Nakhon Si Thammarat has Khao Luang, the highest peak in the South and the source of countless streams and waterfalls, so camping here is mostly beside clear running water. Only one of the 12 grounds listed is on a beach; the rest are by streams, on a reservoir, on hilltops and in national parks.
The national parks charge about ฿30 per person and most private camps ฿150 per person per night. Every ground has toilets, two thirds have showers and electricity, more than eight in ten have parking, half take car campers and nearly six in ten rent gear.
Counted across the 12 campsites shown on this page, ordered by how many list each one.
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Around the Khao Luang range are the national park's ground at Nuea Fa waterfall in Phipun district and private streamside camps close to Khiriwong village and Karom waterfall. Towards Thung Song is Namtok Yong National Park, which rents a full set of gear cheaply, and a streamside camp laid out in several zones. In Cha-uat there is a camp on Huai Nam Sai reservoir with kayaking, and a riverside one that runs rafting trips. For the sea there is one beachfront ground, and Walailak University's botanical park has a campsite with power at every pitch.
February to April has the least rain: easy travel, and the streams still have water to play in. May to September alternates sun and showers, with green forest and good waterfalls. October to December is the Gulf-side monsoon, when Nakhon Si Thammarat gets very heavy rain and frequent flooding; streamside pitches are at risk of flash floods, so avoid these months or watch the forecast closely.
Some streamside camps are split into a waterside zone, where you carry your gear down, and an inner zone where you park beside the tent — ask which you are getting when you book. Some need you to bring your own extension lead. Only a third have a restaurant and half provide drinking water. National parks charge an entrance fee on top of the camping fee. If you have no gear yet, Namtok Yong National Park is a good first stop, as everything can be rented.
About ฿30 per person in the national parks, plus the entrance fee; ฿150 per person per night at most private camps, up to about ฿200.
Yes — nearly six grounds in ten rent gear. Namtok Yong National Park has three-person dome tents for about ฿225, with bedding rented by the piece.
One, right on the beach. Most of the province's grounds are by streams and in the valleys.
