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Things to do in Surat Thani?


Boristos Jaxon

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A boat trip on the Ratchaprapha dam is a must do... spectacular.

 

Have a look at these pictures.

 

Ratchaprapha Dam

Ratchaprapha Dam or Chieo Lan Dam, built in 1982, is a rock with fat-clay core dam that is 94 meters in height and 761 in length. The reservoir (lake) covers an area of 185 square kilometers and boasts an electricity generating capacity of approximately 554 million kilowatt / hour. The lake offers an incomparably breathtaking view of limestone mountains and over 200 small islands.

Accommodations near the dam are available from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, Tel. 02 436-3179 or 77 311-364, 311-522. For those wishing to see the lake closer, boat rental service is also available. Contact 077 311522, or 02 2407405 ext. 5008 for more details. The dam is located 70 kilometers west from Surat Thani on Highway No. 401. Travel along the Highway, turn right at the kilometer 52-53 marker and proceed for another 12 kilometers along an access road until you see the extensive lake beyond the Dam.

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Agree with Jai Dee. Ratchaprapha Dam is worth a visit, and just beyond is Khao Sok National Park, a beautiful area! (lot's of places to stay)

 

South of Suratthanni city, is Khanom,  the area has lovely beaches, is quiet, but some interesting caves etc to see.

 

The city of Suratthanni is not great for tourists, it's more of a "commercial hub".

 

Of course too, Samui Koh Phangan and Koh Toa are part of Surratthanni Province... and all worth a visit.

 

Timing of visit should be taken into consideration, with the weather.

 

 

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I live here and I like Surat Thani a lot as it is not touristy and over crowded, there are a lot of things to do  depending on what you like, the dam is great, there are several caves around the area, Krabi is just down the road and you can hire a long tail to go out to the caves where the japanese set up camp during the war plus there are cave drawings from ancient times. There are also great seafood restaurants in the province, some great markets and of course the first monkey school, this is a great couple of hours watching how they train the monkeys to pick coconuts. A lot will depend on what you like to see and do, it is the gateway to the southern islands, you have night boats(sleepers) to the islands as well as the daytime barges. It is not a tourist destination as such and is more industrial/commercial, if you are after night life it isnt really up there, day trips around the province can be great, Trang is only a couple of hours away and you can do boat trips to the Emerald cave and the other islands and of course Phuket  is only 3 hours away with several closer places to visit. 

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A boat trip on the Ratchaprapha dam is a must do... spectacular.
 
Have a look at these pictures.
 

Ratchaprapha Dam

 

Ratchaprapha Dam or Chieo Lan Dam, built in 1982, is a rock with fat-clay core dam that is 94 meters in height and 761 in length. The reservoir (lake) covers an area of 185 square kilometers and boasts an electricity generating capacity of approximately 554 million kilowatt / hour. The lake offers an incomparably breathtaking view of limestone mountains and over 200 small islands.

Accommodations near the dam are available from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, Tel. 02 436-3179 or 77 311-364, 311-522. For those wishing to see the lake closer, boat rental service is also available. Contact 077 311522, or 02 2407405 ext. 5008 for more details. The dam is located 70 kilometers west from Surat Thani on Highway No. 401. Travel along the Highway, turn right at the kilometer 52-53 marker and proceed for another 12 kilometers along an access road until you see the extensive lake beyond the Dam.


Ratchaprapha dam looks really nice and from the videos I've it looks like there aren't too many people around which is good

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I live here and I like Surat Thani a lot as it is not touristy and over crowded, there are a lot of things to do  depending on what you like, the dam is great, there are several caves around the area, Krabi is just down the road and you can hire a long tail to go out to the caves where the japanese set up camp during the war plus there are cave drawings from ancient times. There are also great seafood restaurants in the province, some great markets and of course the first monkey school, this is a great couple of hours watching how they train the monkeys to pick coconuts. A lot will depend on what you like to see and do, it is the gateway to the southern islands, you have night boats(sleepers) to the islands as well as the daytime barges. It is not a tourist destination as such and is more industrial/commercial, if you are after night life it isnt really up there, day trips around the province can be great, Trang is only a couple of hours away and you can do boat trips to the Emerald cave and the other islands and of course Phuket  is only 3 hours away with several closer places to visit. 

I don't really like touristy sreas and don't care about a night life. I might have to visit Krabi, I hear it's very nice

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The upmarket resorts at ratchapapa dam look beautiful but if you chose the budget options then you are better booking a government bungalow from the national parks website. .. We had a great time, swimming and chilling out, there were lots of canoes which were free for your stay and the food, although not amazing was cheap.

 

We spoke to others on the way back, their food was no better and expensive and they paid for canoes by the hour, still no electricity at night and similar accommodation.

