With granite islands to the west and limestone cliffs to the east, Phuket Island and the surrounding Phang-Nga Bay and Krabi offer a unique experience to any traveler.

Phuket Island is situated approximately 700 km south west of Bangkok.

A one hour plane ride away, the Pearl of Thailand has white sand beaches lined with coconut and palm trees, clear blue skies and turquoise seas.

The island consists largely of rubber plantations, cashew trees, and old tin mines.

November - April is the peak tourist season for Phuket and the surrounding areas.

It is during this time that the seas are calm and the air nice and cool with low humidity.

It generally rains in the evenings once or twice a week.

May - October is the low season for the Andaman Sea since the monsoon causes rough seas and heavy rain.

However, many cruises into Phang-Nga Bay and Krabi generally continue to operate since it is in a sheltered area.

The water temperature does not fluctuate much from 27ºC (approx. 80ºF) all year round.

Misc. Information

Phuket Island, Phang-Nga bay, and Krabi have been the location of numerous films, including the most recent James Bond 007 "Tomorrow Never Dies" starring Pierce Brosnan and Michele Yeoh.

The Andaman sea also offers some of the finest diving in the world.

One of the most popular destinations are the Similan Islands.

A chain of nine small islands some 40 km north of Phuket.

There a diver will see whale sharks, manta rays, and an abundance of soft and hard coral.

Divers are also frequently see schools of barracuda, moray eels, green sea turtles, reef sharks, and leopard sharks.

North of the Similan Islands lie the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock - another favorite with the whale sharks.

On the East coast of Phuket, a recently sunk ferry now offers fine wreck diving in what is sure to become an enormous reef.

The wreck lies upright in fairly shallow water and most dive operators have added this to their numerous sites.