Is Sleeping,On The Beach In A Tent,Allowed In Thailand Or Not?

[Sandman77]

Hello!

last year ,on samui,i talk with a tourist,he stay around 8 month,long time stay,and bild his own little house,and have a tent,he told me,for rent the place,his wife payes around 5000 bath ,to the "owner"of the beach!

,so i the past it was more easy,and not so much beachowners,on every food step,i only know the law,that the beach is public place of all,but i think,if someone try to sleep with the tent on the beach withouth asking,he got problems!

in tourist areas for sure,i was long time on taro taro island 3 years ago near malaysia,here ,no problem to sleep in the tent!

the "beach owner" not come in the morning,weak me up,sorry you have to go,when you not pay..!

[brotherother]

I'm not sure about beaches in general but I've always believed it's possible to camp on Koh Samet's beaches, and I think for free. Koh Samet is a national park so maybe this has something to do with it.

It's a nice idea but I doubt many people do it, certainly not westerners anyway.

[Old Croc]

I believe a guesthouse in Northern Phuket used to hire out tents on the beach for backpackers years ago.

Don't know if it continued after a young European girl was attacked and killed by a fisherman.

[PattayaPhom]

A lot of the West coast is free, Phuktien, Cha am, Pranburi, Prachaup and further...I personally would be more worried about the safety issues.

[craigt3365]

I'm not sure about beaches in general but I've always believed it's possible to camp on Koh Samet's beaches, and I think for free. Koh Samet is a national park so maybe this has something to do with it.

It's a nice idea but I doubt many people do it, certainly not westerners anyway.

Koh Samet is run by the park service. Yes, it's actually suppose to be a national park. Crazy. If you want to sleep on the beach, you'll have to pay a fee and the rangers keep a close eye out for this. Especially as they rent tents for something like 300B per night. They also rent scooters.

Anywhere in Thailand, you're going to have to be careful. The beaches are suppose to be public, but in reality are not. Somebody has control over that beach and if they see a foreigner there, will probably try to extract some money from you. Either a small amount, or a large amount.

With that being said, safety would be my #1 concern.

[saengsureeya]

I think it's allowed to spend the night on the beach, but in cities like Pattaya and other major tourist-destinations, the police will ask you kindly to stay off the beaches at night time for security reasons.

[craigt3365]

I think it's allowed to spend the night on the beach, but in cities like Pattaya and other major tourist-destinations, the police will ask you kindly to stay off the beaches at night time for security reasons.

Being legal or not is one thing. Being actually able to do it is another.

If your anywhere near a hotel, all they have to do is call the police and your gone, legal or not. Or, have their security guard walk by and harass you. Even restaurants on the beach can do this as they are paying the police for the "privilege" of being there.

I think the OPs best bet is to try for a very remote beach, or find a place that allows it, but requires a payment. Otherwise, be careful.

[Gone]

The OP's best bet is to rent a bungalow.

Avoid being robbed and killed

Avoid Police not being happy

Avoid creepy crawlies

Avoid having nowhere to put your valuables during the day

Avoid losing face and looking like an idiot by not giving the local places business (room for rent)

Avoid smelling like a rubbish bin from not showering

Avoid having to get out of your tent at 5:30am because its 200 degrees in your tent

Avoid etc.

You know the police will hate you because you put yourself in danger and you think they want to babysit you, fill out paperwork after you are robbed or killed etc.?

[Ricardo]

We were part of a large family-group, who went to Koh Adang (2-hour fast-ferry from Pak Bara) last Christmas, whilst we grown-ups got the nice twin-bedded fan-bungalows (electricity dusk-midnight only) @ 600B/night, the kids all camped next to the beach, I think it was either 50B or 100B per-person (own tent) which included use of a couple of toilet/shower/washbasin blocks.

There were plenty of independent-campers taking advantage of the deal, the beach was nice, the food (from the National Park open-sided restaurant) on the expensive-side, but understandable given the cost of getting supplies.

Definitely recommended if you want to camp on the beach !

Edited August 10, 2012 by Ricardo

[CharlieH]

Sounds like a recipe for disaster or suicide !

Hope you got good medical insurance as Hospitals can be expensive.

Why not go looking for deadly snakes or jumping off tall buildings, the results will be about the same, serious injury or death !

Edited August 10, 2012 by CharlieH

[crazykopite]

I have a plot of beach land ( Land that goes onto the beach ) on Koh Phangan you are welcome to pitch a tent on the land providing you clear all your mess up of course you would have to use the local resort toilet or do your business in a plastic bag and take it with you I assume you only want it for a couple of days. Never mind what everyone says the King ownes all the beaches there are no private beaches in Thailand The grass may well need cutting as it is some months since it was done but give the Thai neighbour 1,000 bht and he will cut it !!! PM me if you want

[crazykopite]

Sounds like a recipe for disaster or suicide !

