Ranong province
Travellers are slowing starting to catch on to the natural wonders of Ranong Province as while it is one of southern Thailand's sleepier provinces, Ranong nevertheless boasts peaceful island getaways, virgin rainforests, natural hot springs and world-class diving.
Most visitors to Ranong Province are coming to the same-named capital to do their "visa run" across to Burma to give themselves another 30 days in Thailand, but it's well worth sticking around a bit longer. If you have the time, try to combine a visit to Ranong town with a few days on one of two nearby islands, Ko Chang and Ko Phayam.
With about 162,000 inhabitants, Ranong is Thailand's least-populated province, but they're a diverse bunch at that. Burmese, Chinese and Thai Muslims have all played roles in the history of the region and each group retains a visible presence on the streets of the provincial capital. Mainstays of the local economy include fishing, white clay extraction for porcelain, rubber production and cashew nut farming.
Ranong receives more rain than any other province in Thailand, with an average of 4,200mm in a year. The driest months are between November and April, and this is when most tourists are about. Several dive schools now use Ranong as a launching pad for the largely unexplored islands of the Mergui Archipelago, which runs up the Burmese side of the Malay Peninsular. The waters contain some spectacular and unspoiled dive sites, including the Burma Banks and Black Rock.
Ranong snakes up the eastern side of the Isthmus of Kra, the narrowest part of the peninsula. It's bordered by Phang Nga Province to the south, Chumphon to the east and Myanmar to the west.
