After visiting Bangkok, off we went to Phuket and then to Krabi. Travel plan for Phuket was from 22nd August 2018 to 24th August 2018 and for Krabi was from 24th August to 26th August. We boarded our flight to Phuket from Bangkok at 08 PM and reached Phuket by 09:30 PM.
After getting down at Phuket airport we got a minivan to our hotel. This is the cheapest transport available here and you couldn’t miss the counter which is available at the exit of the airport. You can get the tickets from the counter to your hotel and once all the seats are filled they will take you to the hotel. Minivan costs us 180 Baht per person.
It was raining in both Phuket and Krabi on the first day of our visit and afterwards the climate was good.
At Phuket we stayed at The Marina Phuket and in Aao Nang,Krabi we stayed at AVA Sea.
Our itinerary were as follows:
Day 1 (23rd Aug):
We covered Tiger Kingdom, Patong Beach and Bangla Walking Street
Day 2 (24th Aug):
Off to Aao Nang – Krabi, Aao Nang Beach
Day 3 (25th Aug):
Booked for James Bond island day trip
Day 4 (26st Aug):
Flight back to Bangalore and from there to Cochin via Bus.
Tiger Kingdom, Phuket:
Tiger Kingdom is an opportunity to get close with big cats (tigers) of varying ages and sizes that have been raised in the tiger park since birth. Tiger kingdom is located next to Go -Kart track in Kathu.
Once you reach the reception of the Tiger kingdom you will be asked to decide the size of tiger you would like to meet. Sizes varies from Big tiger, Medium tiger, Smallest tiger, small tiger and new born. New born is the costliest among all which is 3500 baht. Smallest - 1300 baht, small or medium - 900 baht, big - 1000 baht. We opted for medium one. There are also packages available which will allow you to visit all the enclosures petting tigers of all ages with a professional photographer accompanying you inside the cage. For professional photographers you have to pay extra.
Before entering an enclosure you will be asked to leave your belongings outside in a locker. You can take your camera/ mobiles with you. You will be directed to wash your hands before and after meeting the big cats. There are 2 trainers in each enclosure and they are given a small bamboo stick which is used to control the tiger. You will get 10 minutes time to spend with the tiger and take photos in different poses. We were asked to approach the tiger from behind that way not to attract his attention. We were pretty excited to meet such a magnificent, beautiful creature. We really loved this experience and made it memorable by taking a lot of snaps of us with the big cats.
Patong Beach:
Patong beach is one of the famous beaches in Phuket. This is an ideal place for party with lots of restaurants around which will be filled with lights at night adding to the beauty of the beach. Lovely sand and clean water gives you a call to dip into the sea and enjoy the waves.
There is a pavement which you could use to stroll around the beach. We walked the whole way up and down. On both ends of the beach 'Patong Beach' labels are available.
Bangla Walking Street:
Walking street is one of the main tourist attraction in the city. The street has a high concentration of pubs, restaurants, night clubs which plays live music at night, beer bars. The walking street is situated next to the Patong beach.
Transportation in Phuket and Krabi:
Transportation is one of the main problems in Phuket and Krabi. You can go for taxies, Tuk Tuk or Grab. We found Grab to be cheaper compared to other transportations. Minivans are also available in these areas which will be on shared basis which is another mode of cheaper transport.
We took bus to travel from Phuket to Krabi from Phuket bus terminal. There is locker facility available in this terminal. And from Krabi we took a taxi to our hotel. Bus charges from Phuket to Krabi was 140 Baht per person.
Aao Nang Beach:
Ao Nang is Krabi's vibrant tourist centre. It is the busiest beach destination in Thailand's Krabi Province. Most of the tourists who visits Krabi stays in Aao nang as it is ideal place to explore the rest of the regions. We stayed at AVA sea resort from where beach was at walkable distance.
You’ll find countless souvenir and cheap clothing shops, tour agents, banks and ATM machines, along the streets, as well as restaurants with a wide selection of international cuisine and seafood, bars, massage and beauty salons and, of course, a huge range of hotels. There are lot of Indian restaurants available in this area.