 

I think you could make a 2 night stay on the dam, if you stay on the far reaches of the dam you could be sitting on the boat for a couple of hours just to get there. You can take a tour round before, the next day chilling and messing about yourself.

 

Then head back the next morning - after breakfast.

 

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I live in Surat Thani. One thing you can do is visit me and we can have lunch or dinner while we talk about the other things you can do, few of which are in Surat Thani City. Surat is a very large Province that includes many places already mentioned by others, though I can assure you that Krabi is not "down the road" nor is Khanom. The Dam is a great place to visit but is nowhere near Surat City.

 

Chris

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Surat town is by no means touristic at all. As from the dimensions it is a large city. It is quite flat and traversed by the tapi river and many canals, but it has a hill nearby (Khao Tha Phet Hill) from where you have a nice view over the city. The night market is worth a visit as it is still a market where the locals sell and you do not find stupid knick knacks for tourists there. Please go and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere at the pier. You can sit in the cool river breezes and watch the backpackers waiting for the three night boats to leave for the islands. Food and drinks are brought to your table from stalls in front of the sitting area.

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On 20/10/2016 at 2:33 PM, Jai Dee said:

A boat trip on the Ratchaprapha dam is a must do... spectacular.

 

Have a look at these pictures.

 

Ratchaprapha Dam

 

Ratchaprapha Dam or Chieo Lan Dam, built in 1982, is a rock with fat-clay core dam that is 94 meters in height and 761 in length. The reservoir (lake) covers an area of 185 square kilometers and boasts an electricity generating capacity of approximately 554 million kilowatt / hour. The lake offers an incomparably breathtaking view of limestone mountains and over 200 small islands.

Accommodations near the dam are available from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, Tel. 02 436-3179 or 77 311-364, 311-522. For those wishing to see the lake closer, boat rental service is also available. Contact 077 311522, or 02 2407405 ext. 5008 for more details. The dam is located 70 kilometers west from Surat Thani on Highway No. 401. Travel along the Highway, turn right at the kilometer 52-53 marker and proceed for another 12 kilometers along an access road until you see the extensive lake beyond the Dam.

Hindu- this shit has happened before.

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On 20.10.2016 at 4:47 PM, poohy said:

IMHO Leave!

Joking aside Kho Sok i wonderful, but Surat itself.... well!

its always the same, posters always confuse a province name with a city name. the op obviously was asking about the province. surattani province has nothing to do with surattani city. the province has fantastic national parks, the city has scams and maybe nightlife.

 

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8 hours ago, ChrisKC said:

I live in Surat Thani. One thing you can do is visit me and we can have lunch or dinner while we talk about the other things you can do, few of which are in Surat Thani City. Surat is a very large Province that includes many places already mentioned by others, though I can assure you that Krabi is not "down the road" nor is Khanom. The Dam is a great place to visit but is nowhere near Surat City.

 

Chris

 

Khanom is just down the road, an hour drive down the road :)

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On 10/23/2016 at 5:56 AM, Boristos Jaxon said:


I don't really like touristy sreas and don't care about a night life. I might have to visit Krabi, I hear it's very nice

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Krabi is a tourist trap... They even have charter planes going there.

If you really want a nice beach and 25-50 bungalows.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g2237637-d6017480-Reviews-Thung_Wua_Laen_Beach-Pathio_Chumphon_Province.html

 

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53 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

The expression "down the road" means probably just a few hundred meters away, not 70 kms

 

Different interpretations my friend...

In Australia for example, down the road could be 400km away :)

 

Anyway, Khanom is a lovely day out, if staying in Surat city...

As is Chaiya, Ratchaprapha Dam, some real nice caves and also hot springs...

Plenty to do in and around the city, if you have a car even better.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/26/2016 at 5:54 AM, PoorSucker said:

Krabi is a tourist trap... They even have charter planes going there.

If you really want a nice beach and 25-50 bungalows.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g2237637-d6017480-Reviews-Thung_Wua_Laen_Beach-Pathio_Chumphon_Province.html

 

Cabana or Thung Wua Laen beach in April will not be quiet!!! As sucker says it won't be overly touristy but it is a Thai destination.

 

Anything from the 6th [Chakri day] to 9 th thru 16-18th on that beach will be madness. As a Songkran focal point and with one road in and out on that long, beautiful beach it goes nuts...berserk! If you are up for locals enjoying themselves book ahead and be prepared. After these dates Thung Luen resumes its quiet self again. Peace some week or two latter. But expect mayhem around that area with Thais celebrating. Expat locals stay away from there then!!! Trust me, lived there for a number of years love that beach and it is a good destination as sucker says, just not for me in April!!

 

T

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