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If you have seen one photo of Khao Sok before booking, it was probably this: three limestone pillars rising vertically out of green water, jungle on the cliffs behind. Khao Sam Kloe is the emblem of Cheow Lan Lake and the stop every boat makes.
It is a viewpoint from the water, not a place you get off at. Long-tail boats approach the pillars, cut the engine for a few minutes while everyone photographs the reflection, and carry on to the raft houses or the cave.
Why it looks like that
The pillars are limestone karst: the same rock that forms the cliffs of the whole region, here standing as isolated towers because the softer rock around them has been eaten away by water over a very long time. The lake, created by the Ratchaprapha dam in the 1980s, rose around their bases.
That is also why the lake is full of steep little islands and why the water is such a strong green — the geology of the whole reservoir is limestone, and the pillars are the most photogenic version of it.
Seeing it without the convoy
Every tour stops here, so mid-morning in high season means several boats at once. Two ways around it: go early, on the first boats out of the dam, or overnight on the lake and ask your raft house boatman to pass at sunrise, before the day-trippers arrive.
An overnight trip is also how you see the lake at its best — the morning mist over the water is the image the overnight tours are really selling, and Khao Sam Kloe looks best in that light.
No ticket, no trail, no shortcut
There is nothing to book and nowhere to walk: the pillars are in the water. If a tour promises 'access to Khao Sam Kloe', that means a photo stop from the boat — which is what every lake tour does.
Lake tours and raft house nights
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Full dayKhao Sok: Full-Day Ratchaprapha Dam Tour, Boat Trip & Lunch
- Full-day tour to the Ratchaprapha Dam with a boat trip
- Lunch included, as named in the listing
Best for: Visitors who want to see the lake in a day and sleep on land.
Check price & availability →
Private boatKhao Sok: Private Longtail Boat Tour at Cheow Lan Lake
- Private long-tail boat tour on Cheow Lan Lake
- The route and pace are set with your own group
Best for: Photographers and groups who want the lake at their own pace.
Check price & availability →Last verified 29 September 2026
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
No. The three pillars stand in Cheow Lan Lake and are seen from a boat. Every lake tour from the Ratchaprapha dam passes them, and there is no trail or landing.
Early morning: the water is calm, the reflection is intact and the boats have not arrived in numbers. Guests staying overnight on the lake have the easiest access to that light.
Yes. Khao Sam Kloe is the Thai name and it is also translated as Three Brothers or three-pillar rock — the same three limestone pillars on Cheow Lan Lake.
