Hat Khu Duea

Hat Khu Duea is a sandbar beach on the Mun River in Chaeramae subdistrict, about 12 km from Ubon Ratchathani city — a local hangout spot rather than a rock-formation site or a coastal beach. Ubon Ratchathani has no coastline; the “hat” here is the stretch of orange-toned river sand that appears along the bank once the Mun’s water level drops in the dry season.

Floating restaurants built on rafts line the shore, serving grilled fish and the dish most people come for: goong ten, or jumping shrimp, tossed live in a spicy dressing at the table. Shrimp wrapped in glass noodles is another local favourite. Locals treat the beach as an evening spot as much as a daytime one — families and groups of friends gather on the rafts for food while the sun goes down over the water. For anyone who wants to get onto the river itself rather than just look at it, pedal boats are available to rent for a slow loop along the bank.

Insider Tip: Go in the late afternoon rather than midday — the floating restaurants fill up as the heat breaks, and you get the beach at its most social, with the river breeze doing most of the cooling.

Watch out: This is a local hangout with no lifeguards and no marked swimming zone — current and depth near the rafts can vary, especially outside the driest months. Keep an eye on children near the water’s edge.

The beach is easy to reach by car or motorbike from Ubon city, with parking available near the restaurant rafts. It’s a straightforward add-on to a day in town rather than a destination in its own right — pair it with Hat Wat Tai, a similar Mun River sandbar closer to the city centre, if you want to compare a couple of local river-beach spots. For the sandstone rock formations that sometimes get confused with Hat Khu Duea, Kaeng Sam Phan Bok is the actual site — a genuinely different place, about two hours away near the Mekong.