Thailand Chumphon: passage on the Dan Sawi peninsula Chumphon, Southern Provinces, Travel to Thailand 4.9 (15)Dan Sawi is a district located in the middle of Chumphon province. I had already given you a Chumphon coastline overview in a previous article, but since we decided to go see the in-laws in Nakhon Si Thammarat by car, it allowed us to go there again on the way. And among the places I had spotted but we had not had time to stop at, there was a peninsula, located south of the large bay of Chumphon, which is part of the Mu Ko Chumphon national park (which I will have to visit one day too).The latter is bordered by several beaches as well as a fishing village that offers several homestays, mainly known to locals. My initial goal was to stop there for our lunch break… Which didn't turn out to be possible, but failing that, it still allowed us to see this pretty lost corner. Summary hide The Sawi Canal Lok Phae Beach Nameless beach Lokkam Bay The fishing village Another beach of Dan Sawi Map and visits to Dan Sawi Conclusion on Dan Sawi The Sawi CanalTo put it in context, you should know that this area is located 7 hours drive from Bangkok, but as the Bangkok – Nakhon Si Thammarat trip is quite long (11 hours drive), we had first done the Bangkok – Chumphon trip the day before, 6 hours, or a little more than half of the total trip. This left us time to visit the surrounding area without arriving very late at the in-laws.On the banks of the Sawi canal.It was only an hour from the hotel (we had kept it simple and cheap by staying at the Hop Inn in Chumphon same), so it was 11 am when we arrived at the first spot where I stopped to take 2/3 photos, on the edge of the Sawi canal, which gives its name to the entire district (equivalent to a municipality in France). The kind of landscape typical of regions bordering the sea, we never get tired of it and as it was right on the side of the road, I couldn't resist taking a few pictures there. Same when we came across this beautiful old wooden house or when we found ourselves surrounded by palm trees and coconut trees on these small winding roads by the sea, very photogenic all that.Lok Phae BeachAnother 16 km later and this time, we arrived at the first point marked on the map, Lok Phae beach (หาดลกแพะ). A sign indicates that it is basically a protected area, which I did not particularly expect. Afterwards, if I say "basically", it is because apart from that, nothing really indicates that it is protected. If there is a parking lot with a small house serving as an "official" building, the parking lot is just a delimited space, all in dirt, just like the last few meters to access this area. There are no other facilities, not really anywhere to sit or eat, just enough to rinse your feet if you come back from the beach.And the beach itself is mainly used by local fishermen, so there must not be many tourists around, including Thais (although weekends and holidays must attract a few more people). When we got there, quite a few small boats were present, the fishermen being generally early risers. Only one lady was present on the empty beach, sitting in a corner on her phone. Curious, Jitima approached her when she approached her boat to bring back her small catch of the day.The "entrance" to Lok Phae beach, bordered by a canal filling with the tide.The little catch of the day.The lady on the phone (yes, obvious caption)Nameless beachThere was so little people that the next beach we passed quickly didn't even have a name. A family of fishermen had taken up residence there, since we could see a group of wooden shacks on stilts, well wedged against the small adjacent hill. In fact, one of them was busy on the edge of the beach sanding planks, probably renovating his boat. From there, we could see the electricity poles planted as they were in the sea to supply the main fishing village where we were going.Lokkam BayAnd to do this, we took the small dead-end road, not without stopping at Lokkam Bay, as this beach is indicated on Google Maps. There is also a point marked "secret beach", which I used as a reference point at the start, but it is not next to the access path, so it is confusing. At the time, when passing the point marked on the GPS, I felt frustrated at not being able to access it despite seeing it, due to the lack of a path. Worse, I noticed that it was bordered by barbed wire all along... Finally, it was just before the climb making its way between the small hills of this peninsula, that I saw at the last moment, a small dirt road, even more sandy, on the right (path that you see on the map with the point named "Lokkam Bay" at the end).If you don't have an SUV, I don't particularly recommend going there. No worries about us so I headed towards the beach, thinking we would be alone. I was surprised to see two pick-ups parked under the coconut trees, but there was no one in sight. On the other hand, a small longtail fisherman left there indicated that the spot is certainly used by local fishermen, hence the pick-ups. Too bad that even this kind of remote place is polluted by plastic bottle residue and other waste (even if I suspect, or dare to hope that here it comes mainly from the sea and not from the careless people who left them there).The fishing villageThe rest of the visit is 2 km further, arriving on the north coast of the peninsula. It is