Arguably the largest and the most popular island in the Kingdom of Thailand is the island of Phuket. With beautiful sandy beaches and waters with different hues of Blue, Phuket attracts all kinds of travelers from across the word. Popular both as a vacation and a honeymoon destination, you can never be bored in Phuket.
Even if you spend hours of day in the waters, island-hopping, snorkeling or scuba-diving, you know that the night is still young, thanks to the party places and other sorts of evening entertainment. Here’s a list of places to see while in Phuket.
Perhaps the most popular bay in Phuket, The Phang Nga Bay requires an entire day of exploration. Phang Nga is known for its iconic limestone islands on the beautiful emerald waters with the James Bond Island is the most popular island on the bay.
Originally known as Koh Ta-pu or ‘Nail Island’, the James Bond Island acquired its new name ever since it featured in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’, a James Bond movie. The island is a great place to tour the dark caves and take some James Bond-esque pictures.
From the James Bond island, head to Koh Panyee; a nearby Muslim floating village for an authentic Thai lunch. The entire village of Koh Panyee is built over water with a shopping arcade, restaurants, a mosque and even a school on it. Be sure to shop for some Pearls while you are there. Before heading back to the land, make you try your hand at canoeing along the mangroves and limestones on the bay.
Old Phuket town is a charming part of the island with its Chinese and Buddhist temples, quaint little shops and cafes and tiny private and public museums that you can explore at leisure, preferably early in the morning or after the sun has gone down as it can get really humid during the day. The most iconic structures in Old Phuket town are the grand Sino-colonial mansions that were home to the tin barons of Phuket about a century ago.
One of the most famous landmarks on the Island is the Big Buddha Statue. This 45 meters tall image of Buddha is placed on the top of the Nakkerd Hills between Kata and Chalong and can be seen from almost any place in the South of the city. Built at an estimated cost of 30 million Thai baht the site offers one of the best 360-degree views of Phuket Island. The Big Buddha sees 1,000 visitors on an average day.
If your definition of a fun beach is one where you can go shopping, bar-hopping and do lots of other fun activities then you must consider spending some time on Patong beach. One of the longest beaches in Thailand, the Patong beach was once the most beautiful beach in the country until it became a hot-spot for tourists. Today Patong qualifies as a beach full of cafes, bars and nightclubs that over-flow onto the streets of the adjoining, neo-lit Bangla Road.
Although a part of the province of Krabi, the Phi-Phi islands are the number one reason for tourists to visit Thailand. The Phi-Phi islands are around 45 kilometers from Phuket. The entire stretch of the beautiful blue waters are so divine, you can’t help but marvel at its beauty. You must book a tour to visit the island and while doing so you can also make halts at Mosquito Island for snorkelling. The next stop from Mosquito Island is the Monkey Island and finally head to Maya Bay made famous by the 2000 adventure movie “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, before alighting at Koh Phi-Phi.
To get a firsthand glimpse of Phuket’s splendid Marine wild-life you must see the Phuket Aquarium in Laem Phanwa. The aquarium houses a varied collection of exotic and topical marine species of fish, sharks, sea-turtles, crabs and other marine life. Be sure to check out the tiger-striped cat fish and the black-tip reef shark.
While the Phuket Aquarium allows you to see the entire marine-world in all its glory, head to the Hai Nai Yang National Park if you want to get an exclusive look at the sea-turtles. This National Park is where the sea-turtles come to the shore to lay their eggs during the night. It is truly a moment to witness.
Khao Phra Thaew National Park is Phuket’s one and only rainforest of significance. It is the most well-protected national park in Thailand due to its Royal status. It is said that, Malayan sun-bears, Tigers, rhinos and elephants once roamed freely in this forest reserve but nowadays the sightings of the exotic wild-life of these forests have reduced significantly. Start the day with a leisurely walk by the Tonsai waterfall before going on the look-out for the exotic creatures. If you are lucky, you may be able to see some of the most exotic creatures come out of hiding.
Phuket is a beautiful island, and is evident by now; there is a lot to see. While we have listed most of the natural treasures in the country, make sure to check out some other points of interest to like the Cabaret dances, the Phuket Fantasea Show or the Siam Nimarit show. Also, try to catch a Mua Thai Boxing match in the city at the Patong Beach. Phuket is certainly a city that warrants multiple visits. Is it on your bucket list yet?
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