Mu Ko Chumphon

Mu Ko Chumphon National Park protects around forty islands and islets scattered across the Gulf of Thailand off Chumphon, though only a handful see regular day-trip traffic — Ko Ngam Yai, Ko Ngam Noi, Ko Mattra, and Ko Thalu among them. Entry runs 200 THB for foreign adults (100 THB for children) and 40 THB for Thai adults (20 THB for children), payable at the park checkpoint or through your boat operator. The park office sits at the mouth of the Chorakhe Canal in Pong Pang village, Hat Sai Ri subdistrict.

Mu Ko Ngam is the most-visited pair, with white sand beaches and shallow reef close enough to shore for beginner snorkelling. Ko Mattra has the area’s best-regarded snorkelling — a shallow reef with large coral heads, giant clams, and clownfish close to a rocky, sandy beach. Ko Thalu adds more coral variety a little further offshore. Divers hoping for whale sharks head instead to the waters around Ko Ngam Noi and Ko Ngam Yai, where sightings turn up occasionally, most often around April — not something to count on for any single trip, but a real possibility in season.

Boat traffic out here is lighter than at Thailand’s better-known island parks further south, and on a weekday you can have a stretch of beach mostly to yourself. Insider Tip: Ask your boat operator for a route that stops at both Ko Mattra and one of the Ko Ngam islands — the snorkelling character is different enough between them (Mattra’s coral heads versus Ngam’s shallow sand-bottom reef) to be worth the extra hour.

Watch out: Sea conditions turn choppy in the rainy season, and some boat operators cancel outer-island runs outright when the swell picks up — call ahead rather than showing up at Pak Nam pier unannounced.

Visit November to April for the calmest seas and clearest water. Boats leave from Pak Nam pier near Chumphon town, with crossings from about 45 minutes to two hours depending on the island. Day trips are the norm; a small number of basic bungalows operate on Ko Ngam Yai for anyone wanting to stay over. Pack reef-safe sunscreen, snorkelling gear if you have your own, and drinking water — island facilities are minimal.