Bueng Thale Ban (Thale Ban Swamp )

It is believed that the name Thale Ban is derived from "Lerd Reban" in Malay, meaning the "subsided lake". According to local legend, from about 300 years ago, the present Thale Ban was the site juxtaposed between two mountains namely Khao Jeen and Khao Moddaeng. It was a fertile farming area for villagers who engaged in cash crops and fruit orchards. Later a strong, continuous quake had hit the area for months and the site caved in and became a large pool of water, which later became Thale Ban Swamp.

How to get to Thale Ban Swamp
Thale Ban National Park is located in Village No.11, Tambon Khuan Satore, Amphoe Khuan Don, approximately 30 kilometers from the town of Satun. It can be reached by following Highway No . 406 ( Satun - Hatyai ) from Amphoe Muang until reaching Kilometer 19, take a right turn onto Highway No. 4184 (Khuan Satore-Wang Prachan) for approximately 20 kilometers. From Haad Yai, visitors can take a public bus (Hat Yai-Satun) or a taxi, which will take about 80 kilometers. Get off at Khuan Satore T - intersection and board a minibus to the Park.

Facilities
Thirteen cottages can accommodate 170 visitors to the park. The rates for the accommodation range from 500 - 1,000 Baht/cottage/night. There is a camping site ( campers must bring their own camping gear ), and facilities include lamps for camping, a multi-purpose pavilion, and visitors' service center.

For more information, please contact:-
1. National Park Division , Forestry Department, Tel:(02) 5797223 and 5797734 or 5614922 ext 724-5
2. Thale Ban National Park Office, Amphoe K

Koh Tarutao
Tarutao consists of many large and small coves and bays around the island, each of which runs a small stream flowing from the central part of the island into the sea on the western side.

Ao Phante Malacca (Phante Malacca Bay)
is where the headquarters of the Tarutao National Park is located. At the front of the bay runs a canal from the eastern side to the west.
 

Ao Talo Wao and Talo Udang (Talo Wao and Talo Udang Bays)
are the two bays which share similar natural and scenic characteristics. In addition to natural attractions and scenic beauty on the island, visitors to Tarutao are also attracted by historical remains as the island was once used as a maximum security center for first degree criminals and political prisoners, a place reminiscent of pains and bitterness suffered by the detainees. Traces of the building structures such as a 10-kilometer road linking between two detention centers (one at Ao Talo Wao and the other at Ao Talo Udang) can still be seen. There are also ruins of housing for prison staff, a concrete tank for storing fish, tombs, brick furnaces for producing charcoal, and other utensils. Ao Talo Udang is unique in that it is located on the lowest point of the island, with a long history, and the existence of a cave with much sought-after edible swallow's nests.
 

Ao Son (Son Bay)
has the most beautiful long pure sand beach in Tarutao Island. The three kilometer long beach is ideal for swimming because there is a fresh water source nearby for swimmers to clean themselves after swimming. In addition to tourist attractions on Tarutao Island, there are also plenty of places to visit on the Tarutao archipelago.
 

Transportation to Tarutao National Park
There are boat services running between Pak Bara Pier and Tarutao Island twice a day during tourist season (end of November to early May). To get to Pak Bara pier, visitors can travel from Hatyai in Songkhla Province which is the main hub of southern provinces, by the following ways; 
 

  » By Car: 
Follow Highway No.406 to Satun and turn to Highway No.4078 at Chalong T-intersection to Amphoe La-ngu and proceed further to Pak Bara.
  » By Bus: 
Take a Hatyai-Satun bus from Hatyai. Get off at Chalong T-intersection and take a Satun-La ngu bus or take a minibus from Chalong T-intersection straight to Pak Bara Pier.
  » By Taxi:  
There is a taxi service from Hatyai to La-ngu to Pak Bara. Taxi stand in Hatyai is opposite the post office on Rattakarn Road.
  » By Air-conditioned Van: 
A Hatyai-Pak Bara air-conditioned van service operates daily between 6.00-16.00 hrs. A van leaves every hour and the trip takes 1 hour and 50 minutes. The van stand is on Prachathipat Road.
 

The other alternative to get to the island is to hire a fishing boat from Che Bilang Pier which is a deep sea pier in Tambon Che Bilang 13 kilometers from the town of Satun.
Access to other islands in the archipelago depends on the season. Travelling during the southwest monsoon season is not recommend due to strong wind ans stormy weather. The best time to visit is between late December and early May.
 

Accommodation
For information on accommodation, please contact the Public Relations Work and Accommodation Services, National Park Division, Forestry Department, Bangkok, Tel: (02) 5797223, 5795734, during office hours; or the Satun branch, Tel: (074) 781285, 729002-3 during office hours.
 

