Chumphon travel guide
Catamarans to Ko Tao, pine-shaded beaches and a navy prince's shrine
Chumphon is a provincial town on the upper Gulf coast, the quickest departure point for Ko Tao and a base for quiet beaches like Hat Sai Ri and Thung Wua Laen. February to April is driest. One night is enough for the ferry; two or three let you enjoy the coast. Costs are low, and a 30-day exemption covers many passports.
Chumphon is a working market town on the narrow neck of southern Thailand, about 460 km down the coast from Bangkok, where the peninsula starts to taper towards Malaysia. Most travellers know it as a transfer point: catamarans leave from a pier south of town for Ko Tao, the quickest way to reach the island from the mainland.
Those who stop for a night or two find more than a ferry terminal. The coast on either side is lined with long, quiet beaches used mostly by Thai families, among them Hat Sai Ri with its pine shade and Thung Wua Laen, where kite surfers take over in windy months. Offshore, small islands such as Ko Khai sit within reach of a rented longtail.
The town itself is plain concrete, laid out around the railway station, where three old steam locomotives stand on display. Life centres on the markets: a morning market for curries and fruit, a day market on Tha Taphao Road and a night market a short walk from the station. Durian and bananas from the surrounding plantations end up on every stall, as does robusta coffee from the hills.
Local pride rests on a naval figure. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, the Prince of Chumphon, is honoured as the father of the modern Thai navy, and his shrine at Hat Sai Ri draws a steady stream of pilgrims from across the south. A decommissioned torpedo boat, the Royal Chumphon, sits on the shore beside it.
Rain is the catch. Chumphon faces the Gulf, so the north-east monsoon soaks it from October to December, when sea crossings can be rough. Come between February and April and the beaches, the islands and the boats are all at their best.
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Top things to do in Chumphon
Ferries to the Gulf islands, beaches with hardly any foreigners, a naval shrine and a provincial museum, plus durian and banana country inland.
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Best time to visit Chumphon
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
February is the driest month at about 52 mm, highs climb from 32C to 34C, and the sea to Ko Tao is usually calm.
Highs around 32C to 34C with 160 to 200 mm of rain a month, mostly in passing storms; still workable for the islands.
October to December bring 170 to 260 mm a month, with November the wettest; boats can be cancelled in high seas.
The Lang Suan long-boat races, held on the first waxing moon of the 11th lunar month (around October), fill the river south of Chumphon with 32-oar crews racing to grab a red flag.
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Getting there
Don Mueang flights, southern line trains, Lomprayah coaches
Chumphon Airport (CJM) is in Pathio district, 30 to 35 km north of town, with Nok Air and Thai AirAsia flights of about 55 minutes from Don Mueang. Lomprayah's terminal counter sells joint tickets with a coach to its catamaran at Thung Makham Noi pier, about an hour away. Trains on the southern line stop right in the centre, and Bangkok buses use the main terminal about 10 km out.
- Chumphon Airport
- About 30 to 35 km north; taxis and shared vans into town, Lomprayah coaches to the pier
- Chumphon railway station
- Centre of town, on the Bangkok to Hat Yai line
- Main bus terminal
- About 10 km out; buses from Bangkok and most cities
- Town bus terminal
- Buses to Ranong (about 2.5 hours) and on to Phuket
- Book sleeper berths from Bangkok well ahead around Thai holidays; they sell out.
- If you are going straight to Ko Tao, buy the Lomprayah joint ticket with your flight or train time in mind.
Where to stay
Saladaeng Road, Pathio or Hat Sai Ri
Choose a base by your next move. Ferry passengers do best near the station, where cheap guesthouses arrange transfers to the pier. Beach stays are spread along the coast north and south of town and need a car or motorbike, but they are calm and good value.
- Around the station and Saladaeng Road
- The main hotel strip and guesthouses that book boats; plain rooms, easy walking to the night market
- Ao Bo Mao and Pathio beaches
- Small resorts near the airport, boats to Ko Khai, very quiet after dark
- Thung Wua Laen
- Beach bungalows and seafood about 15 km north; the place for kite surfing and snorkelling
- Hat Sai Ri
- Seafood restaurants under the pines by the Prince of Chumphon shrine, about 20 km from town
- Some beach resorts offer airport pickups; ask when booking if you arrive by air.
Getting around
Station motorbike taxis, Sawi buses, songthaews to Sai Ri
The station area is compact: the night market is a couple of hundred metres away and Saladaeng Road starts at the first crossroads. Local buses to Sawi and Lang Suan leave from Tha Taphao Road between 06:00 and 18:00, and songthaews to Hat Sai Ri go from the city pillar shrine; ask before boarding, as routes are signed only in Thai. Guesthouses rent motorbikes for the coast.
