T.I.C.D.: Pattani coast & islands
A historical province's scenic shorelines, condensed.
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Entering Pattani province…
Pattani provincial coast, islands & inland reaches
With some fine beaches and an artistic maritime culture, the roughly 130-km coast of Pattani draws few travelers due to the insurgency that exists in this province and in neighboring Yala and Narathiwat, as well as bits of Songkhla.
Pattani’s travel potential is obvious, but, as explained in the Intro to the Deep Southern Gulf, the decision of whether to visit Thailand’s 3 far southern provinces is a personal one. Risks should be assessed and precautions taken. Mostly serving travelers from the immediate region, including from nearby Malaysia, the local tourism industry seems largely based on bus tours to sites like the 16th-century Krue Se Mosque, perhaps with a beach and seafood stop thrown in.
Still, independent travelers do visit Pattani without issue, including on solo motorbike trips and to find local food by the sea. We were comfortable traveling down the Pattani coast in late 2023, even if the many road checkpoints and wats rimmed by razor-wire fences stood out as reminders of the conflict.
The modern province is only 1,940 sq. km, but for centuries Pattani was a much larger sultanate that at times reached to the Andaman coast and passed back and forth between periods of independence and tributary status under Ayutthaya and Nakhon Si Thammarat. Though Siam / Thailand has been in control since the late 18th century, an ethnic Malay majority has preserved its Muslim customs, as well as the Pattani-Malay language. Attempts by Thai authorities to assimilate the populace have often backfired, sparking determined and prolonged resistance.