Why Prachuap Khiri Khan is our new favorite town in Thailand
When planning our trip from Chiang Mai to Singapore, a few readers had mentioned the town of Prachuap Khiri Khan to us. With our last few stops being about temples, big cities, and partying, we figured a nice quiet beach town would be the perfect break. It ended up being exactly that – with impressive karst geography and lots of monkeys thrown in (including a protected species. More on that below).
Accommodation: We stayed at the Prachuap Beach Hotel. Very good.
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What makes Prachuap Khiri Khan special?
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I’ll describe through photos.
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‘1. A beautiful geographic location
Prachuap Khiri Khan is situated on a bay between two large limestone hills. It has a long boardwalk that comes alive in the evenings. Days were too hot when we were here (April) but evening is when locals come out to walk or bike along the boardwalk. Very quiet and peaceful.
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‘2. Ao Manao Beach
Ao Manao is the nicest beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan and is (weirdly) accessed through the Wing 5 Airforce base. You enter (by Tuk Tuk is the best), have to sign in, and then drive through the base – and across a runway – to the beach. Our first time there we actually had to pause for 5 minutes because a plane was landing. Despite this the beach is very popular and has tons of little restaurants set up where you can sit down and enjoy some food, drink, and a day at the beach.
3. Dusky Langur monkeys
Also on the Wing 5 Base is a Langur preservation area. Known as Dusky Langurs or Dusky Leaf monkeys, they’re nothing like the aggressive macaques you’ll see further down on this post. They’re calm and gentle and will even take fruit out of your hand (although I wish people like the girl above wouldn’t tease them. I wonder how much she would like it if I teased her with food). Dusky Langurs are only found in parts of Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar. Their numbers have been going down, the reason for the preservation area on the base. You’ll notice something peculiar with the photos above – babies are born orange. Even if you’re afraid of monkeys you don’t have to be afraid of Dusky Langurs.
‘4. Really Good Seafood
There’s tons of good seafood in Prachuap Khiri Khan. You can see it drying at the beach, buy it fresh in the market, or sit down at a restaurant along the beach road and eat a variety of fish, squid or crustacean.
‘5. Fishing Boats and Old Planes at the Wing 5 Airbase
Very close to the Langur preservation area, Wing 5 Airbase has a section full of old planes. Right next to them is a beach full of fishing boats and views on the town.
‘6. Great views and braving the Macaques on ‘Monkey Mountain’
Khao Chong Krachok is the most noticeable landmark in Prachuap Khiri Khan. You’ll see the hill and the yellow staircase leading up to the temple at the top: Wat Thammikaram Worawihan. But most people just call this hill “Monkey Mountain”, which sounds kind of sinister – as it should be because the macaques that live up there have a reputation of being aggressive. Reviews on Trip Advisor tell you that they’ll rip anything that looks like food out of your hand and will bare their fangs and hiss at you.
After being warned by a few people I decided not to go. But it nagged at me. I wanted to see the views. I also felt like a coward and knew I would regret it later. So on the last day in PKK I decided to do it. I took my Go Pro stick (people tell you that you should bring a stick) and started the 396 stair climb.
I didn’t have any problems. Most of the monkeys made way as I climbed up the stairs. They were calm and barely looked at me. A few stared too intently and I warned them off with the stick. I saw about 150 macaques on my way up the stairs. I was the only person up there.
And I’m glad I did it. The views are spectacular. But best of all I conquered a fear.
So my tip: don’t let your fear win. And bring a stick just in case.
‘7. Weekend Market
On Friday and Saturday nights Beach road breaks out into a large market. It reminded us of Nong Khai’s Saturday market (our other favorite Thai town). And just like Nong Khai suddenly the whole town is out there, eating and shopping*. It happened on our last night and we regretted not having stayed an additional night.
*You can look forward to mixing with both other visitors and locals – and if you take the time to learn Thai online before your trip, you can communicate with the locals easily and make the most of this vibrant experience.
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So why should you visit Prachuap Khiri Khan? It’s a pretty, chilled out kind of place with beautiful geography, nice beaches and cute monkeys. It’s also inexpensive and a good substitute to the beaches further south (which is another reason we ended up here. In PKK we paid $25 US/night for accommodation, on the southern islands you’ll pay about $100 US this time of year and the place will be packed with young backpackers).
How about living here as an Expat? Lissette said she loved it and if she had to choose a place in Thailand Prachuap Khiri Khan would be it. She liked the people, she found them interesting. I think it’s too quiet for me. I don’t know what I would do in PKK. But I love the geography and nature, how clean the town is (very, very clean streets), and the friendliness of the people.
