Pakbara, Thailand - An Unexpectedly Great Place to Chill Out

Pakbara, Thailand – An Unexpectedly Great Place to Chill Out

Pakbara is the gateway to the tropical islands of Satun Province, Thailand. That includes the pristine islands within Koh Tarutao National Park, super famous ‘hot spot’ Koh Lipe and low-key Koh Bulon.

Koh Lipe has become so outrageously popular, especially among Thai travelers, that a massive pier was built at Pakbara a few years ago in order to handle the throngs of Thai vacationers heading to / from Lipe on a daily basis for several months of the year.

jam-packed speed boat to Koh Lipe

Visitors are swept out to the islands via super-size speed boats, dubbed ‘ferries’. When I say ‘super size’ I mean it: the small speed boats carry 100 passengers! The larger ones several hundred people at once. At least 2 boats per day make the trip out to Koh Lipe, often stopping briefly en route at national Park headquarters on quieter Koh Tarutao.

Because of the huge influx of travelers, a cluster of boat travel agencies, restaurants, shops selling clothes, beach & food supplies have developed around the pier. There’s even a large 7-eleven and a few ATM machines at tiny Pakbara now!

Simply put, Pakbara is just a boat pier servicing tourists bustling to/from the Satun islands.

Pakbara Pier – Thailand

I, for one, would never have considered Pakbara a destination in itself. On the contrary, I figured it must be a noisy, hectic raw place packed with groups of loud noisy tourists being herded to/from their respective boats and tour buses. I considered it a place to be avoided at all costs.

So I wasn’t especially thrilled at the idea of staying over night in Pakbara between island hopping jaunts. I only went there after two weeks on the Tarutao National Park islands to buy more supplies and get much-needed money from the ATM machine. I had planned to simply grab some cash, bustle through the little shops buying supplies, then catch a boat to my next island destination.

fishing boat at Pakbara

Then I realized I’d be rushing around in the midday tropical heat between hectic boat trips. And I probably needed to make a trip to the nearby town of La Ngu for certain less common supplies I wouldn’t be able to find in Pakbara. Somehow I also needed to put in a few hours of work that day. On top of that, I was pretty tired from camping for two solid weeks and being herded around in jam-packed ‘ferries’. So I reluctantly decided to take a guest house room for one night.

To my amazement, I quickly discovered that Pakbara is, in fact, a great chilled-out place to hang out and unwind for a few days! In fact, it was much quieter and less hectic than the islands I had just visited, including the national park islands. Besides it’s laid-back ambiance, Pakbara has much more to recommend it as a get-away:

my guest house in Pakbara – tucked down a little side road

Cheap quiet guest houses & hotels:

My guest house, located down a dusty side road off the main drag, was very quiet, aside from a few vehicles passing by during the day. The room itself was so quirky and odd that I think it’s one of the strangest rooms I’ve ever stayed at in 14 years of travels! It made me laugh.

Several other bungalow resorts are scattered around Pakbara, some beach-side, some inland. Some with only a/c rooms, others with fans. Room rates range from just 200 BT for a simple fan room to 600 BT or more for a/c rooms.

sunset at Pakbara Beach

Pakbara Beach and Views:

Pakbara has a long sweeping beach with fantastic views over the sea and nearby islands stretching southward. The beach is utterly deserted except for Sundays when local Thais pop over on their day off for a meal with views. The beach is a great place to watch sunrises and sunsets, take a stroll, watch local fishermen or simply enjoy the stunning scenery.

Pakbara beach is lined with charming local-style restaurants that offer guests cute Thai thatch pavilions set on sand overlooking the beach to dine at. Many specialize in seafood. Others serve a large variety of Thai dishes.

beachside Thai restaurant

Cheap and Varied Thai Food:

Unlike the islands, Pakbara has many local food shops offering a huge variety of tasty Thai dishes, all at normal mainland Thai prices. In comparison, the islands offer only tourist restaurants with inflated prices and a very limited selection.

After I had to eat the same 3-4 dishes over and over again out at the islands for 2 weeks, I certainly appreciated some variety for a change. It was also a nice relief to pay normal Thai prices for meals instead of double or triple price at the islands.

Friendly people: The people in Pakbara, even those in the tourist shops around the pier, are quite friendly, down to Earth and distinctly not pushy. I found that quite surprising and refreshing for such a super popular, tourist packed spot in Thailand. Usually in such places, locals have a jaded, aloof attitude towards tourists. Not in Pakbara!

The following two points are more like personal quirks that made Pakbara even better from my perspective.

Friendly cats:

I’m crazy about cats. No matter where I am, whenever I see a cat I can’t help but say hello, stop for a pat and try to make a new friend. The way many people are with human babies I am with cats.

Pakbara is full of friendly cats who love to have a chat and a rub by any passing humans who express the interest. Needless to say, in Pakbara I had a grand time petting as many cats as I could.

Espresso!

I’m also a huge espresso fan, a drink not so easy to find in rural areas of SE Asian countries.

Much to my surprise one little shop at Pakbara pier serves espresso coffees. They even use a decent coffee brand: BonCafe. I was thrilled to get my tasty caffeine fix each day I stayed in Pakbara.

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Conclusions:

For me: After being bustled around in the midst of massive Thai crowds on piers and in giant speed boats, I was really thankful to find a quiet empty low-key place to chill out for a few days. Ironically, I had started my island hopping trip to immerse myself in nature and quiet, but I found the quietest place on the Thai mainland instead

For you: If you’re island hopping through southern Thailand and find yourself in need of a break – perhaps partied out, over-saturated by crowds and noise, or sick of the islands’ highly inflated prices – Pakbara might be just the place you need to unwind for a few days before resuming your travels.

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You might also like:

Koh Tarutao Island National Park

10 Free Things to do in Bangkok

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