Apart from Aao Nang beach there is also Pai Plong Beach. There are two ways to reach here either at low tide you can walk through the water at the end of the Ao Nang Beach or you can climb up the Monkey Trail. There is a staircase leading into the “jungle” where you will have a great view of the ocean. Often many monkeys are hanging around and at the end there is a staircase leading down to the Pai Plong Beach.
One day trip to James Bond Island:
Trip cost : 1000 Baht per person. There were 2 types of trips available in this one with canoeing and another without canoeing. We took the one with canoeing.
The day trip started at 8 AM and after picking few more tourists off we went to Thao Thong Waterfalls. We reached the waterfalls by around 9:30AM and we were given 15 minutes to roam around the place. There was a small waterfalls which was flowing down to a river which had a high water flow. On the right side of the falls there was a hanging bridge. The bridge was an old one and was not properly maintained. Once we are done with the falls off we went to pier. We reached the pier by 10:30 AM.
There was a small shop where we were provided with life jackets. Near to the pier there was a statue of 2 crabs which reminded me the statue which I have seen while browsing through many sites of Krabi.
We waited there for another tourist group to join us off we went to James Bond island. It took around 30 minutes ride in Cruise to reach the island. The view from island was really a good one. James Bond island is situated in Phang Nga Bay. The island got into the international tourist map through its starring role in the James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun'. A distinctive feature of this famous bay is the number of sheer limestone cliffs that vertically jut out of the emerald-green water. We roamed around the island for some time and took some spectacular photos. There was also a cave inside this place which we found to be very dangerous. Once we were done with the island we were taken into another boat from where they took us for canoeing. Canoeing was done by a localite and he took us in and around Tam Lod explaining each and everything around.
He showed us some rare rock formations like elephant trunk, Tongue, a Buffalo face etc. The most exciting part was he took us inside a rock formation which was barely above the water. We were forced to lay down so us to move inside this rock formation and once inside we felt like we were inside a well. He also took some good pics of us with a leaf cut in the shape of heart. It was a really innovative technique used by these guides. Then we canoed around mangrove forest for some time. We would say this was the best part of the trip. We gave him a tip of 100 Baht which he really deserved.
After canoeing we were provided with some drinks. And off we went to Pan Yee Village. We would say visiting this village is a waste of time. There is nothing much to see here only thing is it is a floating village. It is a colony were few fisherman families stays. And there is a floating football ground.
Off we went to Lung Khai Fruits garden. Our lunch was arranged here. The food was yummy and after having food guide took us around the garden. We saw the plants and trees of Dragon fruit, Longan, mangosteen, Papaya, etc. And we were served with some local foods like mango sticky rice and few other items of which names we don’t remember now. 😉
After having lunch they took us to Suwannakuha Temple, which is also called Monkey Cave. Suwan Kuha temple is located in Phang Nga province of Thailand. In the temple premises you get to see quite a lot of monkeys. At the entrance itself there were many stalls selling fruits and some ladies asked us to get bananas for monkeys but we didn’t buy any. We went straight to the temple and on the way we saw many monkeys being fed by tourists.
Once you enter the entrance to the cave you will be welcomed to a dimly lit cavern with high ceilings. To your right you could see a fifteen meters long golden reclining Buddha and to your left several other large standing Buddha statues. When we visited we saw a monk and few devotees offering their prayers. At the far end of the cave there are steps which will lead you to the forest. There is also royal monogram of King Rama 5 in this cave. This was our last destination for the day and our driver took us back to our rooms by around 5:40PM.
Local Food:
One of the famous kind of ice cream available in Thailand is ice cream rolls. As the name suggests ice creams are made into rolls and decorated with dry fruits and sauces. This is one of the must tries if you visit Thai.
Another dish which is famous in Thailand is Mango sticky rice. This dish consists of delicious pieces of mango served along with sweet sticky rice.
