Hat Patong
This slightly overgrown yet peaceful compound, just off Th Phra Barami at the northeastern end of Patong, is a welcome respite from the chaos outside…
Must-see attractions in Phuket & the Andaman Coast
Trang Beaches & Islands
Humble, local-flavoured Hat Lodung is a short walk from the main pier, on Ko Muk's eastern side. If you're facing the sea, Hat Lodung is left of the pier…
Hat Khao Lak
The wave-shaped Tsunami Memorial Park in Ban Nam Khem, a squid-fishing village 26km north of Hat Khao Lak that was nearly wiped off the map in the 2004…
Railay
A wooden boardwalk leads through a series of illuminated caverns full of beautiful limestone formations (and squeaking bats) but, with shifting rain…
Hat Patong
A beautiful, golden Bodhisattva statue in the middle of a traffic circle, adorned with rainbow-coloured ribbons and guarded by carved elephants festooned…
Ko Phi-Phi
Still low-key, this small, remote, grey-gold eastern bay has a few modest family-run bungalows and good snorkelling. You can get here by long-tail from…
Hat Khao Lak
This police boat was hurled into an open field 1km inland from Hat Bang Niang (2.5km north of central Khao Lak) by the powerful 2004 Boxing Day tsunami…
Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park
Ao Phang-Nga's top tourist drawcard is known to Thais as Ko Phing Kan (‘Leaning on Itself Island’). Used as a location setting in the James Bond film The…
Railay
Railay's most developed beach, this shallow, muddy, mangrove-lined bay recedes to mudflats during low tide, gets steamy hot if the breezes aren’t blowing…
Hat Khao Lak
Tsunami museums have become something of a cottage industry in Khao Lak. Several have popped up in shops located close to Boat 813 – at least four at the…
Ko Tarutao Marine National Park
The overgrown ruins of Tarutao's political prisoners camp can be seen at Ao Taloh Udang, 24km southeast of the park headquarters. Return long-tail…
Ko Tarutao Marine National Park
The prison camp for civilian prisoners was on Ko Tarutao's isolated east coast, 12km southeast of Ao Pante Malacca. A historical trail leads through Ao…
Phuket Town
The island's original post and telegraph office, recently given a coat of canary-yellow paint, is a fine example of Phuket's Sino-Portuguese architecture…
Phuket
Tucked into the trees behind lovely Hat Nai Harn, the presence of this working seafront monastery here is partly to thank for this area's lack of…
Trang Beaches & Islands
There's a wild-looking stretch of coastline at Hat Pak Meng, 39km west of Trang. Though the beach is scruffy, the spectacular jutting limestone karsts…
Ton Sai
The beach itself isn't spectacular (especially at low tide) but with so much good rock climbing around, most people don't mind. To soak up some rays, take…
Ko Lanta
A large travellers’ village, with restaurants oriented to Western tastes, beach bars and tour offices, has grown up along sandy Hat Phra Ae. The beach has…
Phuket
Perched by the central section of the beach, Karon's golden statue is often thought to embody the fabled sleeping dragon that, according to local Chinese…
Phuket Town
Just beyond the northern end of beautiful Soi Romanee, Phuket Town's working main Buddhist temple is over 85 years old and is one of the island's four…
Phuket
Best reached from the west side of Khao Phra Thaew Royal Wildlife & Forest Reserve, this small waterfall is at its best between June and November. A few…
Phuket
Perched on the highest point of Ko Sireh, 5km east of Phuket Town and accessed by a driveway adjacent to a school, this sun-faded temple surrounded by…
Phuket Town
Built in 1934, this shrine honours Lao La as principal deity and is an important focus for festivities (and brutal self-mortification) during Phuket's…
Ko Lanta
Hat Khlong Dao was once an outstanding 2km stretch of white sand perfect for swimming, but the erosion has become so bad that at high tide there's no…
Phuket
Not really good for lounging, Hat Rawai is a shallow, rocky beach on the east side of Laem Phromthep. Its waters are used as a busy long-tail and…
Phuket Town
This relatively modern, shophouse-like shrine is one of the most important centres of worship and self-mortification for Phuket's Vegetarian Festival.
Ko Tarutao Marine National Park
Ao Pante Malacca, on the northwest of Ko Tarutao, is the island's main arrival and departure point, with a pleasant beach shaded by pandanus and…
Trang Beaches & Islands
Casuarina-backed Hat Chang Lang is the prettiest beach on this strip of coast. The Hat Chao Mai National Park Headquarters is at the southern end of the…
Ko Lanta
This rocky beach isn't suitable for swimming and is mainly used as a harbour by local fishing boats. It's about 12km south of Ban Sala Dan on Ko Lanta's…
Satun Province
Dating back to 1849, Satun's oldest mosque sits in the centre of town and was extensively rebuilt in a contemporary style in the 1970s. Non-Muslims are…
Hat Patong
It may not be a blissful stretch of untouched paradise, but Patong's ever-popular broad white-sand beach is action-packed, with sunloungers, umbrellas and…
Ko Phi-Phi
Immediately east of Ao Ton Sai, this area has a few small white-sand beaches in rocky coves, some of them relatively quiet. It’s a 15-minute beach or…
Trang
Hazy with incense smoke, the Chinese Meunram Shrine conceals a surprisingly elaborate interior behind a blander facade. It sometimes sponsors southern…
Hat Kata
The small, uninhabited, jungle-clad islet of Ko Pu glistens across the waves just off Hat Kata Yai, making for gorgeous sunsets.
Ko Adang & Ko Rawi
Reached via a short jungle trail, Pirate’s Falls is rumoured to have been a freshwater source for pirates (and is more of a cascading river than a…
Krabi Town
While not a must-see sight, this Buddhist temple has some interesting 19th- and 20th-century buildings and a majestic dragon-flanked staircase leading up…
Phuket
On Ko Sireh's east coast, this slightly scruffy sandy beach has a smattering of seafood restaurants and views out across Ao Phang-Nga's karst islets.
Phuket Town
A crimson-coloured Sino-Portuguese facade with bright-yellow flourishes, at the heart of old Phuket Town, gives way to this quiet Chinese shrine.
Trang
Wat Tantayaphirom has a huge white-and-gold chedi (stupa) enshrining a footprint of the Buddha that’s mildly interesting.
Phuket
A wide beach on Rawai's east coast that's OK for swimming and is popular with kitesurfers from November to April.
Trang
Trang's clock tower is an easy walk from the train station, east along Th Praram VI.