Hope you got good medical insurance as Hospitals can be expensive.

Why not go looking for deadly snakes or jumping off tall buildings, the results will be about the same, serious injury or death !

Do you know how many deadly snakes there are in Thailand most are harmless wherever you camp in the world there is always a chance that you could get bit Thailand is no worse than anywhere else and besides that most tents have built in groundsheets and mozzie nets to keep out unwanted guests. I would be more worried about drunken farangs causing trouble !!!!!!!!!!

[crazykopite]

you must be young and stupid right ?!?!

please stay home

as we are runing out of body bags here .

Have you never been camping you should try it sometime !!!!!!!!

[Gone]

I have a plot of beach land ( Land that goes onto the beach ) on Koh Phangan you are welcome to pitch a tent on the land providing you clear all your mess up of course you would have to use the local resort toilet or do your business in a plastic bag and take it with you I assume you only want it for a couple of days. Never mind what everyone says the King ownes all the beaches there are no private beaches in Thailand The grass may well need cutting as it is some months since it was done but give the Thai neighbour 1,000 bht and he will cut it !!! PM me if you want

It's actually the Thai Navy that has jurisdiction on the beaches. The Thai people own them yet are still subject to the Navy's rulings.

[SIamYank]

you must be young and stupid right ?!?!

please stay home

as we are runing out of body bags here .

Why is he stupid!?!? Camping is one of the best ways to travel! There are great places to camp all over Thailand including many great remote beaches. I am pretty sure he's not planning on camping Pattaya or Patong Beach. Camping on a remote beach is a hell of a lot safer then taking a stroll down sukhumvit!

The beaches are public in Thailand. If it is very remote... there should be no problem and no cost. If there is a small village there I would talk to the locals, maybe buy the Phu Yai Ban a bottle of lao khao... and be sure to patronize the local shops or restarant... and smile a lot then it should be no problem...If it is a busy or touristy beach... probably not a good idea. I would also probably try not to camp alone unless it is a very remote area.

In general i would say you will actually have more problems in a National park because they have rules, and want to stick you in a campground. I prefer more private "primitive" camping. In the national Parks the designated camp grounds tend to turn in to makeshift Karoake parlors... especially on the weekends when the Bankkokians roll in.

BTW I am always looking for camping buddies. I have done lots of camping, hiking, kayaking and canoeing in the states, but infortunately not so much here in TLand for lack of like minded friends. msg me if you might be interested in the possibility of arranging trips.

[Justincase]

The only beaches in Thailand where camping is authorised are the ones owned by the National Parks who provide Security and toilet/washing facilities - wild camping on any other beaches is extremely dangerous and not to be recommended unless you want to mount a permanent 24 hour guard !!

Contrary to popular belief no one "owns" the beaches which are deemed public land in Thailand but many land owners will claim they own the beach in front of their beachfront land but legally they have no rights or claim - but trying telling that to a group of thugs who arrive at at 0300 in the morning to collect the "rent" !!

[crazykopite]

I have a plot of beach land ( Land that goes onto the beach ) on Koh Phangan you are welcome to pitch a tent on the land providing you clear all your mess up of course you would have to use the local resort toilet or do your business in a plastic bag and take it with you I assume you only want it for a couple of days. Never mind what everyone says the King ownes all the beaches there are no private beaches in Thailand The grass may well need cutting as it is some months since it was done but give the Thai neighbour 1,000 bht and he will cut it !!! PM me if you want

It's actually the Thai Navy that has jurisdiction on the beaches. The Thai people own them yet are still subject to the Navy's rulings.

Yes you are correct I remember when I built my beach wall having the marine department involved they were no bother no underhand payments demanded but as my thai neighbour says they are the kings beaches as far as he is concerned but it is true what they say if you want a bed and have no money you go to the temple and sleep on the sala if you are hungry go to the beach and eat the fish it is only over the last 4/5 years have I seen the barbed wire perimeters appear it must be a western idea that the thais have picked up

[surangw]

Plan ahead, figure out where the toilets are

[Mousehound]

Take no notice of scare mongers going on about snaked and such. I have camped all over the world and especially in Australia where just about everything that moves is deadly. The chances of being bitten are very remote and death even more unlikely. Nothing like as dangerous as travelling on the roads. There is only one insect that I would take real precautions against (unless you are allergic to bees) and that is mosquitos. These little buggers can be deadly. Dengue Fever, Ross River Fever and Malaria are no fun at all! I take lots af anti-mozz, a mosquito net and wash my clothes in permethrin before I go "bush". Yes i do use DEET. Some like to use Avon skin soft instead.

