Laem Pak Bia & Pak Thale
(Updated 18/01/22)

Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Photo by Nick Upton)

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale (pronounced Lairm Pug Beer/Bark TaLay) is a large area of salt pans, mudflats, mangrove remnants and a sand spit, in Petchaburi province. This is without doubt the premier bird watching site for shorebirds in Thailand, with large numbers of birds and many rare species appearing annually.

This region is very open and exposed which allows for good views of the birds but, as with any shorebird watching, a telescope is highly desirable; in fact it is almost essential. In addition to the sand spit, mudflats and salt pans there are lots of ditches, brine shrimp pools as well as smaller areas of freshwater wetlands and scrubland meaning that a very wide variety of species can be found here; this site has far more than just shorebird watching to offer.

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale is 2 to 2.5 hours from Bangkok making it a suitable destination for day trips from the capital or as a place to stay for a day or two before moving on to, or coming from, Kaeng Krachan National Park, making Petchaburi province probably the best area for bird watching in the whole country.

Please remember that most of the land birders will visit is privately owned so it is important to behave accordingly. Local land owners are used to birders visiting and are happy for them to do so but please do not do anything stupid that might lead to conflict between birders and land owners. At Pak Thale in particular there are signs requesting birders not to walk on the smaller embankments.

Malaysian Plover (Photo by Nick Upton)

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale is an excellent place to see a large variety of waterbirds. In the dry season, between late September and April large numbers of Waders, Gulls and Terns escape the northern winter by coming here. The critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper is by far the most sought-after bird here which is regularly seen on the salt farms at Pak Thale between late October and late March. Nordmann's Greenshank is an annual winter visitor too as are large numbers of Great Knot and small groups of Asian Dowitchers.

These globally endangered/threatened species are just a few of the exciting birds to be found here. Other highlights are the small population of resident Malaysian Plovers on Laem Pak Bia sandspit along with a few individuals of Chinese Egret and "White-faced Plover", although wintering large gulls have become scarce in recent years probably due to increased disturbance on the sand.

A visit to Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale won't leave you disappointed and the possibility of finding a rarity, or even a new bird for the Thai list, is high here, with Collared Pratincole, several species of Gull, Red (Grey) Phalarope and Sacred Kingfisher added in recent years.

A checklist of the birds for this location can be found here - Laem Pak Bia - Pak Thale

Use the interactive map below to plan your route to Laem Pak Bia and Pak Thale. The blue line shows the route from the Petkasem highway in Petchaburi city (Blue Pin) to Laem Pak Bia (Red Pin) and on to Pak Thale (Green Pin).

By Car/Motorcycle
Having one's own transport is highly desirable/essential at this huge area of wetlands. The drive, by car, will take just under two hours from Bangkok if leaving at 5am before the traffic builds up. After 6am the traffic begins to get very heavy and it will take considerably longer to reach the site. However, it is a simple journey, just get on the expressway in Bangkok and follow signs for Dao Kanong/Rama 2 road (Highway 35 on maps). After crossing over the Chao Phraya river on a large bridge follow signs towards Samut Sakorn (at this point stop following the signs for Dao Kanong) and continue along the highway until Petchaburi is reached; the town is signposted for most of the way.

Once in Petchaburi there are several ways to get to Pak Thale to look for Spoon-billed Sandpiper. The least confusing way is to follow the highway past Petchaburi and turn left onto road 3177, following signs for Had Chao Samran then, about 13 kilometres later, take the left hand turn at the Had Chao Samran crossroads (about 400 metres before the seafront at Had Chao Samran), and drive along the road through the salt pans with good birding all along towards Pak Thale.

Alternatively, the most direct route from Petchaburi to Pak Thale is to follow signs for Ban Laem, navigating through the small roads towards the coast; this is easier than it sounds. Those taking this route can later follow the coast road south towards Had Chao Samran birding along the way.

For those people who do not want to drive in Bangkok's busy traffic a good idea is to take public transport to Hua Hin from where all major car rental companies operate. It is then just a 40 minute drive to Petchaburi from there.

