Sleeping on a lake

Described as a hidden gem, Cheow Lan Lake เชี่ยวหลานin, in Khao Sok National Park is a artificial lake. Surrounded by jungle, it has a wonderful scenery with striking limestone cliffs. I was excited to come here, as we would be spending a night on the lake in a floating raft house. We would first drop off our bags at the raft houses and then make our way to a famous landmark on the lake, Khao sam kler, before sunset.

These are three limestone karst that stand up and out from the lake. Khao sam kler is often described as the “Guilin of Thailand”, after the famous limestone karst at Guilin in China (which I have been lucky enough to visit). Although Khao sam kler is not as spectacular as I had imagined, it was nice journey to get there by long tail boat.

Cheow Lan Lake formed in 1982 by a shale-clay dam called Ratchaprabha. The lake is 185-square-kilometre (71sq mi)

Sunset had arrived, and we witnessed some wonderful colours in the sky, as the sun slowly set. It's times like these that makes travelling so special. Out of nowhere you are treated with nature's own private light show which feels it was created just for you. From luminous yellow and orange hues, to the dark shades of purple and blue, it was a fantastic way to end the day.

One for the bucket list, we spent the night on floating raft house on Cheow Lan Lake. The houses come in two types, basic (no bathrooms) and modern (with bathroom). We stayed in the basic which was good enough for the night. In fact, after a few minutes of feeling the very slight and gentle rocking, I fell asleep straight away. It was like sleeping normally on a bed on land.

The basic houses are wooden with just one large room with bed mattresses. Outside there is a large porch for you to sit down and admire the tranquil lake and limestone cliffs. There is a large communal floating building for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the end of the floating complex there is a shared bathrooms building.

I have to say, it was a pleasant experience to chill out at Plern Prai Raft House. There are many activities to explore while you are here, from kayaking to hiking at the nearby jungles. You are out in the middle of nowhere, and the quietness is refreshing.

If you don't fancy taking part in any activities, then you can relax with a book or take a dip in the lake just outside your raft house. We were only here for a night, as we planned to travel to the region of Krabi, to relax further at the beach.