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Phuket
(source from http://www.phukettourism.org)
Location and Boundaries
Phuket is an island connected by bridges
to southern Thailand's Andaman Sea coast, in the Indian Ocean,
lying between 7'45" and 8'15" north latitude, and
from 98'15" to 98'40" west longitude on the map.
Phuket, Thailand's largest island, is surrounded
by 32 smaller islands that form part of the same administration,
with a total area of 570 square km. Measured at its widest
point, Phuket is 21.3 km; at its longest, 48.7 km.
It is bounded thus:
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North
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Lies the Pak Prah Strait, spanned by two bridges
running side-by-side, the older Sarasin Bridge, and the
newer Thao Thepkrasatri Bridge. |
| South |
Is the
Andaman Sea. |
| East |
Is Phangnga
Bay
(In the jurisdiction mainly of Phangnga Province).
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| West |
Is the
Andaman Sea. |
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Geography
About 70 percent of Phuket is mountainous; a western range
runs from north to south from which smaller branches derive.
The highest peak is Mai Thao Sip Song, or Twelve Canes, at
529 meters, which lies within the boundaries of Tambon Patong,
Kathu District.
The remaining 30 percent of the island, mainly in the center
and south, is formed by low plains. Streams include the Khlong
Bang Yai, Tha Jin, Khlong Tha Rua, and Khlong Bang Rong, none
of which is large.
Beach
Each of Phuket's many beaches is blessed with a character
and charm very much of its own. From busy fun beaches offering
a range of water sport activities, to secluded coves of fine
white sand backed by verdant hillsides and visited by little
more than the bubbling surf of the Andaman, there is bound
to be at least one to suit the mood and mindset of every visitor
to the island.
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Patong Beach
(15 km from town)
Phuket's most developed beach offers numerous leisure,
sporting, shopping and recreational options along its
3-km long cresent bay.
Windsurfing, snorkelling, sailing, swimming and sunbathing
number among the many popular daytime activities.
Patong is equally well known for its vibrant nightlife,
among which seafood restaurants feature prominently. |
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Kata Beach
(20 & 17 km from town)
Beautiful Kata is a scenic gem, its clear water flanked
by hills, and picturesque Bu island sits offshore.
Kata retains a village feel at its northern and southern
ends and is perhaps more family-oriented, its beach more
peaceful than Patong. |
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Surin Beach
(24 km from town)
Evergreen trees line this small, curving bay, beneath
the foothills north of Kamala. Surin is home to Phuket's
first golf course, a nine-hole course laid out more than
sixty years ago during the reign of King Rama VII. It
is now largely in disuse except as a park.
The steep incline of the beach, turbulent water, and big
waves make Surin a dangerous place to swim. |
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Rawai Beach
(17 km from town)
The palm-fringed beach is best known for 'sea gypsies,'
a formerly nomadic fishing minority believed to be of
Melanesian descent. |
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Promthep Cape
Promthep Cape is a headland forming the extreme south
end of Phuket. "Prom" is Thai for the Hindu
term, "Brahma," signifying purity, and "Thep"
means 'God.'
Local villagers used to refer to the cape as "Leam
Jao", or the God's Cape, and it was an easily recognisable
landmark for the early seafarers traveling up the Malay
Peninsula from the sub-continent.
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Bangtao Beach
Bangtao is a large open bay with one of Phuket's longest
beaches. It was once used for tin mining, but has since
been developed into a luxury resort. Most of it is occupied
by the Laguna complex, a massive five-hotel development
with golf course. There are, however, accommodations available
outside Laguna at the bay's south end.
Dry season swimming is excellent, and at the bay's north
end is a smaller bay, almost completely enclosed, at the
mouth of which is some fine coral. Plenty of places to
eat, tour companies, and other tourist facilities are
available either at Laguna or in the nearby town of Choeng
Thale. |
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| Islands around Phuket |
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Phi Phi Islands
Of the two islands, Phi Phi Don
is the larger and more developed. The smaller, Phi Phi
Le, recently took the title role in the film adaptation
of The Beach - starring opposite Leonardo Di Caprio.
Despite misinformed protests
and bad press regarding environmental damage to the
island during filming, Phi Phi Le is, in fact, in better
condition now than before filming began. International
environmentalists report that the removal of two tons
of tourist rubbish before filming could begin, did not
adversely affect the island's delicate ecological balance.
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Similan Islands
From the north to the south, the archipelago comprises
Koh Bon, Koh Ba Ngu, Koh Similan, Koh Payu, Koh Miang
(actually two islands), Koh Payan, Koh Payang, Koh Ku
Yong. Except for park officials and occasional tourist
groups, these petite islands are mostly uninhabited.
