Mu Koh Similan National Park
Location
?????Located in the area of Tambon Koh Phrathong,
Amphoe Khuraburi, Phangnga Province, about 76 kms from Thaplamu Pier and
100 km from Phuket Province.
Transportation
Car : Road traffic provides 2 alternative ways as follows :
-First alternative, 788 km from Bangkok, taking Highway No.4 to Prachuap
Khiri Khan - Chumphon - Ranong and then continue to Phang Nga that takes
about 12 hrs.
-Second alternative, from Bangkok follow the Highway No.4 to Chumphon, and
from Chumphon taking Highway No.41 to Amphoe Thachang. At the intersection
of Thachang turn right along Highway No.401 to Amphoe Ban Ta khun for 50
kms. Then taking Highway No.415 for 30 km and turn right to Phang Nga. If
you start from Phuket, take Highway No.402 via Sarasin Bridge to Ban Khok
Kloi and turn right through Ampher Takuathung. After some 1 hr and 30 min
you will be arriving Phang Nga. Car rent by your sef click here
Bus :From the Southern Bus Terminal (at Boromratchchonnani Rd.) air-conditioned
buses are available from Bangkok to Phang Nga everyday. For more information
or reservation call 0 2435 1195 and 0 2434 5557-8
Airplane : Thai Airways operates daily flights from Bangkok to Phuket.
Further transportation from Phuket to Phangnga (58 km) are available. For
more information click here
Train : The State Railways Authority of Thailand provides several
daily trains from Bangkok to Surat Thani, and go further to Phang Nga by
taking a 2-hour bus. For further details, please contact at 0 2223 7010,
0 2223 7020
To get to Mu Koh Similan National Park
???? The national park is about 76 km from Thaplamu
Pier, Amphoe Thymuang, Phang Nga Province. The best time to visit the national
park is during January-March that is free from monsoons.
????Situating in the deep sea of Andaman Sea, Mu Koh
Similan National Park is consisting of 9 islands, stretching from South
to North. Their calling names begin from the southern most island up to the
northernmost island; Koh Nung (first island), Koh Song (second island),
Koh Sam (third island), ?, Koh Kao (ninth island), respectively.
????The sea, there, is about 50-60 meters deep with
rock formations underneath where corals and reefs form the rich and diversity
of underwater ecological system.
?????Koh Nung or known as Koh Yung is a
large island with a long stretching clean sandy beach where is the laying-eggs
area of sea turtles as well.
??? Koh Song (Koh Payang) and Koh Sam (Koh Payan) are
islands of small size that have no available information for exploration.
?? ?Koh Si, known as Koh Meang, is another large island
with freshwater resource. Thus the national park's office is located there.
Consisting of 2 bending lovely bays with white-sandy beaches at the north
area (the office is situated) and another small beach at the northeast area.
Both bays are not only very beautiful but they are also the ports that can
see many boats floating around there especially in weekends of high seasons.
?????Koh Ha is an island of several pieces
of rock formations without any building, but it's a good place for boats
to avoid strong winds after they leave their customers to stay overnight
on Koh Si.
?????In the west of Koh Ha, there is an interesting
diving point called "Suan Plalai (Garden Eel) as the seabed is full
of small white eels which live in the sand. In addition, the underwater
world is rich of soft corals, huge coral trees as well as schools of small
fish.
???? Koh Hok or Koh Payu is another large island
with pretty beaches. Though, the large number of underwater rocks that obstruct
swimming or boat docking, in the southeast of Koh Hok provides a good diving
site of slanting land into the deep sea with plenty of marine lives since
at the depth of 20-30 feet reclining to a hundred feet. Next to this point
to the south is the interesting snorkeling site and at the southernmost
of the island is another marvelous diving site that divers call "Hua
Koh Kok".
?????Koh Ged or Hin Hua Chang or Hin Ka
Lok It's charactered by the lines of 3 huge underwater rocks. In deep water
surface, it's rich in quality caves and marine lives which is popular for
it's deep diving area of Similan island.
?????Koh Pad or Koh Similan is the largest
island of Similan Islands. The most significant of Ko Pad is Ao Hin Rua
Bai (a sail-boat rock formation Bay) is a medium size bay with rocks in
different formations at the right most, and standing the very distinguished
rock that looks like a sail. It also symbolizes the Similan Islands. At
the mountain foot in this bay is the wide-stretched white sandy beach
as beautiful as in the west beach opposite the Sail Rock. Besides, the
underwater scenery of Koh Pad is also very famous especially at the "Fantasy
Reef" that is the most popular diving site of the island.
