Ao Bang Tabun

Ao Bang Tabun is where the Bang Tabun River splits from the Phetchaburi River and empties into the Gulf of Thailand — a wide mangrove-lined estuary in Ban Laem district, not a sand beach. Despite the name (ao means bay), don’t come expecting somewhere to swim: the shoreline is mudflat and mangrove, and the point of a visit is the boat trip through the shellfish farms and fishing village, not sunbathing. Entry is free.

Local families here still make their living the way Bang Tabun has for generations, running cockle, mussel, and oyster farms staked out across the shallow bay. Small wooden huts on stilts, called krateng, dot the water — fishermen use them to sleep out overnight watching over the shellfish beds. Mangrove-wood charcoal kilns still operate along the banks. Boat trips from the village take visitors past all of it: working farms, longtail boats coming in with the day’s catch, and dense mangrove forest that shelters herons, kingfishers, and other coastal birds.

Insider Tip: The wider Gulf around Bang Tabun is one of the areas where Bryde’s whales are occasionally seen feeding, mostly between September and November — but sightings aren’t guaranteed from the bay itself, and reliably spotting one usually means booking a dedicated whale-watching boat further offshore rather than expecting one from the shore.

The Chaloem Phrakiat Bridge at the mouth of the bay is the easiest stop if you’re short on time: park at the small lot beside it and walk back along the bridge for a view over the estuary, the mangroves, and the krateng huts scattered across the water — a popular sunset spot with locals.

Watch out: There’s no beach infrastructure here — no lifeguards, no rental shops, no food vendors lining a promenade. Facilities are limited to what the fishing village itself offers, so bring water and sun protection, and don’t plan on swimming.

Reaching Ao Bang Tabun means driving through Ban Laem district; there’s no useful public transport, so a rental car or motorbike is the practical option. Boat trips through the mangroves can usually be arranged with local boatmen in the village — ask around rather than expecting a formal ticket booth.

It’s part of the same stretch of coast as the Laem Phak Bia Royal Project and the Royal Sea Farming and Aquaculture Demonstration Project, both worth combining into a Ban Laem coastal day trip from Phetchaburi.