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Bang Tao Bay,
Kamala Beach and Laem Sing Beach
 By
taking a tour or Beach Safari of the northern beaches of Phuket you will
certainly be leaving the crowds behind. The north part of the island is
less developed and gets only a tiny fraction of the visitors to Phuket.
Many of those waiting to be loaded like cattle on to a boat and shipped
off to Phi-Phi Island or one of the other tourist Islands seeking a remote
island experience would be well advised to keep their feet dry, and drive
for an hour to the north end of Phuket. Miles of unspoiled beaches, and
good food await you. The rugged beauty of the northern beaches can only
be enhanced by the feeling of having them all to yourself.
 As
you travel north you will encounter beaches dominated with casuarina pine
trees rather than palm trees. These unusual trees are like a natural beach
umbrella and offer cool shade from the blistering tropical sun, and a
if you listen carefully they make slight singing sound as they sway to
the call of the offshore breezes. Expect a quiet enchanting experience
if you break away from the herd and visit the north end of the island.
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Places
of Interest
 Fifteen
minutes north of Patong as you reach the top of the Khao Phanthurat pass
303 m (990 ft) above sea level you will look out over the breathtaking
panoramic view of Kamala Bay. The 2.5 km crescent shaped bay is dotted
with casuarina trees on the first half of the coastline and coconut palms
and sugar palms decorate the other.
In spite of the large Park entertainment center
in the north end of the valley Kamala has maintained its small fishing
village atmosphere. If you take the first left turn at the bottom
of the grade you will come to a small bridge continue to the left
and you will find two isolated small beaches. The little lanes and
meandering small roads that branch off lead to beautiful beach houses
and cottages and several low rise condominiums. This end of the
beach offers a peaceful tranquil environment with crystal clear
water and coral reefs just a few meters offshore. Back to the bridge
and a right turn brings you to a small fishing village strung out
along the beach going north. Intermixed with small houses is the
occasional store and restaurant.
 The
atmosphere at Kamala is very relaxed and a very pleasant location for
those looking for a quiet beach for sunning or taking a long lazy stroll
along a mostly deserted beach. The little shops selling food are quite
good and the prices are low enough that you can eat Thai style; by eating
a little food from a large number of stalls. The Kamala Valley is a popular
rental area for those who are staying a few months or more on the island.
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 Is
20 minutes north of Patong, and is the first stop on our beach safari.
The beach is not visible from the road but the small parking area is located
about half way up the grade at the north end of Kamala Beach look for
the small handmade signs. This is one of the undeveloped beaches frequently
missed by visitors who are unaware of its location. Its a five minute
walk down a fairly steep path to reach this remote little beach. The natural
beauty of this beach is enhanced by the fact it sits well below the highway
which lends a serene and quiet feeling that is not always present on other
beaches in Phuket. The interesting rock formations along Laem Sing Beach
offer some the best snorkeling opportunities on the island. Noted during
recent visits was an increase in the number of beach venders and the occasional
sighting of jetski activity, but it is still a pleasant little beach get-a-way
well worth going out of the way for.
Some recent reports coming back suggest that many
readers stopping here on the first leg of there beach safari are
being taken in by the quiet charms of this hidden bay and are spending
the whole day here.
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 A
kilometer north of Laem Sing Beach lies the popular Surin Beach. As of
now this beach has not been developed and it is a quiet and peaceful bay
lined with a row of stately Casuarina trees. A tropical beach with pine
trees rather than palm trees may seem out of place to many but the local
Thais flock to this beach on weekends and holidays and bask in the shade
provided by these unusual trees. The middle of the beach front is occupied
by a dozen Thai beach-style mini restaurants serving up sizzling seafood
to hungry visitors. Surin Beach is usually the second stop on the north
beach safari and a good place for lunch because the next beach stop does
not serve food.
For the careful swimmer Surin offers some good
snorkeling opportunities at both ends of the beach but during the
rainy season the water visibility is not very good. Big waves that
are common on Surin beach during the monsoon season have caused
a steep drop from the shore to the water line and can create dangerous
undertow conditions. During high tide when the swells are big and
running swiftly good surfing conditions exist here and is becoming
an increasingly popular sport. There are no vendors renting surf
boards at the beach yet but that may change in the future. Good
surfing conditions can make for hazardous swimming and care must
be taken with children and non-swimmers.