The waters around the islands are home to a considerable
variety of fish and crustaceans, and other marine life
flourishes. The water in the area is as clear as glass
and makes an excellent deep water dive site.
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Coral Island
Koh Hey, off Phuket's south coast, is so well known
for its coral reef that it is often referred to simply
as Coral Island. In addition to the splendid reefs there
are two fine beaches on the north and west of the island.
Koh Hey is part of a marine preserve, but accommodation,
restaurants, various watersports and diving are all
available. Boats leave from Rawai and Chalong. Package
tours are also available. |
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Rang Yai Island
Lying off Phuket's east coast,
this small island has been developed for the soft adventure
tourist. Among the many activities are snorkeling on
the coral reefs, sea kayaking, mountain-biking, playing
miniature golf, and visiting the island's pearl farm.
How to get there: Boats may be
hired from Laem Hin Pier at Phuket Boat Lagoon. Package
tours are providede by Richy Island Tour (Tel: (076)
238163) and other tour agencies. |
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Raya Noi Island
This island, 10 km from Raya Yai, is the result of coral
reef build up, and there are more rocks than beaches.
In a small bay on the west is a boat anchorage. The
waters at Raya Noi are emerald green, and the fishing
there is famous, but swimming is not recommended.
How to get there: Hire a charter boat at Ao Chalong
or Rawai, or go to a travel agent for details on package
tours to the islands. By long-tailed boat the travel
time is about two hours. Larger boats operated by tour
companies will make the trip in about one hour. Travel
to Raya Islands is restricted to dry season and periods
when the monsoon is not blowing. |
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Diving
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| Phuket diving
sites number among the very best to be found. In fact,
the readers of the top diving magazine voted Phuket diving
among the top ten in the world. Diving Phuket's warm clear
blue waters is best from mid-October to May, when the
calm seas and rain free days make Phuket diving off Ko
Kaew Noi, Ko Rajali Yai, Shark Point a truly unique experience.
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Phi Phi Island diving
is also one of the highlights for any serious dive itinerary,
Phi Phi Island diving takes the diver to one of the most famous
diving sites in the world, and facilities for Phi Phi Island
diving are among the best for such a site. |
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Diving
Khao Lak will introduce the diver to many new
varieties of fish and coral. Khao Lak diving is a relatively
unspoiled diving site offering much natural scenery
and diving Khao Lak means entering into one of Thailand's
premier marine national parks.
Scuba companies diving Phuket offer full training courses
and equipment hire, so that experienced and amateur
divers can experience diving Phuket waters without needing
to worry about bringing more than their underwater cameras.
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Local Shopping
All of Thailand is known for its fantastic
shopping, and Phuket is no exception. Particularly fine examples
of handicrafts from around the country are available at the
tourist markets and speciality shops of the beach centres,
Phuket Town and at Canal Village in the Laguna Phuket complex
- which also boasts its own branch of Jim Thompson's, the
Thai silk specialists.
Phuket is also the source of several of the country's finest
gift and souvenir products including cultured pearls, neilloware,
pewterware, ornaments and dried seafood, (see "What to
Buy"). Specialist shops dealing in souvenir products
can be found on Rasada, Phangnga, Montri, Yaowarat, and Tilok-U-Thit
roads, in Phuket Town, Thepkrassatri Road, north of town and
at the beach centres of Patong, Kata, Karon and Rawai.
Among the best buys the island has to offer are Batik - crafted
by the island's numerous artists into tee-shirts, dresses,
wall hangings, and bed covers - beachwear and easily-affordable
made-to-measure cotton, linen and silk clothing - courtesy
of the island's many tailors. Thalang Road, in Phuket Town,
is home to many cloth merchants, offering excellent deals
on a wide selection of cloth, which the island's tailors will
be happy to convert into the fashion statement of the customer's
choosing.
Phuket's rapidly developing infrastructure has also allowed
for a considerable growth in shopping opportunities. Several
large department stores are located in Phuket Town, Thalang
and Patong and two giant supercentres - Tesco Lotus and Big
C - have recently opened on the Bypass Road, north of Phuket
Town, offering easy shopping for long stay visitors and yacht
charter tourists.
Department stores :
Ocean Department Store Thaweewong Rd., Patong.
Ocean Plaza Soi Bangla, Patong.
Ocean Shopping Mall Tilok-U-Thit Rd., Phuket Town.
Robinsons Tilok –U-Thit Rd., Phuket Town.
Phuket Shopping Center Rasada Rd., Phuket Town.
Wang Talang 13/1 Vichitsongkram Road T.Vichit. |
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