Highlights
Temples
Dip into local culture and witness the sights, smells and sounds of the region’s striking temples. Perched atop a mountain, Wat Bang Riang is a giant temple in Phang Nga Province, showcasing a large, golden buddha sitting beneath a seven-headed serpent, a statue of the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, and exquisite Thai temple architecture. Dragon Cave Temple sits in a limestone cavern, where local monks produce herbal remedies for commonplace illnesses. One of the area’s most historic shrines, Wat Suwanakhuha is hidden in a colossal cave; step inside to find a troop of impish macaque monkeys guarding a big, reclining buddha.
Adventure
Longtail boat, sea canoe or speedboat: three exhilarating ways to trace the steps of 007 and visit the famed ‘James Bond Island’ in Phang Nga Bay. Gaze in awe at the grand limestone pinnacle soaring out of the sea, featuring the original hideaway of evil Scaramanga in the 1974 blockbuster, ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’. Touring this astonishingly beautiful corner of Thailand is especially popular by sea canoe, incorporating fascinating guided tours of Phang Nga’s spectacular sea caves. These crumpled cave systems are open to the sky and surrounded by towering limestone walls, revealing interior lagoons rich with fauna and flora.
National Parks
Khao Sok National Park is cloaked with centuries-old jungle rainforest, an adventure playground for exhilarating treks amid ancient trees, tumbling waterfalls, huge limestone cliffs and breath-taking lakes. This stunning landscape is home to a huge variety of wildlife, from gibbons and pre-historic deer, to sun bears and tigers. Another striking reserve, Khao Lak Lam Ru offers forest walks among the home of various mammals, reptiles, birds and butterflies. Coral beaches and crystalline seas hug the shores of the Similan Islands National Park, comprising nine pristine isles famous for their snorkelling and diving (at selected times of year). Equally mesmerizing, Surin Islands National Park showcases sharks, turtles and mangrove monitor lizards basking in sublime surroundings.