then past noon and we are starting to get hungry. We take a few photos of this spot hidden on the edge of the cliffs, welcomed by chickens pecking under the stilts of the houses, and the few eternal dogs that can hang around here and there. As a reminder in time, it is then September 2020, we have successfully passed the first wave of Covid and there is therefore a semblance of local tourism which is resuming."Seeming" in the sense that September is not usually the preferred month for Thais to travel around their country (it's more in winter, between November and January for many, otherwise during the Songkran period in mid-April). But I wasn't surprised to come across vans and therefore local tourists, while probably like us, there was a need for a change of air after several static months.The road leading to the fishing village.It's still photogenic, isn't it?Too bad we can't eat with this view behind us...On the other hand, the disappointment will come after having walked along the village, when we will not see any restaurant that stands out... A resident, who manages one of the homestays in the area (there are at least three), then confirms to us that only the customers of the homestays can eat there (and this, even in non-Covid periods), so it is not possible for us to eat on site... As a stopgap, we had some snacks in the small local shop, fortunately something always easy to find in Thailand.We stopped there for a few minutes, also to cool off, because even in September, the humid heat is very present in this basin by the sea. Leaving the village, I did not fail to stop at the top of the road going down towards the village, after having spotted on the way there a partial viewpoint of the sea from this spot.At this point, we arrived at the end of the village, and there was no restaurant for us...The viewpoint before the village (but seen afterwards, you have to follow).A beautiful tree seen as I was running to the car because I was parked in a haphazard manner... the road is not wide and the viewpoint has no parking because it is not an official point...Another beach of Dan SawiAt first, I had put in the title above "Dan Sawi main beach", because I don't know what else to call it, for lack of a name... However, I noticed that to the south of the peninsula visited there is a long beach of 2,5 km, listed as "Had Sai Ri Sawi". We didn't go there, but apart from the name, it is more similar to the main beach in the area, because there is apparently at least one café, one restaurant and one hotel there.However, when I indicate in the title of this paragraph "another beach of Dan Sawi", I am referring to a long beach of 2 km located to the north a little further west of the peninsula mentioned. And the latter is relatively more deserted if we ignore the fishing village (another one) located there at its eastern end.The beach directly on the roadside.The neighbor's dogs.It's time for swimming.The local fisherman.We can see the fishing village where we were in the distance.If we went there, it's because rather than going straight back to the main road, I decided to go along the sea by making a small extension to the north (see the map below to see the route, it will be clearer). This allowed me, and it was the primary goal, to have a view and therefore to take a photo of the village from which we had just returned. Spot which was a little far away so had to zoom in to see it but in the end, it allowed to take a small tour to better understand the landscapes of the surroundings.By the way, Jitima, true to herself, welcomed with caresses the dogs of the neighboring house, who were out (without their master) for a swim in the sea. While I was taking some photos of the deserted beach, a guy was fishing peacefully in his corner, the local tranquility at its peak, when suddenly two Thais, also passing through, got out of their car to sit in a small local sala (a sala is a kind of shelter). And straight away they took out the bottle of whisky, not without offering me a little lick… I politely declined, because I still had a long way to go, but I was already worried about their fate and those they would meet later… That's also Thailand…Map and visits to Dan SawiConclusion on Dan SawiIt is obvious that we are far from the tourist highway, and basically, there are many other places to see before in Chumphon, a province definitely full of surprises. But the interest is precisely to show that by doing small tours like this, we discover another side of Thailand, without necessarily needing a lot of time, nor to move far away from the main roads.Another spot where I stopped on the edge of the Sawi canal.Our first stop was just 2 km from the dual carriageway, and the entire loop was no more than 50 km, for a cumulative duration of visits and routes of 2h30. If you are the type to travel independently and rent a car, this is just an example illustrating the possibilities of visits when you are curious and want to really get off the beaten track (in the literal sense too, because not everything is necessarily tarmacked in these cases). Did you like the article? Vote on the article Note globale 4.9 / 5. Number of votes: 15 No votes yet. Be the first to rate this article! Did you like the article? Follow me on social media Off the beaten track Sea and beaches Nature and landscapes Village 0 1 Roman 26/04/2021
