Thailand's Eastern Seaboard

Stretching from the eastern edge of Bangkok to the Cambodian border, the Eastern Seaboard covers an incongruous mix of the overdeveloped and the untouched. While Chonburi and Pattaya combine industrial zones and overcrowded beaches, the Ko Chang Archipelago still boasts quiet, unspoiled islets while the Khao Khitchakut and Khao Chamao-Khao Wong national parks of Chanthaburi Province contact impressive tracts of virgin rainforest. In between these two extremes are the easily accessible, laidback beaches and islands of Rayong Province, along with the Muang Boran (Ancient City), an architectural microcosm of Thailand. Local gem markets in Trat ...

Stretching from the eastern edge of Bangkok to the Cambodian border, the Eastern Seaboard covers an incongruous mix of the overdeveloped and the untouched. While Chonburi and Pattaya combine industrial zones and overcrowded beaches, the Ko Chang Archipelago still boasts quiet, unspoiled islets while the Khao Khitchakut and Khao Chamao-Khao Wong national parks of Chanthaburi Province contact impressive tracts of virgin rainforest. In between these two extremes are the easily accessible, laidback beaches and islands of Rayong Province, along with the Muang Boran (Ancient City), an architectural microcosm of Thailand. Local gem markets in Trat and Chanthaburi, along with a string of little-used border crossings with Cambodia, add elements of intrigue to the region.

About the Expert

Joe Cummings has contributed to more than 35 guidebooks, maps, atlases, phrasebooks and photographic works, including his bestselling Lonely Planet Thailand and Buddhist Stupas of Asia: The Shape of Perfection.