Explore Phuket

Phuket is the largest island in Thailand and is located in the Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand. The island s mostly mountainous with a large mountain range in the west of the island from the north to the south meaning that 70% of the island is covered in mountains. Phuket is around 863km south of Bangkok and covers an area of around 843km. Since the 1980s the beautiful sandy beaches along the west coast of the island have been developed into tourist destinations with Patong, Karon and Kata being the most popular. In 2017 Phuket received around 10 million visitors and the tourism industry generated around 385 billion baht. Over the last few years, prices have started to increase due to the popularity of the area which has actually decreased tourism in the area recently. However, the beautiful scenery, friendly people and the ever-growing worldwide need to explore keep holidaymakers coming back time and time again.

Some of our must see things in Phuket are:

1. Two Heroines Monument – Located in the Thalang District, this memorial statue of the two women, Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthon is dedicated to their efforts in rallying the islanders in 1785 to fight off the Burmese invaders. As the island’s governor had just died his widow and her sister lead the fight by disguising local women as male soldiers to fight.
2. Thalang National Museum – For the history lovers out there the museum is a great way to see the exhibition of life in old Phuket and see the ancient artefacts, remains and materials used in the war against Burma. It is just beside the Two Heroines Monument so you can do the 2 things together very easily.
3. Hat Karon Beach – A beautiful beach just 20km from the town with large resorts on the road behind the beaches. The beach is a great spot for coral reefs and snorkelling however there are no facilities directly on the beach other than people walking by trying to sell you things.
4. Kamala Beach – The ultimate surfing spot for those who enjoy water sports. The beach is very busy with tourists when it is the touristy season but it’s a great place to come and relax. There are markets on Wednesday and Friday nights and Saturday in the day which are also worth a visit.
5. The Big Buddha of Phuket – On the peak of the mountain near Muang Phuket this statue of Buddha is pure white marble and stands 45m tall. A definite photo op when visiting Phuket.
6. Wat Chalong – This is one of Phuket’s most important Buddhist temples and one of its most beautiful. Many Buddhists come here to be blessed by the monks and receive a good luck charm.
7. James Bond Island ( Phang Nga Bay National Park) – This is where many of the iconic pictures of Phuket have been taken as there are hundreds of limestone cliffs and odd-shaped rocks coming out of the ocean which makes for those amazing photos. This was of course where ‘the man with the golden gun’ was filmed hence the name James Bond Island.
8. Phi Phi Island – A duo make up of Phi Phi Leh and Phi Phi Don these islands create the ultimate place for relaxation and beauty. There is some amazing climbing for those with more energy or beautiful tranquil beaches with amazing snorkelling to delve into.