One of Thailand's best known seascapes - Khao Tupu karst stack taken from James Bond Island (Khao Ping Kan).Phang Nga Bay includes the expanse betwixt northern Phuket together with the Krabi coast summation a northern extension where the bay takes a decent seize with teeth into Phang Nga province . It contains some of the most spectacular landscape-seascapes inwards Thailand. As a affair of fact I intend it is #1 - beats Phi Phi Lae together with the Railay expanse hands down.
Most people exclusively see i department of the bay, but the pop tourist areas are inwards iii zones:
The Bay's attractions autumn into iii zones - the Central, Western together with Eastern Bay. Well that's how the experts divide them - I'd become for NORTHERN instead of CENTRAL (image - modified Google Earth).THE CENTRAL BAY - this is the most heavily visited, with trips out of Phang Nga town concentrating on this area. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lot of daytrips out of Phuket coach people to the piers close Phang Nga town equally produce Krabi tour operators (although the Eastern Bay is to a greater extent than pop from Krabi).
Here nosotros guide hold Ko Panyee/Panyi - the famous Muslim line-fishing hamlet on piers, the fifty-fifty improve known James Bond island, summation some wonderful mangrove landscape.
The kayakers' favourite, Ko Hong (the to a greater extent than western one) kinda overlaps the CENTRAL together with WESTERN BAY areas.
THE WESTERN BAY - tours out of Ko Yao Noi together with the Phuket piers concentrate on this expanse although they oft become further, into the Central bay - likewise CENTRAL BAY tours oft force into the Western Bay.
Besides the Ko Hong mentioned to a higher house this expanse contains Ko Panak which has an okay beach together with some hongs which are said to hold upwards fifty-fifty to a greater extent than impressive than at the 2 Ko Hongs. And a bunch of other spectacularly soaring karst islands.
THE EASTERN BAY - this expanse betwixt Ko Yao Noi together with the westward Krabi coast around A0 Muang/Tubkaak is most visited past times tours out of those locations. Best known features hither are the eastern Ko Hong which is non a truthful hong (a hong is where sea activeness has eroded a tunnel thru a karst stack together with rain/gravity has caused the top to collapse creating an inner sun-bathed hidden lagoon whose walls are oft lined with a mini-rainforest) beingness opened upwards to the sea, but which has clearer water, nicer beach together with some coral compared to fundamental together with western areas - together with Pak Bhia, noted for dainty beaches.
Further northward the mainland coast around Ao Leuk together with Ao Thalen has really goodness mangroves which are pop with kayaking together with canoe tours out of those towns together with Krabi.
MAP - a detailed map of the Bay can hold upwards constitute here.
TOURING THE BAY
I've done 2 daytours of the expanse - both of which took inwards the CENTRAL together with parts of the WESTERN bays. The starting fourth dimension was out of Phuket terminal century. The 2d was inwards Dec 2010 out of Phang Nga town with Mr Kean Tour based inwards the bus-station there. I extended this tour with an overnight remain inwards the pier hamlet at Ko Panyee - in that location is a study together with pix here.
Mr Kean's full-day tour starts at the Tha Dan pier close Phang Nga town together with takes inwards the attractions of the CENTRAL BAY summation some of the WESTERN BAY. His half-day tours fille the southern most Ko Panak's beach/lunch halt together with the nearby Tham Keaw Cave. 800 together with 500 baht resp 12/2010, including National Park fee - yous tin add together a black on Ko Panyee for some other 250. Most tour operations out of the Phang Nga coast follow the to a higher house designing (modified Google globe image).
The starting fourth dimension business office of the trip is spent cruising the wonderful mangrove channels of the Phang Nga coast. As a frequent visitor to northward Queensland this strikes me equally classic crocodile province - in that location must guide hold been thousands of muggers dorsum inwards the day. Hunted to extinction.
THAM LOD CAVE is a highlight of the mangrove department - the boat truly goes correct thru the cave. Note that some of the bigger cruise boats can't produce this.
