If you're looking for somewhere on a peaceful beach with fresh seafood from nearby fisherman's market then Pranburi is the secretly coast you gotta visit. With only 3 hours from the capital of Bangkok city and only 30 minutes from Hua Hin where you'll find a very peaceful natural community among mountains next to the sea with a lot of hip cafe' and snacks that you can enjoy.
You can drive directly from Bangkok by taking the main country road no.35 and no.4 to the south of Thailand passing by Phetchaburi and Hua Hin following this map guide. If you're coming from Suvarnabhumi international airport (BKK), you can also rent a car there to drive between places. Make sure to book your car in advance especially in high season or check out for better car deals here.
So grab your favorite Thai Snack Online, pack your bags, start the engine and here we go :)
1. Pak Nam Pran (view location)
This is a very old and traditional fisherman's community here in Thailand. A very great source for all fresh seafood just picking up from the sea with a cheap price such as dried squid and boiled carb. Moreover, you'll find a calm long beach with a very beautiful scene of sea, sand, sun and palm trees along the coast. A photo shot where you need to check in when coming here.
Also, there's a fisherman's street food everyday after 5PM along the coast. So if you don't have plan in the evening yet, make sure to check it out!
Open hours : Always open
Entrance fee : Free
2. Pranburi Forest Park (view location)
An educational learning experience with a nature trail on a wooden path along mangrove forest here over 1,000 meters beside mountains and seaside. You will encounter a real nature among several mangrove animals and plants such as sword carbs and sea clams. There are also instruction signs for all kinds of animal and plan you'll see along the way. You can can hire a boat to view along the river which will take around 1 hour for each ride.
Open hours : 06.00 - 18.00 hrs
Entrance fee : 500 THB for boat ride per 8 persons
3. Khao Kalok a.k.a. Skull Mountain (view location)
If you look at this mountain from the sea, you'll noted its shape like a big skull with a big eye hole and that's why people called this place "Skull Mountain". Be well prepared if you want to get up to the mountain peak with the height of 25 meters above ground and a very steep path. For those who's not much adventurous, you can still enjoy a very beautiful beach 7 kilometers long under this mountain where you can surf or lay on the sand and enjoy the sea breeze all day.
Open hours : 07.00 - 16.30 hrs
Entrance fee : Free
4. Pranburi Walking Street (view location)
A local market along the old street of Pranburi which is operated for over 200 years now. A traditional way of living along the street with local shops and restaurants in a vintage style. While walking down the road, you'll find a checkpoint called "ProdPran cafe" decorated as a traditional local Thai coffee shop hat many tourists considered as a landmark here. The cafe is built from old two-storey wooden house with a vintage bicycle in the middle which they used for delivery in the old times. There's also a lot of souvenir shops where you can find collectible stuff from Thailand back home.
Open hours : Every Saturday during 16.30 - 21.30 hrs
Entrance fee : Free
5. Pranburi Dam (view location)
This dam was built in 1982 to be the main water source of Pranburi with the size of 1,500 meters long and 42 meters height. It's also become a beautiful scenic place for visiting with a very large lakeview and surrounding mountains at the back. It's very popular for fishing here and don't forget to enjoy watching sunset before going back to your place.
Open hours : 08:00-17:00 hrs
Entrance fee : Free
6. Khao Kalok Temple (view location)
Not so far from Khao Kalok lies a very beautiful golden architecture of Khao Kalok temple. At the gate, you'll find two giant guardians watching the entrance and a very beautiful statue and paintings inside the temple. There's a story saying that long time ago, a very rich man whom didn't believe in afterlife tried to put all his money in a chest buried around this place. After he died, he was reborn into a crocodile guarding his own treasure. Later on, his son made an attempt to steal the treasure and get chased by the crocodile. While escaping, his son made a pure wish to use the treasure for building this temple and draw a crocodile as a symbol on the boat flag. Suddenly, the crocodile got heart attack and passed away and reborn again as a god of wealth which many locals believe it's a blessing whenever come to pray at this temple.
Open hours : Always open
Entrance fee : Free
7. Phraya Nakhon Cave (view location)
A very big cave that is lighten by the sunlight from hole on top. In the middle, you'll note a remarkable throne of King Rama the Fifth. This place was found and built since 1890. It's said that the most beautiful time of this scene is during 10.30-11.30 hrs when the sunlight shines exactly upon the throne. To enter the cave, you may either take a boat ride 10 minutes from Bangpoo beach to the cave entrance or walk 500 meters by foot from Bangpoo beach across the mountain. If you choose to walk, make sure that you pick the right shoes as the path consists of many steep rock stairs and bridges fit for adventurers and trekking lovers.
Open hours : 8.00 - 17.00 hrs
Entrance fee : 200 THB per person for entrance fee and (optional) 400 THB for boat ride per 6 persons
8. Memory House Cafe (view location)
Located next to Khao Tao reservoir in Hua Hin street 101. tunning white barn surrounding with colorful grass field like dreaming. With the scenic view of mountains all around and a japanese decoration style in the cafe and several mini tents for you to enjoy. Choose your favorite corner and enjoy spending time with your friends together with variety of drinks and desserts.
Open hours : 10:00-19:00 hrs
Entrance fee : Desserts and Drinks as indicated in the menu
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