By Bus/Minivan
If travelling by bus, take a taxi to the Southern bus terminal where buses depart regularly to Pranburi, stopping at Petchaburi, Cha Am and Hua Hin. Alternatively, mini vans run to Petchaburi, Cha Am and Hua Hin from Victory Monument in Bangkok. For those arriving in Petchaburi by public transport it would be necessary to find somewhere to hire a motorcycle to follow this route in order to enjoy the bird watching here.

It is possible to hire a taxi in Bangkok for the day and get the driver to take you to all the birding spots using the maps provided here. The taxi driver will not be familiar with the area at all so there are likely to be some problems and he may not wish to drive his vehicle down some of the dirt tracks.

By Tuk Tuk/Motorcycle Taxi
This is just not at all practical. It is far too far from Bangkok to attempt this in these vehicles and drivers in Petchaburi are unlikely to want to provide this service around the salt farms.

By Train
Petchaburi is on the railway line so it wouldbe possible to take a train from Bangkok although one would be presented with the same problems with local transport that other methods of public transport present.

Boat to Laem Pak Bia Sand Spit (Photo by Nick Upton)

Boat Hire
For birdwatchers wishing to get onto the sand spit it is essential to take a boat, unless you want to endure a long, hot walk along the beach; thankfully the road which was constructed upon the spit was dismantled after the construction of 7 boulder dams parallel with the shore and two breakwaters perpendicular to the sand spit, however, the spit is now more a series of islands as a result. Boats can be chartered for 1000 baht from a small boatyard. This is located about 2 to 3 kilometres north of Had Chao Samran and it is obvious as a lot of boats are visible as the large canal is crossed. Drive into the entrance of the boatyard and head to the end of the road where you will come upon Mr Daeng's place. Mr Daeng has taken hundreds of birders to the spit and knows exactly how to find all the specialities there.

If Mr Daeng is not in you can wait for him to return or find yourself another boat man. Walking around showing your binoculars will probably get you a positive response but you can show them Laem Pak Bia printed in Thai: Laem Pak Bia Thai Script.

Roosts of terns and shorebirds are often found at the sand bar close to the end of the Laem Pak Bia sand spit. The spit itself is home to breeding Malaysian Plovers and in winter this is the place to look for "White-faced" Plover" (tides can be found here: My Forecast, Marine Reports).

Spoon-billed Sandpiper is almost guaranteed in the salt farms around the village of Pak Thale but it does occasionally show up in other shallow pools and even on the sand spit.

A number of passerine species can usually be found in the Environmental Research Project and in the mangroves, including Golden-bellied Gerygone, Dusky Warbler, a number of Acrocephalus warblers and Racket-tailed Treepie amongst others as. Pintail Snipe can be seen here (although Common Snipe is present too), Ruddy-breasted Crake and Slaty-breasted Rail are in the marshy patches although far more scarce than in the past due to a greatly increased level of disturbance on the site.

Shorebirds can be found all over the Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale area, it is simply a matter of driving around and stopping when birds are seen feeding or roosting on the numerous ponds that are on both sides of the coast road. But there are a few places that certain species have traditionally favoured and these spots always seem to be worth stopping at.

Abandoned Building: Roughly 3.5 kilometres north of the Had Chao Samran cross roads there is a dirt track which heads inland, past a small rubbish dump, to a large, partially constructed, abandoned building which can easily be seen from the road (see map and photo below). The dirt track starts immediately after a large, concrete sluice gate, as one heads north in this coast road numbered 4028 on maps. The scrubby vegetation, rubbish dump and pools in this spot give birders a good opportunity to find some species other than the shorebirds which are the main attraction in the area.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail		Green Bee-eater
Abandoned Building		White-shouldered Starling
(Photos by Nick Upton)

As one drives along the dirt track some scrubby, dry vegetation is passed which extends up to the dump although some clearance has occurred over recent years. This vegetation, of which there is also a small patch around the abandoned building itself, is a good spot for finding a variety of interesting species including Green Bee-eater, Indochinese Bushlark, Plain-backed Sparrow, Paddyfield Pipit, Zitting Cisticola, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Dusky Warbler and Oriental Reed Warbler. Sometimes Oriental Skylark and Richard's Pipit can be found too and some other common species are always present too such as Pied Fantail, Common Iora and Red Collared Dove.

