities, shared transfers and communal meals. You will be part of a small group. What you get in return is ease. Someone else handles the boats, the guides, the logistics of a lake with no roads and the food. Choose it if the two of you want a jungle adventure with comfort built in, ideally as a three- or four-night break between Phuket, Khao Lak or Krabi beach stays. Skip it if you want romance on your own schedule.
Highlights at a glance
- Floating tents on Cheow Lan Lake
- Ethical elephant experience with no riding
- Dawn kayak safaris among the karsts
- All meals, guides and transfers included
- Solar and wind power at the lake camp
Why Couples Love the Floating Camp
The Rainforest Camp opened on Cheow Lan Lake in 2011 and is still one of very few floating tented camps anywhere. Tents sit on pontoons in a sheltered arm of the reservoir, with jungle-covered karsts rising straight out of green water on every side. There is no road and no village nearby, only the sound of insects, birds and the occasional longtail boat.
You can swim off the platform, take out a kayak or a paddleboard before breakfast and watch for hornbills and white-bellied sea eagles along the cliffs. Evenings are dark and starry, with the generator hum replaced by solar and wind power.
The experience feels far wilder than the comfort level suggests. That contrast is the whole appeal: a remote lake at dawn, then a hot shower and a cup of coffee in your own tent.
Tents to Book and How the Packages Work
Elephant Hills does not sell nights by room type the way a hotel does. You choose a package and the accommodation comes with it.
- The 3-day Jungle and Lake Camp Safari gives you one night in a safari tent at the jungle camp and one night on the lake. This is the classic choice.
- The 4-day Jungle and Lake Camp Safari adds mangrove kayaking and a slower pace. It is the better honeymoon option if you have time.
- Shorter Jungle Safari packages skip the floating camp, which is the most romantic part, so we would avoid them.
At the Rainforest Camp, each tent has an en-suite bathroom with hot and cold water, solid beds, tea and coffee facilities and lake views. The jungle camp tents are similarly comfortable. Rates are quoted per person for two sharing. Green-season months (May, June, September and October) are cheaper.
Food, Drink and the Elephant Experience
All meals are included, served buffet-style in open-air dining areas at both camps, with Thai dishes that stay on the mild side unless you ask for heat. There are cooking demonstrations at the jungle camp in the evening. Soft drinks, beer and alcohol are not part of the package, so budget for those and for tips.
The elephant experience is a big reason couples choose this operator. Elephant Hills does not offer riding. Instead you help prepare food and watch the elephants feed at stations in their roaming area, guided by staff who explain the animals' backgrounds. The company has announced changes to the format, so check the current version when you book.
There is no spa. If massages and long lunches are your idea of a honeymoon, plan them for the beach portion of your trip.
Why guests fall for it
Things to Do
Activities are built into each itinerary and guided by TAT-licensed English-speaking guides. A typical program includes a canoe trip down the Sok River past limestone walls and overhanging trees, a longtail boat ride across Cheow Lan Lake, a jungle trek from the floating camp and a guided kayak safari at dawn, the best time for spotting gibbons and hornbills.
At the lake, free time is for swimming and paddling between the karsts. Bring water shoes and a dry bag for phones and cameras.
The jungle is hot and humid, with leeches on wet trails and mosquitoes at dusk. Long, light trousers, repellent and quick-dry clothes help both of you enjoy the treks. If you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices. Activities can change with weather and water levels, especially in the wetter months, so treat the itinerary as a plan rather than a promise.
Getting There
Transfers are part of every package. Elephant Hills runs joint transfers from hotels and airports in Phuket, Khao Lak, Phang Nga, Krabi, Surat Thani and Koh Samui. Surat Thani Airport (URT) is the closest, about two hours away. From Phuket (HKT) expect around three hours on the road. Private transfers can usually be arranged at extra cost.
The two camps are about two hours apart by road and boat. Plan your arrival for the morning so you do not miss the first day's activities.
Khao Sok works well between two beach stays: arrive from Phuket or Khao Lak, spend three or four nights with Elephant Hills, then carry on to Krabi or the Gulf islands. Pack light, since you will move between camps and climb in and out of longtail boats with your bags.
Is It Worth It?
Yes, if you value the lake and the guiding more than privacy. Spending a night on Cheow Lan Lake with a real bathroom and no logistics to worry about is hard to arrange any other way. The all-inclusive format means almost no surprise costs beyond drinks and tips.
The value is weaker if you expect luxury in the resort sense. Tents are comfortable rather than lavish and meals are shared buffets. You follow a schedule with other guests, some of them families. Honeymooners who want to set their own pace may prefer a private raft house on the lake or a small lodge near the park entrance, with activities booked separately.
For most couples on a first Thailand honeymoon, though, a few nights here adds the jungle chapter that beaches cannot give you, with very little effort.
Insider tips
- Book the four-day Jungle and Lake package if you can, since the extra night slows the pace.
- Ask for a tent at the far end of the floating camp for more privacy.
- Bring cash for drinks and tips, which are not included.
- Get up for the dawn paddle: the lake is glassy and the wildlife is most active.
