BEACH
Thung Wua Laen is a pleasant bay. Here you will find tourists who do not directly take the ferry to Ko Tao. It is a beautiful bay of about 2 kilometers long with pearly white fine sand. It’s a social place but does not feel too crowded.
The beach is known for surfing and paragliding. The season runs from November to January. We prefer the southern part of Thung Wua Laenn, where the beach is wide, and the sea is ideal for swimming. It is good to know that the main road is between the beach and most of the hotels. You find a good mix of stays, from budget-friendly bungalows to upper range resorts.
WHERE TO STAY
Cabana Resort, on the southern end of the bay is the only place directly on the beach. The mid-range bungalows are comfortable, and for us, this is the perfect place to stay! Nana Beach Hotel is the place to go if you like more comfort. Thung Wua Laen Resort and Tawan Resort are more budget options. Both offer bungalows with air conditioning and a fridge for a reasonable price.
You will find a good variety of restaurants and food stands along the beach.
PLACE
Most of the tourists that pass Chumphon take a ferry directly to Ko Tao. We advise you to spend a few days on the mainland. Close to Chumphon is a beautiful national park and some beaches near the city are good and relaxed. The area is known for bird watching and surfing, and we noticed at least one diving center in Thung Wua Laen.
WHAT TO DO
Chumphon is a lively town with wooden houses, lively markets, and a number of hotels. You can eat well in town and you find a pleasant night market at Chumphons’ train station, where you can enjoy all kinds of food.
Muko Chumphon National Park is an attraction near Chumphon. There are more than 40 islands in this park with lots of natural beauty to explore. Coral reefs can be found around the islands, and although the coral is not as beautiful as on Ko Tao, it is still a very nice daytime activity. At the tourist center of the national park on the mainland near Quiet Beach, you can go for an impressive hike through the mangrove forest via a long wooden bridge where you will certainly see monkeys.
TRANSPORT
Chumphon is a town in the southern end of the Upper Gulf. The town has good connections to all of the surrounding bigger cities, and to Bangkok as well. You can take a minibus from Bang Saphan to Chumphon (2 hours). The train station at Chumphon offers good connections to Bangkok and Hat Yai via Trang. AirAsia also has daily flights from Bangkok to Chumphon.
Thung Wua Laen, Saphli and Bang Son are 15 to 30 kilometers north of Chumphon close to the airport. From town a tuk-tuk will take you for 350- 600 baht. A taxi to the airport is 200-400 baht. Quiet Beach is 24 kilometers southwest of Chumphon, and 11 kilometers from Pak Nam. It is also close to the Muko National Park. You will need your own transportation to get here. Finally, we did not find Pak Nam’s main beach too impressive, which is why it was not added to the database.
Ferries departing from The Lompraya Pier are going to Ko Tao, Ko Phangan and Ko Samui. The pier is 25 kilometers south of town, 43 kilometers from Saphli, and 16 kilometers extra from Bang Son. A taxi from Saphli and Thung Wua Laen to the pier costs 800 baht.
You can rent scooters in Thung Wua Laen and Saphli, but if you stay at Quiet Beach or Bang Son it’s better to rent a scooter in town.
