Khao Lak - Discover the bay of Phang Nga
An hour from Khao Sok you'll find the coastal town of Khao Lak. It is a place where many beachfront resorts can be found, but for the action enthusiast there is more than enough to see in the area. You can read more about Phang Nga's unique bay and what to do in Khao Lak in this blog.
How to get to Khao Lak?
From Khao Sok it is about an hour by minivan to Khao Lak. In Khao Sok you can buy a ticket at many places, but if you want to be sure in advance you can buy a ticket through Phantip travel. This costs about 400 Baht, but is in line with the amounts you pay here in the south to travel by mini vans. You can also get to Khao Lak from Krabi, which takes about 2 hours and costs 450 Baht.
What to do in Khao Lak?
Khao Lak is a coastal town, so you will find many Beach Resorts near the beach. You can go downtown to the Tsunami Museum to learn more about how a 2008 tsunami destroyed a lot. Other than that, you can relax by the beach, but there's not much more than that to do either. It's mainly about the activities outside Khao Lak, such as:
1. Visiting the Khao Sok National Park.
You can choose to travel to Khao Sok for this, spend the night there and then visit the National Park. If you prefer not to travel too much back and forth with suitcases or backpacks, you can also book a tour with an overnight stay on the lake from Khao Lak. You can read more about Khao Sok National Park in this blog.
2. Exploring the Bay of Phang Nga
Phang Nga Bay is a breathtaking piece of nature located in southern Thailand. It is a place that attracts many travelers because of its distinctive limestone cliffs and beautiful islets. Located between mainland Thailand and Phuket Island, the bay covers an area of about 400 square kilometers.
The limestone cliffs are a remarkable feature of Phang Nga Bay. These impressive cliffs tower above the emerald green waters and are the result of millions of years of erosion by wind and water. The cliffs have all sorts of shapes, some resembling giant needles, others resembling caves.
One of the most famous sights in Phang Nga Bay is the James Bond Island, also known as Khao Phing Kan. This small island was made famous by the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun." I did not visit this one myself, opting instead for Koh Panyee. More on that later in this blog.
3. Enjoy stunning views of Phang Nga Bay
Enjoy a stunning view of the limestone rocks towering high above the water at the Samet Nangshe Viewpoint.
By scooter, it's just over an hour's drive from Khao Lak, but if you want to share the viewpoint with only a few other people, the scooter is the most convenient way. The roads to the viewpoint are in fine condition, although I would recommend putting a wad of toilet paper in your ears against the wind. After all, you will be driving around 80 km/h on the provincial (highway) road and then the wind will whip past your ears quite briskly.
To share the viewpoint with only a few others you will have to get up early. When I was there in early February with the sunrise there were only a few others. After arriving at the parking lot you pay 90 Baht before being taken up the hill by pickup truck. To save this early drive, you can also spend the night near the viewpoint to wake up to a unique view. Once at the viewpoint, you have more than enough space and opportunities to find a spot for a photo.
There are also plenty of tours in Khao Lak that offer a visit to the Viewpoint, should you not feel the need to get on the scooter yourself.
4. Visiting islands!
You can visit several islands off Phang Nga Bay, such as the James Bond Island or Koh Panyee. I personally chose Koh Panyee, the unique Muslim island with the floating soccer field. Read more about this unique island in this blog!
Similan Island
West of Khao Lak there are also several islands you can visit, such as Similan Island. Then again, I find it a pity that you can only visit this island with an organized (snorkeling) tour. Why do they have to milk this again? I don't want to be forced on an island to do something I don't feel like doing.
If you know that a tour always starts and ends at a certain time, surely you can just as easily make the boat accessible to anyone who wants to visit the island without a tour? I would have loved to visit the island, but find it ridiculous to have to book a tour for everything. Besides, you're not even on the island for very long, a waste of money. As a backpacker, your budget is also an important part of being able to travel for a longer period of time, so you are not waiting for expensive tours every day.
By the way, in Khao Lak you will find a tour organizer every few shops/restaurants. Most hotels also offer tours, so you'll find yourself visiting numerous islands or doing other activities.
Renting a scooter?
Want to go out on your own and rent a scooter? Online I read positive stories about No.1 Motorbikes, but unfortunately they had no more scooters available. Zoni Store was a more than fine alternative for this, just a pity they were not so flexible when the scooter was returned 1 day before the end of the rental date. You can rent a 125cc Honda Click scooter here for 250 Baht per day.
Restaurant tip: Go Pong!
The restaurant was virtually across the street from our hotel (Srichada) and was the perfect place for us to enjoy Thai cuisine. One only offers dishes from Thai cuisine, while in Khao Lak you also see many restaurants that add extra Western dishes for the tourists.
The food is very affordable and super tasty! So good that I went back there a few times to try different Thai dishes. My favorites? The Papaya salad (mind you, medium spicy I already found quite spicy), the Thai noodle soup and the rice with morning glory.
Accommodation in Khao Lak: Hotel Srichada
After several weeks of hostels, it was nice to book a hotel stay in Khao Lak. A private room and some extra privacy. Very nice to be able to get up undisturbed (early) to explore the region. The hotel neatly offered a breakfast, but because of the early mornings we didn't have any. The room was fine, had air conditioning and a balcony. Absolutely recommended, especially since there are almost no hostels here.
How many nights in Khao Lak?
Minimum of 3 nights so you have 2 full days to go out. Depending on your need to relax or more activities you can always plan extra days. I found 3 enough, as there are plenty of other highlights in Southern Thailand.
From Khao Lak you can go to :