Prachuap Khiri Khan is also close to Sam Roi Yot National Park which is full of natural highlights including the Phraya Nakhon Cave Temple.
At the very least you should visit Prachuap Khiri Khan if looking for a spot to spend some time on your travels between Bangkok and Southern Thailand. It really is a special town.
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Practical Information:
– We stayed at the Prachuap Beach Hotel. The room was incredibly clean and management is friendly and helpful.
– We found good quality restaurants in Prachuap Khiri Khan. We always had breakfast at the Milano Coffee and Guesthouse (great Western breakfast, super coffee, and the lady who works there is the best. We would have lunch at Grandma’s House (Western and Thai food, coffee and great smoothies), and dinner at one of the seafood places along the beach road.
– Getting to Prachuap Khiri Khan. There’s the train as I mention above. If you want to get there even faster from Bangkok or Pattaya, you can get a private transfer. We pre-bought our tickets online using 12Go Asia. They have lots of transportation options.
– To go to Ao Manao beach and to go see the Dusky Lemurs, you need to enter the Wing 5 Airbase. Foreigners need to bring their passports and to sign in when you enter the base.
Related: Why Hua Hin isn’t for us
Related: Bbqboy’s Ultimate Guide to the Best of Thailand (for adults)
Related: Photos of Nong Khai, Thailand. You’ll see why we love this town…
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“I think it really depends on the individual. I (Frank) DO think it would be very quiet but on the other hand I really don’t like HH. I’d still choose PKK. But yes, I can see going a bit crazy. I think PKK good if you have a wife, maybe kids, and are just looking for a quiet place to settle. Not the place for a single guy on the prowl”
Great article and some good comments here. I have driven nearly 20,000km on my motorbike around TH looking for a home to settle down and a wife. I think i found the wife part and we will come visit PKK together and stay a while but as much as i love the North i don’t want to settle down there with the smoke issue.Pollution and road safety are my only two issues in TH and both can be mitigated. Trains and living far enough south are the answer as well as staying far away from scooter riders who do not ride motorbikes back home. ie: Phuket, Samui etc will always be very dangerous.
So i have been crawling around the Gulf Coast and will do some more trips down south to Trang/Songkhla both of which have been mentioned as similar towns to PKK. There are much quieter areas in between PKK and Chumphon but i want to be close to amenities and a trip to Hua Hin if i need it but prefer no traffic jams or crazy drivers and clean air to start. A walkable or bike-able town like PKK are a rarity here and the tourists i did meet in PKK were really great people.Everyone has different criteria and no where is perfect. The stray dogs and monkeys are better than some things i can think of though back home that live on the street and are unsafe to be around.
Thank you very much for the comment David. Another place we really liked in Thailand was Nong Khai but you hit it the head with the smoke issue. I think PKK a nice place for the quiet life 🙂
I enjoyed everyone’s feed back. I have been traveling from the US to Thailand since 2004. In the past 6 years I have spent half year in PKK from the US as a Seasonal Expat. I was living in Chiangmai but the burning season made me look for cleaner air and I found it in PKK. I have lived with my Thai wife in Eassan in Ubon Ratchatanni and it get’s real isolated being a foreinger because very few people speaks English. It’s ok for a while but then I find it is imporant for me to beable to convese with someone in english and hangout with other westerners. However, PKK has everything you need. They have Thai Traditonal festivals and Provence Events every other month which last for 1 week or 1 1/2 weeks wish is good and bad. A lot of loud music and traffic if you live close to soi 2 or second row. PKK is the Capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan. Alot of people think Hua Hin is but Hua Hin is just the known toursit town and offer better hospitals than PKK, should you need serious medical. The Festivals are nice but sometimes, it’s over kill. I would recommend staying farther back away from the main boardwalk. It has a great community gym and olympic size pool at the stadium and riding a motor bike or bicycle is very easy. I am in my late 50’s and I find it very boring. It’s nice for a few months, but then it get to quiet and your talking to yourself everyday. You can only mediate for so long. If you don’t know Thai then you will be spending time in your head or talking to your Thai wife. More stimulation is needed for long term stay. I think Jontiem or Ko Chang would be a better fit for me. However, to get away for a few months – PKK is great!
You made me laugh with the last part of your comment. Don’t let you Thai wife read your comment.
Yes, my thoughts about PKK exactly. Really like it…but to be there for a long time I don’t know what I would do with myself. As you say, you can only meditate for so long 🙂
Dear all who knows about Prachuap,
PRACHUAP / Muang Prachuap
Over the past several years, I have visited Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and in particular traveled a lot in Thailand.
