Thailand What to do in Khao Lak: visits between beaches and waterfalls Khao Lak, Phang Nga, Southern Provinces, Travel to Thailand 4.6 (32)Khao Lak is the name given to a collection of beaches and villages stretching over 30km of coastline along the Andaman Sea. It is a popular holiday destination for those seeking a more rugged and quieter side to the popular island of Phuket, located an hour south of Khao Lak.Taking advantage of my visit to Ranong, which we visited just before, I wanted to take a trip to Khao Lak, further south, since we were then going to Nakhon Si Thammarat see the in-laws. I had been hearing about it for quite some time now, because it is a destination that seems to please quite a few of our compatriots. The aim of this article is to give an overview of what can be visited there. Summary hide 1- The beaches of Ban Thap Tawan and Bangsak 2- Pak Weep Beach 3- Sai Rung Waterfall and other waterfalls 4- Pakarang Cape 5- Khuk Khak Beach 6- Bang Niang village and market 7- Nang Thong Beach and Khao Lak Lighthouse 8- Tsunami memorials My impressions of Khao Lak Khao Lak Beach MapTo give you an idea of the places I'm going to talk about below, here is a map of the beaches that make up Khao Lacquer and its villages.Getting to Khao LakKhao Lacquer is not a city as such, but is very well served by the passage of the national road 4 (also called Phetkasem Road). You can therefore access it from any tourist destination in the region, starting with Phuket, where the closest airport to Khao Lak is located.However, these are simple bus stops and not bus terminals, as the latter are just passing through, usually with Takua Pa, Ranong or even Surat Thani as their destination.From Phuket Airport, you will have to travel 75 km to reach the main hotel area. Expect between 1h30 and 3h journey depending on the means of transport, because you will then have several choices:Take a taxi for direct access (count at least 1 Baht), this is obviously the least hassle option. If you are in a group, this can be an economical way, as there are minibuses for 9 people.Minivan shared, these only leave when they are full, so you may have to wait and not be in a hurry, but it remains an economical solution if you are traveling alone or as a couple. Count 300 Baht per person, but this information needs to be verified...En bus. To do this, you have to go to the main road, 5 km from the airport, and hail him when he passes. This is the cheapest option, but you need to know the probable schedule of the bus passing through the area and which one….Map of Phang Nga province and the location of Khao Lak.It is also possible to continue your stay in many places since there are minibus + ferry packages for Koh Samui and the Gulf of Thailand, as well as vans for Krabi, Koh Lanta, the islands further south, off the coast of Trang and even as far as Penang (rates vary between 350 and 1500 Baht per person roughly depending on the distance).On site, however, it is not given, because if you have songthaews (local taxis), count 100 Bahts to move from your hotel to the main street and around 200/300 Bahts to go to the neighboring beach.Book your trip to Khao LakPowered by 12Go Asia system1- The beaches of Ban Thap Tawan and BangsakFirst beach where I stopped, Ban Thap Tawan. The latter allowed me to have a good overview of the coasts, bordered by mountains et coconut trees for miles. The stretch of beach I was going to is located next to a small wooded area, where we came across a Thai family set up for a picnic.It is true that the setting lends itself well to this. After the bottom in this corner is rocky so not particularly suitable for swimming, especially since it is not deep. The place adjoined the big beach of Bangsak, which stretches over almost 6 km and of which I also had a good overview from this spot.There are a few resorts in this area like the Bangsak Merlin Resort, Sentido Graceland Khao Lak Resort & Spa or Haadson Resort, and places to eat, especially at the Happy Beach bar & restaurant.part of the pine trees bordering Thap Tawan beach.Bangsak Beach.2- Pak Weep BeachNext step, the end of Beach of Pak weep, located south of the beach of Bangsak. The separation between the two beaches is made by a strip of sand interspersed with rocks. Despite access via a sandy path, it is an area that seems more developed.in front of the main hotel on the corner, the Mai Khao Lak Beach Resort & Spa, we find the usual massage parlors and small restaurants, but in a clearly relaxed atmosphere and without concrete. Too bad the weather is not on our side, it spoils the visual experience a little.3- Sai Rung Waterfall and other waterfallsAs the area is surrounded by mountains (we are only 50 km from Khao Sok National Park), we can see several waterfalls along Khao Lak, without