Surat Thani covers some 12,800 square kilometers and has an extensive coastline lapped by Thai Gulf waters. The provincial capital, 685 kilometers from Bangkok, is situated at the mouth of the Tapi River on the eastern side of peninsula.

Surat Thain is a major destination for both luxury and shoestring travelers seeking to realize their dreams of a tropical seascape. Renowned for its vast collection of palm-fringed islands off its coast, Surat Thani is also covered with large forest areas abundant in flora and fauna.

Many rare species of plants and birds are to be found in the province’s national parks. Surat Thani once formed part, and may have been the centre, of Mahayana Buddhist Srivijaya Empire which steeped in legend and mystery, dominated the Malay peninsula and much of Java some 1,500 years ago. Archaeological discoveries at Chaiya district indicate the former empire’s splendour.