This area is good for finding a variety of starlings and mynas. In most years a group of White-shouldered Starlings frequent this spot and rarer species for Thailand such Brahminy Starling, Rosy Starling and Common Starling have been seen several times in recent years.

The dump itself always has attendant Eastern Cattle Egrets, Black Drongos, White-vented Mynas, Eurasian Tree Sparrows and Common Mynas looking for food within the trash. Some of the rarer starlings are attracted to this food source too so it is worth a look if you can stand the disgusting smell here.

Quite frequently a Peregrine Falcon spends the winter hunting from the abandoned building itself, feasting on the Feral Pigeons, Spotted Doves, Red Collared Doves and Mynas that are always to be found loitering. This open area gives a good vantage point over the area and sometimes other raptors can be spotted from here.

The salt pans in this area can be quite productive with Red-necked Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Eastern Black-tailed Godwit, Kentish Plover and most of the other commoner shorebirds often to be seen at close range from the vehicle. This area also has a habit of turning up some of the rarer species with Black-faced Spoonbill in 2007-8, Spoon-billed Sandpiper in 2010-11 & 2017, Nordmann's Greenshank in 2016-17 and it is always worth looking for Asian Dowitcher here; in the past some large flocks of Red Knot and Red-necked Phalarope have been found in this area. Although it might seem unlikely, Fishing Cat has occasionally been observed here after dark, but be careful not to mistake one of the local feral cats for this species.

Boat Hire: This is the place to get on a boat for the sandspit. The boardwalk which formerly began here is now impassable but as you pass through the mangroves on the boat a few interesting species can sometimes be seen along the way such as Golden-bellied Gerygone, Racket-tailed Treepie, Black-crowned Night Heron, Collared Kingfisher and Black-capped Kingfisher but quite frankly, mangroves in this area are not a particularly productive habitat. A few pairs of Mangrove Whistler are present, although seldom seen, and during migratory periods all manner of passage migrants are possible, although spotting them from a boat would be very challenging. In the trees around Mr Daeng's boat hire common residents such as Olive-backed Sunbird and Streak-eared Bulbul are ever-present and during migratory periods Yellow-browed Warbler, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Taiga Flycatcher and perhaps something rarer are usually seen.

Laem Pak Bia Sand Spit : This spot is the place to visit to observe the attractive resident Malaysian Plovers that breed on the beach; these colourful shorebirds are easily found here and between the months of October and April it is also worth searching for "White-faced Plover" (Charadrius alexandrinus dealbatus) too with one to three birds of this distinctive wader usually present.

A few Chinese Egrets are often seen on the mudflats adjacent to the sand spit in the dry season (one or two birds have even over-summered here), with Pacific Reef Egret favouring the rocky breakwaters. Javan and Chinese Pond Herons are abundant too - wait for March to see them in breeding plumage. Striated Heron, Little Egrets and Eastern Great Egrets are also usually spotted on a trip to this interesting location.

The end of the sand spit is a great place to see large numbers of roosting terns which usually peak around late February to early April with Common, Whiskered, Little, Caspian and Great Crested Terns usually resting in fairly large numbers here and Gull-billed, White-winged and Lesser Crested Terns in smaller numbers.

This also used to be the place where a flock of large gulls would regularly "winter", but in recent times they have become scarce as the sand spit disappears due to moronic engineering works that have changed currents here, with usually just Brown-headed Gulls joining the terns. Occasionally Pallas's and Heuglin's can be seen and also Black-tailed Gull but look out for rarities, I have found Mongolian Gull, Christmas Island Frigatebird and Black-legged Kittiwake here in the past; Pomarine & Arctic Skuas are scarce but annual and other rare seabirds have been found.

Sanderling always frequent the water's edge in the dry season and when the tide begins to go out large numbers of other shorebirds arrive to feed on the exposed mudflats. This is the best place to observe Greater Sand Plover with its rather oversized bill and long legs which makes it actually quite easy to distinguish from Lesser Sand Plover when they are seen side by side.

