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The province of Phang-nga is located some 788 kilometres from Bangkok. It covers an area of 4,170 square kilometres.
Phang-nga is a province with two characters - land and sea - and packed with national parks that guard magnificent scenery with immensely different attractions.
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Most famous is Ao Phang-nga National Park, a geological wonder filled with islets, sunken caverns and startling rock formations rising sheer out of the sea. The bay is extremely sheltered ideal for expeditions of sea canoes to explore the many fascinating caverns with their own eco-systems.
Phang-nga's andaman coast offers parks of a different kind. The island groups of Surin and Similan are renowned for their beautiful unspoilt beaches and spectacular underwater scenery, attracting divers from around the world. Khao Lak is a coastal park full of birds, mammals and scenic waterfalls, with a number of hotel developments after Tsunami disaster in December 2004. |
Mu Ko Similan National Park A group of 9 small islands, 50 kms. off the west coast of Phang-nga in the Andaman Sea. The National Park covers an area of 80,000 rai. Skin Diving Magazine rated them among the ten loveliest places on Earth, because of the great natural beauty found on the islands themselves the extensive surrounding coral gardens beneath the waves. The islands are undeveloped and unspoiled; numerous species of fish, crustaceans, and other forms of sea-life abound; water clarity and diving are excellent. Similan is corrupted from the Malay Sembilan and means nine. From north to south in order the islands are : Ko Bon, Ko Ba Ngu, Ko Similan, Ko Pahyoo, Ko Miang (two islands), Ko Pahyan, Ko Payahng and Ko Hu Yong.
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Ao Phang-Nga National Park was declared a national park on April 29, 1981. It lies in the districts of Phang-Nga Town and Takua Thung and the total area is 250,000 rai (1 rai = 1,600 sq. meters). Most visitors are intent on viewing Phang-Nga Bay's bizarre landscape, which includes more than 120 singularly strange looking islands. There are many places where boats can be rented to travel Phang-Nga
has long-tails holding up to eight persons each. It takes about three hours to view Phang-Nga Bay. The best season is from December to April, but because of the calm seas that prevail year round in this waveless body of water, trips to Phang-Nga are an on-going activity. Many companies in Phuket offer sight-seeing tours, and various modes of travel are possible: from long-tail boats, to |
sea canoes, to Chinese junks. Virtually all of them include lunch in the price of the tour. Check with your travel agent for details. Those wishing to explore on their own can charter a boat Check the rental fee listed on the signboard at the pier.
Ko Panyee This small island has a picturesque village, which rests precariously on small pilings and extends out across the water. It is inhabited chiefly by Muslim fisher folk, whose unique culture has existed, cut off from the mainland and most modern amenities, for more than a hundred years. Souvenir shops and seafood restaurants cater to visitors.
Khao Ping Gan The name means literally leaning mount. It is really a huge rock split in two; the smaller half has slid down and the remaining one appears now to be leaning. Though Kao Ping-gan is a very small island, Khao Tapoo or James Bond Island, is in a little bay of Khao Ping-Gan where visiting boats pull up. Tapoo means nail, and this shoreless rock projects up from the sea as its name implies flat and wide at the top, and very narrow at waterline. It is a striking sight. And the island became more famous after the James Bond adventure, The Man with the Golden Gun, was partly filmed here.
Tham Lod Grotto
This cave in Takua Thung has beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. The long tail boat can go through another side of the cave. |
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Ko Yao consists of two large islands, Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai, surrounded by many smaller islands. The total area is 137.6 sq. kms. Largely unaffected by booming developmet in nearby Phuket, Ko Yao retains its traditional Muslim culture. There are a few bungalow operations providing basic but very charming accommodations. Rental vehicles are not an option, although sometimes you can strike a deal with people at the bungalow to use their motorcycle.
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