Ao Krathing

Ao Krathing is a quiet cove on Chanthaburi’s Gulf coast, tucked inside Khao Laem Sing Forest Park in Laem Sing district. The bay runs about a kilometre along the shore, with roughly 300 metres of sand backed by trees and framed by low, forested headlands. Entry is free — you sign in at the park gate on the way — and the beach stays open daily from around 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The water here is calm and clear enough to see the sandy bottom a fair way out, good for a swim or a shallow snorkel near the rocks at either end of the bay rather than serious reef diving. Because Ao Krathing sits inside forest park land rather than a resort strip, there’s no beachfront development — no sunbed rows, no jet-ski touts, just sand, trees, and the sound of the water. Phone signal drops in and out once you’re inside the park boundary, which is part of the appeal if you’re after a genuine break from notifications.

Weekdays you may have long stretches of the beach to yourself; Chanthaburi’s coast doesn’t see the weekend crowds that pile onto Chao Lao Beach a short drive north, which has hotels, restaurants, and a proper promenade if you want more infrastructure. Ao Krathing is the trade-off in the other direction — you carry in what you need and carry your rubbish back out.

Watch out: There’s no shop or restaurant at the cove. Bring water, food, and sunscreen — the nearest 7-Eleven or restaurant is back on the main road, not walkable from the beach.

Insider Tip: The dry season, November to April, gives the calmest seas and clearest water for swimming. Visit on a weekday if you want the bay to yourself; the forest park’s other trails and the Khao Laem Sing Forest Park headland — with its 19th-century fort — make an easy add-on if you have a car or motorbike, since public transport into this stretch of Laem Sing is minimal.

There’s no bus route to the cove itself. Renting a car or motorbike in Chanthaburi town is the practical way in — follow the coast road toward Laem Sing and watch for the forest park turn-off, since the entrance is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.