After getting down at Phuket airport we got a minivan to our hotel. This is the cheapest transport available here and you couldn’t miss the counter which is available at the exit of the airport. You can get the tickets from the counter to your hotel and once all the seats are filled they will take you to the hotel. Minivan costs us 180 Baht per person.
It was raining in both Phuket and Krabi on the first day of our visit and afterwards the climate was good.
At Phuket we stayed at The Marina Phuket and in Aao Nang,Krabi we stayed at AVA Sea.
 |
| Rooftop of The Marina Phuket |
Our itinerary were as follows:
Day 1 (23rd Aug):
We covered Tiger Kingdom, Patong Beach and Bangla Walking Street
Day 2 (24th Aug):
Off to Aao Nang – Krabi, Aao Nang Beach
Day 3 (25th Aug):
Booked for James Bond island day trip
Day 4 (26st Aug):
Flight back to Bangalore and from there to Cochin via Bus.
Tiger Kingdom, Phuket:
Tiger Kingdom is an opportunity to get close with big cats (tigers) of varying ages and sizes that have been raised in the tiger park since birth. Tiger kingdom is located next to Go -Kart track in Kathu.
Once you reach the reception of the Tiger kingdom you will be asked to decide the size of tiger you would like to meet. Sizes varies from Big tiger, Medium tiger, Smallest tiger, small tiger and new born. New born is the costliest among all which is 3500 baht. Smallest - 1300 baht, small or medium - 900 baht, big - 1000 baht. We opted for medium one. There are also packages available which will allow you to visit all the enclosures petting tigers of all ages with a professional photographer accompanying you inside the cage. For professional photographers you have to pay extra.
Before entering an enclosure you will be asked to leave your belongings outside in a locker. You can take your camera/ mobiles with you. You will be directed to wash your hands before and after meeting the big cats. There are 2 trainers in each enclosure and they are given a small bamboo stick which is used to control the tiger. You will get 10 minutes time to spend with the tiger and take photos in different poses. We were asked to approach the tiger from behind that way not to attract his attention. We were pretty excited to meet such a magnificent, beautiful creature. We really loved this experience and made it memorable by taking a lot of snaps of us with the big cats.
Patong Beach:
Patong beach is one of the famous beaches in Phuket. This is an ideal place for party with lots of restaurants around which will be filled with lights at night adding to the beauty of the beach. Lovely sand and clean water gives you a call to dip into the sea and enjoy the waves.
There is a pavement which you could use to stroll around the beach. We walked the whole way up and down. On both ends of the beach 'Patong Beach' labels are available.
Bangla Walking Street:
Walking street is one of the main tourist attraction in the city. The street has a high concentration of pubs, restaurants, night clubs which plays live music at night, beer bars. The walking street is situated next to the Patong beach.
Transportation in Phuket and Krabi:
Transportation is one of the main problems in Phuket and Krabi. You can go for taxies, Tuk Tuk or Grab. We found Grab to be cheaper compared to other transportations. Minivans are also available in these areas which will be on shared basis which is another mode of cheaper transport.
We took bus to travel from Phuket to Krabi from Phuket bus terminal. There is locker facility available in this terminal. And from Krabi we took a taxi to our hotel. Bus charges from Phuket to Krabi was 140 Baht per person.
Aao Nang Beach:
Ao Nang is Krabi's vibrant tourist centre. It is the busiest beach destination in Thailand's Krabi Province. Most of the tourists who visits Krabi stays in Aao nang as it is ideal place to explore the rest of the regions. We stayed at AVA sea resort from where beach was at walkable distance.
You’ll find countless souvenir and cheap clothing shops, tour agents, banks and ATM machines, along the streets, as well as restaurants with a wide selection of international cuisine and seafood, bars, massage and beauty salons and, of course, a huge range of hotels. There are lot of Indian restaurants available in this area.