1200 baht is the price charged for this trip (as of 2022) and a tip of 100 baht is appropriate for good service but never expected.

Environmental Research and Development Project initiated by H.M King Bhumibol: This is an area of mangroves and settling pools where quite a number of interesting birds can be found as well as large numbers of common birds. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to drive into this area any longer which is a great shame because using the car as a hide used to result in many photographic opportunities, although it is still possible to enter on foot or even to hire a bicycle. Unfortunately, the now highly manicured nature of the site and large numbers of visitors creating disturbance have made this spot far less interesting to birders than in the past but most species can still be found there if less reliably than in the past.

Ruff		Eurasian Wryneck
Red-wattled Lapwing		Cannibalistic Monitor Lizard
(Photos by Nick Upton)

To enter the Kings project area, approximately 6 kilometres north of the Had Chao Samran cross roads,on the coast road 4028, there is a turning to go to a temple set back a little from the road. Just past this temple is a car park and the entry gate to the King's project. Bird watchers must sign in and leave some form of ID at the gate and then explore the network of dirt tracks and the board walks which go through the mangroves (marked as dotted lines on the map).

The open water pools here often attract birds which feed on fish with Whiskered and White-winged Terns usually present and viewable at close quarters between October and May, Caspian Terns often show up here too. Indian and Little Cormorants often fish here as do Pond Herons and four species of Kingfisher; Common, Black-capped, White-throated and Collared Kingfishers. These species along with Little, Intermediate and Eastern Great Egrets plus Grey Heron can often be seen sitting on posts around the water.

A couple of muddy pools frequently attract Ruff, Long-toed Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint and other waders including Common Snipe but Pintail Snipe usually prefers the reedy areas but take a good look at all Snipe to see if you can separate them - it is easiest in flight. Greater Painted Snipe can sometimes be found too!

The experimental reed plots are a good place to look for Ruddy-breasted Crake and Slaty-breasted Rail and perhaps something rarer. These reeds often host migrant warblers, the most common being Oriental Reed Warbler, Dusky Warbler and Black-browed Reed Warbler but much rarer species have been mist-netted here during migration including Large-billed Reed Warbler.

The mangroves are not that productive at most times but Golden-bellied Gerygone is very common and Mangrove Whistler is present although scarce. During migratory periods all manner of passage migrants could show up and this would be when a walk along a mangrove board walk would be most worthwhile.

The mangroves are also the roosting site of large numbers of birds; mynas, cormorants and doves use this site all year round but in the dry season huge numbers of Black Drongos arrive just before dusk and up to 1000 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters can be seen soaring above the trees before descending. Smaller groups of migratory Starlings also arrive in small groups with White-shouldered being the most common but usually there are some Chestnut-tailed Starlings with them and sometimes something much rarer.

Bird Watching Trips to Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale: If you have just a day or two for birding from Bangkok, Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale is a great place to visit, and if you are visiting Thailand to see Spoon-billed Sandpiper then a trip to this site is a must. Laem Pak Bia and Pak Thale are at their best between early November and late March when they become must-visit sites for any longer Thailand birding trip. Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com

Once these birds have entered the mangroves thousands of very large fruit bats (Lyle's Flying Fox) make the trip in the opposite direction, emerging from the mangroves and flying inland in search of food. Black-crowned Night Herons can also be seen here after dark and I regularly see Indian Nightjar sitting on the dirt tracks here at night. During daylight hours you are also bound to see large monitor lizards here.

Unfortunately, continual works on the King's Project area since December 2011 have resulted in a lot of disruption, removal of trees formerly used as pre-roost gatherings and permanent disturbance which have make this far spot less productive than it once was; however, it is still worth a look, particularly in the morning and late afternoon. There is no entry to this project area after 6pm.

Laem Pak Bia Salt Farms: Although there are huge expanses of salt farms in this area, those that are about one kilometre north of the King's Project deserve some special attention. At approximately 7 kilometres north of the Had Chao Samran cross roads there is an obvious dirt track that leads towards the towards the seas from the coast road 4028 and into a large expanse of salt pans and larger pools of open water. This dirt track is a private access into the salt farms but so long as visitors do not block it with their parked vehicle and behave appropriately, the workers and owners do not mind; take special care to drive slowly when people are working here to avoid spreading dust on them and their piles of salt.