Koh Adang: The land of coral Beauty
Adang is a group of islands in the Tarutau National Park, 30 kilometers further south from Tarutao Island. Among the various islands in the Straits of Malacca, Adang is the most enchanting . Its unbeatable beauty and scenic charms has attracted vacationers from faraway lands to visit and revisit the place. Because of  these magical charms, the islands were much desired by the colonials powers. Had it not been the wits of Phraya Phuminart Phakdi, then governor of Satun, these islands would have been ceded to the British long ago. The splendors of Adang are imminent in the crystal clear waters around the island, particularly when the sea is calm. The transparency of the water often leads tourists to take a quick dip, mistaking it to be shallow. Corals are bountiful in the waters around the island. Tourists diving to admire the breathtaking beauty of the corals may also witness the enchantment of exotic fish such as stonefish , lionfish, anemone fish, lobster, or even friendly stingrays buried under the powdery white sands, sea porcupines, and colorful sea shells scattering around the sea floor. These marine creatures move around the limbs of corals with shapes like antlers, hills, lettuces, and mushrooms. Apart from exquisite corals, Adang offers visitors many enchanting places to visit. Large mountainside natural reservoirs, unrelenting sonorous waterfalls, crystal clear streams, and long stretches of white sand beaches around the island, particularly at Ao Son where an area is set aside by the National Park to accommodate 150 campers. To reach Adang , visitors normally take a boat from Pak Bara Pier in Amphoe La-ngu. Travel can be arranged in advance through the assistance of officials at Tarutao National Park. Most visitors prefer to travel in groups, good for family outings and also saving traveling expenses.
 

Koh Li-Pe The land of the sea gypsies
Nearby islands familiar with vacationers are Li-pe or Nipis Island (meaning "thin" island in Malay). Lipeh is an island in Adang archipelago, one kilometer south, and 25 kilometers west of Tarutao island. Formerly Lipe was not inhabited. According to the "Report on the Survey of Tarutao National Park" published by Mahidol University in 1977 , the first settler on the island was an Indonesian named Hili (pronounced "ngi-li" by the locals). On his business missions, he was a regular traveler to Penang and Siam and found a settlement first in Koh Mai Kadan Island and married a sea gypsy woman. Later he moved his trading post to Koh Bulon and finally to Koh Li-pe. During his early settlement, he had to travel to Satun to buy rice, using a row boat. He picked up coconuts which floated to the island and planted them there. Any fishermen who came to fish near the island were invited to settle on the island. (According to other sources, a man named Nai Mahmad had settled on the island one year earlier than had Hili. And the seedlings of coconut trees to be grown on the island were given to Hili by Phraya Phoominart Phakdi then governor of Satun.) In 1909 when the British had shown an interest in the westcoast of Siam , the governor of Satun brought the people from Koh Sireh in Phuket and Koh Lanta in Krabi to settle on Adang in order to prove to the British that the Siamese settled there and the island belonged to Siam. The scheme proved fruitful and the British agreed to drop the claim over Adang and the nearby area. Hili and the sea gypsies on Adang Island were the ancestors of the three major families presently residing on the island, namely Harn Thala, Thala Luek, and Chamnarn Waree. The terms Chao Le (sea people) or Thai Mai (recently naturalized Thais) are generally accepted by the sea gypsies at Lipe but the term Chao Nam (water people) is despised for the reason that not only themselves but all people are derived from water. Most of inhabitants on Lipe are Buddhists and engaged in fishing. The houses of the sea, not exceeding 200 meters off shore. Visitors to the island are likely to stay overnight during the moonlit nights to witness monthly god - offering ceremonial dances performed by the islanders. The dance, performed along with the rhythm of the one-sided drum called Ramana, is organized for three nights during the new moon. It is believed that the god - offering dance will dispel all illnesses and evils from the island. In addition, on the thirteenth to the fifteenth day of the sixth and the eleventh lunar month (usually in May and November) the Setting Adrift of Chao Le Boat ceremony can also be observed. The prominence of Lipe lies on the natural beauty of colorful corals around the island. Particularly fascinating are the ones in the front of the island where visitors can see mazes of colorful corals and exotic tropical fishes under the clear water, a site comparable to a giant aquarium. Visitors often brings with them diving gears or life preservers which enable them to get a close look at the idyllic underwater scenes. The most exciting moment is during the low tide where a large expanse of corals emerge, a rare picturesque scene which will be long remembered by visitors. To reach Koh Li-pe, visitors often use the same route as that of Adang, from where Lipe is easily accessible.
 

Koh Hin Ngam ( Beautiful Stone Island )
Because of its natural wonder, Koh Hin Ngam, part of Adang archipelago, has attracted and inspired visitors from faraway lands to witness the unspoiled beauty of the island. Koh Hin Ngam or Koh Pulo possesses beautiful stones polished and shaped by the everlasting waves hitting the shores year after year. The smooth and shiny surfaced stones of various sizes , shapes , and colors are an amazement to the sight of the beholders. On this island one can find these stones in black, blue, brown, red, mixed colors or stripes in round, oval, and other shapes. The beaches on the island can be best admired when the sun shines and the waves splash on the stones.

The shiny glittering surfaces of the stones reflect the glaring sunshine while the blue waves splash the beaches providing ecstasies for those who witness the event. Of particular joy is the sunset when the last orange rays of the sun touch the pure white foams of the waves giggling on the stones. This memorable scene defies description. To reach Koh Hin Ngam , visitors make a stop at Adang or Lipe islands first rather than proceeding directly to and staying overnight at Koh Hin Ngam as no accommodation is available on the island.
 

Koh Khai (Khai Island)
A large stone arch or "stone gate" in Koh Khai becomes a logo of Tarutao National Park. During November and January large sea tortoises come ashore and lay eggs on the beaches. Beautiful beaches are ideal for swimming. Further down are large clusters of beautiful corals which can be seen through the crystal clear water during the tourist season.

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