I am now full of all these travels and have lately looked for the “place” for longer stays and in a few years to settle down permanently.
I have visited Prachuap a few times in the past and believe that the city can offer me what I am looking for.
What I have been looking for is a city more reminiscent of the Thailand that once was, which is quiet, has a minimum of facilities, a glorious beach, and a nice harbor proenade as well as a few natural parks at a reasonable distance.
Now I’m off to Prachuap again, this time for an extended period. You must feel how it actually is before you make big decisions.
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Should anyone have any experience from Prachuap, I would be very grateful to hear about these. After all, the knowledge and experiences of others are a goldmine.
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I am particularly interested in what it is to live in Prachuap and whether anyone has experience renting or buying a house.
Thanks in advance for any feedback 😊
Peter P.
Thank you for your comment Peter. I hope maybe this post will reach someone who can give you more info. Good luck!
If you go to YouTube and search “Thai Girl Gift & Foreigner Joe” he details his house build in PKK. JJ is a contractor that builds and sells houses in PKK. Joe talks about him and he is also on Joes & Gifts channel. I have seen JJ work in a subdivision he did – and it ok. H was selling houses for $120K to $150K usd at the time which was 2019. If you go to Facebook page and search Prachuap Khiri Khan you can find rentals in PKK or the next town over based the airbase. Houses are renting for $550 on up for a 2 to 3 bedroom. Also, if you are in town just ask the Thai locals and they usually know someone who is renting. Hop this helps. Different people / expats from up north Chaingmai and other houses places usually travel to PKK around late Jan to Mar to get away from the burning season up north. It’s also really cheap just to rent a hotel for a month or several months on the beach and just eat out. $25 to $28 usd. I know a few people that rent for 3 to 6 months at the hotel with breakfast included to get away from the snow in there home country.
I’ve lived in Prachuap Khiri Khan for five years. Some of the positives are noted here already. The negatives are that after a month it gets really boring. It’s really too small and too quiet. Occasionally I’ll go to Hua Hin (a busier, tourist town) for a few days to break the boredom. After a few days in Hua Hin, I’ve had enough of the noise and traffic and love to go home again. I even rented a room in HH for six months with a view of moving there permanently. But I finally decided to stay in Prachuap. I think for a newcomer the decision is easy. If you can handle the slow pace, boredom and repetition then Prachuap is a good place to live. If you need more action, choice, restaurants, shopping, other expats, etc. then Hua Hin is a better bet. Because both places are only an hour drive away. Another candidate place I’ve looked at that maybe not too small but not too big to live is Songkla.
If Frank thinks PKK will be too quiet for him he’s right. It will be.
Thanks Chris for this. I think it really depends on the individual. I (Frank) DO think it would be very quiet but on the other hand I really don’t like HH. I’d still choose PKK. But yes, I can see going a bit crazy. I think PKK good if you have a wife, maybe kids, and are just looking for a quiet place to settle. Not the place for a single guy on the prowl 🙂
As a place to visit I think PKK a great place and a breath of fresh air compared to many beach locations in Thailand. We really enjoyed our week and it was very affordable.
Just don’t take any food of drink with you on show. And the monkeys won’t even bother you. As I found out myself. Them steps on monkey island really make your legs burn the next day ?
For sure don’t bring food, that’s just asking for monkey trouble 🙂 You’re right it’s quite the walk up. But worth it right?
I am excited to go here. It will be my first time in Thailand. I have no interest in temples etc, but want to see wildlife. I’m going to Khao Yai national park straight from Bangkok for a while and then taking a long series of trains so I can see this area (seeing Kui Buri and Sam Roi Yot) and I think I will stay in PKK instead of HH. I really want to see those adorable monkeys 🙂
If you enjoy nature you’ll like PKK. Warning: there’s not much going on, it’s quiet. But it’s clean and the people are friendly. And you’ll get to see all those monkeys. We didn’t see those national parks but I hear they’re beautiful. Sounds like you’ll get a lot of nature and wildlife 🙂
Wonderful article. We’ve booked to stay here in October 2018. Now, having read this, I am even more excited. And I’d agree with the above comments. Trang is wonderful.
Thank you very much Jenny. Also about your comment about Trang – haven’t been but have heard good things.
Langur preservation area – don’t think it was there 5 years ago. Glad you made it to PKK, awesome seafood at low prices. It’s the only town I’ve been to where every dish I ate was great.
I can also recommend Trang town for your next trip.
PKK is quiet though. Not sure about living there either but for 3 to 5 nights it’s great. The beaches are very shallow though so it’s more about the food and views which are both top notch.
