This medium sized provincial capital 460km south of Bangkok and 195km north of Surat Thani is considered by Thais as the gateway to southern Thailand both in the literal geographic sense as well as culturally. Historically, it has been a battle field several times over, in struggles with Burma for possession of the Isthmus of Kra, and more recently, a Japanese invasion during WWII.

Chumphon is known as more or less of a pit stop on the Thailand travel scene, though some would simply stop at the word 'pit'. The name originally means social meeting place, but nowadays it's more like, waiting room for cranky falang. This is where you stop-over to catch the ferry to Ko Tao, which is renowned for it's scuba diving and mellow, party atmosphere. It's also the major junction for visa runs to Burma via Ranong to the west. Perhaps because of the constant stream of show-and-blow visitors, the tourist culture here tends to be a little cynical, but once you leave the well-beaten path, the denizens of Chumphon begin to show their warm, welcoming side. There are some good, cheap places to stay here and motorbike hire is readily available for exploring the surrounding area.