Is a small secluded quiet beach that has a special
feeling and many agree it is the finest beach on the island. Although
it runs for only 250 meters it has fine white sand that glistens
in the light and reflects off the clear blue sea. It has lively
coral reefs and artistic rock formations embellish both ends that
seem to frame the beach into one idyllic vision of a tropical beach
paradise. Beauty has its price and in this case the natural beauty
of this small protected natural bay attracted the famous Chedi Resort
and the ultra-exclusive Amanpuri Hotel. This upscale resort plays
host to the international celebrity set who don’t mind paying
the ultra-high prices charged for privacy. Pansea Beach seems to
be an exception to the law in Thailand that all beaches are public,
because these hotels are allowed to run off all outsiders.
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Is the traditional heart of Phuket’s Muslim
community. As you pass through this picturesque village strung out
along the highway you will see the Ban Thao Mosque. This impressive
and ornate structure is the largest mosque on the island. Visitors
are allowed and discrete photos may be taken, but care should be
exercised and avoid going on Fridays the Muslim holy day. The village
offers several roadside markets that offer up delicious Muslim food
and fruit picked fresh from the many nearby orchards. When ordering
food or buying fruit you may have to resort to "point and smile
technique", because English is for the most part only spoken
by the younger generation. At the traffic light you can continue
straight to the Heroines Monument and the main road to Phuket Town
or turn left onto highway 4020 and continue your tour of the northern
beaches.
 Is
a 8 km long sweeping crescent shaped bay with a gentle slope and absolutely
pure white sand and is fringed with rows of casuarina trees. The constant
but gentle breeze on this bay has made Bangtao Beach very popular with
windsurfers and it plays host to several international competitions each
year. The main entrance to Bangtao beach is 2 km north of Surin Village
and marked with large signs from the sprawling Laguna Phuket complex that
takes up most of the middle of the bay.
This remarkable complex of five luxury resort hotels
integrated into one into what appears to be small city by the sea.
The Banyan Tree Resort, The Allamanda, Dusit Laguna, and the Sheraton
Grande Luguna Beach Club all employ the same low rise village style
architecture that are uniquely designed to blend with the vastness
of the old tin mine which is what this area used to be. The old
tin mining lake is now a beautifully landscaped lagoon that serves
as a watersports center. This is a classic example of the modern
one-stop all-inclusive tourist location. Your entire holiday can
be spent here without leaving the complex. Guests can charge their
meals to their hotel rooms at any of the 28 restaurants and bars
throughout the complex. The adjourning Banyon Tree Golf Club course,
the beach, blooming flowers everywhere, rock gardens, manmade waterfalls
everything is tastefully designed and organized to give their guests
a serene and happy environment for their carefree holiday. As Bangtao
Beach is 40 minutes from town and the restaurants and entertainment
centers on the island most of the guests staying here have bought
themselves a package deal from their travel agents.
Unless you are interested in windsurfing we usually
route the beach safari to Nai Thon beach as the next stop.
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 Shares
a common boundary with Bangtao Beach and is located on the northern end
where the beach merges with a river estuary and lagoon. It is a very beautiful
area and is home to many birds and animals drawn to the marshy conditions.
The access to this area is limited to either walking down the beach from
the Laguna Phuket area or by driving a good distance out of the Laguna
Phuket complex back on the highway and following the directions as if
going to Nai Thon beach before reaching the turnoff. The many trails that
take off into the hills overlooking the beach here are popular with hikers
and birdwatcher’s.
A new blacktop road will take you winding along
through rubber plantations and hills overlooking the Andaman Sea
where coral reefs show clearly beneath the azure blue water and
waves breaking over magnificent rock formations offers yet another
breathtaking scene as you make your way along this 15 minute journey
to one of the most isolated beaches on the island. As you descend
the last hill you will find a peaceful, quiet cove, beautiful along
its length, and well sheltered from wind and waves and offers wonderful
swimming. Both ends of the beach are flanked with rocky headlands
jutting out to the sea. Corals and rich marine life are drawn to
the rocks and they offer excellent fishing. There is a small fishing
village across the road from the beach with one small bungalow complex
and a few small restaurants. There is seldom more than few people
on the beach but if you want total solitude backtrack down the road
south keeping a sharp lookout and you will find two small beaches.
