A Thai Tourist Trap ⚠️ (Good With The Bad) | Khao Sok Thailand Vlog
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- Today was a journey! We fortunately skipped what looks like a Thailand tourist trap and despite the organised chaos of it all, this was still an awesome day in Khao Sok National Park ... Thailand tours here: geni.us/Z8ZAO6T - ⬇ See below for Thailand recommendations⬇
Welcome back to Thailand! We think we got a bit lucky today - given how last minute we booked our Khao Sok National Park tours we weren't able to book one of the floating hotels / overwater bungalow type places on Cheow Lan Lake.
In this vlog we take a half day private Cheow Lan Lake tour and to keep things positive first, WOW. Khao Sok National Park as a whole is stunning, it's wild, unkept, raw and bloody enormous. There's so much to see and explore, but a tour seems pretty vital to see the best of the best. Taking the good with the bad though means putting your trust in someone sorting all that for you.
Our tour was actually heaps of fun, despite a serious lack of communication and information on what, where and when we were doing anything! The tourist trap really was with the on-lake accommodation though (at least the one we went to) - the prices are silly, the food is crap, the staff were rude and lots of people just looked bored and trapped there. BUT - we're always open to hearing another opinion. Have you stayed on the lake? Was it good? Did we just go to a sh*t one? Let us know in the comments.
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Disclaimer - This video may feature footage supplied from one of our partners, particularly for locations where filming is restricted and/or drone activity isn't allowed. Thailand has super strict drone rules so we didn't even take ours!
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#Thailand #KhaoSok
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UPDATE: If you're watching this for feedback definitely have a good read through the comments! The resounding feedback is that if you book the multi-day stay it's actually really cool, lots of tours and the food is great. It seems like the tourist trap is doing random day trips onto the lake like we did, you're not treated the same as the paying/staying guests, no access to the same food and the tours are rushed/no comms! This kind of feedback is EXACTLY what we were looking for - hopefully that's helpful! Dane & Stace x
10.36 The cave is called Pakarang Cave. Pakarang in Thai means 'coral'. I find it interesting then that at 11.07 that Stacey says the cave formations "look a lot like coral".
Oh we nailed it then I guess! Thanks for the intel that was lacking from our tour guide as well haha
I really love how you guys always keep a good and positive attitude even when things go wrong. That tour did a poor job of providing a proper itinerary and guidance, but you took it in stride with a smile. You guys are the types I like traveling with. 👍😎
Sounds like you're the type we like to travel with too - chill, relaxed, go with the flow
Amazing as always ❤
Awesome / honest video…thanks!.. ; followed your recommendations all around New Zealand and now planning Thailand next year; your videos are the best ! Good to see both the positive and negative , that’s what travel is all about…
Glad to hear that mate! If you do decide to head this way, skim the comments here, it sounds like we just had a bad experience but the multi day tours are much better
The hiking trails accessible from inside the National Park area are 200Baht and amazing, easy to navigate, and beautiful.
So we did the overnight tour and actually stayed at the place where they dropped you for lunch. Honestly it was one of the best experiences we had during our 10 months of traveling. The overnight tour we did came with a guide to explain everything, we did a sunset boat ride and sun rise boat ride and got to see wild elephants. We did a trek through the jungle where the guide pointed out wildlife we wouldn't have noticed on our own. We had delicious lunch, dinner and breakfast and they even catered to vegetarians and vegans.The accommodation wasn't anything fancy but being right there in the morning for sunrise was soooo worth it to us. During the night- a group of tourists wanted to keep drinking after the little shop closed and they broke in and took the beer and partied most of the night. It was very sad that they behaved that way and the employees were obviously not happy. But that aside- it was incredible. Swimming in the water, kayaking, delicious food and seeing a family of elephants. We're sorry the experience wasn't the same for you. Our advice- for anyone reading this- is to do the overnight tour and expect to rough it a little bit.
Yep, same here, we did the overnight tour and really enjoyed it
YES!!! This is exactly what we love to read! So that means the randoms coming in for one off experiences are getting a completely different view of things - PERFECT to hear and hopefully that helps lots of others not skip something that actually sounds really fun. Thanks for commenting to let us know team!
Me too.stayed overnight at smiley's bongalows which i could only book through local hotel.