Great Knot		Nordmann's Greenshank
Temminck's Stint		Asian Dowitcher
(Photos by Nick Upton)

Wherever water levels are suitable and disturbance is low there are usually large numbers of shorebirds occupying this area when the tide is high. The variety of species can be impressive and it is worth spending some time here scanning the flocks through a telescope.

Great Knot is becoming increasingly common at this site, and here is where they usually congregate in their thousands; scan through them for Nordmann's Greenshank in small groups of up to 70 in number. Flocks of Lesser Sand Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Kentish Plover and Curlew Sandpiper are nearly always present here in large numbers and many other species can also normally be found, including Long-toed Stint, Pied Avocet, Ruff, Broad-billed Sandpiper and, frequently, Asian Dowitcher, although this latter species is usually far less predictable in its habits than other species.

Richard's Pipit seems to particularly like the vegetation along the dirt road itself and ten or more can usually be seen in the dry season; Zitting Cisticola, Eastern Yellow Wagtail and Plain Prinia are usually to be seen too.

The deeper water pools that border the western side of the dirt road will hold a few different species to the salt pans with Cormorants, Little Grebe and Terns fishing here. While there are very few ducks around at this site there are sightings of several species here annually - Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Lesser Whistling Duck are the most likely species to be encountered but sometimes Ruddy Shelduck puts in an appearance.

A number of large waterbirds often frequent this area too with lots of Egrets and usually some Painted Storks to be found too. The numbers of Storks will be at their greatest between April and November and at these times they are likely to be joined by an ever growing number of visiting Spot-billed Pelicans and perhaps a Milky Stork or two, although beware of the aberrantly plumaged Painted Storks and hybrids that are frequently seen here too.

Wat Komnaram: About 10.5 kilometres north of the Had Chao Samran cross roads is the village of Ban Bang Kaew, where the road runs right alongside the sea/mudflats for a short stretch. There is a small fuel station here where you can fill up your vehicle and use the clean toilets. A few metres north of this fuel station is a turning towards Petchaburi (road 6022 on maps) and as soon as taking this turning you will see a large field and a temple on the right (north). This large field is wet from the middle of the wet season to the beginning of the dry season and then begins to dry up, attracting a variety of interesting birds which are attracted to the changing conditions. A dirt track runs towards the temple and there is another at the western end of the field that birders can drive along to get better views of the birds.

Wood Sandpiper		Black-headed Ibis & Openbills
Oriental Pratincole		Wat Komnaram
(Photos by Nick Upton)

When this field is wet it attracts a lot of large waterbirds; Javan Pond Heron, Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Eastern Cattle Egret, Eastern Great Egret and Asian Openbill are present all year round and for large parts of the year Painted Stork is often to be found here too. However, at the end of the wet season and very early dry season Black-headed Ibis is frequently found here too and Milky Stork has put in an appearance also.

Many of the commoner, shorebirds are usually to be seen here too with Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Pacific Golden Plover, Temminck's Stint most likely and in the early dry season there are usually some Grey-headed Lapwings hanging out here too.

In the northeast corner of the field is a patch which almost always has water in it and it is worth checking for Jacanas, wintering terns (usually Whiskered and White-winged) and sometimes a group of Garganey and Lesser Whistling Ducks occupy this pool - perhaps something rarer might join them.

One of the specialities of this spot is the large numbers of Oriental Pratincoles that arrive as the field dries up at the end of January/beginning of February and breed on the bare soil. Another ground nesting species which can frequently be heard here is Oriental Skylark in song flight - look out for the fast fluttering birds high up in the sky.

In the low vegetation all over the field wintering Brown Shrike, Black Drongo and Eastern Stonechat are common and there are quite a few pairs of Paddyfield Pipit, Zitting Cisticola, Plain Prinias and Scaly-breasted Munias here also and it is a good place to spot an Indian Roller on the wires. Scarcer species that nest here include Plain-backed Sparrow and Chestnut Munia.

