04Experiences

The sea

Two coasts, two archipelagos

The sea here is two itineraries, not one. In the Gulf of Thailand, Mu Ko Ang Thong covers 42 islands across 102 square kilometres, about 50 of them land and the rest water. The park was established on 12 November 1980 in Surat Thani. The name means bowl of gold. Since 2002 it has been Ramsar site 1184. A ranger station sits at the northern tip of Ko Phaluai, and Ao Phi beach on Ko Wua Talap has simple bungalows and a shop. On the Andaman side, Phang Nga Bay covers 400 square kilometres between Phuket and the mainland. Since 1981 a large part of it has been Ao Phang Nga National Park, with limestone cliffs and caves. About 40 metres off Khao Phing Kan stands Ko Tapu, a 20-metre stack. Both islets are karst towers in the park, northeast of Phuket. A boat is a day: leave early and keep time to return before the light drops off the cliffs. Do not fold that day into a Phuket beach or the Samui shore. Each of those is its own place.

0 km²

Ang Thong area

1980

Park established