Eco-Jungle Tree Houses in Thailand – Our Jungle House

Kristin | On 26, Jan 2017

In December 2016 I had the great pleasure of spending three nights at Our Jungle House in the Khao Sok National Park, Thailand.

To be honest my trip to Our Jungle House started out a bit rough. I had under estimated how long it would take to get there from Phuket, and also how exactly I would get there at all. I had kind of planned out this portion of my trip without much forethought and it results in a bit of stress at first. So, definitely plan ahead, know how to catch a local bus or private car that will take you to the Khao Sok National Park from wherever you may be in Thailand!

PRO TIP: Give yourself at least one half day to get to Our Jungle House. Also, it is easier to get to there from Phuket city center (versus northern Phuket near the airport, where I was), or from the Surathani airport, or Krabi/Krabi airport. Regardless of where you’re coming from, Our Jungle House has easy to follow, detailed instructions on how to get to there. Go here for that: https://www.khaosokaccommodation.com/getting-here/

Thankfully my host in northern Phuket helped me find the nearest local bus stop (I think it cost 300 Baht for the local bus). After hopping aboard and about three hours later, the bus stopped at the entrance to the Park. The driver didn’t announce where we were so I almost didn’t exit the bus but thankfully another couple was also getting out at the same stop and they took the initiative to ask.

As the bus pulled away I realized that I didn’t retrieve my pack from below. I literally ran full speed behind the bus waving and yelling until it thankfully stopped and I was able to get my pack. Phew!

Once that was settled I contacted Our Jungle House to let them know I had arrived at the entrance. Within a few minutes their shuttle truck arrived and I was being driven to my destination. There are also many local drivers who will approach you about bringing you to your resort. They are friendly and relatively inexpensive so that is a good option too.

PRO TIP: Don’t be afraid to bargain in Thailand, when it comes to paying for things like transportation or clothing stalls/night markets. According to many I have learned that Thai folks love a good haggle over cost. At the very least it doesn’t hurt to try! Just be super duper friendly and ask in a polite way. If they seem to not budge act as if you are going to walk away. Often times they will stop you and offer a lower price. 

Again—as a relatively casual solo traveler—I hadn’t done a heck of a lot of research on Our Jungle House before arriving. I was relying on the high recommendation from some friends who live in Bangkok.

That’s why I didn’t realize just how incredible this place would be. Imagine the greenest of big leafy greenery hanging all around, narrow cobblestone walkways throughout and between bungalows, wooden and thatched huts of the coziest degree, and soothing sounds of nature constantly abuzz and ready to lull you to sleep at night.

Upon arriving I was warmly greeted by the staff and promptly escorted to my bungalow. After unpacking I made my way to the dining area where I enjoyed a vegan Pad Thai (that was modified from the original vegetarian version).

The following day I went on a very relaxing canoe ride (organized by Our Jungle House) along the Khao Sok river. I lounged and took pictures and videos as my paddle guide did all the work! We saw incredible limestone cliffs jutting up through the water, a few colorful Kingfisher birds, a gigantic lizard thing scurry up into the jungle, tons of red flecked fish, and a big snake literally hanging over our heads from a tree branch as we passed below. We even stopped at a halfway point to stretch our legs and have some campfire warmed tea, coffee, and cookies. It was lovely.

On my last full day I signed up for the full day Cheow Lan Lake tour. It was probably one of the best day of my life, actually. Again – organized by Our Jungle House I was picked up early in the morning after breakfast at (vegan tofu scramble this time!) and the driver made a few more stops to pick up other tour-goers, as we made our way about an hour north, to the Lake.

It began with an epic covered-boat ride through the picturesque turquoise waters of the Lake, dotted with hundreds of limestone cliffs that seem to come out of nowhere, protruding up through the magnificent waters. We then arrived in an alcove, deboarded, and went on a short hike through the jungle. Our guide pointed out gibbons jumping through the tree branches up high, a huge tarantula hiding out in its “cave,” and some small lizards, and birds along the way. The hike led us to a teeny tiny village occupied presumably by the wooden raft operators. After a short snack break and water, provided by the tour guide, the group of us (about 10 people) shuffled onto a rickety flat bamboo raft and floated effortlessly to our next destination: a super cool cave!

Our tour guide walked us through this pitch black cave (don’t worry, he had a light and many of us used the lights on our phones) pointing out interesting structures, bugs, and bats! After leisurely exploring the cave we made our way back to our little raft, floated back to the tiny village, walked back through our hike, and hopped back into our covered motor boat.

As we made our way across the stunning crystal waters we stopped at some floating bungalows (which you can actually rent and stay overnight in!) for lunch and a swim. The lunch was a bit of a fail, btw. They had a vegetarian option of veggies but I’m 99% sure they were soaked in butter. And the other dish of veggies smelled fiercely of fish. I could have put in more of an effort to ensure I’d get a more suitable meal so that was on me. But I know for next time!

A few of us went swimming and then we all climbed into our boat and made our way back to the mainland. That night I had a filling dinner at the Our Jungle House restaurant, and then sat upstairs on the second level where there is a nice bar. I hopped onto my computer to upload some videos and pictures from the day while sipping a fruity house-special cocktail.

What an incredible few days it was! The combination of a comfortable and very unique stay with daily outings that were more memorable than I could have ever anticipated, made the overall experience one of a kind.

I highly HIGHLY recommend Our Jungle House! You’ll be in awe of the natural beauty, the friendly staff, the flexible food options, and even the other guests. Enjoy!

LEARN MORE:
Website: https://www.khaosokaccommodation.com/

PS – Here are a few more food pics from the restaurant. They did a nice job of veganizing some of their dishes. :)