4 days 3 nights

You start this trip by taking Highway Route No 35 (Thon Buri-Paktho) to leave Bangkok and continue to Highway Route No 4. This route has several petrol stations but you should be careful while driving as many long-bed trucks also take the route. In addition, it is very difficult to see the kilometre markers. At kilometre 247, you can take a break at the PTT petrol station, which offers 24-hour service with pay-point service, mini-mart and restaurants.

You can visit Khaophoe highway service centre, which is also a rest area for all vehicles. At the PTT station there, you can have dinner and take some rest after driving all day long. Ensure you fill up your tank here if you are running out of petrol. You can look for souvenirs, clothes and books and also visit coffee shops.

When you leaving the service centre, do a U-turn at Maekmai Restaurant to go to Bang Berd Beach. Turn left at the entrance sign of Huey Sak Temple and take Rural Road No 4015 for about 20 km.

Tips:

Local people suggest to take the road before night because it is an isolated road.

Recommended:

Bang Bert Beach : It is long, beautiful and quiet. You can drive along the beach to search for accommodation.

Chantima Resort: It is at the beginning of the beach. Bt800 per night plus breakfast. Also has an Internet café. (08-1006-8001, 08-7891-1129)

Morning: Have your breakfast served by the resort, take a stroll along the beach and take some photos. After that you can continue your journey. Drive out along the beach until you find an intersection, turn left and you will find a sign Ban Kamnerd Ploy. Take a road to Khao Takiep and to Rural Road No 4014 for about 2 km, and you will arrive at a royal development project, which is open to the public. Local people vouch for its beauty.

After that, you drive until you find a right turn where you will find a small sandhill. You can park your car on a roadside. This is a proper point to enjoy both sides of the view of the Bang Bert beach.

From there, go to the main road, driving along the beach, and turn right to enter Rural Road No 4015 and drive past Kaewprasert Monastery (Kuan Im), past an intersection to take Rural Road No 3411. At the trisection, turn right to Ammarit Village and take Road No 3253. You will then drive through a  trisection in a community until you find Luang Por Chuem. There will be signs show the way to Phetkasem Road (Highway No 4). Drive until you find Thai Rat Vidhaya 86 intersection. There you will leave Rong Road and enter Highway No 4. There is no petrol station along the route.

On the route, between the 451 km and 454 km, you can buy bananas and other products made from bananas at many stalls on the roadside.

Recommended: You can stop at a PTT petrol station at 472 km to attend to the call of nature. The station’s toilets have been commended for their hygiene and cleanliness. The station also provides a minimart, ATM and KFC. Next to it is Tha Sae Hospital (077-599-026).

If you drive vehicles using LPG, you can fill the tank at Caltex gas station at 488 km. Two kilometres from there, you will arrive at Kun Sarai Restaurant (0 7754-7223-4), which is also a rest area for vehicles and coaches. You can have lunch here.

You can go to another beautiful beach in the afternoon. Drive past a traffic light at an intersection at 475 km. If you turn left, you will go to Chumphon airport. Drive past it and you turn left at the next intersection to Thung Wua Lan Beach.

Recommended: Sea Beach Resort (0-1979-9447, 0-6266-4814); 25 rooms, price from Bt400-1,200 per night.

Or you can go to the beach at 484 km. If you take the route for 22 km, you will find a shortcut to Chumphon province and to Chumphon’s National Museum (0-7750-4105). Take a rest by enjoying the beautiful views at the beach before looking for accommodation.

If you drive along Highway Route No 4 to Pathomporn intersection, turn left to Highway No 327 (Paknam-Chumphon) and drive for another two km. You will find an Esso petrol station on the right hand side. Next is Thonburi Chumphon Hospital (0-7750-4800-13) and Mor Lek Hospital (0-7750-2809). Turn right to Paknam-Hat Sai Ree route along Highway No 4001, drive past a bridge to Highway No 4119 and drive for 14 km. This route will lead to Koh Tao pier also.

When you reach a three-way intersection, turn left to Hat Sai Ree Beach. From there, if you drive along for another 9 km, you will arrive at Koh Tao pier. When you arrive at Hat Sai Ree Beach, you can pay respects at the shrine of Krom Luang Chumphon Ketudomsak. You can buy firecrackers from shops there if you want to light them to show respect to Krom Luang. You can take photos at the Royal Vessel anchored there.

There are many restaurants along the beach. The island facing you is Matra Island.

You leave the shrine by using the same route you took earlier and turn left at an intersection before the entrance route to downtown of Chumphon province, to a rural road.

Recommended: National Park of Chumphon Islands (0-7755-8144-5). The park provides visitors with daily walks to observe nature along mangrove forests.

