Hat Sai Ri

Hat Sai Ri is a roughly 2km stretch of sand on the Gulf of Thailand coast in Mueang Chumphon district, about 15 minutes from Chumphon town by road. It’s free to visit and known locally less for the beach itself than for what sits at its northern end: the Prince Chumphon Shrine and the preserved hull of a Royal Thai Navy torpedo boat.

Casuarina trees line much of the shore, giving shade to the local families and school groups who picnic here on weekends. The water is calm and shallow enough for wading rather than serious surf, and small fishing boats work the bay in the early mornings. At the shrine end of the beach, the Krom Luang Chumphon Khet Udomsak Shrine marks the spot where Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse — honoured as the father of the Royal Thai Navy — died in 1923; its base is built in the shape of a naval ship. Beside it sits HTMS Chumphon, a 68-metre Italian-built torpedo boat decommissioned in 1975 and installed here as a memorial since 1980.

Insider Tip: Combine the beach with the shrine grounds — locals visit for both the sand and to pay respects, and the shrine’s naval exhibits and life-size statue of the prince are worth the short walk even if you’re not swimming.

This is a working local beach rather than a resort strip. Seafood restaurants along the beach road serve grilled fish and som tam rather than international menus, and most visitors on any given day are Thai families from Chumphon and neighbouring provinces. Weekdays are quiet; the shrine draws a steadier trickle of visitors year-round, including navy personnel and boat crews paying respects before heading to sea.

Watch out: Don’t confuse this with Sai Ri Sawi Beach, a separate reddish-sand beach further south in Chumphon’s Sawi district — or with Sairee Beach on Koh Tao, an island beach with the same Thai name but a completely different character.

Visit the shrine mid-morning before the heat builds, and bring modest clothing if you plan to pay respects there — it’s an active place of worship, not just a viewpoint. The beach and shrine are best reached by motorbike or taxi from Chumphon town; there’s no dedicated public transport route.