To Get There: From Surin Village drive north
past the turnoff to Bangtao Beach and continue north about three
km and you will enter a small village. Turn left on the first blacktop
road and you will start climbing up hills into rubber plantations.
Alternative Route: Travel northward on Thepkrasattri
Road (Hwy. 402), pass the Heroine Monument, and Thalang town and
turn left on into the side road 4031 the airport turnoff. The canopy
of rubber plantation trees forming an arch of branches over the
road is very picturesque. Turn left at the sign for Nai Thon Beach
and follow it for 2 km to the beach.
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Comprises two beaches the Nai Yang and the Mai
Khao beach and covers over 10 miles of beautiful white sandy beach
on the north end of the island. Most planes fly over the park when
landing at Phuket’s airport. At low tide from the air the sea
can appear muddy compared with the translucent water off the beaches
farther to the south and partly for that reason the beaches here
have always been less popular with tourists and are not as developed.
Another reason is the shore drops steeply into deeper levels, creating
unpredictable and potentially hazardous water currents during the
monsoon season. All of which is just fine with the Giant Ridley
Sea Turtle who can weigh up to 850 kg(1874lb) and who tend to be
shy creatures and prefer the beach to themselves. Between November
and February each year these lumbering giants clamber onto the sandy
shore at night to lay their eggs. Digging holes with their flippers,
they lay up to 200 leathery-shelled eggs, an instinctual behavior
said to be 90 million years old. Unfortunately the number of sea-turtles
who make there yearly appearance continues to decline. This has
led to efforts locally to increase the turtle population, with education
programs for villagers and the release into the wild of turtles
spawned in captivity. The turtles usually lay the eggs very late
at night and you are allowed to witness this wonder of nature, but
try not to disturb the turtles laboring at their task. Authorities
maintain strict surveillance on the turtle eggs and move many of
them to special hatchery fields.
Located on the north end of Nai Yang Beach is the
Nai Yang Park Visitor’s Center, which offers displays of corals
shells butterflies, turtles, and other interesting fauna found on
the island. Camping is allowed on both beaches and the park maintains
a few modest bungalows near the Visitor’s Center.
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 Is
noted for its impressive forest of tall casuarina trees, and as a picnic
spot for Thais. Mobile food and fruit venders gather around the perimeter
of the park and do a brisk business especially on weekends. As throughout
southern Thailand if you find a beach that is popular with local Thais
it will also have a wonderful selection of grilled seafood stalls and
other Thai munchies and Nai Yang Beach is no exception. During low tide
swimming can be good and a large coral reef a short distance offshore
harbors a considerable variety us sea life and seashells are known to
wash ashore here, especially after a monsoon storm. Nai Yang Beach has
a very different feeling than beaches to the south. The Pearl Village
Beach Hotel across from the beach usually has an elephant in residence
that will give you ride on the beach and splash water on you for a few
baht. Nai Yang is usually the last beach stop on the north beach safari.
At 9km (5 ½ miles) is the longest beach on Phuket.
A pristine white sand beach that is devoid of development and protected
as part of the Nai Yang National Park. Camping is allowed but there
are few facilities If you are in search of a remote and isolated
beach to have all to yourself this is it.
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Was declared a national park in 1981. This park
protects one the last remaining mangrove areas on the island. It
is a fairly small park with only a few facilities. What make the
journey here worthwhile is the elevated wooden walkwayway built
by park officials that allows you to easily explore the unique and
diverse eco-system of a coastal mangrove forest. The pathway is
well marked and posted signs offer interesting information about
manyof the different species of animal and fish that thrive in marshy
shade provided by over twenty different types of mangrove tress
that grow in the park. This is a must do visit for nature lovers
and birdwatchers.
Runs from Mai Kao to the Sarasin Bridge. The beach
is white and rimmed with firs the whole length. Phuket’s most
northern beach. At the far northern end near the Sarasin bridge
are a few inexpensive restaurants that serve excellent food.
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