Led by a highly experienced National Park Ranger, the first destination of the day will be Rajjaprabha Dam. As surprising as it may be, Cheow Lan lake is actually man-made, despite the magnificence of its natural surrounding beauty. It was created during the development of Rajjaprabha Dam in the early 1980’s. After exploring the dam, it will be time to board a longtail boat and depart across the waters of Cheow Lan Lake, surrounded by breathtaking vistas.
Cheow Lan Lake and the surrounding area is home to a breathtaking amount of wildlife. This incredibly bio-diverse ecosystem is known to be home to wild elephants, tigers, sun bears, leopards, macaques, gibbons and a whole host of other animals – though most of these are extremely rare to see these days since they’ve evolved to avoid humans at all costs. Macaques and langurs can be more common but even these sightings are not guaranteed. The region is also perfect for bird watchers, with a reported 400 or so bird species including the rare giant hornbills and kingfishers.
Disembarking the boat after an awe-inspiring cruise through the majestic surrounds, there will be a one to two-hour hike at an area known as Klong Ka. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended for this trekking section of today’s outing. The National Park Ranger will be a valuable source of information to learn about the various native flora and fauna whilst traversing the dense tropical environment. There will also be an opportunity here to explore one of the many caves that lie scattered around the vicinity, arguably the best one. Phra Kay Petch cave lies on the trails from Khlong Ka and hosts an impressive amount of stalactites and stalagmites that have developed over thousands of years, as well as a large bat population.
Once the hike comes to an end, it’s time to refill the energy reserves by eating a delicious local lunch at a bamboo raft restaurant in the middle of the lake. Here, there’s a chance to enjoy a short swim or rest before returning to the pier.
