Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RANONG PROVINCE
The first piece in the Andaman's puzzle of coastal provinces is the least-populated region
in Thailand and also its wettest, with up to eight months of rain per year. As a result, Ran-
ong's forests are lush and green, but it means that it's swampy near the mainland coast
where beaches are scarce.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Ranong Town
POP 24,500
On the eastern bank of the Sompaen River's turbid, tea-brown estuary, the frontier town of
Ranong is a short boat ride - or a filthy swim - from Myanmar. This border town
par ex-
cellence
(shabby, frenetic, slightly seedy) has a thriving Burmese population (keep an eye
out for men wearing traditional
longyi;
Burmese sarong), a clutch of hot springs and some
tremendous street food.
Once a gritty backwater, today the town is basking in transit tourism to Ko Phayam and
Ko Chang, and clearly benefiting from a stabilised political situation in Myanmar. Sud-
denly there are boutique hotels and a style-conscious local scene, relatively speaking. More
and more dive operators specialising in live-aboard trips to the Surin Islands and Burma
Banks are establishing themselves here too, adding a pinch of an expat feel. Ranong is ab-
solutely worthy of a night or two.
