Ao Manao-Khao Tanyong National Park

Ao Manao-Khao Tanyong covers around 23,278 rai of coastline and hill on the Gulf of Thailand in Narathiwat, centred on a 4-km curved bay next to the grounds of Thaksin Ratchaniwet Palace. It’s free to enter, open daily roughly 08:30-16:30, and — unusually for a “national park” — isn’t yet officially gazetted as one; the site is still administered as a preparatory area pending formal park status, which is also why there’s no admission fee.

The bay alternates sand with rock outcrops rather than running as one unbroken beach, backed by a plain that rises to Khao Tanyong, a 293-metre hill with a viewpoint on its rocky lower slopes looking out over the water. An arboretum and stands of shore pine give shade along the beach, and a 1-km nature trail runs through beach forest suited to dry, salt-blown ground — fish poison tree, Atalantia monophylla and seashore screwpine (a relative of pineapple) are the plants most visitors will notice along the path.

Safety Tip: Narathiwat is one of Thailand’s Deep South border provinces, and the UK Foreign Office, US State Department and other governments currently advise against all but essential travel there because of a long-running separatist insurgency. Reported incidents are concentrated on security forces rather than tourists, and Ao Manao and central Narathiwat town see regular domestic Thai visitors, but this isn’t a routine beach stop the way an Andaman or Samui beach is — check your government’s current travel advisory before planning a visit, stick to daylight hours, and avoid isolated stretches of the park after dark.

For a beach with a livelier public-facing atmosphere in the same town, Hat Narathat is Narathiwat’s main city beach and a more typical stop for anyone in the area primarily for the town itself rather than the park.

Getting There

Ao Manao-Khao Tanyong National Park is located at village number 12. View on Google Maps.

Tips for Visitors

• Shade can be limited — consider bringing your own umbrella.

• Keep valuables locked in your accommodation, not on the beach.

• Rip currents can occur — swim parallel to shore if caught.

• Bring reef-safe sunscreen to protect the marine environment.