Thailand Tsunami Museum

I visited the International Tsunami Museum after already visiting the Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Museum in Khao Lak, and unfortunately, this one did not live up to my expectations. First of all, you have to pay to enter. The entrance fee was quite high (almost 1,000 baht), which already felt disappointing, especially since the Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Museum is completely free. Inside, the museum felt quite basic. There were some posters with before-and-after photos, a few maps, short films, and some general information about the tsunami, but nothing that really stood out or felt very engaging. The staff experience was also not great. Compared to Ban Nam Khem, where we were guided around by a very friendly and informative staff member for free, the staff here felt rather unfriendly. You’re also not allowed to take photos inside, which was another downside. One of the main attractions, the famous police boat that was washed inland by the tsunami, was under construction during our visit. It was hard to see properly and not accessible, which made the visit even less interesting. Overall, I honestly would not recommend this museum. If you want to learn about the tsunami in a meaningful, respectful, and informative way, I strongly recommend visiting Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Museum instead. It offers a much better experience, friendlier staff, a short documentary, real artifacts, and great information, all completely free. For me, this one was disappointing compared to the alternative.

There's a structure that represents the size of the tsunami wave, which is quite interesting. There's also a police boat that got washed inland 2 kilometers, where the boat is still standing now. Put aside from that, there's not much else to see. You could be there 10 minutes

Were only on the outside and not in the museum, checked the police boat out, which was being renovated and the models which illustrated the wave heights 😳

Went there 23/12. Interesting, devastating. Nothing big and fancy. Worth a visit. Would like to get in email contact with the museum. Is it possible?

Basic museum but videos upstairs worth watching available in English, German and French. 1 HR 20 mins long but a must see. Nice little gift shop. Boat was under mesh due to construction but you could still see it well enough. Its huge size brings home the sheer power of the tsunami that could throw it 2km inland.

This place called 'museum' is not worth visiting it. It costs 300 Bath for 1 adult. It is not free entrance! Inside you only see pictures after the tsunami and a simple video how a tsunami exists. Both you can see by surfing on the Internet. Outside you see a stranded police boat which was thrown 2 km's inside the land, but for take a picture from the streets, you don't need to go inside the museum for buying a ticket. 50 meters before the museum there is a shop at the left side, also with pictures and handy craft. Entrance is free. Never seen such a bad accommodated 'museum'.

Wow, wanted to come here last year but didn't get the chance. To truly understand what happened here with the tsunami you need to visit this place. It took my breath away. Just letting you know that their are some graphic images on display but also some great stories. Khao lak had the highest death rate in Thailand from the Tsunami.

A reminder what was experienced on December 2004, how lives were changed since then. It also shows Japanese universities contribution to Tsunami research, depicts how Kao Lak was altered, with before and after photos. There is also an interactive google maps tool, where you can review which part of Kao Lak was impacted by the categories of waves per their size. We realized the part we were staying was impacted by 5-10 meters tall waves. Please visit there and remind for yourself and everyone what happened so that it wont be repeated again.