Previously, when talking about province that I want to visit, Ranong has never been in the top list of wanting to go. However, after my first visit to this province, it came the second and third time. And now I just want to go back to this province all the time. I feel like I've fallen in love with this small province. Ranong is indeed an extraordinarily province. It has forests, mountains, waterfalls, sea, and beautiful nature worth for discovering. Also, people here are so lovely and friendly.
It is indeed a charming city. What's more, we can enjoy the Burmese sea that is as clear as the Maldive sea. The corals are still complete and abundant. It also only takes an hour boat ride. All you need to cross over to Burma is Thai ID card. Now, a lot of islands have opened for visit, for example, Cock Burn Island, Nyaung Oo Phee Island, Sali Island, Bruer Island, Emerald Heart Island, and the latest one is Nakinyo Island, all of which are so attractively beautiful. Islands on Ranong side include Koh Chang, Koh Phayam, Koh Kam which are in the list that I really want to visit.

This trip, I go with my 5 friends for 3 days and 2 nights. We didn't plan much, just go with the flow. We fly to Ranong and take the bus back.

Highlight of the trip:
01 : Tien Su House
02 : Ratanarangsan Palace (replica)
03 : Huai Khang Khao Coffee Shop
04 : Ban Ngao Temple
05 : Raksawarin Mineral Hot Spring
06 : Porn Rang Mineral Hot Spring
07 : Grand Canyon Ranong
08 : Khlong Hat Som Paen Reservoir
09 : Ngao Waterfall
10 : Grass Mountain
11 : 209 Cafe’

Accommodation:
Day 1 : Ashton House Ranong โรงแรม ที่พัก บ้านพัก จังหวัดระนอง A newly open house offering 2 private bedrooms, a Jacuzzi bathtub, a grill for small party and the owner is very kind.
Day 2 : Ton Phet Greenery Garden โตนเพชร กรีนเนอรี การ์เด้น Accommodation in the palm garden next to the stream. The price is xxx THB with a quiet atmosphere. You can either grill or play in the stream too.

For the transportation, we fly from Don Mueng to Ranong. The flight is at 9 a.m. We book it in advance in a price of about 1,000 THB each. Actually, there's a cheaper price but we didn't get to book it in time.

After arriving at the airport, we take the Song Taew taxi to downtown Ranong.

The first day, our plan is to hire a minibus to visit around the city of Ranong. We contacted a wooden minibus and ask him to pick us up in the city. The driver takes us on the tour and if we want to go anywhere, we can just tell him too.

Our first stop is Ratanarangsan Palace which was built to commemorate the stay of King Rama V, VI, and VII. It was built with teak and Takianthong wood. There's a bedroom and living room but we didn't' get to visit. The entrance fee is 50 THB. I think just looking from the outside is already beautiful, you guys can stop by for photography.

Tien Su house is an old house aged over 150 years. Now, it has turned into a museum acting as a source of learning about Ranong in the past.

There'll be staff telling us about its history and in our case is this uncle. The first owner is Mr.Tien Su and that's all I remember, haha. Actually, the history of this place is very long.

Inside exhibits lots of old facilities and pictures. Working office and bedroom are kept as original. You can still feel its retro power which is kind of scary, haha.

A lot of angles for photo taking inside. It's quite classic and antique.

Then, we stop for a coffee at Huai Khang Khao Roasted Coffee shop.

It is both a coffee shop and a restaurant as well as a resting place. It is located right next to the stream with hanging legs down seats.

There's also a bamboo bridge for us to walk and take pictures. The atmosphere is really cool, just like we are in the forest.

There's also a resting corner where we can have a coffee and a bakery to sit and lay down.

Later, we go to the Raksawarin Mineral Hot Spring. This "Onsen in Thailand" is a natural mineral pond that occurs naturally. There are many minerals, no sulfur contamination so it can be called pure mineral water.

There are 3 ponds: Father, mother, and Kid pond. There's a place to boil eggs and a place to soak our body and feet.

Beside the mineral pond, there is a stream flowing through and we can play right into it. There are food stalls, grilled chicken and papaya salad with next to the stream seats. The atmosphere is so great. A suspension bridge is also there for us to take pictures with.

There's also a healing pavilion with a heated floor which I'm not sure whether it's due to the hot spring. Villagers and tourists are laying down for healing. I try for one 1 minute and my back is on fire, haha. The villagers said that it could be really hot at first but after a while our body will get adjusted.

The driver then takes us to a toy shop which offer several types of toys. The highlight one is a wooden Song Taew minibus which is the car of Ranong. You can stop by to buy or ask them to make to order as a souvenir.

Another mineral water pond is Porn Rang Mineral Hot Spring. It has several ponds for us to play and soak. The temperature of the water is warm. People is also not that much.

Nearby is the cold water stream. It's so fun when we just stand still in the cold water while a group of small fish will come to bite our feet. I think they bite us quite hard, haha but it's fun nevertheless.

Ban Ngao Temple is the famous and beautiful temple of Ranong which is located near the grass mountain.

Grass mountain is a check-in point that must not be missed when coming to Ranong. The entire mountain is covered with grass. It's so beautiful for taking photos, especially in the evening when the light is just right.

Say cheese....

It's so cool taking photo with a wooden Song Taew minibus in Ranong.

