T.I.C.D.: Songkhla Lake region (Part II: Mueang Songkhla & Sathing Phra Isthmus)
The eastern stretch of the Lake region and the nearby Gulf coast, 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 900 islands and all 24 coastal provinces. An upgrade of $5 USD monthly gets you the T.I.C.D. and many other in-depth articles.
T.I.C.D. ticker: So far, we’ve covered 773 islands and 204 notable coastal areas in 43 sections, including this one. (To view all previously published sections, see the welcome page or the working Table of Contents.)
Resuming Songkhla province…
The provincial capital of Songkhla joins the lengthy Sathing Phra Isthmus in the NE corner of this 7,394 sq.-km province, well away from the armed conflict that affects some of Songkhla’s far S districts. It is important to note that this portion of the Songkhla Lake region is also a seacoast region, with miles of mostly empty beaches extending along the Gulf within easy reach of the lakes. This combination of lake and sea makes this part of Thailand special.
(Note: Hat Yai, though often considered part of the greater Songkhla Lake region, is to be covered later with the rest of Songkhla province’s C to S reaches.)
Coastal areas and islands below are listed from S to N.
Mueang Songkhla & Khuan Niang district coasts
This pair forms the S end of the Songkhla Lake region, with Khuan Niang enjoying the rural W shores of Talay Sap Ton Nok and Mueang Songkhla set between that brackish lake and some Gulf-coast beaches. Mueang Songkhla is the most popular destination in the Lake region (excluding Hat Yai), though Westerners remain rare in this historic and artsy city that mainly draws Thais and Malaysians. With a fabulous old town, it is both a highlight of, and a base for, the Songkhla Lake region.