Phuket, Thailand – Phang Nga Bay

Half the fun of being in Phuket is getting on the water and exploring the outlying islands. Our favorite excursion was in Phang Nga Bay, a national park just North-East of Phuket in the Andaman Sea – simply breathtaking! If you fly all the way across the world to come here, this is one spot you must absolutely see. Hop on a boat and admire the ‘straight out of a movie’ scenic views of literally hundreds of limestone cliffs dramatically rising over the emerald sea. While they’re stunning to look at from outside, the best way to really enjoy them is to slowly glide your way in with a sea canoe and explore their sea caves, interior lagoons, and all that lives within…

Koh Panak

Tour boats indicate the entrance to the island’s famous sea cave called ‘Bat Cave’.

We passed a giant jellyfish on our way…look but don’t touch as these are highly poisonous!

Following a pitch black tunnel in your canoe, a gleam of your borrowed torch light will reveal thousands of bats hanging from the ceiling.

You soon emerged into a hidden lagoon (or ‘Hongs’ which is Thai for ‘rooms’ as they’re being called here) which opens up to the sky above and is home to plenty of monkeys.

Mangrove trees provide food and shelter to exotic birds, lizards, and marine life.

My first encounter with a ‘walking fish‘ left me quite stunned…Darwin would have been fascinated!

En route to Koh Hong, these cliffs look like they’re suspended in mid-air, that’s some serious water erosion, and stunning to look at.

Koh Hong

More paddling and stunning vistas in the largest ‘hong’ seen so far.

A multicolor feast for the eyes – vivid cliffs and surrounding green walls make for a gorgeous background to a peaceful canoe ride.

Our guide pointed me to this huge boulder that resembled the head of a piranha or some fierce, prehistoric fish – these rock formations really do have something to tell.

Back onboard the main boat where lunch was waiting for us.

Impressive spread – whole grilled fish, currys, noddles, calamari… deliciously filling for a day at sea. It’s pretty hard to get a bad meal in Thailand…

Koh Tapu

Also known as James Bond Island (they filmed parts of “The Man with the Golden Gun” here), it’s mostly famous for its main rock that emerges from the surface on an impossibly thin base and soars to a height of 200m (650 ft) out of the water, quite spectacular!

It’s the no. 1 toursist attraction here so there are crowds wherever you look and you need to take a long tail boat to get to the island as the numerous tour boats just don’t fit…