?????Koh Kao or Koh Ba Ngu is a small island
with variety of rock formations. The Christmas Point is another diving point
to view the beautiful underwater world.
?????Koh Tachai is a lonely island situating
between Similan islands and Surin islands. Offering long white sandy beaches
and shady trees, but there's no freshwater on the island, so there is
no one to live there. Anyway, Koh Tachai is one of Thailand's top diving
sites and it is now included in Mu Koh Similan National Park.
Scuba diving points (north to south)
?????1.Underwater rocks out of Koh Tachai,
located to the west from Koh Tachai, they look like a stone peak drowned
in the sea and surrounded by schools of fish such as Barracudas and "Hu
Chang" fish. Moreover, it's said that plenty of rays and whale sharks
are found in the area as well.
?????2. Koh Bon is a tiny island located
to the north of Similan Island. The diving point is located around the
undersea rocks at the end of west cape. White-finned sharks and frog-sharks
have often been found there.
?????3. Christmas Point, situated in
the northwest of Koh Ba Ngu, where the blue-ribbon eels, golden mud fish,
mantis prawns and grasshoppers including huge fish such as gray sharks,
white-fin sharks as well as sting rays are often seen.
?????4. Fantasy Rocks is the diving point
of Similan islands consisting of 3 piles of rocks that should never miss.
Almost all kinds of marine lives such as the blue-ribbon eels, golden-mud
fish and any sort of prawns are found.
?????5. Ao Kwang Aen Bay is located to the
eastern coast of Koh Pad with coral reefs along a steep slope of sea depth.
It's an ideal place to study various corals and reefs and sea turtles are
often found.
?????6. Laem Prapakharn (lighthouse cape),
situated near Ao Kwang Aen, but it's next down to the end of the cape.
At the depth of 100 feet, there are 2 rocks that are full of soft corals
and covered by variety of corals and reefs.
?????7. Hin Hua Kalok is another point
for diving where diversity of marine lives such as prawns, crabs and sting
rays are found wandering in this area.
????8. Hin Sam Kon is one of the most beautiful
diving points in the area, there are coral reefs at the depth of 40-120
feet where white-fin sharks are often found.
?????9. Hin Dok Mai is also of the most
beautiful diving points of the Similan Islands that coral reefs can be
seen, especially at the mooring buoy, there is plenty of colorful corals
and many sorts of corals that can not be seen elsewhere.
?????10. Hua Koh Meang, known as the
very deep diving site that is not suitable for the beginners, however,
several kinds of fish such as Ronin fish, Ronan fish as well as huge skates
are often seen in the area.
?????11. Suan Pla Lai, situated to the
eastern side of Koh Ha, it provides a wide sandy ground where a kind of
eel called Garden Eel which hundreds of them live in the sand. They are
very sensitive to strangers, so it's not recommended the close-up watch.
?????12. Shark Point is a deep diving
point with stones protruding from the sea in the south from Similan, near
Koh Payang. Both sharks and sting rays are always seen there.
?????13. Kum Phang Muang Chin (China
Great Wall). A line of stone, looks alike the China Great Wall, extending
from the Sharks Point, it offers a wide range for diving that provide
a lot of immense sea fans along the rocky line.
Snorkeling Point
?????Within the 9 major islands of the national
park provides snorkeling points as follows:
????1. Ao Kuak, often known as Hin Rua Bai,
it's good for night snorkeling to see the hard corals where the "Khi
Tang Ped" fish have been discovered in big school.
?????2. Ao Kwang Aen, is boasted of the
best place for hard corals view of Similan National Park, offering the
very interesting strong coral that can not find elsewhere Pang Lang Khud
Nom coral. Moreover, many kinds of sea turtles can also be found in this
area.
?????3. Hin Dok Mai, the only area of
Similan that a diver can see coral reefs of deep sea just by skin diving
at low tides.
???? 4. Behind Koh Meang, it's the nearest diving
point to the office of the national park. Visitors can take a short distance
walk to a small beach where it is a closed bay that very suitable for
wildlives spectacles.
- Gallery of Similan Island
- Hotel in Similan Island
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