Sights in Andaman Coast
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Phuket Fantasea
This is a US$60 million 'cultural theme park' located just east of Hat Kamala. Despite the billing, there aren't any rides, but there is a show that takes the colour and pageantry of Thai dance and combines this with state-of-the-art light-and-sound techniques that rival anything found in Las Vegas (think 30 elephants). All of this takes place on a stage dominated by a full-scale replica of a Khmer temple. Kids especially will be captivated by the spectacle but it is over-the-top cheesy, and cameras are forbidden.
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Ko Rang
By far the best diving in the region is in and around Ko Rang. Protected from fishing by its marine park status, this place has some of the most pristine coral in Thailand. Visibility is much better than Ko Chang and averages between 10m and 20m.
Ko Yak and Ko Laun are both shallow dives perfect for both beginners and advanced divers. These two small rocky islands can be circumnavigated and have loads of coral, schooling fish, rays, morays, barracuda, puffer fish and the occasional turtle.
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Hat Bang Ben
The most accessible beach in the park is Hat Bang Ben, where the park headquarters are. This long, sandy beach, backed by shady casuarinas, is said to be safe for swimming year-round. From Hat Bang Ben you can see several islands, including the nearby Ko Kam Yai, Ko Kam Noi, Mu Ko Yipun, Ko Khang Khao and, to the north, Ko Phayam. The park staff can arrange boat trips out to any of these islands. During low tide you can walk to an island just a couple of hundred metres from Hat Bang Ben.
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Laem Son National Park
The Leam Son National Park covers 315 sq km of land shared by Ranong and Phang-Nga Provinces, it also includes around 100km of Andaman Sea coastline –the longest protected shore in the country –as well as over 20 idyllic islets. Much of the coast here is covered with mangrove swamps, home to various species of birds, fish, deer and monkeys (including crab-eating macaques), often seen while you’re driving along the road to the park headquarters.
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Shrine of the Serene Light
A handful of Chinese temples inject some added colour into the area but the Shrine of the Serene Light, tucked away at the end of a 50m alley near the Bangkok Bank of Commerce on Th Phang-Nga, is a cut above the rest. You'll see Taoist etchings on the walls, the vaulted ceiling stained from incense plumes, and the altar is always alive with fresh flowers and burning candles. The shrine is said to have been built by a local family in the mid-1880s.
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Nam Tok Khiri Phet
This small waterfall, 2km from Ban Salak Phet, is a 15-minute walk from the road and rewards you with a small, deep plunge pool. It's usually quieter than many of the larger falls and is easily reached if you're in the neighbourhood of Ao Salak Phet.
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Ban Salak Phet
In the southeast pocket of the island is Ban Salak Phet, a surprisingly bustling Thai community of fisherfolk and merchants plus lots of bike-riding kids and yawning dogs. This is what most of Ko Chang looked like less than a generation ago. Just beyond the commercial heart of the village is Ao Salak Phet, a beautiful blue bay serenely guarded by humpbacked islands. Most visitors come for the seafood restaurants or to cruise the lonely byways for a secluded beach.
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Ao Phang-Nga National Park
Established in 1981 and covering an area of 400 sq km, Ao Phang-Nga National Park is noted for its classic karst scenery created by fault movements on the mainland that pushed massive limestone blocks into geometric patterns. As these blocks extend southwards into Ao Phang-Nga, they form over 40 islands with huge vertical cliffs.
The bay itself is composed of large and small tidal channels that originally connected with the mainland fluvial system. The main tidal channels - Khlong Ko Phanyi, Khlong Phang-Nga, Khlong Bang Toi and Khlong Bo Saen - run through vast mangroves in a north-south direction and today are used by fisherfolk and island inhabitants as aquatic highway…
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Khao Phanom Bencha National Park
The 50-sq-km Khao Phanom Bencha National Park protects a dramatic area of virgin rainforest along the spine of 1350m-high Khao Phanom Bencha, just 20km north of Krabi. The park is full of scenic waterfalls, including the 11-tiered Huay To Falls, just 500m from the park headquarters. Nearby and almost as dramatic are Huay Sadeh Falls and Khlong Haeng Falls. On the way into the park you can visit Tham Pheung, a dramatic cave with shimmering mineral stalactites and stalagmites.