This can also be a good spot for scanning the skies for raptors. Brahminy Kite is common here and I have also seen Eastern Marsh Harrier and Booted Eagle (dark morph) here on several occasions. Common Kestrel is a regular visitor too and Amur Falcon has been recorded here on migration.

Currently, parts of this site are under "development" and the long-term future of the area is not looking good at all. However, as of autumn 2022 there was still enough habitat available to attract many of the species mentioned here..

Wader Hotspot at Pak Thale: Around the village of Pak Thale (roughly 18km north of the Had Chao Samran cross roads) there is a collection of salt farms and other pools where Spoon-billed Sandpiper is regularly seen between the end of October to the beginning of April. There are several signs which indicate to bird watchers which turning to take (see the photo below) which makes finding the site very easy. Follow the road through Pak Thale village and turn right onto a dirt track, following it to the end where there is a small pumping station; several Spoon-billed Sandpipers are usually to be found around this area. There is also a Bird Conservation Society of Thailand information centre at the site which sometimes has someone manning it who can help you, but you can just look out for other birders. The sketch map below will help you too.

Marsh Sandpiper		Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Pak Thale Shorebird Sign		Whiskered Tern
(Photos by Nick Upton)

Several dirt tracks allow one to drive into the middle of this area and also towards a shelter next to the sea, but please do remember that this is all private property and access is dependent on a good relationship with the land owners - stick to the larger mud banks and please do not walk on salt pans. Also drive slowly and avoid kicking up a dust storm that coats salt and the workers!

In the dry season there are always large numbers of wading birds in this location with some of the most common species being Curlew Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank and Eastern Black-tailed Godwit. Several species of tern are usually found here including Caspian and Gull-billed and sometimes one of the larger gulls will show up to join the groups of Brown-headed Gulls that often congregate here.

This spot frequently turns up some of the less common shorebird species too; look out for Ruddy Turnstone, Terek Sandpiper, Dunlin, Nordmann's Greenshank, Asian Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope and Whimbrel. Each year a large flock of Eurasian Curlews frequent this area and most years at least one Far Eastern Curlew joins them. Remember that bill length is not an identifying feature as the females of the race of Eurasian Curlew here have very long bills, the only reliable way to pick out Far Eastern Curlew is from its buffy underwings and back/rump patch, something which can be very difficult to do when they are roosting but quite obvious when the birds are flying out to the mud flats as the tide goes out.

Pools in this region usually attract vast numbers of feeding Egrets with Intermediate Egret often being the most common; look out for them with their distinctive 45 degree angle hunting posture. These egrets are frequently joined by Painted Storks and pools in this area have been used by Black-faced Spoonbill (2011-12) and Milky Stork (2011-13), joining feeding flocks of other large waterbirds.

The salt pans alongside the road leading to the shelter at the sea front can be quite good too and sometimes Spoon-billed Sandpiper turns up on these. As the tide rises this is a good place to see waders gradually getting closer and if you have not already seen Terek Sandpiper, look for it here. During low tide the mud flats here are also a great place to search for Asian Dowitcher and Grey-tailed Tattler while the Curlew flock, with its small numbers of Far Eastern Curlews, will be feeding out in this area.

The area of mangroves at the shelter contain a few birds of interest. Golden-bellied Gerygone, Common Tailorbird, Collared Kingfisher and Pied Fantail are common residents and Mangrove Whistler can be found with some luck while wintering Ashy Minivets can sometimes be seen. Dusky Warblers are a common migrant species in this habitat and there are a few Red-whiskered Bulbuls to be found too, probably of escaped origin.

Facilities at Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale are mostly restricted to Hat Chao Samran. Here there are a growing number places with bungalows which can be rented for about 800-5000 baht per night (the i-Thara Resort & Spa seems to be growing in popularity with birders despite the fact that its construction destroyed Malaysian Plover nesting habitat) and a number of shops and restaurants selling anything from ice creams, beachware and snacks to excellent seafood dishes. I would recommend any of the restaurants (marked on map; right) that are situated on the beach within a kilometre north of the main car parking area at Had Chao Samran; the food is great and very cheap. The 7/11 store on the corner at the beachfront is where visitors can buy all manner of snacks and drinks as well as cool off for a few minutes in the air conditioning. There are also a few local shops along the road from Had Chao Samran to Pak Thale and a few hundred metres to the south of the entrance to the boat yard there is a small restaurant which sells simple, but good, food very cheaply.