Shortly after leaving the mangroves the trip cruises past times the Muslim line-fishing hamlet on piers - KO PANYEE/PANYI. Mr Kean's tour calls inwards hither on the means dorsum to Tha Dan. Roughly 45 minutes are given to depository fiscal establishment stand upwards for the place.Many tours halt inwards hither for a wonderful buffet luncheon inwards i of the large seafront restaurants. My daytrip out of Phuket dorsum inwards the 90s did this - I idea it was great. I learned together with therefore it was possible to remain overnight inwards the village, therefore I did this inwards Dec 2010 equally an extension to Mr Kean's tour - the best 250 baht I've spent inwards Thailand. I guide hold a study together with pix here.
Further into the bay kayaking operator SEA CANOE had a seat out of vessels moored inwards a sheltered channel betwixt 2 large karst islands - no doubtfulness equally day-bases for its operation. This expanse is fairly unopen to the western Ko Hong, Ko Thalu together with a seat out of other attractions. Mr Kean offers an lx minutes of kayaking equally an extension to his tours for 350.Paddle Asia is some other companionship offering similar services.
Shortly after passing the to a higher house expanse nosotros checked out THALU CAVE which is really similar inwards appearance to the Tham Lod Cave pictured upwards page, except it has body of body of water each side instead of mangrove lagoons.
Next a see to JAMES BOND ISLAND (Khao Ping Kan) - relatively uncrowded this early on inwards the day. The boat moored on a small-scale dorsum beach together with nosotros took a brusque cliff path over to the primary beach/trinket selling area. Shot top of page was also taken from this path.I wasn't equally good whelmed with this house on my 90s see - it was much later on inwards the day, really crowded together with the trinket sellers were really aggressive. But non therefore on this latest trip.
Interestingly Google Earth at the fourth dimension of writing showed quite a lengthy pier on the small-scale dorsum beach - it was gone when I visited inwards early on Dec 2010. Boats only nosed into the beach. This may hold upwards to a greater extent than hard with some of the bigger craft.
I was amazed at the seat out of tourist boats on the bay this latest see - ranging from small-scale longtails similar ours, thru bigger fast longtails similar I took on my 90s trip, lots of speedboats, canvas boats to some quite sizeable ferries together with cruise boats. There is fifty-fifty a traditionally rigged junk - Google June Bahtra - but hold upwards prepared to sell the house.
I intend many to a greater extent than boats, especially the bigger ones, originate at Phuket piers these days.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 characteristic of Mr Kean is that his total twenty-four hours trip takes its fourth dimension - betwixt locations nosotros idled along which gives to a greater extent than fourth dimension to quaff inwards the views together with keeps things much drier if in that location is whatsoever wind-chop on the water. My 90s boat fanged, although I nonetheless had fourth dimension to hold upwards amazed past times the passing landscape. But this was truly a one-half twenty-four hours on the Bay after coming upwards from Phuket together with visiting a prophylactic plantation together with the Monkey Cave Temple close Phang Nga town.
Not equally good far WSW of James Bond Is is KO HONG (the western one) - banker's complaint the small-scale dot of daylight inwards this high-tide shot. I'm non certain if that is the other side of the isle or the inner lagoon. Even at depression tide the cave with its inner lagoon is manifestly exclusively accessible past times kayak or canoe.
Next halt was THAM KEAW cave. We climbed upwards from this small-scale beach - the tunnel went possibly 150m to a similar elevated opening looking out over a dainty lagoon. Mr Kean supplied headband flashlights - some limestone formations within the cave but nil to acquire excited about. This expanse was non visited on my 90s trip.Neither was the next halt - a small-scale beach on KO PANAK for a picnic-box luncheon, a beach walk together with a dip inwards the ocean. I swam out possibly 300m - it was kinda dainty floating around out in that location surrounded past times awesome karst islands inwards an expanse few people acquire to splash in, but I wouldn't tell the H2O is especially clear. Too many streams menstruum into the northern together with western bay.
For some argue I didn't accept whatsoever pix at Panak - I Googled images for the isle - quite a few beaches shown, all of which had nil to produce with the beach I visited. I recognised shots of Krabi together with Lipe beaches - hell, in that location was fifty-fifty a pic of the duet on the River Kwai! Go ask.
But Google did come upwards up with the next valuable shot:
I didn't know at the time, but it seems Ko Panak out-caves, out-hongs all other places on the bay. But it's i of these locations yous demand a canoe or kayak. The beach is out of frame from the bottom corner (image Sea Canoe)
Ko Panak was equally far S equally nosotros got - turning around this is the panorama which greeted us. The Phang Nga coast is over the horizon.