The room is very basic but you get meals and 2 trips with a guide (one of them was a jungle tour going through a cave with running water) and you have some time to kayak or swim at this beautiful place.
It was one of the best in the trip to thailand.
Thank you for your great content.your videos helped me to plan another trip in new zealand
@@lets_do_this oh I just saw that overnight tour online and am seriously considering it. Did you get to see all you wanted to see in Khao Sok, or do you need to do other tours as well?
@@NicoleVermeulen-qh4kw hi.i couldn't book it online so i asked my hotel ( khao sok river cottages) to book it for me.the whole package included the transport from hotel to pier and back,meals,stay at the smiley bungalows and 3 trips.all of them were great (travelling through the jungle and in a cave with flowing water).
In one of the trips we searched for gibbons,heard them but could not see but we saw some small monkeys instead.
Fascinating background information on the lake!
It really is, crazy huh, doesn't look man made! Also, had some really positive feedback about the overnight stay being much better than what we experienced which is so good to hear
Honest and informative. ... enjoy all your videos and adventure . Looking in to a little travel adventure .. so keep it real 😅
Thanks, will do!
Traveling around the world is very fun and I hope you are always healthy, I also have plans to be like you.❤
Your filming is amazing of the landscapes ❤, but looks like the kind of day trip that would cause me various anxiety issues!😂
😂😂 it definitely could! We just keep each other sane and relaxed haha
Khao Sok is beautiful though a little trap, still worth the visit
Good information to know, thanks!
Although some great feedback from others saying the multi day tour wasn't a trap at all, we definitely just booked it all wrong - if you do plan to visit skim the comments here for some great feedback
Hey Dane and Stace, Harriet and I did a similar Tour about five years ago. We had a similar experience at the little bars and snack shops. However, we did manage to book a Tour Guide through
Trip Advisor. We wanted somebody to explain what we were looking at. And you know, it's not always possible to plan your Tours ahead of time. Nevertheless, we had a good time. It is
what it is.guys. Hope you are doing well. Look forward to your next video. Love you Dearly ❤❤❤ Harriet, Jim and Yuki Richmond, Va.
That is awesome! Glad you had a good time. It does seem like a lot of other people actually had much better experiences than us by staying for a few days - we might have just had some bad luck. Oh well, still an amazing day
Could you please share how you travel within Thailand please and costs etc. travelling there soon
we stayed on one of the huts on the lake , but it was over 13 years ago . very basic , but nice and chilled . All food was included , just had to pay for drinks .
Sounds decent though, I think we just had a bad run and should have done a multi day - all good though, still was a fun (aka funny) day
Nice place !
In February we stayed overnight in the floating bungalows on a group tour and absolutely loved it! The price for the private tour did seem a bit steep though so I can understand the frustration!
The accommodation was basic and lacked locks on the doors (except for an extra fee) but all food was included and was great!
Great feedback, thank you!! Do you know the name of the ones you stayed at? Just some people can pick a good one ❤️
@@DanegerAndStacey we booked our overnight tour with Chillax Hostel for 2500 THB pp which included van pickup and drop off from the hostel (with additional national park fees of course). Would definitely recommend to any backpackers wanting to visit Khao Sok!
Our accommodation did have locks 😁 Probably depend on which floating hotel you're staying at
2 weeks ago, we went on a 2 day tour on the lake, that was about 5000 thb for 2 people including accommodation on the lake and 5 meals. Entrance fee to the park was not included, but the other fees were. Other than the fact that we don't like group tours, it was quite delightful
That's awesome feedback guys, definitely seems like we were the ones that PICKED the tourist trap and actually missed out on the real experience. Bugger.
It's very useful to have a Thai wife when it comes to touring Thailand, but half the time you know more about Thailand than they do!
Hello guys we meet again - I spoke with you a couple of months ago after watching your Cook Islands trip - we got married in Aitutaki last month - and now I find you again in Thailand where I am researching our Nov/Dec trip. Which would you say is the best place to stay in Khao Sok? Have you heard of Smileys Lake house and if so is that any good?
