Pranburi, Upper Gulf

Secret Bays

Secret Beach

Bang Pu

PLACE
Coming from the north, the beaches at Pranburi are the first places that give us the ‘TreasureBeaches feeling’: nice relaxed beaches with stays we love. Here, you will find a good mix of mid-range and upper range stays. Yet on the main beaches are often roads between the beaches and hotels, or the road is too close to the hotel.

WHAT TO DO
One of the most popular attractions of Pranburi is dolphin watching. The dolphins are known to inhabit the waters in the area. You can book boat tours to spot these acrobatic animals in their natural habitat. The Kuiburi National Park is a great day out and is known as the best place in Thailand to spot wild elephants.

Between Pranburi and Kuiburi lies the Sam Roi Yot National Park. Here is Thailand’s largest freshwater swamps, mangroves and of course a great diversity of animals. Go for a walk on Laem Sala’s natural beach and take a boat trip in the fishing village of Ban Bang Pu. You can visit the limestone rocks, coastal wetlands or one of the shrimp or fruit farms. Well known is the Phraya Nakhon Cave, a cave famous for the light shaft that protrudes through the ceiling. The area is known for bird watching.

A nice excursion if you fancy more people is the seaside resort of Hua Hin. The city is great for shopping. In addition to the well-known Thai markets with standard products, you will find the Market Village: a Western mega-mall with well-known brands. You have to dine at the night market in the middle of the city center!

Besides shopping, you can visit the Mrigadaya Palace and the Khao Takiap temple complex. The palace was built by order of King Vajiravudh to serve as a vacation home and construction took place in the period 1923–1924. The king himself designed the villa with the help of an architect, which consists of sixteen teak buildings connected by a series of walkways.

TRANSPORT
Pranburi is located 30 kilometer south of Hua Hin. From Bangkok it is a 3 to 3.5-hour drive by car or taxi (2500 – 3000 baht). There are good train, bus and minibus connections between Bangkok and Pranburi.

Traveling from the south, you will find good bus and minibus connections from Chumpon and Prachuap Khiri Khan to Pranburi. For the last leg you can take a taxi from Pranburi to one of the beaches (300-400 baht). If you want to rent a scooter, the easiest way is in Sam Roi Yot Beach.