Apart from Aao Nang beach there is also Pai Plong Beach. There are two ways to reach here either at low tide you can walk through the water at the end of the Ao Nang Beach or you can climb up the Monkey Trail. There is a staircase leading into the “jungle” where you will have a great view of the ocean. Often many monkeys are hanging around and at the end there is a staircase leading down to the Pai Plong Beach.
 |
| Pai Plong Beach |
One day trip to James Bond Island:
Trip cost : 1000 Baht per person. There were 2 types of trips available in this one with canoeing and another without canoeing. We took the one with canoeing.
The day trip started at 8 AM and after picking few more tourists off we went to Thao Thong Waterfalls. We reached the waterfalls by around 9:30AM and we were given 15 minutes to roam around the place. There was a small waterfalls which was flowing down to a river which had a high water flow. On the right side of the falls there was a hanging bridge. The bridge was an old one and was not properly maintained. Once we are done with the falls off we went to pier. We reached the pier by 10:30 AM.
There was a small shop where we were provided with life jackets. Near to the pier there was a statue of 2 crabs which reminded me the statue which I have seen while browsing through many sites of Krabi.
We waited there for another tourist group to join us off we went to James Bond island. It took around 30 minutes ride in Cruise to reach the island. The view from island was really a good one. James Bond island is situated in Phang Nga Bay. The island got into the international tourist map through its starring role in the James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun'. A distinctive feature of this famous bay is the number of sheer limestone cliffs that vertically jut out of the emerald-green water. We roamed around the island for some time and took some spectacular photos. There was also a cave inside this place which we found to be very dangerous. Once we were done with the island we were taken into another boat from where they took us for canoeing. Canoeing was done by a localite and he took us in and around Tam Lod explaining each and everything around.
He showed us some rare rock formations like elephant trunk, Tongue, a Buffalo face etc. The most exciting part was he took us inside a rock formation which was barely above the water. We were forced to lay down so us to move inside this rock formation and once inside we felt like we were inside a well. He also took some good pics of us with a leaf cut in the shape of heart. It was a really innovative technique used by these guides. Then we canoed around mangrove forest for some time. We would say this was the best part of the trip. We gave him a tip of 100 Baht which he really deserved.
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| Rock formation : Buffalo face |
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| Rock formation: Elephant trunk |
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| Rock formation : Tongue |
After canoeing we were provided with some drinks. And off we went to Pan Yee Village. We would say visiting this village is a waste of time. There is nothing much to see here only thing is it is a floating village. It is a colony were few fisherman families stays. And there is a floating football ground.
Off we went to Lung Khai Fruits garden. Our lunch was arranged here. The food was yummy and after having food guide took us around the garden. We saw the plants and trees of Dragon fruit, Longan, mangosteen, Papaya, etc. And we were served with some local foods like mango sticky rice and few other items of which names we don’t remember now. 😉
After having lunch they took us to Suwannakuha Temple, which is also called Monkey Cave. Suwan Kuha temple is located in Phang Nga province of Thailand. In the temple premises you get to see quite a lot of monkeys. At the entrance itself there were many stalls selling fruits and some ladies asked us to get bananas for monkeys but we didn’t buy any. We went straight to the temple and on the way we saw many monkeys being fed by tourists.
Once you enter the entrance to the cave you will be welcomed to a dimly lit cavern with high ceilings. To your right you could see a fifteen meters long golden reclining Buddha and to your left several other large standing Buddha statues. When we visited we saw a monk and few devotees offering their prayers. At the far end of the cave there are steps which will lead you to the forest. There is also royal monogram of King Rama 5 in this cave. This was our last destination for the day and our driver took us back to our rooms by around 5:40PM.
Local Food:
One of the famous kind of ice cream available in Thailand is ice cream rolls. As the name suggests ice creams are made into rolls and decorated with dry fruits and sauces. This is one of the must tries if you visit Thai.
 |
| Ice cream rolls |
Another dish which is famous in Thailand is Mango sticky rice. This dish consists of delicious pieces of mango served along with sweet sticky rice.
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| Mango sticky rice |
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| Yummy soup |
