Don Hoi Lot

Don Hoi Lot is a sandbar of river and sea sediment, about five kilometres by three, at the mouth of the Mae Klong river, built up where fresh and salt water meet, and it is one of the few places in Thailand where this landform occurs at scale. Its name comes from hoi lot, the razor clam that lives buried in the mud there - a species found only in the northern Gulf of Thailand, with its largest population here. Harvesting is done by hand at low tide: gatherers walk the flats and drop lime powder into the clam's breathing hole, which makes it shoot upward and out to be caught. Visitors can walk the exposed flats at low water or take a boat out when the tide is in. Along the shore is a long line of seafood restaurants built out over the water, and razor clams cooked several ways are the reason most Thai visitors come. The site has been Ramsar-listed since 2001. Everything depends on the tide - at high water the flats are simply under the sea and there is nothing to walk on.

The landscape

• The sandbar - kilometres of sediment flats at the river mouth.
• The clam harvest - lime powder dropped into breathing holes to flush the clams out.
• The stilt restaurants - seafood served over the water along the shore.
• The Ramsar wetland - the estuary's protected status and its birds.

When to go

March to May gives the lowest tides and the best exposure of the flats. Check tide times before going - at high water there is nothing to see. Weekends bring Thai day-trippers from Bangkok.

Good to know

Entirely tide-dependent - arriving at high water means an empty trip. The flats are hot, exposed and muddy to walk on. Facilities are the restaurants and little else.

Nearby

Amphawa floating market is close; the Maeklong railway market is a short drive.

Key facts