- On foot
- Station, night market and Saladaeng Road hotels are within a few minutes' walk
- Songthaew to Hat Sai Ri
- Leaves from the square by the city pillar shrine
- Local bus
- Chumphon to Sawi and Lang Suan, from the market on Tha Taphao Road, 06:00 to 18:00
- Motorbike rental
- Several guesthouses rent bikes and scooters for the coast roads
- The National Museum is about 3.5 km from the centre; take a songthaew or taxi, as the walk is hot.
Know before you go
What makes Chumphon worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The early catamaran to Ko Tao, out of Thung Makham Noi with the islands rising ahead.
- Hat Sai Ri in the late afternoon, eating seafood under the pines with the torpedo boat on the shore.
- Thung Wua Laen beach, a long sweep of sand with kite surfing and snorkelling.
- The night market by the station, with durian stalls stacked high in season.
- Khao Chao Mueang viewpoint, above Hat Sai Ri, looking over the islands.
Good to know
- The National Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and opens 09:00 to 16:00 the rest of the week.
- Gulf crossings can be cancelled in the October to December monsoon; leave slack in your plans.
- The main bus terminal is 10 km out; check which terminal your bus uses before you set off.
- English is limited at local markets and on songthaews.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Chumphon, month by month
Chumphon's year splits into a dry spell from February to April and a monsoon that peaks in November at about 259 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Chumphon (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
Three days in Chumphon before the Koh Tao boat
Three days works as a Chumphon stopover. Spend the first evening at the night market by the station, the next morning at the National Museum of Chumphon and the afternoon at Hat Sai Ri, then ride north to Thung Wua Laen and Ao Bo Mao before the boat from Thung Makham Noi to Koh Tao.
Land at Chumphon Airport on one of the flights from Bangkok, or step off the train in the centre, and check into a guesthouse on Saladaeng Road. Walk past the steam locomotives outside the station to the night market for grilled fish, curries and fruit, and ask about tomorrow's boat while you are there.
Spend the first full morning at the National Museum of Chumphon at Khao Samkaew (open Wednesday to Sunday), which tells the province's story from prehistory to the present and is the best introduction to the area. After lunch, take the songthaew from the square by the city pillar shrine to Hat Sai Ri. Visit the Prince of Chumphon Shrine and the Royal Chumphon torpedo boat, climb to the Khao Chao Mueang viewpoint, and stay for a seafood dinner under the pines.
On the second day, rent a scooter and head north to Thung Wua Laen for a swim, snorkelling or a kite-surfing lesson when the wind is up, then continue to Ao Bo Mao, where you can hire a longtail to Ko Khai. On the third morning, take the Lomprayah coach to Thung Makham Noi and the catamaran to Koh Tao; it carries on to Koh Phangan and Koh Samui if you are heading further.
Lady's fingernail bananas, durian and southern curries
Chumphon is fruit country, best known for kluai lep mue nang, the small sweet lady's fingernail banana, plus durian, rambutan, mangosteen and local robusta coffee. Savoury food is southern Thai, with kaeng som and kaeng tai pla at the morning market, and seafood restaurants line Hat Sai Ri and Ao Bo Mao.
In durian season the day market on Tha Taphao Road serves chunks of durian in sweet soy milk, a local favourite, and dried kluai lep mue nang make a chewy snack for the boat.
Savoury food is southern Thai: sour, fiery and built on fresh fish. The morning market between Pracha Uthit Road and Poramin Manka Road has curry stalls where you point at pots of kaeng som, the turmeric-yellow sour curry, and kaeng tai pla, the pungent fermented fish curry, eaten with rice and a basket of raw vegetables to cool the heat.
For seafood, go to the coast. Hat Sai Ri has a row of restaurants under the pines facing the sea, and on Ao Bo Mao beach Krua Lung Pod serves Thai seafood in an open sala facing Ko Khai, with an English menu. Order whatever came in that morning, steamed with lime and chilli or stir-fried with curry powder.
Thung Wua Laen, Ao Bo Mao and Hat Sai Ri beaches near Chumphon
Thung Wua Laen, about 15 km north of Chumphon, is the area's main beach and kite-surfing centre. Ao Bo Mao near the airport is quieter and runs boat trips to Ko Khai, and Hat Sai Ri south of town has the Prince of Chumphon Shrine. Avoid the October to December monsoon.