[terryp]

I would ask the obvious question...has anyone ever seen a tent erected on a Thai beach, I bet the answer is NO ..reason almost all beaches in Thailand are the property/under the ownership of the RTN Navy (even the ones that Thais say are their property and private so called private beaches)

I have seen tents close to the beach at Aoi Nang, (100 mtr from) Nopratara or what ever the beach is called there...that is inside the Phi Phi national park

[SIamYank]

Plan ahead, figure out where the toilets are

If you are camping on a beach figuring out the direction of the toilet is pretty simple.

[sbk]

If you are camping on a remote beach then I don't see a problem but as the owner of a beach resort I have seen people camping in tents near my place and inevitably they all want to use the facilities for free. I don't think so. So, that is most likely the reason most resort owners ask them to move on. That plus the ones I have seen often fail to clean up their litter effectively. Since we have to clean the beach every day for our guests its not really appreciated.

[Semper]

I would ask the obvious question...has anyone ever seen a tent erected on a Thai beach, I bet the answer is NO ..reason almost all beaches in Thailand are the property/under the ownership of the RTN Navy (even the ones that Thais say are their property and private so called private beaches)

I have seen tents close to the beach at Aoi Nang, (100 mtr from) Nopratara or what ever the beach is called there...that is inside the Phi Phi national park

I thought Thai beaches were owned by The King Of Thailand?

[SantiSuk]

Can't see the point when non-aircon guesthouse rooms are cheap as chips.

[John Egil]

The OP's best bet is to rent a bungalow.

Avoid being robbed and killed

Avoid Police not being happy

Avoid creepy crawlies

Avoid having nowhere to put your valuables during the day

Avoid losing face and looking like an idiot by not giving the local places business (room for rent)

Avoid smelling like a rubbish bin from not showering

Avoid having to get out of your tent at 5:30am because its 200 degrees in your tent

Avoid etc.

You know the police will hate you because you put yourself in danger and you think they want to babysit you, fill out paperwork after you are robbed or killed etc.?

LoL . The best reply so far..

[apetley]

Whilst out on a cycle ride last year I met an old guy touring Thailand on a mountain bike. He was pitching a tent most nights in a temple after asking permission from the monks.

No idea if he made a donation.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

[voracious]

The last time we were in Krabi, along Ao Nang beach, there was a park at the end of the road. It appeared to be staffed and supervised and had tent camping. The tent camping was just across from the beach and looked pretty safe to me.

Just additional FYI, away from beaches, in Chantaburi, you can camp at Khao Khitchakut National Park and Namtok Phliu National Park. You'll need permission from the rangers, and pay a fee, but both of the parks have marvelous waterfalls and the large (some over a foot long) fish that you can swim with. If you've never done it, it's a blast. Pick up some long beans to feed them. They're usually sold on the way into the park. 100% for sure they're sold along the entrance to Namtok Phliu.

[meand]

People need to calm down about the danger of sleeping on a frikin beach. Seriously guys, this isn't fuc_king road warrior territory or something.

Mexico is the land of "free" beach camping.... i'm guessing the same rules apply here... most of the "safe" spots you pay a small fee and sleep with others, in the remote spots it is in fact free. I would not hesitate to try and find a remote beach and camp if that was my inclination. I did it in Mexico for 20 years and never had one single problem, not one. Don't listen to all this doom and gloom stuff about not being able to leave you house without being cut up and put in a meat grinder and served to soi dogs.

Putting up a tent with facilities around is asking for a hassle.

[craigt3365]

If you are camping on a remote beach then I don't see a problem but as the owner of a beach resort I have seen people camping in tents near my place and inevitably they all want to use the facilities for free. I don't think so. So, that is most likely the reason most resort owners ask them to move on. That plus the ones I have seen often fail to clean up their litter effectively. Since we have to clean the beach every day for our guests its not really appreciated.

Unfortunately, here's the nub of the problem. Those who do free camp usually don't clean up after themselves. And as you say, SBK, public toilets here are a rare commodity...so it's either done in the wild (yuck), or they try to sneak into resorts like yours.

Ruins it for everybody else. That, and it's hotter than heck inside a tent!!!

[TommoPhysicist]

I'm surprised at all the anti-camping sentiments on this thread.

I always fancied kayaking along the coast at Hat Yeo with a tent, lots of inaccessible beaches.

But a bit too old for that game now, I like my home comforts.