T.I.C.D.: Phetchaburi coast
The coastal shores of Phetchaburi province, 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 more than 800 islands and all 24 coastal provinces.
For info on how to use the T.I.C.D. and a working Table of Contents, paddle here. Thank you for reading!
T.I.C.D. ticker: So far, we’ve covered 355 islands and 116 notable mainland areas in 27 sections, including this one.
Entering Phetchaburi province…
Phetchaburi provincial coast & inland reaches
The ‘Diamond’ province’s coastline extends for roughly 100 km between Samut Songkhram in the N and Prachuap Khiri Khan to the S. Flying under the radar for most foreigners, ‘Phetch’ draws its share of Thai travelers and I see it as an underrated province overall.
The Phetch coast starts with rivers, salt farms and fishing villages on the northern shore, which is closely related to both Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi in terms of the local culture and economy. At the opposite end of the province, the beach and fishing town of Cha-am stands as Phetchaburi’s most popular tourism destination, though it is not as large as Hua Hin, 25 km further S in Prachuap.
Unless you count tidal mangrove clusters set just offshore, Petch has only one island to share — and it lies amid an estuary rather than the sea. Much of the northern third of the provincial coast is shrouded in mangroves and wetlands, attracting migratory birds to places like Laem Phak Bia. The mangroves found there and at Sirindhorn Park near Cha-am have official protection, as do the karst mountains of Khao Nang Panthurat, which resemble a sleeping princess NW of Cha-am.
This beautiful 6,225-sq. km province also hosts the lion’s share of Kaeng Krachan, the largest NP in Thailand with 2,915 sq. km of mostly remote wilderness cloaking the borderlands near Myanmar. The park, minted as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in 2021 despite alleged human rights abuses against the native Karen people, is one of Thailand’s top spots for bird and wildlife watching.
Speaking of rare wildlife, Phetchaburi joins Samut Sakhon as one of the primary departure points for Bryde’s whale watching trips from September through December, when these 11-meter-long whales stuff their gaping cheeks full of yummy mackerel, sardine and other fish. Visitors can go whale watching with specialist travel companies, or more casually in a local’s boat.
Visible in its many elaborate temples and palaces, Phetch also has a rich history starting with a period of Khmer rule as far back as the 10th century.
