Khanom Thailand Complete List Why You Need To Visit

Khanom Thailand is located on the east coast, east of Surat Thani, in the Gulf of Thailand. Known as a fishing village but is quietly becoming a tourist destination. Khanom is so much more than a fishing village; it has an ex-pat community and plenty to see and do. Khanom Thailand has the unspoiled charm that travelers are looking for, quiet amazing beaches, friendly locals, and excellent Thai food. Read on about Khanom Thailand and discover our complete list of why you need to visit.

Complete List Why You Need To Visit Khanom

• Beautiful Khanom Beaches
• Experience Thai flavors
• Book a Khanom Pink Dolphin Tour
• Explore Markets (night, fish, and other)
• Investigate Hidden Caves
• Pamper Yourself, Thai Massage, A Unique Fish Spa
• Discover Serene Waterfalls
• Accommodation options

Why We Picked Khanom Thailand

After searching the internet and reading blog posts about Khanom, we felt that this would be a nice low-key location to spend a month. It looked to us that it would offer tranquil solitude, and great food (Thai) with plenty to do. Khanom Thailand was a great choice as we very much love Thailand, but it can be busy, depending on where you are. Khanom is a wonderful Thailand vacation destination. The weather was another reason we choose Khanom as it is always sunny and warm, at least when we were here.

Where Is and How To Get To Khanom Thailand

The Khanom district is a part of Nakhon Si Thammarat, next to Surat Thani district along the Gulf of Thailand. See the map of Khanom as this will take you to the town of Khanom, and it includes most spots that I will talk about pinned; this will make them easy to locate later. The population is said to be 30,000, so it offers all you need.

There are numerous travel options to get to Khanom, and most depart from Surat Thani. These include buses, taxis along with hiring a driver. The most affordable form of transportation is the bus, which does work really well as they will also drop you off anywhere along the route if that is what you require. Cindy and I used the bus; we found it inexpensive, direct, and basically comfortable; it took about 1 1/2 hours. A further option when coming from Koh Samui is to take the ferry to the mainland and catch a ride from the Seatran Ferry terminal to Khanom.

The easiest way to get to Surat Thani is to fly into it, the airport is not far out of town, and you can catch a bus or taxi into town. Cindy and I flew in from Kuala Lumpur after flying out of Penang, George Town, Malaysia. You could fly into Bangkok and take the train from Bangkok to Surat Thani; the train is an interesting experience, we took this route several years before.

Beautiful Khanom Beaches

Khanom beaches are beautiful beaches, they are all very similar, and they run most of the coast in this area, just the names change. The exception to this Ao Nang Yee Beach is at the end of a road and a bit of a challenge to get there as it is over 10km south of Khanom center along the coast. You can generally find places to eat or grab a drink at any of these beaches. All these beaches are not very busy, beautiful sand, and tranquil.

Located in the northern half of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Khanom may be geographically close to Ko Samui, but it is miles away in terms of development and the number of tourists. And it is this lack of development that appeals to discerning visitors who eschew Thailand’s bigger and better-known destinations in favor of laid-back Khanom with its long sandy beaches and friendly atmosphere.

Khanom Beach

A lovely wide open beach which is great for relaxing and swimming. There are restaurants and shops so no shortage of seafood and other food, the beach is a short drive from the city and can be popular on weekends and holidays. If you are strolling along the beach, keep your eyes open to potentially spotting the Knanom Pink Dolphin as Cindy and I were lucky enough to see one evening.

Kho Khao Beach

Start a long stretch of beach, and you can see the whole Bay from here. There are several restaurants right on the beach where you can get good Seafood and Thai Food. You can have your Lunch or Dinner here looking out over the bay. There are not many foreigners around, the menus are in Thai, but you can figure it out. Sit back and enjoy a cold Chang (Thai beer) looking out to the sea!

Hua Thanon Beach

A beautiful long stretch of beach. Lovely white sands all along this beautiful bay. Well, cleaned and looked after by the Resort’s Hotels and Restaurants. The water is clean, and warm! So enjoy your swim or walk along this beautiful beach. A point more or less in the middle of the beach in Khanom – a beach, which stretches continuously for more or less 6 km.

