Narathiwat Travel Guide

Travelling to Narathiwat in year 2000 with my partner was one of our adventurous trip as backpackers from Kuala Lumpur heading North in Kelantan. Access from Malaysia is convenient via a ninety-minute bus trip and two immigration points where travelers can cross into Thailand and vice versa. With Amphoe Su-ngai Kolok serving as an economic and border tourism center, the province welcomes an increasing numbers of Malaysians and Singaporeans on short holidays or shopping sprees. Sungai Kolok has more than its fair share of hotels, many of them short-time joints catering mainly to Malaysian men who skip over the border or a bit of action in the town's many karaoke bars and coffee houses. The restaurant scene is also pretty basic (though tasty) with noodle shops, roti stalls and typical shopfronts the staple. If you're crossing the border here, coming from Malaysia, after clearing immigration either take a motorbike taxi or just follow the main road into town -- it's about a ten minute walk to the start of town and the train station. Sungai Kolok has suffered a series of bombings, arson attacks and killings as a result of the ongoing trouble in Thailand's far south and while none of these attacks have specifically targeted westerners, you should exercise care, particularly in the outlying districts. Expect to see a heightened military presence with humvees and soldiers fully kitted out both in town and in the surrounding area. Amidst the tight security & all, that did not stop us from travelling to Narathiwat. Capital of the same-named province, Narathiwat sits on the bank of the Bang Nara River, south of Bangkok by road. A particularly friendly spot & roughly 66 km from Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat has the rustic charm that has disappeared from so many of the other far southern Thai provincial capitals. Although the bulk of the town is now comprised of the typical concrete egg-carton style buildings, it still has a generous helping of old wooden buildings and a few sino-portuguese shopfronts by the riverfront. Most travellers treat Narathiwat as an overnight stop (if that) as many choose to head north to the larger centres such as Hat Yai, while others bypass it completely, in part no doubt due to the ongoing difficulties that blight this portion of Thailand. Narathiwat appears to be very popular with cyclists who use it as a breather before pushing on north or south. We took great opportunities to spend days at the beach and in the forests and take excursion trips to some of the magnificent temples! For those who choose to stay though, expect to be rewarded with some excellent southern Thai hospitality and enough Muslim eateries and curries to last a lifetime. Those who do choose to stay here often find themselves marking Narathiwat as a place to return to, well, which me & my partner did! As far as security is concerned, the bulk of security incidents have taken place outside the provincial capital, mostly in rural districts that most travellers would be unlikely to find themselves. Nevertheless, care should be exercised and the early evening curfew instituted by some hotels, is best adhered to. Is it safe to travel to Narathiwat? Well, i shall leave it to you to decide. And oh, My honest opinion, Narathiwat is an amazing and unique area with a constant flow of culture and trade between Thais and Malaysians.