Our first night accommodation is Aston House which is just newly open in the heart of Ranong. 7-11 convenient store is nearby. It 's a perfect place for friends and family.

It comes with 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and fully equipped.

There's also a Jacuzzi bathtub, so good. Actually, you can adjust the water temperature but we didn't know how. It was also raining on the day we visited so we had to soak in cold water, haha.

In the evening, we didn't bring any food. The owner is so kind to take us to buy seafood to grill. A grilled seafood with beer is so good, haha.

Our dinner tonight, so yum

The next morning, we are to meet with Andaman Duck for going to Reindeer beach, Macleod Island. The van picks us up at 8 a.m. to have breakfast at the lobby and then the tour guide will brief us about precautions and rules.

Then, we go board at the Lighthouse Pier.

We only need the national ID card for traveling to Burmese sea under the condition that we must book it in advance. Before boarding the boat, we take out our ID card and quickly fill out a form. Then, we go for the Second Island.

It takes about 10 minutes to reach the Second Island on the Burma side to process the crossing border document. We don't have to get down, the tour guide will take care of it for us. Soon, we are going straight to Macleod Island of the Burmese Sea.

Before going up on the island, let's snorkel at the first snorkeling point.

Corals are in their complete condition. Staghorn corals are the most abundant type. Fish is also very beautiful. Unfortunately, it was not sunny on the day we visited so the water is not so clear.

After that, we come to the private beach at Reindeer Beach. You can either take pictures or swim as you wish. There's only one group of 20 visitors that day.

It's a pity that the weather is not good as the sun is not out.

When it's noon, the lunch is ready for us. Most of them is a Southern food served in a buffet style. We are so full, haha.

So happy to eat in front of this beautiful view

Another thing I like about the Andaman Duck is that, they are environmental friendly company. Before boarding, they give us each a bottle to fill our drink in an effort to decrease waste and plastic.

A swing corner for a beautiful photo taking time

The main activities on the island include paddling a board, kayaking, or snorkeling.

When traveling with friends, cool pose is a must, haha.

The sand is so white and fine.

Although the sky is not clear, the water is still very clear.

After that, we go to snorkel at 2 more spots in the afternoon where we meet lots of cuttlefish and Nemo fish.

A giant jellyfish is also here. Even though some said that it's not poisoning, I'm still afraid to get close to it, haha.

For the newly open Reindeer Beach, Macleod Island, I think the nature is still raw and abundant both underwater and on the surface. Too bad that the sky is not clear, otherwise, we could capture more breathtaking photos for sure. For the sea and a snorkeling lover, you really shouldn't miss out this place. We are back on the shore in the evening.

When arriving back to the shore, we asked the rental car to drop the car for us at the pier and then we drive straight to the Ton Phet Greenery Garden.

It is an accommodation in the palm garden near the stream and the Ton Phet Waterfall.
Houses here are in various camping style. There's a house for 2 people, a group of friends, and a family.

Tenting people would love it here.

The camping house is right next to the stream. You can also grill the food here.

Room price for 2 people with breakfast:
Regular tent is 990 THB.
Luxury tent is 1,850 THB.
Ananda and Evelyn House is 2,250 THB.
Yotaka House is 2,650 THB.

Benjaphan House is 3,350 THB (we stay here).
When including the grilled seafood dinner, it is 1,000 THB per person.

Our house has two floors. The second floor is bedroom and the first floor is the living room. We can add more beds too. The atmosphere is quite romantic. I think it's not suitable to come with friends but lovers, haha.

A terrace to enjoy the view

In the evening, the accommodation gives us a set of food to grill. The very tasty mussels is my favorite.

Since we didn't get to enjoy the water yesterday, we wake up to do so despite the cold water, haha. The atmosphere is really good, very peaceful and private.

Ranong is such an ideal place to relax and charge up our energy.

After leaving the accommodation in the morning, we go to Ngao Waterfall. When driving up, there's a helicopter parking lot where we could take photo with and the view up here is really beautiful.

Very nice

The water is really dry on the day we visited but the overall atmosphere is very shady at Ngao Waterfall.

It'd be really beautiful with more water. There's also a high cliff at where the water is fallen.

We stop for food at Somtum Grass Mountain Jae Jim as we see lots of cars parked there. The must try menu is Grass Mountain Papaya Salad which is very delicious. Every dish is so delicious and more importantly, it is not expensive.

Klong Hat Som Paen Reservoir is a large reservoir like a dam. It comes with beautiful view, cool breeze, good atmosphere, and many cool angles for us to take photos.

Grand Canyon Ranong is another place to rest and relax. There's a nearby pond with lots of fish where we can give them food. Further in is eroded soil and we can walk in to take photos too.

We found the 209 Kafe’ on the Google and we just simply come.

Inside the shop is decorated in a stylish barber shop. Chairs and mirrors are just like the ones in a barber shop. I think it's quite cool.

For the taste, my cocoa drink is very tasty and the cake is also yummy. If you are a cafe’ lover, you should not miss out this place.

How is it? For a 3 days 2 nights trip to Ranong and exploring forests, mountains, sea, and a city life. Traveling with friends is really fun, haha. In fact, Ranong still has many more places waiting for us to discover. If you plan to visit Ranong, you are most welcome to follow our plan here....See you again next trip.