DESTINATION: Tapi River—Surat Thani Province, Thailand - River Origins, Destinations and Confluences on Waymarking.com

With a length of 230 kilometres the Tapi River is the longest such in southern Thailand. This River originates at Khao (mountain) Luang, which is the tallest mountain in southern Thailand, located in the hilly province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Tapi then gently winds its way northwards into the province of Surat Thani and then past the provincial capital, also named Surat Thani, to debouch into the small Bandon Bay, just a little to the north-east of the city.

The river is slow moving, and is usually brown in colour, due to sediment. In the odd year the it floods inundating parts of the capital. Many locals live on the River and make their living from its aquatic abundance. Barges and small boats also carry freight up and down its length. From the Surat city pier tourists (and locals who make a living from tourism) travel to the tourist islands of Samui, Pha-ngan, and Tao, down the Tapi to the sea.

The river was named in August 1915, in honour of the river Tapi in India, at the same time the town of Surat Thani was re-named in honour of the town Surat, also in India. This name change was instigated by the sixth King of the Rama dynasty of Thailand, and reflected both the shared Buddhist posterity of Indian and Thailand, and the growing size and economic importance of the region.

The River mouth is a delta of small islands, the larger of which are inhabited. These islands can be reached only by boat. There is no road to the River mouth so a boat trip is necessary to reach this waymark. The River mouth is an area of dense mangrove swamp (wetlands).

As there were several other waymarks along the way, and as I always enjoy a boat cruise, I hired a dragon boat from the Surat Thani city pier for two hours (300 baht, $10 per hour). Travelling along the River is pleasant enough, mostly. There is the loud noise of the outboard motor, the occasional stench of rotting vegetation, and the somewhat disconcerting presence of floating coconuts in the water, which resemble floating human heads (or at least as I imagine they look), but no drama. I would recommend sunscreen, a hat, and, if you are prone to motion sickness, a larger boat. The River is a somewhat choppy, and there is a goodly amount of traffic, which tends to leave a wake in its path. Perhaps skip the buffet breakfast at your hotel?

As you approach the mouth the sea will open before you. The river mouth is a busy area of water, there are more than a few folk fishing here plus larger traffic. From here you can turn around and return by the same route or travel along the mouth a little and re-enter the river at another of its exits.

On the main land, ~500m from the river mouth is a small harbour with a few small ships in port. Here and a few other places there are waymarks, including a coordinate palindrome on one of the small islands in the River.

Parking Coordinates: Not listed Trailhead Coordinates: Not listed Relevant Web Site: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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2. Date of your visit.
3. At least one original photo (DO NOT include either you or your GPSr).

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