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General information about excursions starting at Khao Lak
Khao Lak is situated in the middle of the west coast of the Phang Nga district and is one of the best placed starting points for tours & excursions around this environment.
To Phuket town about 130 km, Ranong (frontier to Burma) 180 km, Phang Nga Bay about 70 km, Krabi about 170 km, Khao Sok 70 km, Cheow Lan Lake about 105 km, Surathani about 140 km.
The district of Phang Nga is one of the greenest district in Thailand, about 60% of the district is farm land, the rest is still original primary forest (tropical rain forest). The farm land can be found normally in the valleys until the mid-way of the mountains, above it is again tropical rain forest. The district is divided into several small and big National Parks, like the Khao Sok, Lamru-, Sri Phang Nga- or the Ao Phang Nga-Marine National Park.
Within the nearest surrounding of Khao Lak you can find several waterfalls, like the Sai Rung or even the Rainbow waterfall, Chong Fa-, Ton Pring-, Lampi-, Tong Prai waterfall. These waterfalls have enough water during the period of May to November, but during the rest of the year they have less water in fact of the missing rain.
A lot of the guests would like to explore themselves the region by motorbike or car. We can recommend it only partially, because it doesn’t exist a good map to be correctly directed. We recommend exploring only the near surrounding of about 20km around Khao Lak. To explore the region above this distance cost a lot of time, because the road signs are rarely well indicated and quickly the wrong way has been taken. Please do not always trust the information’s given by the Thais, when you ask them for the right way. They know their own region only a little bit and most of the time they have problems to explain correctly the way to be taken. Based on these situations, a lovely planed day change quickly to a stress day without having achieved the desired goal.
At least, if you are for the first time in Khao Lak, we recommend taking an organized tour, offered by an operator. You will find a lot of Tour counters, but most of these tours are not organized by themselves, because they are only intermediaries. In fact you will find the same tour offered by several different tour counters. What kinds of tours are offered? Most of the cases what is easy to sell and well known, often mass tourism tours like> James Bond Rock, Phi Phi Island or in the meantime also the Khao Sok National Park. Further in the offers are> Cheow Lan Lake, Sea Canoe tours, Similan Islands, Surin Islands, Ranong, Phang Nga Temple, Krabi, Elephant trekking, bamboo rafting, ATV tours, Mangrove Canoeing, jungle trekking.
A small overview of what is offered today:
James Bond Rock & Gipsy Village: Mostly in combination with Sea Canoeing or Temple. It has nothing in common with the original Sea Canoe Tour in the Phang Nga Bay.
You are paddling by yourselves around the cliffs.
Advantage: Very cheap offers
Inconvenient: Mass tourism tours around the James Bond Rock & Gipsy village.
Sea Canoe Touren in Phang Nga Bay: The whole bay consists of more than 170 islands and cliff constructs. Its one of the most beautiful places on this world, something similar you can only find in Vietnam the ”Halong Bay”, but there are the islands far away from each other. In Phang Nga, all is near and close together. On some of these islands exist open sky wholes called "Hongs” you can not see them from outside. This kind of small caves has been built during centuries; through them you can achieve the inner part of these islands as an enclosed paradise. You can do it only with canoes and sometimes you need to lie down completely to pass through the small space.
Advantage: One of the most beautiful tours on the water, to discover the amazing world above the water.
Inconvenient: Be careful to the offers and choose a serious tour operator like Org. Sea Canoe, Andaman Sea kajak, Sea Cave Canoe. You need to go to the pier of North Phuket Ao Pa about 1 hour from Khao Lak. Guests with claustrophobia should be aware.
Krabi: Beautiful and lovely region where view change with calcite ponds and –hills. Interesting temples like Tiger Cave Temple and the jungle valley, natural parks, caves und the coast with Ao Nang and Raily Beach, as well as the islands Koh Poda & Chicken Island.
Advantage: Interesting about nature and culture.
Inconvenient: More or less long way to the view points
Phang Nga up country: offers a lot of changes between rainforest & farmland, waterfalls, interesting caves and temples, Be careful with the booking, some tour operators offers only 3 temples in their program.
Advantage: Short driving distances and very interesting to know more about nature and culture of Phang Nga.
Inconvenient: nothing
Khao Sok: Wonderful region with sharp peaked mountains and the nature. A lot of farmland and rain forest are mixed together. Most of the people know only the main entry part of the Khao Sok National Park, at least what is offered mostly. The normal Khao Sok Tour consist of: Elephant trekking and River Canoeing, both are done outside of the National Park and on the normal walking ways you will meet other tourists from Krabi, Phuket & Khao Lak. Khao Sok can offer you more than that, like the Cheow Lan Lake, the most important dam in Southern Thailand with an amazing nature around the sea.
Advantage: Nature "lovers” can find what they want to see, as long as they are booking the right thing.
Inconvenient: Before booking, take your time to inform you previously about your goals. You will find lot of offers but unfortunately most of them must be, finally, considered as a standard program.
Ranong: It is a long distant drive to go there. You will be driven via Takuapa, Kurabura to achieve Ranong. After Takuapa the landscape is very interesting. You can see mountains with waterfalls, tropical rain forest, farmland and fruits garden. The district of Ranong consist of 80% of National Parks. The town itself is a sea port with all its advantages and disadvantages. Most of the Tour Operators offer a Longtailboat Trip to Myamar (Burma) of about 30 min.
Advantage: It is the shortest way to visit once Burma or to renewal its Visa
Inconvenient: Long distance drive
Phuket: The island Phuket offer to the Khao Lak visitor the best possibilities for shopping or to explore the Night Live. If you do not know Phuket, you can discover on a Day Tour the island or going shopping. Phuket offers also some Night Shows like the "Fantasie Show” (Las Vegas based on Thai culture) or the "Simon Kabarett” (Ladyman show).
Advantage: Interesting for Khao Lak client who like to live something else.
Inconvenient: A lot of traffic in Phuket town and very touristy
Similan Islands snorkeling: Khao Lak is well known in fact of its Similan Islands. There are 9 islands fitting together like a Perl chain. The distance from the pier in Tablamu to Similan is about 45-65 km. The best snorkeling places are the islands no 4-5-8. Island no 8 is known from the Donald Duck Bay, the ponds configuration look like Donald Duck head. The most offers are done for snorkeling by Speedboat. Unfortunately these boats are of wood and uncomfortable with big waves. More comfortable are the big diving schools boats where you can go with, but in most of the cases the driving time is very long and you can not always reach the land for snorkeling.
Advantage: Short distance to the pier
Inconvenient: Time consuming with the boats to the snorkeling places. With speed boat it is not easy to go into or to leave them.
Surin Islands snorkeling: The Marine Park Surin Island is situated in the north of Khao Lak and you must first go to the pier of Kuraburi by minibus (1 hour drive) and then 1 hour more with the Speedboat to achieve the lovely snorkeling places. These different places are near together and you can see a lot. It exist also a lovely sand beach for swimming and a National Park Restaurant for good food. It is a good alternative solution to the Similans islands.
Advantage: Short boat trip. The snorkeling places are near together including the beach.
Inconvenient: Time consuming to go to the pier of Kuraburi