T.I.C.D.: Chumphon coast & offshore islands (Part II: Mueang Chumphon, Sawi, Lang Suan & Ko Phitak)
The entire lower half of Chumphon province's coastline, condensed.
Welcome back to the Thai Island & Coastal Directory, a book-in-progress that promises to be the most complete guide to coastal Thailand ever written in English, covering over 1,000 islands and all 24 coastal provinces. An upgrade gets you the T.I.C.D. and many other in-depth articles from Thai Island Quest.
T.I.C.D. ticker: So far, we’ve covered 1,020 islands and 326 notable coastal areas in 57 sections of the Thai Island & Coastal Directory.
To view all previously published sections, see the welcome page or the working Table of Contents, or click T.I.C.D. from the homepage menu.
Resuming Chumphon province…
Joining previous sections covering the islands of Mu Ko Chumphon along with Mu Ko Wiang and Pathio, this section puts a ribbon on Chumphon province as well as the Mid Southern Gulf chapter. From here we have only one chapter left to go — the Northern Andaman — and it is a relatively short one!
Mueang Chumphon district coast
The heart of Chumphon’s coast comes in its capital district, comprising khlongs that flow through coconut farms before emptying near some of the most popular beaches in the province. The capital city itself, though lacking many sightseeing attractions, is pleasant for an overnight and I’ve paused there often to catch a train to Bangkok (or occasionally Prachuap Khiri Khan) or a ferry to Ko Tao along the N route into Mu Ko Samui via the piers at Pak Nam Chumphon and Ao Thung Kha Noi.
The beaches of Mueang Chumphon district are well known for roadside stalls and eateries selling fresh seafood, even if sea walls that were built to combat erosion in recent years have drastically altered the coastlines in places. Still, many local and domestic travelers follow a well-worn route from the fishing village at Pak Nam Chumphon to Matsee Viewpoint and on to Hat Sairi’s firecracker-blasting shrine to Prince Admiral Abhakara Kiartivongse (1880-1923), who was also the Prince of Chumphon and is considered the father of the Royal Thai Navy.
A little further S, the bay of Ao Thung Kha hosts the HQ and visitor center of Mu Ko Chumphon NP near the mouth of the Chorrakhae River. This is one of the primary boat launching points for Ko Mattra, Ko Lang Ka Jiao and other NP islands around the center of Mu Ko Chumphon, but it is also worth visiting for a stroll along the mangrove walkway and suspension footbridge near park HQ.
Chumphon suffered two notable attacks last century, one from a military and the other from the weather. On December 8th, 1941, soldiers of the Yuwachon Thahan (‘junior cadets’) gave invading Japanese forces stiff resistance at Tha Nang Sang Bridge near Chumphon town, with a cease fire called only after their Thai commander was killed. And on November 3rd, 1989, Typhoon Gay made a direct hit on Chumphon as the first typhoon to wallop the Thai Gulf coast in nearly a century, flattening coastal towns and claiming over 400 lives in Chumphon alone.
