Phanang Tak Bay & Laem Hua Mong,
in Chumphon province, is an area of beach, coastal scrub,
coconut plantations, mangrove remnants and rocky coast within
a fifteen minute drive of the provincial capital town centre.
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird watching trip to Thailand,
take a look at the suggested itineraries for ideas on
creating a tailor-made trip and contact me for advice:
Thailand
bird tours.
Travel Information
Use the interactive map below to plan your route to
Phanang Tak Bay & Laem Hua Mong. The blue line shows the
route from Morakot Hotel in Chumphon Town (A) to Phanang Tak
Bay (B) & Laem Hua Mong (C).
By Car/Motorcycle
By far the most convenient and practical way to get to this
location is by private vehicle. It is only a short drive to
both Phanang Tak Bay and Laem Hua Mong from Chumphon town.
At Phanang Tak Bay just park along the access road to the
beach and go birding from there while at Laem Hua Mong there
are obvious places to park at the end of the road.
By Bus
Chumphon is a provincial capital so there are buses from Bangkok,
Phuket and all surrounding provinces that stop in the main
bus terminal. There may be local transport available from
the bus terminal to one of the villages near Phanang Tak Bay
but I do not know of them. Far better would be to charter
some transport from the bus terminal. Download the "Grab"
app to summon a ride, with a predetermined cost, in the manner
of many other similar apps that operate around the world.
By Train
Chumphon has a railway station in the town centre which, for
enthusiasts, has a number of steam locomotives displayed in
the street in front of it. Again, from the station use the
"Grab" app or use some local transport, which is
available at the station, to get to the birding site.
By Plane
The nearest airports are Surant Thani and Phuket, both around
an hour and a half away. From these airports private car hire
is available and taxis can be arranged, although this option
would be rather expensive and leave birders stranded.
By Taxi
If birders were staying at Khao Lak beach then visiting Ban
Thung Yai Meadowlands by taxi could be an option, arranging
a taxi through your hotel. This could also be an option, for
a morning excursion if you were staying at Khao Sok, from
anywhere else it is a bit too far to make much sense.
Finding Birds
The variety of microhabitats packed into a fairly small
area makes it quite easy to walk around most of the site in
a morning. At the same time this means that certain patches
of habitat attract different types of birds.
The
Sand Beach: The beach itself is a long, sweeping
but narrow stretch of sand which receives very few visitors
and in the early morning and late afternoon it is not rare
to have the whole place more or less to oneself. One of the
highlights, which breed on this beach in small numbers and
can be seen all year round, is Malaysian Plover. This beach-nesting
plover, like many similar species around the world, is under
pressure because of habitat loss and disturbance but at Phanang
Tak Bay the beach is, for now, undisturbed enough for a few
pairs of this attractive wader to nest; look out for them
foraging on the sand and at the water's edge.
At Chumphon there are plenty of hotels to choose from.
I have frequently stayed at the Morakot
Hotel in Chumphon town. This is a decent enough hotel,
with a new wing as of 2019 and the older sections renovated.
It is clean and comfortable, with a large car park and is
fairly easy to find and good value for money with a simple
buffet breakfast available quite early in the morning. More
recently I have stayed at the Nanaburi
Hotel which is a pleasant, clean hotel with well-maintained
rooms, ample car parking with breakfast included, starting
at 6,30am; these days I prefer to stay here.
Many people will prefer to stay out of town and for those
there are a few local beaches with some accommodation at a
variety of budget points. Just use the banner link above to
search for places in the area.
If you find that breakfast in either of these hotels is not
early enough or you just want to have breakfast on site, then
there are lots of 7/11 stores in town that are open 24 hours
and stock a lot of stuff including toasted sandwiches, various
bread products, yoghurts and coffee among other things. There
are a couple of large supermarkets on the edge of town too
so birders can stock up on various supplies and make their
own breakfast in the field if desired. Being a provincial
capital Chumphon has lots of places to eat of an evening,
just wander around and take your pick.
Chumphon has all the facilities that one could possibly need
including hospitals, banks, supermarkets, pharmacies, all
manner of shops, petrol stations and it is small enough to
be able to find one's way around quickly and easily.
The area is not a national park and you will not be charged
to go birding there.
Birds
of Thailand This field guide has set new standards in identifying
birds in the wild in Thailand. With the most up-to-date
taxonomy of any publication this is the book you need
if you are birdwatching in Thailand. Forget all of the
older guides and buy this one.
How
Birds Migrate This is one of the most informative books on birds
that I have ever read. Covering all aspects of bird
migration this is a great read for broadening your knowledge.
There are usually some cheap second-hand copies available
through the link above.
Birdwatching
Trips:
Phanang Tak Bay & Laem Hua Mong are good spots to
add to a birding trip to Chumphon during raptor migration
or a good stopover when travelling between birding sites
in Central and Southern regions.
Download
a full 
