Phuket & Phi Phi

closed 1 Oct 2018 after ~5,000 visitors and ~200 boats a day destroyed 80% of the surrounding coral; reopened 2022 under no boats, no swimming, one hour

20 m off the beach at Khao Phing Kan; The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

established 1981; a 400 km2 bay of limestone karst with cave paintings over a thousand years old

the bay is limestone cliffs with caves and collapsed cave systems; around 10,000 years ago the sea was low enough to walk from Phuket to Krabi

established 1982, 11 islands, 70 km off Phang Nga province - CLOSED 16 May to 15 October every year

about 70 minutes by speedboat from Tap Lamu port, about 3 hours on a standard vessel

Thailand 30th national park, designated 9 July 1981 and expanded 6 July 2007; about 141.25 km2, 76% of it ocean; five main islands and two rocky islets

a limestone pinnacle about 18 km east of Ko Khai and 45 km from the mainland, standing from around 30 to 35 m depth

an estimated 150 to 330 Moken live on the Surin Islands, maintaining distinct cultural practices and oral traditions

10.27 km2, the largest of the six Phi Phi islands

1.27 km2; the Viking Cave supports a thriving industry harvesting edible bird nests

242,437 rai, roughly 38,790 hectares - the park the whole Phi Phi group sits inside

the tsunami reached 3 m in Ton Sai Bay and 6.5 m in Loh Dalum; around 70% of buildings were destroyed and an estimated 850 bodies had been recovered by late July 2005

the most important of the 29 Buddhist temples on Phuket, dedicated to Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang, who led Chalong against the 1876 rebellion and treated the injured with herbal medicine

ten heritage streets - Klang, Phang Nga, Rassada, Dee Buk, Krabi, Thep Kasattri, Phuket, Yaowarat, Satun and Soi Rammanee - across 2.7 km2, built on tin-mining wealth; a UNESCO proposal was in preparation as of 2019

Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthon forced the Burmese army besieging Thalang to retreat; a National Museum branch opened at the monument in 1989

nine days from the eve of the ninth Chinese lunar month, at the same time as Navaratri; white clothing, vegan food and no alcohol; processions, firewalking and blade-ladder climbing, with the ma song as spirit mediums. The ninth day is the climax

established in the early 1800s and described as the earliest historical birthplace of Nine Emperor Gods worship in the Southeast Asia region

Thailand 32nd national park, 13 July 1981, renamed Sirinat in 1992; about 90 km2, of which 68 km2 is marine

the longest beach on Phuket, inside Sirinat National Park

sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs on Hat Mai Khao and Hat Nai Yang between November and February

the coral reefs of Sirinat sit 700 m to 1,000 m offshore

more than 20 km2 of rainforest in the Thalang hills, rising to Khao Phara at 422 m, Khao Bang Pae at 388 m and Khao Prathiu at 384 m

TWW holds the Aggressor reseller line; the Thailand Aggressor anchors the Andaman fleet out of Phuket and Khao Lak

Master Liveaboards, which also runs Myanmar, alongside a 30-plus Thai fleet from Phuket and Khao Lak

the ultra pull on this coast - a premium Thai liveaboard or the Thailand Aggressor across the granite core, paired with a Phuket pre or post stay

the Similan fleet leaves from Tap Lamu; the SSS Evacuation Center runs a 24-hour diving-emergency line here

Asia villa leader, established 1998, covering Bali, Phuket, Samui, Sri Lanka, Japan and the Maldives

green season runs May to November at 30-50% off - the same months the Similan dive park is shut

the FCDO records that drink spiking and drug-assisted sexual assault does happen in tourist areas around Thailand