having to stray far from the beaches. The small waterfall of Sai Rung for example is only four kilometers from the beach of Pak Weep where we came from.Access is free (rare enough to be noted) because it is not part of a national park. However, parking is chargeable (20 Bahts). Its particularity is to be on private land, in an area dedicated to tree cultivation, mainly rubber trees. (whose harvested sap is used for rubber).Access is easy, just follow the marked path (be careful if it's wet, it can be slippery) over 100m. The waterfall itself is not the most impressive but the setting in the middle of the forest is not bad and there is the possibility of cooling off in a pool at the foot of it. Which is exactly what a small group of tourists were doing when we passed by.A rubber plantation before arriving at the waterfall.The parking lot and its restaurant.The small waterfall of Sai Rung.If I only visited one, due to lack of time, there are no less than ten waterfalls in the region, particularly in the national park of Khao Lak-Lam Ru. This national park stretches from the shore and extends up to 50 km inland to the east. On the beach side, you can access pretty coves, not necessarily crowded, because access to the national park is chargeable, beaches included (200 Baht per person).On the mountain side, in addition to the nature composed partly of primary forest, you can do raft and bamboo rides. For the falls, I can cite Ton waterfall Chongfa, H The D Waterfall or the one giving its name to the park (or the other way around, I don't know), Lam Ru Waterfall.Further south of Khao Lak you also have the Khao Lampi National Park and its waterfall of the same name or the picturesque one of Your Phrai.Cove in Khao Lak-Lamru National Park.4- Pakarang CapeAfter the waterfall, my next stop marked on my GPS indicated “White Sand Beach”, which I wanted to check if it deserved its name 😉White sand Beach was also the opportunity for us Stop have a bite to eat. I was looking since our previous stop, for a hotel with beachside restaurant, just to enjoy the place. Knowing in passing that during this visit, we were there in low season, at the beginning of November, when the rainy season is not yet over. So some restaurants are not yet open and the same for the smaller ones. resorts.Finally, our meal will be done at Ao thong Beach Bungalows & Restaurant. Because for the anecdote, the White sand Beach is not the name of the beach but actually the name of a resort... spotted on Google Maps. He does have a restaurant, but it was closed, so we went to the neighbor's who was operating that day, despite a little rain when we arrived, which fortunately didn't last.The beach at the White Sand Beach Resort.The Ao Thong restaurant where we stopped for lunch this afternoon.Given the many sandbags supporting the terrace raised above the beach, we can clearly see that Khao Lak is badly affected by erosion with the waves of the rainy season. So far, we can't say that it's the prettiest I've seen.Once my belly was full, I wanted to take a look at another part of this same beach, nicknamed Coconut Beach, the coconut beach. It is true that many places along the coast are rather lined with pine trees, but this small strip of beach, adjoining Pakarang Cape (which also includes the restaurant beach), is dotted with coconut trees.There are several small restaurants including the Boatyard, next to which I parked. Here too, access is via a sandy path and we really feel like we are in the middle of nature. No big deal resort (Even if there is one nearby since we were passing by du Kantary Beach Villas & Suite), no concrete galore, it's really a nice little beach.Access to Coconut Beach.5- Khuk Khak BeachKhuk Khak Beach is a wide, sloping beach lined with pine trees that starts after Pakarang Cape to the south. On the part I went to, just before the main village of Bang Niang, apart from 2 large hotel complexes (the Haven Khao Lak Resort and Khao Lak Orchid Beach Resort), it was rather quiet.Along the small road bordering the beach, we could see some small restaurants and massage parlors allowing me to take a sunbathing break. I wasn't lingering there too long so I won't go on any longer, the sky was becoming threatening, I wanted to continue in order to continue my reconnaissance.Arriving at Khuk Khak beach.The small road with restaurants and massage parlors bordering the beach.6- Bang Niang village and marketBang Village Niang has become the challenger of the main village of Khao Lacquer, Namely The On, and its beach of Nan Thong, just south of Bang Niang. The emergence of its market may have something to do with it. Bang Market Niang mix of fresh products (vegetables, fish, shellfish, fruits) but also souvenirs, clothes, small cafes, restaurants.Le any in a fairly