Near the turning for Wat Komnaram, half way between Hat Chao Samran and Pak Thale, there is a small fuel station selling both diesel and unleaded petrol; this is the only fuel outlet actually on site although there are plenty more towards Petchaburi, around 10 kilometres away. Here there is also a public toilet that you can use even if you are not buying fuel. There are also public toilets inside the King's Project area, a small coffee shop in the car pakr and there is a small shop which also sells a few snacks and souvenirs including copies of "the Birds of Laem Pak Bia".

For those staying in the town of Petchaburi, or passing through, there are all of the facilities typical of a Thai provincial capital. In fact Petchaburi has a large supermarket (Big C) with takeaway restaurants and a cinema showing Hollywood movies attached at the southern end of the town. There are several hotels in town too, ranging from very good to scabby. I frequently stay at the Sun Hotel which is priced around 800 baht per night and is situated at the foot of the cable car to a very obvious temple at the top of a hill, close to the main highway. The Royal Diamond Hotel is close by on the main highway and is a step up at around 1000-1500 baht per night; both hotels serve good food and provide a Thai breakfast buffet at 6am. The night market near the bus station in Petchaburi is a good place to get cheap and excellent Thai food and there are lots of other eating places all around town. There are plenty of ATM machines around town and several banks where it is possible to exchange money if required. Wine-lovers often find it hard to get what they want in Thailand but decent enough bottles of wine are always available in the small Tesco supermarket in town. There are also plenty of pharmacies in town and a good provincial hospital where you will be seen quickly and efficiently should you need it.

This location is not a National Park and you will not be charged to go birding here.

Laem Pak Bia - Pak Thale Bird Checklist

Bird Watching Day Trips from Bangkok

Terns of Pak Thale/Laem Pak Bia, Gulf of Thailand

World Conservation Wader Watch

Phetchaburi Birding Trip (3 Days) Photo Gallery

Other Central Thailand Birding Locations

Shorebirds in the Inner Gulf of Thailand

Slaty-backed Gull; A New Bird for the Thai Checklist

The Birds of the Bangkok Area

Shorebirds in the Hand

Leg-flagged Shorebirds in the Inner Gulf of Thailand

Top Ten Birds of Thailand: Number 2 - Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Rediscovery of Large-billed Reed Warbler

Request for Sightings of Wing-tagged Mongolian Gulls

Laem Pak Bia Road Bridge Cancelled

Pak Thale, Kaeng Krachan & Rice Fields - 3 Days in Petchaburi Province, 31st January-2nd February 2022 - by Nick Upton

Central & Northern Thailand, 1st-14th December 2015 - by Nick Upton

Central Thailand, 13-21st February 2015 - by Nick Upton

Photography Day Tour Around Petchaburi, 25th May 2013 - by Nick Upton

Laem Pak Bia & Hellfire Pass, October 2008 - by Stephen Totterman

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale & Kaeng Krachan, 19-20th February 2008 - by Nick Upton

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, Khao Yai & Kaeng Krachan, February 2008 - by John Raven

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, December 2007 - by Praveen J.

