Mu Ko Chumphon National Park

Mu Ko Chumphon, a national park since 1999, covers around forty islands and a stretch of coast on the western side of the Gulf of Thailand, and it is one of the least visited marine parks in the country - Chumphon is mostly a place people pass through on the way to Ko Tao, and the islands offshore get a fraction of the attention. The diving is the substance: pinnacles including Hin Lak Ngam and Hin Phae hold soft coral, schooling fish and, in season, whale sharks, and the sites are close enough to Chumphon to run as day trips. Several of the limestone islands have swiftlet caves worked for edible bird's nests under concession, and those are closed to visitors and guarded. On Ko Rang Kachiu, King Chulalongkorn's monogram is carved into the rock at the mouth of the nest cave, and Thung Kha-Sawi Bay on the mainland shore is a Ramsar wetland. Some islands have beaches and simple camping through the park. The gulf's weather pattern makes the season here different from the Andaman - it is best from February into September, with the monsoon arriving from October into January.

The landscape

• The dive pinnacles - Hin Lak Ngam and others, with soft coral and schooling fish.
• The bird's nest islands - swiftlet caves under concession, closed and guarded.
• The quiet - one of the least visited marine parks in Thailand.
• The camping islands - simple park facilities on a few of the beaches.

When to go

February to September - the gulf monsoon runs October to January here, the reverse of the Andaman. Whale sharks pass in the season without any reliable pattern.

What to expect

Very little infrastructure - boats are arranged locally and there is no organised tourist operation of scale. Bird's nest islands are off limits and access is enforced. Camping facilities are basic. Foreign entry fees are higher than Thai.

Nearby

Chumphon town is inland; Ko Tao is south-east by ferry.

Key facts