Closer inwards - if yous click to expand yous volition improve reckon the yacht moored amongst the island. On my flying into Phuket I was sitting side past times side to a daughter who was heading to Phi Phi to run across upwards with friends who had sailed a hire-yacht from Langkawi. Their aim was to produce Phang Nga Bay earlier heading to the Trang islands. Maybe she was on this one.As nosotros got closer to the yacht nosotros could reckon a business of almost a dozen kayaks moving along the island's coast. The Sea Canoe tender boats were moored just around the corner of that towering stack.
From the to a higher house indicate it took possibly xv minutes to acquire dorsum to Ko Panyee. I bailed out to produce my overnight in that location together with the other guys did a 45 infinitesimal tour. Time was possibly 1500 therefore all the bustling luncheon crowds were gone.
From Panyee, Mr Kean's tour stops past times the nearby Khao Khien cave paintings viewable from the boat, together with cruises past times Khao Marju/Pekinese Rock, some other bizarrely shaped towering stack.
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PHANG NGA TOWN
One of the best ways to choke on costs downwards for a bay trip is to base of operations yourself inwards Phang Nga town.
This is a bustling house possibly one-half means betwixt Phuket town together with Krabi town. The guidebooks telephone band it a small-scale town but it stretches for several kms along at to the lowest degree 2 dissimilar route routes - it aint small-scale past times Australian small-scale town standards.
Part of Phang Nga town primary street from the roof terrace of the Ratanapong Hotel
The Ratangapong is a typical Thai hotel - I got me a build clean basic fan room with bath for 150. They also guide hold aircon. This articulation is almost 300m from the coach station - plough right, remain on the same side, become thru traffic lite intersection. That's a 7-11 at the bottom corner, in that location is a similar house across the road, several nearby restaurants together with an cyberspace cafe almost 100m farther to the left. The markets are downwards that soi at correct - were a chip noisy from 4am, but lots of fresh together with cooked materials to consume for brekkie.
More modern Phang Nga Inn is 30m out of frame to the left together with a similar articulation is virtually behind the camera.
This is Mr Kean's tame songthaew exterior his store inwards the Pang Nga town coach station compound. The really similar Sayan Tour is almost 2 shops away.Mr Kean oft meets incoming buses - he's a rugged looking onetime dude together with I idea he was a tout trying to drum upwards concern for an out of town guesthouse (which I didn't want) when I arrived at 8pm. I suggested side past times side twenty-four hours he acquire a small-scale sign MR KEAN TOUR or a printed t-shirt. Most travellers know almost Mr Kean (and Sayan) from the guide-books together with are less probable to ignore him.
The songthaew picks upwards at accommodation places around town together with takes people downwards to Tha Dan pier almost 9km away for the start of the bay tours. Mr Kean also does a local mainland tour taking inwards the Monkey Cave Temple, the Heaven together with Hell Cave together with Sa Nang Manora Forest Park for 450 b including admission fees.
MR KEAN TOUR - 076 - 430-619, 081-871-6092
GETTING THERE
All buses heading from Phuket together with points northward to Krabi together with other places inwards the S Andaman together with full general South telephone band inwards at the coach station. Many Phuket-Surathani buses halt past times equally produce many Bangkok-Phuket services. Plus there's a bunch of buses from areas close or far terminating inwards Phang Nga town. I saw several Kuraburi-Phang Nga services - Kuraburi aint precisely a bustling metropolis.
Most travellers' minibuses plying this fundamental department of the Andaman coast volition driblet yous off inwards town.
December 2010 trip to Ko Yao Noi. It has details together with pix of kayaking trips around the EASTERN BAY - Pak Bhia, Ko Lading etc.
If yous tour the bay yous may hold upwards interested inwards staying a black at the sea gypsy hamlet on piers at Ko Panyi. My study is on this page.
You powerfulness also hold upwards interested inwards the bigger westward Phang Nga Bay islands of Ko Yao Noi together with Ko Yao Yai. Their pages tin hold upwards reached via THE INDEX sublink top correct of this page.
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If yous reckon mistakes or guide hold extra information, delight burn them inwards below. If yous guide hold questions, delight inquire them on THE FORUM which I depository fiscal establishment stand upwards for most days. I exclusively see private isle pages occasionally.
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