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CHUMPORN |
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Near the provincial
capital, the southbound
road splits into two,
one following the Gulf
coast south and the
other branching over to
the Andaman coast.
Chumphon's port at Pak
Nam is a convenient
place to take a boat to
Ko Tao, which is in
Surat Thani but easier
to approach from here.
Yet visitors should not
be too hasty to leave
Chumphon's pretty
coastline, as there are
fine beaches and
coral‑ringed offshore
islands both north and
south of town.
Situated almost 500 km.
south of Bangkok and
nearly 200 km. north of
Surat Thani, Chumphon,
covering approximately
6,010 sq. km., is a tiny
province with the
important title of
'gateway to the south'
of Thailand. |
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Major Attractions |
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HAT THUNG WUA LAEN |
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Easily-reached and
situated 16 km. north of
town, this sandy beach
is backed by lush hills
and is a good place for
relaxing or setting off
on diving and
snorkelling trips to
nearby coral reefs.
There are several
resorts and bungalows
right on the beach,
making this a tempting
place to stay. The
Chumphon Cabana Resort
rents out diving
equipment, offers
instruction and
arranges boat trips to
dive sites. Chumphon
Cabana Resort Bangkok
Office: tel: 0 2427 1825
or Chumphon Office tel:
0 7756 0245-7.
www.cabana.co.th. Email:
info@cabana.co.th. |
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HAT SAI RI |
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It is also possible to
go diving or snorkelling
around the islands of Mu
Ko Chumphon National
Park near Hat Sai Ri,
which is 20 km. south of
Chumphon. The beach is
another long stretch of
enticing sand with
lodgings if you would
like to stay. |
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MU KOH CHUMPORN NATIONAL
PARK |
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This small park,
covering 317 sq. km.,
has its headquarters 21
km. south of town near
Hat Sai Ri. Visitors
may camp here and walk
along trails that lead
off from the Tourist
Information Centre. The
park includes beaches
like Thung Makham and
Arunothai, as well as
over 40 small offshore
islands. Several of
these, like Ko Chorakhe
and Ko Ngam, are
surrounded by beautiful
coral reefs, while Koh
Thong Lang has a long
white-sand beach. |
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