Ao Nang Yee Beach

We rode our bikes to this amazing beach, quite a trip, I must say, especially in the Thai heat, lots of hills, and a 10km ride from our accommodations. Google maps are your friend when you head out to find these extraordinary places. On this particular ride, we had a large snake (guessing 2 meters +) glide (fast) across the road just in front of us. We heard later that it could have been a king cobra as they are found in the area. The views on the way were incredible.

The beach is just at the end of the road. Arriving at the beach, you find it all to yourself, nice and quiet with a clean beach with many interesting rock features. Beautiful and calm, with just one homestay/restaurant. Walking on the beach, you feel like you are in a deserted paradise, like maybe Robinson Crusoe. It was unimaginable to swim or just lay back and enjoy, with nobody around to spoil the moment.

Experience Thai flavors

Thai food has some of the most unique flavors that you can experience; the only one to rival is Indian. Thai has this sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavor thing present in their cuisine. In Khanom, you have plenty of opportunities to experience these flavors at some local eateries, be they restaurants, hawker stalls, or at the local market.

Downtown has many restaurants to choose from, which we found to be inexpensive, quaint, and enjoyable. An issue that does arise is that most if not all eating establishments have their menus written in Thai; luckily, most display some form of picture to make the selection process easier. Even if you don’t know what you have ordered, the upside is that whatever you ordered is delicious and an experience in Thai cuisine. Most beaches have some form of food sales, from restaurants that serve seafood dishes to street hawkers that sell local favorites.

Khanom Pink Dolphin Tour

While visiting Khanom, the pink dolphin tour is a must. The area of Khanom is famous for its pink dolphins, a rare breed with a vibrant pink tinge, which can be seen in the waters off of Khanom. When these dolphins are born, their color is gray but becomes pink as they become older. We recommend booking with Khanom Tour as it is inexpensive and includes Khao Wang Thong Cave Tour and the SUAN TA SAN Fish Spa.

Setting off early in the morning, we drove to Nang Kam Beach, the hotspot for spotting pink dolphins. While sightings of pink dolphins in Khanom are part luck, guide, sea conditions, and weather, your best time seeing the pink dolphins are in the morning. From the pier, we hopped into the boat and set off with hopes of locating the pink dolphins.

Pancake Rock Formation

Traveling out to where we hoped to find the dolphins, we pass old wooden structures of days gone by. The sights of the area’s seascapes are beautiful; they seem to transport you to long ago when life was so much simpler. Looking at the shore, we see what we are told are pancake rocks; this is a phenomenon that only occurs in a couple of places globally, the other being New Zealand. Pancake rocks – named since the many layers of rock make them look like a pile of pancakes! Pancake Rock Formation is formed from layers of sedimentary rocks. Animal fossils can be found wedged in between them, making this site a paradise for paleontologists.

Pink Dolphin Spotted

After reaching the place where the Khanom Pink Dolphin is known to be spotted, we actively survey the waters for any signs of their presence. We are in luck as we spot several in the area, mostly always away from the boat, but they are here. Patience pays off, the dolphins come closer, but they can be difficult to get a good picture of as they are unpredictable when or where they surface.

Explore Khanom Markets (night, fish, and other)

Cindy and I love a local market; it doesn’t matter where we find ourselves on the globe. Furthermore, the market experience is like no other; once you step into one of these markets, you are on a journey that few visitors embark on. If you let them, markets will transform you; they make you appreciate culture, pull you into a life that, in most cases, is foreign to a visitor. Markets are an experience within themselves with exotic fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and a great selection of fresh fish. The market can additionally be an assault on your senses, sight, and smell, so be forewarned.

Saturday Night Market

Khanom is no different, we found 3 unique markets that we visited on a regular basis. The night market all so known as the Khanom Municipal market is held every Saturday from 3:00 in the afternoon till 9: pm at night offering clothing, nick nacks, electronics, fresh fruit, and vegetables. But the best part was the vast selection of local food favorites for sale from the street stalls. The selection of foods included everything from sweet treats (donuts), grilled fish (complete meal), pretty much everything grilled associated with local Thai cuisine.

