Laem Pho

Laem Pho is the sandy cape where the Phum Riang canal reaches the Gulf of Thailand, about 2km from Phum Riang village in Chaiya district, Surat Thani. It’s free to visit, with no fixed hours.

The point matters more historically than it looks. Brick ruins roughly 2km along the spit mark a trading port that operated from around the 7th to the 18th century, a stop on the maritime route linking China, India and the Middle East. There’s no museum or reconstruction on site. What you see is a sand spit backed by open scrub forest, with the ruins as low brickwork rather than standing buildings.

Local visitors come for hoi khao, a small white clam found only along this stretch of coast, and for the landscaped public rest area near the shore. Laem Pho is also the jumping-off point for boat trips to Koh Set, where low tide exposes sandbanks for clam-collecting.

Watch out: The Koh Set trip only works around low tide. Check tide times before you hire a boat, or you’ll arrive to find the sandbank underwater.

The village behind the cape is a separate stop. Ban Phum Riang is where the silver-and-gold Phum Riang silk is woven and where the community runs its crab bank and fish-house boat trips.

Pair it with Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya and the Chaiya National Museum in Chaiya town for a half-day out.