Deep South

Why Go

There is no tourism infrastructure in the region or much in the way of sights to speak of, but that can be part of the charm if you want to see Thailand without the tourists. The people here are noted for being very friendly. Like Malaysia, the area is very much a Muslim population, and you will get some tasty regional curries in the area!

Why Not

The region isn’t high on the tourism radar, partly because it’s easier to go down into Malaysia on the much more common western side, and partly due of the political instabilities in the region resulting in militant activities.

To Know

The deep south consists of the provinces Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. The major towns are the three provincial capitals carrying the same name as their province. Historically tourists had not been the target of terrorist activities. This changed in 2015 when a bomb was detonated at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. A year later in August 2016, multiple coordinated terrorist attacks with explosive devices occurred at various locations across the south of Thailand, from Hua Hin down to Phuket, with these two places being the major tourist destinations. It’s notable that none of these attacks were actually in the deep south, but an element of caution is advised. As this area isn’t really visited by travellers, we haven’t covered it in any detail. We will periodically review this, or if one of you lovely people shows us there’s something we should cover, we’ll take another look.