We tried to sample most dishes offered as these flavors are unique and an experience to be savored. We purchased the grilled fish, a complete meal that we would take home to enjoy, inexpensive, and a meal we didn’t have to cook. A delightful surprise was the deep-fried grubs; this has always been something that I wished to try; I must say both Cindy and I enjoyed them very much. All you really taste are is the flavor of the seasoning added.

Fish & Khanom Markets

The morning fish market is located North of Khanom just across the bridge at Thoung Nian. This market offers more than fish, you can purchase fruits, vegetables, and other staples. The selection of fresh seafood was the draw, it was amazing.

The Khanom market was located south of town and open two days a week, Wednesday & Saturday, 6 am to 9 am. You could purchase fish, fruit vegetables, other staples, and miscellaneous items used around the house, knives, etc. A bonus at this market is that you could purchase local foods from the stalls set up around the area.

Khanom Hidden Caves

Khao Wang Thong Cave

No trip to Khanom is complete without exploring Khao Wang Thong Cave, the fourth largest cave in Thailand, perhaps the most beautiful in Khanom. This 50-meter-long and 500-meter-deep limestone cave is filled with not just stalagmites and stalactites. With helmets and flashlights, we climbed the steps leading to the small opening in the mountain’s wall. There is a Kan Thong district’s viewpoint at the cave entrance, where you can see a long way.

You have to squeeze through a narrow entrance and crawl on all fours under the low ceiling. You arrive in a small sanctuary and then go deeper into a vast series of rooms with incredible stalagmites and stalactites. The massive stalagmites on the ground and the stalactites hanging from the ceiling form strange shapes resembling pagodas, waterfalls, and even a dinosaur.

The cost of entry is free, but donations are much appreciated, guides are mandatory, again fees are by donation. Open from 8:30 am to 4 pm. Our trip was part of a package when we signed up for the Pink Dolphin Tour with Khanom Tour.

Khao Krot Cave

We rode our bikes out here from town, quite a ride, I think around 45km’s round trip. The scenery riding out to Khao Krot cave was impressive, with lots of rubber tree plantations, papaya plantations, and the likes. Thank you, Google maps. After arriving at the cave, there a stairwell leading up to two large caverns filled with stalactites home to a host of bats. Bring a flashlight (we forgot) as there are no lights inside, and without the light, you will not get far. Maybe someone can bring light and tell me what I missed.

Pamper Yourself, Thai Massage, A Unique Fish Spa

With all the activities you will find yourself doing, remember to take the time to look after yourself. Thailand is famous for numerous reasons; one of these is the Thai Massage. You’re in luck; several places in Khanom offer a Thai massage.

We stayed at Ban Thanyanan while in Khanom, and we highly recommend staying at this Airbnb, a beautiful location and an accommodating and friendly host. Thanyanan offers Thai massages on the premises at a reasonable cost for a 1-hour session. Numerous places around Khanom offer a Thai Massage, so what are you waiting for.

The SUAN TA SAN Fish Spa was part of a tour with Khanom Tour that included Pink Dolphins and Khao Wang Thong Caves, a tour worth booking, reasonable price for what you are able to see. This spa is located on a river and completely natural; you sit on a bench and let the fish do the rest. The minute you stick your feet into the water, tens and then hundreds of fish rush in to cleanse your feet. If you can stand the tickling for more than ten seconds, you will be fine, and when you take up your feet again after a few minutes, they will be smooth as baby skin!

The fish spa, also known as fish pedicure, functions to remove dead skin from your feet, leaving behind a newer skin layer. Most people that visit enjoyed the sensations, while others found the nibbling too ticklish or prickly. Take note that some fish may be host to bacteria that can be transmitted to your body, so try this activity at your discretion. We enjoyed it, Cindy was one more prone to the tickle and could only keep her feet in for short periods at a time.

Discover Serene Khnaom Waterfalls

With time on our hands, we were always looking for something to do; we had use of bikes from where we were staying and enjoyed riding, so distance wasn’t too much of an issue. With the help of Google, we found several waterfalls that we wanted to explore. Google reviews suggested that they were easy enough to find as well as serene and beautiful.