relaxed atmosphere. Only criticism of the place (which makes me notice Jitima), is that they cut down all the trees in the area to build the market rather than keeping a covered and green side. But overall, if we saw mostly tourists there, a few locals were also doing their shopping and the welcome seemed genuinely friendly.Unfortunately I won't have time to see more and won't go take a look at the beach of Nan Niang, because the rain finally decided to fall, while we were just finishing our tour of the market.The entrance to Bang Niang Market and the songthaews parked in front.7- Nang Thong Beach and Khao Lak LighthouseAs a last stop and despite the rain, I headed towards the beach from where you can see the small lighthouse of Khao Lacquer. The latter was only a pretext to choose a last bit of beach in order to have seen more or less the different areas making up Khao Lacquer from North to South.I had decided to take a look despite the rain, because Nang Thong is considered the main beach of Khao Lak, but the bad weather forced me to cut this stop short. I then laboriously took some photos under my umbrella while Jitima was waiting kindly in the car. On the positive side, it kept us around for less time, because we still didn't have a lot of road (I was going à Nakhon Si Thammarat see his family that day).I remember that it is a rocky area, that Nang Thong concentrates a lot of big hotels and that it is next to the Khao Lak – Lamru national park (less than 5 km further south). At only 13 km, away from the main N4 road and next to a naval base, you have Thap Lamu village whose quay, spelled Tab Lamu Pier is a starting point for excursions to the Similan Islands, located more than 60 km offshore.Arriving at Nang Thong beach.The small lighthouse of Khao Lak.8- Tsunami memorialsIt was in fact in 2004 that I heard about Khao Lak. Already having a certain popularity since the beginning of the 2000s, this coast was the most affected with Phuket by the famous deadly tsunami of December 2004.Among those affected that day, the royal family itself lost a prince, boom Jensen, son of the eldest daughter of the late King Rama IX, then on vacation in Khao Lacquer. From then on, there are several memorials. One is to the north, the Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Center, located next to a fishing village, Ban Muang.Another, better known, the International Tsunami Museum (entrance fee 300 Bahts though) exhibits a small shuttle of the Thai Navy came to run aground there more than a kilometer from the coast, recalling the power of the phenomenon.Finally, there is another memorial further south, soberly titled Tsunami Museum, which also exhibits the carcass of a reconnaissance boat. Originally, when I was planning this trip, I thought I would at least go see one to take some photos, but as it was not my priority and due to lack of time, I abstained, especially since the weather was gloomy.My impressions of Khao LakKhao Lacquer is a more family-friendly destination and less crowded than Phuket. As I mentioned in the introduction, its coasts, despite running alongside a national road, have remained pleasantly wooded and wild. (Phang Nga is by the way one of the provinces of Thailand with the best preserved nature).However, the development of villages forming Khao Lacquer allows a reasonable tourism, to be able to enjoy a beach without playing Robinson Crusoe and going through the obstacle course to reach your destination, as can be the case with secondary islands such as Ko Phra Thong, where we came from. Khao Lak has the right balance of amenities and transportation to provide a hassle-free holiday experience.I must confess that I was pleasantly surprised. Having heard a lot about Khao Lak, I was expecting something more developed, a sort of small seaside town. What misled me was that while there is indeed a small beach called Khao Lak (the latter being just after Lamru National Park, at the hotel Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa) but this name ultimately refers to the entire coast between this “original” beach of Khao Lak and the village of Ban Nam Khem, 32 km further north.It is therefore large enough to accommodate many families without disfiguring the coastline. On a not a succession of large hotels blocking access to the beaches and leaving no room for nature. And in the end, to sum up, I completely understand why it is successful. Khao Lacquer as an alternative to Phuket in the region.Did you like the article? share on Pinterest! Did you like the article? Vote on the article Note globale 4.6 / 5. Number of votes: 32 No votes yet. Be the first to rate this article! Did you like the article? Follow me on social media Cascade Sea and beaches Nature and landscapes Suggestions for visits 2 1 Roman 21/07/2019