Laem Pak Bia, April 2004 - by Peter Ericsson

• Little Egret Foot-Stirring Feeding Behaviour - posted 06/05/20
• Thailand's Wading Birds in Flight - posted 30/04/20
• A Big Wader Day - posted 29/12/17
• Central Thailand - posted 10/03/17
• Petchaburi Birding Trip - posted 18/01/17
• "Wasteland" as a Bird Habitat - posted 30/11/16
• King's Projects - posted 13/10/16
• Birding Petchaburi Province for the Day - posted 23/05/16
• More Photos from Laem Pak Bia - posted 28/03/16
• Photos from Laem Pak Bia - posted 26/03/16
• Birding in Petchaburi Province - posted 07/02/16
• Birding at Laem Pak Bia & Pak Thale - posted 26/12/15
• Petchaburi Wetlands in June - posted 03/07/15
• Increasing Great Knot Numbers - posted 05/06/15
• Hard to ID Gulls - posted 05/03/15
• Common Birds - posted 05/12/13
• Return of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper - posted 16/11/13
• Spoon-billed Sandpiper Recording Information Pages - posted 12/09/13
• Common Shorebirds at Laem Pak Bia & Pak Thale - posted 09/05/13
• Large Waterbirds at Pak Thale - posted 28/02/13
• A Few Days at Laem Pak Bia & Pak Thale - posted 30/01/13
• A Rarity at Laem Pak Bia Sand Spit - posted 14/12/12
• Spoon-billed Sandpiper Returns - posted 03/11/11
• Spoon-billed Sandpiper - posted 15/02/10
• A Day in Petchaburi Province - posted 10/08/09
• Spoon-billed Sandpiper and White-faced Plover - posted 26/01/09
• Greater Flamingo - posted 12/01/09
• Had Chao Samran, The King's Project and Cha-Am - posted 25/06/08
• Birding Around Petburi - posted 21/04/08
• A Day Trip to Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale - posted 31/03/08
• Cannibalistic water Monitor Lizard - posted 31/03/08
• Searching for "White-faced Plover" - posted 16/03/08
• 2 Great Days Birdwatching - posted 10/03/08

Around Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale

Salt Farms	Salt Farms	Workers on Salt Farms	Rolling the Salt Pans	Sunset at the King's Project
The Boat Yard	On the way to the Spit	Birding on the Sand Spit	Sunset at the Boat Yard	Mudskipper

More Birds at Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale

Painted Stork	Javan Pond Heron	Kentish Plover	Red-necked Phalarope	Grey Plover
Chinese Egret	Long-toed Stint	Plain-backed Sparrows	Mongolian Gull	Collared Kingfisher

• 31 January 2022, Pak Thale Nature Reserve - by Nick Upton & Sam Hambly
• 08 January 2022, Laem Pak Bia - sandspit - by Nick Upton
• 10 October 2020, Pak Thale Nature Reserve - by Sakkarin Sansuk
• 09 March 2019, Pak Thale Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton
• 21 February 2019, Laem Pak Bia - garbage dump - by Nick Upton
• 27 December 2018, Hat Chao Samran Soi Thetsaban 4 Freshwater Wetlands - by Nick Upton
• 16 December 2018, Pak Thale Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton
• 26 October 2018, Pak Thale Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton
• 27 March 2018, Pak Thale Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton
• 03 March 2018, Pak Thale Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton
• 14 January 2018, Laem Pak Bia Garbage Dump - by Nick Upton
• 04 November 2017, Laem Pak Bia Sand Spit - by Nick Upton
• 30 October 2016, Laem Pak Bia Salt Pans - by Nick Upton
• 26 June 2016, Laem Pka Bia Environmental Research & Development Project - by Nick Upton
• 20 May 2016, Pak Thale Shore - by Nick Upton
• 18 May 2016, Laem Pak Bia Sea Viewpoint - by Nick Upton
• 24 February 2016, Hat Chao Samran Soi Thetsaban 4 Freshwater Wetlands - by Nick Upton
• 04 February 2016, Laem Pak Bia Salt Pans - by Nick Upton
• 15 November 2014, Laem Pak Bia Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton
• 04 February 2014, Wat Komanaram - by Nick Upton
• 14 December 2012, Laem Pak Bia Sand Spit - by Nick Upton
• 19 November 2012, Laem Pak Bia Garbage Dump - by Nick Upton
• 04 December 2011, Laem Pak Bia Salt Pans - by Nick Upton
• 22 November 2010, Laem Pak Bia Abandoned Building Wetlands - by Nick Upton
• 22 November 2010, Pak Thale Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton
• 15 February 2009, Laem Pak Bia Environmental Research & Develpment Project - by Nick Upton
• 19 February 2008, Pak Thale Salt Pans & Mudflats - by Nick Upton

If you found this page useful and want to say thanks, you can buy me a beer.

Email me at nickupton@thaibirding.com

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