Namtok Hin Lat

Namtok Hin Lat falls the first waterfall on our list to locate; this was a comfortable ride. A little difficult to find once there you cross abridge, we went up the hill and found a dam of sorts but nothing overly impressive. So backtracking, we took the straight route after crossing the bridge and found what we were looking for, not so much falls but creek flowing over boulders—a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the water.

Samet Chun Waterfall

Samet Chun waterfall was a lovely 10km bike ride from our Airbnb Ban Thanyanan. Riding through the countryside, the sights are beautiful with plenty to see. Turning off the main road, the ride becomes more difficult, and the last part is a 20-minute walk up a hill. An impressive swimming area awaits you here, the swimming hole looking like an infinity pool that views over the valley. We were here in January, and the water flow was not an issue. The water we found to be very refreshing after our long bike ride; we were lucky to have the place all to ourselves. It’s best to go on weekdays days as it is less busy. The beautiful jungle setting, lack of tourists, and spectacular views add to the sense of this hidden paradise. We visited its spot several times we enjoyed it so much.

Accommodation options

Khanom has many options for accommodations from resorts, homestays, and Airbnb; you will find prices vary accordingly. We recommend Ban Thanyanan an Airbnb, beautiful location, apartments, pool, and an accommodating and friendly host.

Last Highlights Of Khanom Thailand

After reading this post, I’m sure that you have seen that we had bikes that we could use from our Airbnb stay; we made excellent use of them, riding over 500kms in the one-month stay in Khanom. Many of these rides were out into the countryside, which we immensely enjoyed; on our rides, we would often stop to enjoy a treat of deep-fried bananas and a cold bottle of beer.

I’m sure that you are aware that a tourist visa is only valid for 30 days and not a month; well, this came back to bite us in the ass. Before leaving George Town, our flight got changed, we ended flying to Thailand one day earlier; also, when I booked, I didn’t realize that I had mistakenly booked 31-days, not the 3o days that you are allowed. While departing from Surat Thani, the customs personnel caught our little mistake and fined us each 500 baht per day for overstaying our welcome. Not a large amount of money but just the same cost with no return value and a lesson. Just a heads up.

Final Thoughts On Khanom Thailand

• We loved our stay in Khanom and would recommend a visit. If you are looking for nightlife, stay away, as there is nothing to speak of, maybe a resort. Khanom offers the traveler a break from the fast-paced world, so sit back and enjoy. Book a week, experience its pleasures, stay longer and enjoy the smaller things in life.

Positives

• accommodations Ban Thanyanan
• Local foods and night markets (fish market) a delight to experience
• People are very friendly, helpful.
• Safe
• Having bikes available for use from our Airbnb
• Beaches and the surrounding countryside.

Negatives

• We have no negatives, Khanom was a positive experience

Would have, Could have, Should have

• Maybe we should have rented or found transportation to Ratchaprapha Dam, as this looked like it might have been a wonderful experience.

Next Stop

Well, we are on our way back to Penang, George Town, for our last 2 months, then home to Canada after a week’s stay in Hong Kong.

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Recommended Travel Essential

Cindy and I call ourselves nomadic so with this lifestyle, we use certain essentials to make this way of life easier and more comfortable. With this in mind, we have composed a list of what we feel are essentials and some tips you might use to plan or take your next travel adventure.

• Travel Packing Essentials to help organize and make this task less stressful
• Travel Safety Essentials to make your life on the road a little safer, giving you peace of mind
• Living Essentials to make life a little more comfortable, be this resting, working, or playing.

Accommodation Options While Traveling The World

• Booking.com is one of our go to’s when we are looking for a place to stay for a couple of days or longer
• Agoda.com we find is best to use when in Southeast Asia, but hey you never know what you might find
• Airbnb.com used to be our go-to but some of their cancelation policies are reasonable, give them a try as well

Travel Insurance

We always travel with some sort of travel Insurance be it just medical or complete trip coverage. We use Heymondo as we find their costs reasonable. Remember don’t travel and without coverage, the savings are not worth the possible costs.

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