Ao Phang Nga National Marine Park

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The sprawling Ao Phang Nga National Park covers 400 sq km and contains over 40 islands amidst dramatic scenery of sheer limestone cliffs (some as high as 300 metres) tower out of the year round calm green water.

Evidence of prehistoric man has been traced back in the park to over 10,000 years ago as evidenced by some of their cave painting, tools and other knick knacks that archaeologists have found scattered throughout the area. One assumes it cannot have been too bad place to live back then. Now the increasingly common human life seen in these parts is the boatloads of tourists and the occasional Thai fisherman.

Millions of years ago the whole region was one of the world's largest barrier reefs extending thousands of kilometres. However natural forces came into play and the earth's movements created the irregular formations, with erosion smoothing the edges, leaving the geography reminiscent of Yunnan in China but with the water.

The common tourist destinations include Ko Kan (James Bond Island), and Ko Panyi (the Sea Gypsy village/tourist trap where no gypsies live). If you can somehow organise to get around on your own (try sea kayaking or yachting) you will be rewarded with serene beauty.

 

Ko Phanak and Ko Hong are stunning where hongs (or collapsed cave systems) the latter seems like you enter a large auditorium. Caves on the mainland worth exploring including Lod Yai and Lod Lek and back in the bay the cave passages on Ko Talu are full of stalactites - unchanged since Roger Moore ran through there, although the squillions of vendors are a more recent (and un-welcome) addition.

Beautiful also in their own way are the mangrove forests which you can penetrate through the myriad of established canals.



Text and/or map last updated on 12th August, 2009.

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