Songkhla province is located in the south of Thailand on the Malay Peninsula. The east of the province lines the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Unlike other provinces in Thailand, the capital city of Songkhla is not the largest city in the province. The larger and better known city of Hat Yai draws the majority of tourism and is the provincial trading center.
There are many tourist attractions within the province including Songkhla lake. Situated in the north of the province, the lake is home to a small group of Irrawaddy dolphins and ranks as the largest natural lake in Thailand. The province is also home to two popular national parks; San Kala Khiri and Khoa Nam Khang, both located in the highlands of the Thai-Malay border.
The province has a fairly well-developed tourist infrastructure with Hat Yai acting as a transit location for visitors traveling to the islands located in the south. There are a number of guest houses and hotels in Hat Yai, but they’re spread out around the large area of the city. Local and tourist transport links are good throughout the province, but the provision of tourist buses and ferries crossing to the islands are few and far between during the rainy low season.