Things to Do in Hua Hin

Hua Hin makes for a convenient base for exploring sights and attractions around the whole province of Prachuap Khiri Khan. The provincial capital, Prachuap Khiri Khan, is only an hour’s drive away and is a great seaside destination away from tourist crowds and Sam Roi Yot National Park contains a spectacular Tham Praya Nakhon cave.

Sam Roi Yot National Park

The Sam Roi Yot National Park is an absolute must see. It is found around 60km from the city and can be visited by yourself or with a tour from Hua Hin. There are quite a few attractions in the park and therefore it guarantees a good day out with some good sights to see.

The star attraction of the park is by al means Tham Phraya Nakhon, a cave located at the top of the hill and reached via a strenuous 20-minute hike from Hat Laem Sala beach. The beach itself can be reached either via half-an-hour hike or by boat, which takes only 10 minutes.

Hat Sam Phraya is another lovely beach just a few km south and close by there are a couple of other caves like Tham Kaeo and Tham Sai that have many stalactites and stalagmites.

There are also limestone mountains and mangrove swamps as well as spotting the local and migrant birds. Most tour companies in Hua Hin offer this trip and it will cost you around THB1500, though you can do it yourself by getting a taxi or paying bigger money as part of a boat tour.

Hua Hin Hills

We also went on a tour that took us to the Hua Hin Hills, which are around 40km from the city. The hills consist of 560 acres of vineyards and are set in outstanding scenery of lush hills and massive fields. Wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Tempranillo are made here and visitors can try there tasting skills at the restaurant on the site.

After tasting the many different wines, we tried riding one of the elephants and we spent 15 minutes strolling through the vineyards, which was certainly an experience. Packages for this start around THB1700 and this included travel there and back, wine tasting, elephant riding and a look at Pala-U waterfall.

Night markets in Hua Hin

There are a variety of night markets in the city and if you have enough time you can visit all of them by yourself, but there are also tours that include most of them – Huaa Hin know-how for guests in a hurry. Most agencies promote this tour as it is pretty common and the THB350 tour includes Pae Market, known for its traditional items, the Hua Hin Bazaar for arts and crafts and the main night market, where you will find everything like clothes, food, electronics and much more.

Cooking Classes

There are plenty of cooking courses to join and you can try your hand at cooking some of your favourite Thai dishes like green Thai curry, pad thai (Thai-style fried noodles), tom kha kai (Chicken coconut soup) and many others. Most large hotels offer the course, which can vary in length from a few hours to a few days.

Golf courses

A lot of tourists come to this area of Thailand for the splendid golf courses with around 12 of them to choose from. We weren’t particularly into golfing but had heard that the best courses were Springfield Royal Hills and Black Mountain. The professional golfer, Jack Nicklaus, designed Springfield and Black Mountain includes a water park and a luxury hotel. The original course can be found at Royal Hua Hin and most agencies can arrange your golf trip.

Boat trips from Hua Hin

We do advise to try and get out on the water and there are many boat trips that are offered all down the coast of the city. We hopped on the well-named Mai Tai, which took us down to Phraya Nakhon cave as well as giving us time to fish, swim and have a buffet lunch, which was all for THB1900. Also, companies like Mai Tai can take you to dolphin spotting.

Other tours and activities that can be booked by one of the million travel agents in the city include water parks, jet skiing, parasailing, spa days, muay thai classes, elephant camps, hot air ballooning and much more.