Phuket Tours
Phuket has a number of very rewarding tours available, which are a great way to take a break from the beaches and water activities. There are a number of companies that offer tours of Phuket, including its historic, cultural and natural attractions.
Tours of the island will invariably include the lovely west coast beaches, and it will take several hours to visit them all. Each has a different character, some are heavily developed or large and others quieter and more exclusive. Patong is the most central and Karon, to the south is equally busy and large, beyond that is the lovelier and more refined Kata and Kata Noi. Heading northward from Patong you come across the sweeping Kamala which has plenty of space for all, before chancing on the small and quiet Surin and finally reaching Bang Tao - whose real attraction is the lagoons in-land which form a large resort complex. Hill headlands separate each providing great views as you pass from one to the next, but the best view is found south of Kata Noi, from where you can see four of the bays...more on Phuket beaches.
Most tours offered in Phuket actually leave the island, as some of the best day trips are found offshore. Highlights of tours in Phuket always include the stunning Phi Phi archipelago with their soaring cliffs and glaring white beaches with azure waters. Another popular choice of tours is to the magnificent Pha Nga Bay with it’s numerous karst islands. There are other offshore islands and national parks.
Phuket City itself is also usually included on tours of Phuket, mainly for its authentic collection of Sino-Portuguese architecture - a legacy of the island’s important past as a trading post on the Andaman coast...more on Phuket Town.
On the south end of the island lies Promthep Cape (Laem Promthep). This is the southernmost point on Phuket Island and offers truly stunning panoramic views of the south coast, the deep blue Andaman Sea and the nearby islands. Commonly considered to be the best place to watch the sunset, Promthep Cape can be a little crowded at sundown. Another great place to watch the sun sink below the horizon is the viewpoint at the top of the hill between Nai Harn and Kata beaches (commonly known as Kata Hill).
If you’re really into getting off the beach and exploring the island, a short distance south of Phuket City you’ll find Wat Chalong, the most revered temple on the island. Tours of Phuket aren’t complete without a visit to this spectacular temple. Wat Chalong is by far the largest and most ornate of the 29 temples on Phuket.
There are several beauty spots inland and National Parks that are worth seeking out. Kathu Falls is the closest of Phuket’s limited waterfalls and is found northeast of Patong of the hill pass. A bit more impressive is Ton Sai falls which is in the Khao Phra Taew National Park in the Northeast of the island and includes the curious Gibbon Rehabilitation centre. There is some good nature trails to the various falls, although the 400 baht entry fee is a bit of a turn off. If you are touring the island under your own steam you’ll find nicer parts of the island in this region which are largely untouched by tourism and you can discover fishing communities among the mangrove of the east coast by exploring a bit.
Two more popular sites on Phuket tours are located on the south end of the island, on Rawai beach. The Phuket Shell Museum houses over 2,000 species of shell, including the only left handed Noble Volute ever discovered and one of the world’s largest golden pearls. Also in Rawai is the Sea Gypsy village, an example of one of the oldest of Thailand’s many indigenous cultures.
Traveller tale: Phuket’s hidden gems
Much to the locals disgust we reveals some of the island’s best kept secrets, places the tourist crowds don’t often go...more