Numerous trails wend through the area, providing excellent opportunities for hiking. The park is home to abundant wildlife - but only the monkeys are commonly seen. Bird-spotters come here to see whit…
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Ko Phayam
Ko Phayam has plenty of places to stay and is a friendly, demure little island. It has only a few hundred inhabitants, mostly Thais and Burmese, with a smattering of expats and a few dozen chow lair (sea gypsies) thrown into the mix. Tourists congregate on the island's pretty beaches, but locals support themselves prawn fishing, cashew-nut farming or working on the rubber plantations. Interesting fauna in the area includes wild pigs, hornbills, monkeys and snakes.
There's one 'village' on the island, where you will find the main pier, a couple of simple eateries, some small grocery stalls and a bar. From the pier area, motorcycle taxis scoot you to the bungalow operations…
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Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park
Established in 1981 and covering an area of 400 sq km, Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park is noted for its classic karst scenery, created by mainland fault movements that pushed massive limestone blocks into geometric patterns. As these blocks extended southward into Ao Phang-Nga, they formed more than 40 islands with huge vertical cliffs. The bay itself is composed of large and small tidal channels that originally connected with the mainland fluvial system. The main tidal channels – Khlong Ko Phanyi, Khlong Phang-Nga, Khlong Bang Toi and Khlong Bo Saen – run through vast mangroves in a north–south direction and today are used by fisherfolk and island inhabitants as aquati…
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Ko Lanta Marine National Park
Established in 1990, this marine national park protects 15 islands in the Ko Lanta group, including the southern tip of Ko Lanta Yai. The park is increasingly threatened by the runaway development on the western coast of Ko Lanta Yai. The other islands in the group have fared slightly better – Ko Rok Nai is still very beautiful, with a crescent-shaped bay backed by cliffs, fine coral reefs and a sparkling white-sand beach. Camping is permitted on Ko Rok Nok and nearby Ko Haa, with permission from the national-park headquarters. On the eastern side of Ko Lanta Yai, Ko Talabeng has some dramatic limestone caves that you can visit on sea-kayaking tours. The national-park f…
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Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park
The 125-sq-km Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park, just south of town, is a splendid collection of sea cliffs, mountains, beaches, estuaries, forested valleys and mangroves. The park is home to hornbills, drongos, tapirs, gibbons, monkeys and the seldom-seen Asiatic black bears. Guided treks along the coast or inland can be arranged through many tour agencies in town, as can long-tail boat trips up the scenic Khlong Thap Liang estuary. The latter afford opportunities to view mangrove communities of crab-eating macaques. Just north of Khao Lak is a network of sandy beach trails – some of which lead to deserted beaches – which are fun to explore on foot or by hired motorbike. Mos…
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Ko Phing Kan (James Bond Island)
The biggest tourist drawcard in the park is the so-called '', known to Thais as Ko Phing Kan (literally 'Leaning on Itself Island'). Once used as a location setting for The Man with the Golden Gun, the island is now full of vendors hawking coral and shells that should have stayed in the sea.
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Ko Tarutao Marine National Park
Like with any good secret, it’s only a matter of time before someone lets the cat out of the bag. In this case, that someone was a producer from Survivor, America’s eminent reality show, who chose this stunning marine park for the fifth instalment of the hit series. Fortunately, stringent Thai law has protected Ko Tarutao Marine National Park from preying developers – the national park is still one of the most exquisite and unspoiled regions in Thailand. The massive archipelago features myriad coral reefs, and 51 islands covered with well-preserved virgin rainforest teeming with dusky langurs, crab-eating macaques, mouse deer, wild pigs, sea otters, fishing cats, wate…
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Khao Phra Thaew National Park
The last of Phuket’s virgin rainforest is within the boundaries of this reserve, which includes the Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre and two waterfalls. There once were tigers and Malayan sun bears here, but today it’s a habitat island that still suffers from timber poaching. It isn’t lifeless, however. There are monkeys, langur, civets, flying foxes, cobras and wild pigs in the bush, and there are some wild and semi-wild gibbon families thanks to rehab. Khao Phra is the park’s highest peak at 442m. There are guided 6km hikes available from Ton Sai falls to Bang Pae falls. Guides gather at Ton Sai (the park’s HQ) in the morning and charge about 1000B for the day. This …
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Ton Sai Tower
There are good limestone cliffs to climb on Ko Phi-Phi, and the views from the top are spectacular. The main climbing areas are Ton Sai Tower, at the western edge of Ao Ton Sai, and Hin Taak, a short long-tail boat ride around the bay.