The coast north of Chumphon is the best reason to linger. Thung Wua Laen, about 15 km from town, is a long curve of sand with small resorts and seafood restaurants behind it. It is the local centre for kite surfing, and snorkelling, diving and kayaking trips leave from here to the reefs and islands offshore.
Further north in Pathio district, close to the airport, Ao Bo Mao (Spring Tree Bay) is a long, quiet white-sand beach with views to the headlands of Cape Pathio and Laem Thaen. Boatmen here run trips to Ko Khai, the small island facing the bay. Around 5 km from the airport, Ao Thung Makham is a string of curved bays divided by limestone outcrops, and Coral Beach at Chumko is a palm-fringed crescent that rarely sees a crowd.
South of town, Hat Sai Ri pairs a beach with Chumphon's main pilgrimage site, the Prince of Chumphon Shrine, and the Khao Chao Mueang viewpoint about 2.4 km away looks across a scatter of islands.
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How we research our Chumphon travel guide
Lomprayah connections to Koh Tao and museum opening days are checked against the official Chumphon website. Entry rules follow the Royal Thai Embassy's 30-day visa exemption notice and the Thailand Digital Arrival Card portal.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of ChumphonRoyal Thai Embassy noticeThailand Digital Arrival Card
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Chumphon.
Getting there
Buy a Lomprayah joint ticket at the airport counter or online; a coach takes you about 60 km south to Thung Makham Noi pier, around an hour, to meet the catamaran.
Yes. Both fly from Don Mueang, in about 55 minutes. The airport is in Pathio district, roughly 30 to 35 km north of town.
Songthaews leave from the square by the city pillar shrine for the 20 km run to Hat Sai Ri, the beach with the Prince of Chumphon Shrine and seafood restaurants.
Timing & weather
Usually under two hours on Lomprayah's high-speed catamaran, which continues to Koh Phangan and Koh Samui.
Wednesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 16:00; it is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays. It sits at Khao Samkaew, about 3.5 km from the centre.
It can. October to December is the wet season, with November the wettest at about 259 mm, and sailings are cancelled when the sea is too high. February, at about 52 mm, is the driest month.
On the first waxing moon of the 11th lunar month, usually in October. Crews of 32 race to grab a red flag at the finish.
The best time to visit Chumphon is Feb to Apr. The driest stretch, with February averaging about 52 mm of rain and calm Gulf crossings.
- Best overall: February - April (February is the driest month at about 52 mm, highs climb from 32C to 34C, and the sea to Ko Tao is usually calm)
- Hot and showery: May - September (Highs around 32C to 34C with 160 to 200 mm of rain a month, mostly in passing storms; still workable for the islands)
- Monsoon: October - December (October to December bring 170 to 260 mm a month, with November the wettest; boats can be cancelled in high seas)
General
Most use the main terminal about 10 km out of town. The smaller town terminal handles buses to Ranong, Phuket and Hat Yai, so check your ticket.
Yes, it is the area's main spot for kite surfing, with snorkelling, diving and kayaking also on offer. It is about 15 km north of town.
For Ko Tao, yes: Chumphon has the most direct crossing. Surat Thani is the better gateway for Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.
The station area is compact: the night market is a couple of hundred metres away and Saladaeng Road starts at the first crossroads. Local buses to Sawi and Lang Suan leave from Tha Taphao Road between 06:00 and 18:00, and songthaews to Hat Sai Ri go from the city pillar shrine; ask before boarding, as routes are signed only in Thai. Guesthouses rent motorbikes for the coast.
Chumphon is best known for:
- The early catamaran to Ko Tao, out of Thung Makham Noi with the islands rising ahead
- Hat Sai Ri in the late afternoon, eating seafood under the pines with the torpedo boat on the shore
- Thung Wua Laen beach, a long sweep of sand with kite surfing and snorkelling
- The night market by the station, with durian stalls stacked high in season
- Khao Chao Mueang viewpoint, above Hat Sai Ri, looking over the islands
Visa & documents
From 15 September 2026, Thailand replaced its 60-day visa exemption with a 30-day exemption for tourism, covering about 60 countries; a one-time extension of up to 30 days may be possible at an immigration office. Some nationalities can get a visa on arrival, and others need an e-Visa before travel. All foreign visitors must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online before arrival.
Health & safety
Visitors to Thailand rarely run into serious trouble. Road accidents, especially on scooters, cause the most harm, followed by scams and strong sea currents in the monsoon. Ignore anyone who says the Grand Palace is closed, and swim only where no red flag flies.
