Things to do in Narathiwat

Haad Narathat

This is the closest beach to town, a mere 20 minute walk, or 15B motorbike ride away. Backed by causarinas, the beach area is very popular on weekends but nearly deserted on weekdays. Made up of a few small bays separated by piles of rocks, the water is surprisingly clean and suitable for swimming, though most of the locals choose to paddle rather than swim laps. There are a limited range of food stalls scattered around the area. On the way to the beach, you'll first pass Narathiwat's largest mosque, then you'll cross over a bridge that has a small fishing and fish-farming community on each side. This is a good place to see the beautiful kawlae boats. Along the beginning of Narathat Beach, behind the trees there are a handful of small bars that specialise in super-hot food and super cold drinks, though they were doing a very poor trade when we passed.

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A 20minute walk north of town

Budo-Sungai Padi Mountains National Park

Located 26 km to the north of Narathiwat on Route 42 en-route to Saiburi and Pattani, this small National Park is situated just to the south of Ba Cho (pronounced Bajo) at the base of a range of hills. The main attracttion here is the 60m tall Bajo Waterfall which flows through the park and is around 250m from the park office. The water cascades down a stone cliff before curling through the area, creating a series of small pools popular for wading in. You can follow a fairly strenuous trail up the left side of the falls to reach a series of better and more isolated pools -- you'll find more the higher up you go. Towards the top a weir has been constructed, creating an ideal spot for a swim. While very popular on weekends, on weekdays the park is largely deserted. While the park supposedly has a 200B admission fee for foreigners, if you're lucky they'll let you in for free. Bajo means waterfall in the local Jawi dialect.

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26km north of Narathiwat
How to get there: To reach the park, take a Pattani-bound minibus or songtheaw and jump off either at the turn off to the falls (it is well signposted) from where it is about a 2km walk, or at Ba Cho itself where you can get a motobike taxi to the falls for 30B. To return to Narathiwat, just hop on a songtheaw or bus on the other side of the road.