There are at least six good climbing shops on the island and most places charge around ฿800 to ฿1000 for a half day of climbing or ฿1500 for a full day, including instruction and gear. Spider Monkey is a tiny new climbing shop run by Soley, one of the most impressive climbers on Phi Phi. One of the bigger outfits around is Cat's Climbing Shop in the Tourist Village. Cat's gets good reports for safety and service.
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Wat Phra Thong
Phuket’s ‘Temple of the Gold Buddha’ is half buried so that only the head and shoulders are visible above ground. According to local legend, those who have tried to excavate the image have become very ill or encountered serious accidents. The temple is particularly revered by Thai Chinese, many of whom believe the image hails from China. During Chinese New Year pilgrims descend from Phang-Nga, Takua Pa and Krabi. In addition to Phra Thong there are 11 other Buddha images, including a Phra Praket (an unusual pose in which the Buddha is touching his own head with his right hand). Each promises a different virtue (success, health, wealth etc) to those who make offerings.…
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Tham Morakot
Good snorkelling opportunities lie offshore and one of the island's star attractions, Tham Morakot, hides at the northern end of the island. This cave is a beautiful limestone tunnel that leads 80m to a sea lagoon. You have to swim through here at high tide, part of the way in pitch blackness, to a small concealed white-sand beach surrounded by lofty limestone, with a chimney that lets in a piercing shaft of light around midday.
Boats can enter at low tide and the cave features on most tour itineraries so it can get pretty crowded in high season, and during the busiest months can reek of urine.
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Hat Mai Khao
Hat Mai Khao is Phuket's longest beach. Sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach here between November and February each year. A visitors centre with toilets, showers and picnic tables can be found at Mai Khao, from where there are some short trails through the casuarinas to a steep beach. Take care when swimming at Mai Khao, as there's a strong year-round undertow.
Except on weekends and holidays you'll have this place almost entirely to yourself; even during peak periods, peace and solitude are usually only a few steps away, as there's so much space here.
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Thalang National Museum
The museum contains five exhibit halls chronicling Phuket’s history and tracing the various ethnicities found in southern Thailand. The legend of the ‘two heroines’ (memorialised on the nearby monument), who supposedly drove off an 18th-century Burmese invasion force by convincing the island’s women to dress like men, is also recounted in detail utilising backlit display panels and touch-screen electronic presentations. The prize artefact is a 2.3m-tall statue of Vishnu, which dates to the 9th century and was found in Takua Pa nearly 100 years ago.
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Ku Den Museum
Tears won’t be shed if you have to give this place a miss – Satun only has one real attraction, the Ku Den Museum. Housed in a lovely old Sino-Portuguese mansion, this excellent museum was constructed to house King Rama V during a royal visit but the governor snagged the roost when the king failed to show up. The building has been lovingly restored and the exhibits feature dioramas with soundtracks covering every aspect of southern Muslim life.
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Nai Khai Ranong
Nai Khai Ranong is the former home of Koh Su Chiang, a Hokkien who became governor of Ranong during the reign of King Rama V. These days, it is a combination clan house (clubhouse for Chinese who share the same surname) and shrine. It's on the northern edge of town and is worth a peep.
Of the three original buildings, one still stands and is filled with mementos of the Koh family's glory days. The main gate and part of the original wall also remain.
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Laem Singh
Local beach boffins will tell you that Laem Singh is one of the best capes on the island. Walled in by cliffs, there is no road access so you have to park on the headland and clamber down a narrow path. You could camp here and eat at the rustic roadside seafood places at the northern end of Singh or in Ban Kamala, a village further south. If you're renting a motorbike, this is a nice little trip down Rte 4025 and then over dirt roads from Surin to Kamala.
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Tham Phra Nang
Tham Phra Nang is an important shrine for local fishermen. Legend has it that a royal barge carrying an Indian princess foundered in a storm here during the 3rd century BC. The spirit of the drowned princess came to inhabit the cave, granting favours to all who came to pay respect. Local fishermen - Muslim and Buddhist - place carved wooden phalluses in the cave as offerings in the hope that the spirit will provide plenty of fish.
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