Satun

Satun Province, hard up against the Malaysian border, is where you'll first land in Thailand if you 'island hop' up the western coast of Malaysia -- which is not an entirely bad idea. Ferries from Langkawi Island as well as Kuala Perlis in Malaysia. Although a great many just pass through, there is reason to stay on in Satun for a few days.

Satun Sights

Thale Ban National Park: Covering 102 square kilometers (40 square miles) of the Thai coastal area between Satun town and the Malaysian border, the Tale Ban National Park consists mostly of pristine rain forests containing a huge variety of wildlife as well as spectacular waterfalls.
Tarutao National Marine Park: Hardly anyone had ever heard of this island before the American series 'Survivor' picked it for one of their locations. The diving off these islands is supposed to be among the best in the world.

In this section

Tarutao Islands

Almost nobody had ever heard of Tarutao Island before the 'Survivor' television series chose it as one of their locations. The island is actually the largest of 51 islands that make up the Tarutao National Marine Park. The group of islands, covering 1,490 square kilometers (580 square miles) was named Thailand's first marine park in 1974. The island group is widely thought to have the best diving of anywhere in the world.