Fee: Thais (Adults – Bt40, Child – Bt20); Foreigners (Adult – Bt200; child – Bt100); Bt30 for car and Bt20 for motorcycle

Boat service to visit Rangkajew Island to see bird nests and sea grass/Matra Island/Ngam Noi and Ngam Yai islands; Private boat service: Khun Nee (086-272-8396)

After leaving the National Park of Chumphon Islands, take a turn to a main road till you reach Pathomporn intersection. The Hospital of Ketudomsak military camp is next to the military camp (0-7751-1278). The road after this will be very twisting. When you drive until Tha Mai Lai Temple, you will find Tha Mai Lai public health station on the right hand.

When you reach Taplee Village at 541 km, you should stop to buy Dim sums, dumplings and buns. Don’t miss buns with cream or with chopped pork.

Just a short distance from Taplee village, there will be a route to enter Korkodkra on the right hand side. You should stop to take photos of the narrowest part of Thailand. When you drive from the spot until 552 km, you will find a big PTT petrol station. Then you go to Kraburee district where you will find Kraburee Hospital (0-7789-1036). When you reach 611 km on Highway 4, turn left to Chonra-u road. Less than 1 km from there, you will arrive at Raksawarin Hot-Water Pond, which provides three ponds of hot water for father, mother, and child. It also has a spa service.

When you return to Highway No 4 and find a three-way intersection, if you turn right, you will go to Ranong downtown. If you drive through it, you will find a petrol gas station and when you reach the second intersection, you turn left and go into Highway No 412, past fresh market and search for accommodations.

1. Le Sarin Chalet: Luxurious Hotel with friendly prices; Bt650-750 per night plus breakfast (0-7782-5725). It is on the way to the market. After finishing your breakfast, you drive from the Chalet, turn right from there and turn right at the intersection and turn left at the next intersection to enter Highway No 4.
2. Then you drive until you find Ranong provincial police station at the 617 km (0-7781-3721). Two km from there, you will find Chalerm Prakiart Nawamin Rajinee Park. You can visit Phukao Ya. To go there, make a U-turn before a PTT petrol station to enter a route to Phukao Ya.

Tips: When you drive in, you will see golden grass, which seems to fly when the wind blows. If you visit the place at sunset, the grass will turn to orange. From there, you could also get a wide-angle view of Ngaw Waterfall.

After leaving the place, you should find a way to make a turn to go to the Nam Ngaw Waterfall National Park (0-7784-8181).

Fees: Thais – Bt20; Foreigners – Bt100

Accommodation: Room with fan – Bt600 for 4; room with air-conditioning – Bt1,000 for 4

After you leave the national park to enter Highway No 4, you will drive past Ranong Airport, Nok Ngang health station at 645 km and Muang Kluang health station at 656 km.

Then you drive to Kapor district. The view along the road is beautiful and the road is in very good condition.

When you arrive at a road, which is between kms 685 and 686, you turn into Klong Naka Wildlife Reservation Area.

Renting a four-wheeled car is recommended. You should contact a service point, which also provide rafts. Local villagers provide cars to send you to the rafting point. There are two fees – Bt450 per person plus lunch for 4 km of rafting which will take about 3-4 hours, or Bt350 per person without lunch and two km of rafting.

You are recommended to visit the place in September when the green Plubpluengtarn leaves blanket the river. But the best time is between November and December.

Contact person: Seree Nakboon, president of Pa Sang Fun Club.

Accommodation:

– Chumphon Cabana Resort: Tel 0-7756-0245-7, Fax 0-7756-0247; Room rate – Bt1,260-2,200

– Laemthien Resort, Chumphon; Tel 0-7752-2580-1, Fax 0-7752-2581; Room rate – Bt800-1,700

– Payam Cottage Resort, Ranong province; Tel 0-7787-0200, Fax: 0-7787-0200; Room rate – Bt700-2,000

– Tarnsila Resort, Ranong; Tel 0-7782 3405, 08-1317-8017, 08-1554-8889; Room rate – Bt300-800.

Restaurants:

– View Seafood, Tung Wua Lan, Chumphon; Tel 0-7756-0214

– Krua Limle, Paknam Langsuan beach, Lang Suan, Chumphon; Tel 0-7755-1699

– Paknam Seafood, Paknam Road, Muang district, Ranong; Tel 0-7781-2497

– Somboon Pochana, Ruengrat Road, Muang district, Ranong province; Tel 0-7783 3300, 0-7782-2722

Souvenir shops:

– Chumphon Bird Nests Shop, Kromluang Chumphon Road, Muang district, Chumphon; Tel 0-7750-7750, open from 9.30am to 8.30pm

Otop products centre, opposite Ranong Garden Hotel; Tel 0-7783-3228

Hospitals:

Chumphon Hospital: Tel 0-7750-3672

Ranong Hospital: Tel 0-7781-1574-5

Police:

Chumphon provincial police – Tel 0-7750-1039

Ranong provincial police – Tel 0-7781-3721

Tourism Authority of the Southern Region (Surat Thani, Chumphon, Ranong) – Tel 0-7728-8818-9