The most Instagrammable destinations in southern Thailand
These hot spots will have your selfie stick working overtime.
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6 years ago
Pikun Thong Royal Development Study Center, Narathiwat
The province of Narathiwat has always relied heavily on agriculture to generate income, but for decades its low-lying position and plethora of peat swamps meant much of its organic soil remained flooded year-round. As part of his Royal Projects initiative, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej founded this study center in 1981 to figure out a way to give the people of Narathiwat their livelihoods back. Spread over 1,740 rai, the center is filled with lush jungle, vast greeneries and sparkling ponds—tons of material to keep your camera busy.
95 Moo 6, Ka Lu Wor Nua, Mueng, Narathiwat, 073-631-038. Open Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm
Chiew Lan Lake, Surat Thani
With floating hotels and dark wooden walkways stretching left and right, Chiew Lan Lake in Khao Sok National park, Surat Thani, almost has a Maldives-esque quality to it—minus the proper beach and ocean. But, honestly, the beautiful jungle-clad mountains that encircle the lake will make you forget the Maldives even exists. Drop your bags at 500rai Floating Resort to get the most out of your stay (B15,000/person on weekdays, including all meals, water activities, a local cycling tour and boat transfer to the hotel).
Koh Mook, Trang
No Instagram feed is complete without at least one photo of a limestone karst surrounded by clear, white beach—the latter becoming increasingly hard to find these days. If you want to avoid the heavy tourist riff-raff, journey out to Koh Mook just 30 minutes by boat from the shores of Trang Province (B300). The island itself remains less famous than its main attraction, Tham Morakot, also known as the Emerald Cave. We recommend you take a tour with a local operator such as Koh Mook Chao Lay Trang (085-454-4979) or A Koh Mook (www.akohmook.com), which both offer various walking and cycling routes around the island before embarking on a boat ride to learn about the local fishing industry.
Songkhla
Long overshadowed by Hat Yai, Songkhla Province’s capital city (also called Songkhla) has found a niche attracting traveling art lovers. The city’s vibrant street art scene has taken over three of its major roads (Nang Ngam, Nakhon Nok and Nakhon Nai) almost entirely as part of a project named “Songkhla Maha Sanook” (Songkhla great fun). Fifteen large murals stretch across the streets depicting local ways of life, from the making of budu (a signature Southern fish sauce) to examples of racial tolerance.
Phatthalung
Neighboring Songkhla, this Southern province is accruing a following among photographers thanks to the Talay Noi wetlands. Home to the country’s largest waterfall, Talay Noi isn’t just Thailand’s first wildlife sanctuary but also one of 2,000 global wetland areas listed by the international Ramsar Convention as being of extreme importance. The sanctuary sees more than 200 bird species migrate to the area from as far off as Siberia during December to April. The province is also a famous spot to catch the red lotus in bloom from February until April.
Koh Racha
Koh Racha, a pair of twin Islands on the southeastern side of Phuket, is a popular destination for day-trips to snorkel and dive. They’re home to a large variety of marine life. On the west side, there is a long U-shaped bay known as Patok beach with beautiful white sand and turquoise water that makes for an excellent calm swim spot. With the proper phone gear, you can even take some uber-hipster underwater shots while you are at it.
Immortalize your Instagram memories with the HP Sprocket
Physical photos are back! The new HP Sprocket is a pocket-sized photo printer that connects to both IOS and Android devices to produce instant 2x3 sticky-back prints of your favorite candid moments—a simple and enjoyable way to get photos off your phone. It’s small enough to carry in a bag, you don’t have to hassle with ink cartridges and the internal battery lets you print anywhere for immediate photo gratification.
The HP Sprocket is exceptionally easy to use and prints straight from your phone. The image editing tools bring fun to an otherwise ordinary task. With the HP sprocket app you can enjoy customizing your photos with colorful frames, text, stickers and filters, and easily peel-and-stick wherever you like. Only this December, give the gift you love. Sprocket comes with 50 complimentary sheets of ZINK paper and an exclusive box set. You can find them at HP’s online store, Lazada, Bananastore and leading lifestyle retailers.
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