Koh Panyee is a unique destination not to be missed during your trip to Thailand. Its beautiful surroundings, rich history and welcoming community make it an unforgettable experience. If you ever get the chance to visit this island, you should definitely take it!
The island is unique due to the fact that it is built entirely on stilts, on top of the waters of the Andaman Sea. I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful island during my trip to Thailand and I can say with certainty that it was one of the most memorable experiences.
The origins of Koh Panyee
The island came into existence after Javanese fishermen in the 18th century were looking for a good place to fish. Thai law at that time did not allow foreigners to own Thai land, so fishermen planted their flags in Phang Nga Bay. This was to signal to their fellow fishermen that one had found a good place to fish.
Soon the island grew, now home to some 360 families (1,700 people). The vast majority are Muslim, so the island is home to a mosque. This is the largest mosque on a floating island in the world and it is an impressive feat of architecture.
There is also a school, supermarket and for tourists there are souvenir stores, restaurants and a single hotel. The island is best known for its floating soccer field, attraction number one for tourism. One still has to rely primarily on fishing despite growing tourism.
Floating football field
Inspired by the World Cup in the 1990s, the story goes that the young residents of Koh Panyee, who loved to play football, had no place to play. The island has little space for a football pitch and there was no place to build one. Then a group of young people had a brilliant idea: they built a floating football pitch. They gathered wood and other materials and built a field on a strip of land protruding from the water.
If the ball goes outside the field, it means you can go swimming. As a result, Panyee FC's footballers taught themselves good technique, which they used to win several mainland tournaments in the first decade of this century.
The Koh Panyee football ground is therefore not only a unique landmark, but also symbolises the strength of community and perseverance. The youth of Koh Panyee have proved that, with a little creativity and perseverance, even the most impossible dreams can become reality.
However, when we were there around 06:30, no one was playing football, so we were able to take some photos/videos of this unique football pitch at our leisure while watching the sun rise. Gorgeous!
How to get there?
To get to Koh Panyee, it's best to take a longtail boat from Sarakul pier. This is because from here you can get to the island the fastest: within 30 minutes. At 10 people (maximum capacity of the boat) you pay 120 Baht per person for a single ticket. The boat will then wait for you in Koh Panyee for about 2 hours, unless of course you are going to spend the night on the island.
I myself drove to the port a day in advance to book a boat that could take us to the island before sunrise. With 2 people you pay as much as with 10 people, so it was a slightly pricier boat ride. Well worth it though!
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