Hey again! Yay for more adventures! So you might have searched the other comments on this video by now, if not you should, they're all super helpful. Essentially we fell into the tourist trap, staying there overnight appears to be the much better option. Haven't heard of that lakouse sorry, just be sure to book early, they get snapped up
Please come to Canada! 🇨🇦
We hope to soon! We want a big ol snowwy getaway
It seems the biggest issue was in your lack of planning and doing research ahead of time. I've been traveling to Thailand with my wife since 1996 and have rarely run into serious issues, and certainly nothing that couldn't happen just about anywhere else in the world.
A bit of a newcomer then...
I am saving up to move to Chiang. What stores carry Tinactin or something similar? I have a medical condition called Athletes Foot and I know airport security will not allow me to take Tinactin with me on the plane.
I have always wondered do you two every argue? you always seem very lovey dovey haha
We definitely do! Not all that much these days because we're so used to travelling together so we keep each other sane and level (ish)
If you do a night safari,you pay the 200 baht park fee,but you can use that same ticket on the boat tour the following day.
Awesome advice! That's what the comments should all be about, thanks
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I saw your video in Thailand and If you dont mind I just wanna ask if there’s a possibility that there’s no data or internet when you are there particularly in Khaosok. My cousin is there now and we’re worried because she didn’t update us me her mom. If you saw this message please reply it’s a big help.Thank you I appreciate it so much! 😇🥺
There is limited connection out there! I think we mention at the end of the vlog there was no cell coverage, some places will have wifi but it’s also highly possible that the wifi is down as well!
Thank you so much @DanegerandStacey that means a lot 🥺. Godbless for
more travel and video’s to come! 😊❤
What a Trip😜 but i so agree you have to go with the Flow , not nice getting charged more etc it sadly happens
The views are awesome oh dear you must have been very Hungry by the time you got back 🫣
6:00 Danegar I think you found a super villain's lair.
Totally! Worlds most wanted be hiding in there
@@DanegerAndStacey hahaha
The mistake people make is setting 1st world standards and expectations to a poorer countries and that attitude just doesn't work. Go with the flow
TOTALLY agree, travel is about being open minded and you just have to go with the flow more often than not
@@DanegerAndStacey yeah the king off the comments section cuzzy rory is here too night in the comments section idk going too doing some traveling around the place too this year in 2023 an next year in 2024 or 2025 too japan aka jdm aka japanese importing cars out from japan aka jdm aka japanese an going over too aus too working an traveling around for sometime as its been rough fucking year for cuzzy rory an all. etc.
@@DanegerAndStacey why yo not in contnet with cuzzy rory no more guys going sending him some love an support in the comments section stacey an daneger cuzzy rory
I don’t think expecting clear communication or welcoming service is unreasonable expectation regardless of the economy; 99 percent of people in Thailand are super friendly and welcoming, but tourist traps exist there, and everywhere for that matter;so it’s refreshing to see these things presented; and yeas , adjust expectations accordingly.😊
fab video! There is a reason why they have park entrance fees on a sign written in both Arabic and Thai numerals. So foreign tourists won't know they're getting ripped off! Yes the entrance fee into the park for Thai people is 40 THB (Kids get in for 20 THB) while for non-Thais it's 200 THB for adults and 100 THB for kids.
It really annoys me that foreigners pay a different price. It's not fair at all. It was the same in Egypt and because I am married to an Arab, I paid an "Arab" fee, which was much cheaper and honestly discriminative.
@@nomadmum2593 Would almost guarantee that in your home country it is the same. I know both here in Australia there are different fees at certain tourist spots for both locals and others, also came across the same thing in New Zealand, Canada and South America. Tourism is an industry and as tourists it is quite rightly assumed that we can afford to support local communities. I personally do not have a problem with it.
@@nomadmum2593 Agree. I'm not Thai but worked in Thailand and therefore paid tax, tax that went to pay for maintaining Thailand's national parks. Still had to pay the non-Thai entrance fee. I have seen Burmese "maids" get into these parks by paying the Thai entrance fee because their employer does all the talking, and paying, and the park warden assumes they're all Thai in the group.
@@sharonadlam3195 What venue in NZ has double pricing based on nationality?
@Sharon Adlam No I've never seen that ever in the UK. I'm pretty sure it would be illegal to charge 2 different fees based on nationality.
Go and spend your money. Go with the flow or stay home
You feeling ok? We literally went with the flow the entire day, observations and shared learnings - not complaints. Besides, the comments section confirmed the better approach is the overnight stay, so everyone got the info they needed.