Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 814

offer snorkelling day-trips to the islands
of Ko Hai, Ko Mook and Ko Kradan,
which provide a perfect getaway and also
have some accommodation. Trang
province's coastline, from Ban Pak Meng
down to Ban Chao Mai, offers some
exceptional beaches, well worth exploring
on motorbike, by car or as a part of a
tour. Trang town's main thoroughfare is
hanon Rama VI, where you'll find
restaurants, bars, accommodation, banks
and travel agents - most cluster near the
train station at its western extremity.

right). Good, inexpensive restaurant with a varied menu of
carefully prepared dishes, specializing in healthy cuisine
and local food, such as kao yook (B150), a Chinese-style dish
of steamed pork with taro. Daily 10.30am-8.30pm.
Wunderbar Th Rama VI T 075 214563, W wunderbar
-trang.com. Multi-purpose farang bar-restaurant with free
wi-fi that serves a wide selection of drinks (including wine
and espressos), Thai food, and burgers (B60), salads,
pizzas, breakfasts and other Western standards, as well as
cheese platters (B270). Daily 7.30am-10pm.
Yamawa 94 Th Visetkul, north from the clocktower on
Th Rama VI T 086 685 4987, W yamawaguesthouse.com.
Around a stairwell decorated with hanging vines and pot
plants, the rooms are en suite with cable TV, a nd some
have a/c and hot shower. Free wi-fi. Double B350

10

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane Trang Airport, around 3km south of town, is
served by 1hr 30min flights from Bangkok's Don Muang
Airport with Air Asia and Nok Air (both 3 daily). BB Tour on
Th Rama VI, 50m from the train station ( T 075 219054),
offers a flight-correlated minibus service to and from the
airport (B90/person).
By bus and minibus All buses arrive at the terminal on
Th Phatthalung (Highway 4), about 3km northeast of the
centre; take a tuk-tuk (B80 or B20/person) into town.
Travel agents sell tickets for a/c minibus services to Ko
Lanta (6 daily; 3hr) and Pak Bara (at least 1 daily; 1hr
30min) in high season.
Destinations

KO TARUTAO NATIONAL
MARINE PARK
Ko Tarutao National Marine Park is
perhaps the most beautiful of all
hailand's accessible beach destinations.
he park covers 51 mostly uninhabited
islands, of which three - Tarutao, Adang
and Lipe - are easy to reach and have
accommodation. he port of Pak Bara ,
towards the north end of Satun province,
is the main jumping-off point for the
park, and houses the main national park
visitor centre ( T 074 783485, W dnp
.go.th), near the pier. here are ATMs in
Pak Bara, but none on the islands. he
park admission fee (B200, valid for 5
days) is collected on the islands of
Tarutao or Adang; it's not collected for
Lipe which, though technically part of
the park, is now heavily developed.
he park's forests and seas support a
fascinating array of wildlife, including
about 25 percent of the world's tropical
fish species, as well as dugongs, sperm
whales, dolphins and a dwindling
population of turtles. Snorkelling gear
can be rented on Tarutao or Adang for
B50 per day, and is widely available from
the private bungalow outfits or dive shops
on Ko Lipe. he park amenities on
Tarutao and Adang are closed to tourists
from early May to mid-October or
mid-November (depending on the
weather), while getting to Lipe at the
height of the monsoon in September and
early October is an unlikely - or at the
very least unappealing - proposition.

Bangkok (11 daily; 12-14hr); Krabi (hourly;
2-3hr); Nakhon Si Thammarat (hourly; 3hr); Phuket
(hourly; 5hr); Satun (hourly; 3hr).
By train From the train station at the western end of
Th Rama VI, two trains depart for Bangkok daily (14-16hr).
Tourist information TAT have a helpful o ce on
Th Wisetkul, 200m south of the clocktower on Th Rama VI
(daily 8.30am-4.30pm, sometimes closed for lunch on Sat
& Sun; T 075 215867, E [e-mail]). The best
travel agent in town is Trang Island Hopping Tour, directly
opposite the station at 28/2 Th Sathanee ( T 082 804 0583,
W trang-island-hopping.com), a great source of impartial
information on the area. Wunderbar , just around the
corner (see below), also acts as a helpful and clued-up
travel agent.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
For a cheap feed, try the night market on Th Ruenrom
(100m up Th Rama VI from the clocktower, turn left).
Koh Teng Hotel 77-79 Th Rama VI T 075 218622. This
characterful 1940s Chinese hotel is a little battered and
dusty but offers large, mostly clean en-suite rooms, some
with cable TV and a/c, above a popular restaurant and
coffee shop that serves southe rn Tha i and Chinese food
and Western breakfasts. Double B200
See Far Lifestyle 37 Th Phattalung, by the entrance to Soi
3 (100m north up Th Wisetkul from the clocktower, turn