I also think you would like Ko Chang despite not being beach people. Very nice food there too plus a mountain inland to climb and waterfalls. Laidback atmosphere.
Thanks Tom. I think I remember you came to the blog a few years back on my Hua Hin post and even back then you recommended PKK.
I was thinking of going to Trang and from there seeing a few islands…maybe next time.
Hey Frank….I’m happy to read that you and Lissette really enjoyed your time in PKK. It was quite hot when I was there last Nov. I can just imagine what it must have been like in April. Still, there’s an easy going pace in PKK and as your brilliant photos show…..it’s a gorgeous setting!
Yeah those macaques made me nervous going up Monkey Mtn and I made sure I finished my watermelon before heading up……but the views are definitely worth it. Interesting about the dusky langur colony on Wing 5 -I wasn’t aware of it. BTW, that night market along the promenade moves to the market area adjacent to the train tracks on other days. I liked that it was more oriented to Thais rather than to farangs as in other night markets.
I’m on Lissette’s side with regards to PKK as a potential expat location. If you need a bit more action, Hua Hin is just up the hwy (1.5 hrs I think). There are enough expats living in PKK that there’s a bit of a community….in the week I was there, I met many, some permanent, some seasonal. I’ll probably head back there this coming winter, this time stay for a month or so.
Great photos….I already miss that warm Asian smile and those gorgeous tropical beaches. I’ve been in Puglia, Italy for the last month taking Italian lessons and while I find the local folks always ready to help, it does seem difficult to make a connection the way you frequently can in SEA. And while the Italians rave about their stony Adriatic beaches and the “frutti di mare” here, there is simply no comparison to what you can have in SEA.
Enjoy your time in Malaysia
dg
Thanks for the the feedback Don. In many ways PKK reminds me of Nong Khai – except PKK even quieter. You’re right, HH 1.5 hrs up the road – we didn’t like it though. We found Hua Hin very dirty (I wrote about that here). In contrast, PKK prides itself on it’s cleanliness. We were very impressed by the clean roads and sidewalks and didn’t see any rats/roaches during our time (although stray dogs an issue).
I love the way you travel Don. Taking Italian lessons huh? The day we go back to Italy, Puglia is one of the areas we’d like to explore (the other is Sicily).
You really should have your own blog 🙂
The “stony” Adriatic beaches. Yes. Same in Croatia – it’s famous for it’s beaches but they are in fact very overrated. you’re right , compared to SEA no comparison. On the other hand, there are aspects of SEA that don’t appeal to us and after another 3 months there I don’t think Lissette and I would chose to live in the region. We always prefer Europe. But I think that’s for another post…
Thanks for your always interesting comments Don.
Frank
This is a definitely a place we would want to visit. Being quiet isn’t an issue for us and the laidbackness is exactly what we enjoy…
Thanks for sharing this post! Never would have heard of this place otherwise.
Appreciate the comment Jack! 🙂
“Don’t let your fear win. And bring a stick just in case.”
Ah, words to live by! Thanks, Frank. Always enjoy reading of your travels!
Paul
Wonderful! Thanks Frank. Some time ago I looked for information about PKK and this is the best by far. Good on you for not letting the monkeys get to you. I read somewhere that along the coast here at certain times there are some really savage sand fly type insects so bad that you have to stay off the beach. Do you know anything about this?
Thank you very much John.
I didn’t hear anything about that in PKK and we didn’t have any issues. But I just googled it and I see comments that it can be a problem up in the coast in Hua Hin (note: I don’t know if it has anything to do with sand flies, but Ao Manoa beach a lot cleaner than the beaches in HH).
Wow, guess I have a reason to return to Thailand. I have never even heard of Prachuap Khiri Khan. To be honest, I never went to any city on the Gulf of Thailand but after looking at your pics I really regret not hitting that area. The seafood alone makes me wish I had that Mary Poppins magic where I could just pop into photos and explore.
Love all the wild monkeys running around and I bet Darcee would have a field day in the Weekend Market. So many things to see and do.
Thanks Eric. We were looking for a stopoff somewhere between Bangkok and Hat Yai. A few years ago we tried Hua Hin and didn’t like it. But a few people we know, mostly Thailand regulars, mentioned PKK to us as the nicest town along that stretch. We really liked how tranquil it was and the geography. It was a bit like Southern Thailand without the crowds.
my number one place in Thailand, we decided to buy house here ,,,, so happy.. hope tourist will not read your post ;)) , it is quiet here, it must stay like that… except monkey in town that. are extending they territory every year
Yes, those monkeys. A lot of people complain and they just keep reproducing…
I’ve had a lot of people mention buying homes in PKK. Great investment I think!