Thailand Scuba Diving- Tour and travels in Thailand

Scuba Diving in Thailand
Thailand offers some of the best opportunities for diving in the world. Many dive sites are considered world class in standard. Both east and west coastlines and the countless offshore islands are popular among divers for their clear waters and colorful marine life. Whether an accomplished diver or just a beginner, you won't be disappointed with Thailand's undersea world.

Thailand offers some of the best opportunities for diving in the world. Many dive sites are considered world class in standard. Both east and west coastlines and the countless offshore islands are popular among divers for their clear waters and colorful marine life. Whether an accomplished diver or just a beginner, you won't be disappointed with Thailand's undersea world.

So it's no great surprise that so many amateur divers have turned professional here. Some have even turned into dive shop operators and run diving schools in Thailand. In recent years, dive operators have increased enormously at several popular dive sites including Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, Ko Phangan and others .

Ko Tao - A special significence :

Ko Tao is popular for its diving centers, schools and shops, mostly owned by foreigners, mushrooming on this tiny eastern island. It's possible for a dedicated beginner to start from scratch and climb the ladder all the way up to the instructor level here, something that usually takes years to accomplish. The reputation of Ko Tao has blazed across the world during the past few years.

But Thailand has many more diving sites for your choice. If you are looking for sites that are less crowded but equally wonderful, then you can check out the hundreds of islands in both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

The majority of diving destinations close to Phuket are located in nearby Phangnga , where hundreds of limestone islands rise up from the blue waters. Also popular are the largely uninhabited Similan Islands, recently listed among the world's ten most beautiful spots for underwater scenery and the spectacular Phi Phi Islands near Phuket.
On the other side of the peninsula in the Gulf of Thailand is the Ang Thong Islands National Marine Park, a group of more than 40 beautiful islands off the west of Surat Thani province and near Ko Samui.
In Pattaya, scuba divers can organize daily trips from the resort to the offshore islands of Ko Lan, Ko Sak, and Ko Krok.

Andaman Sea- Tour and travels in Thailand

ntroduction of Andaman Sea:

The Andaman coast is a different world compared to the rest of Thailand. Steady rainfall nourishes a huge variety of tropical fauna, with the lush canopy in some areas reaching as high as 80m. In many places, scenic rubber and coconut plantations have been carved out of the jungle by the locals. The Andaman coast is also adorned with awe-inspiring limestone cliffs. These sheer, multi-coloured monoliths, scarred with caves and crags, are also capped with thick vegetation.

Phuket is the main starting point for most visitors to Andaman Sea destinations. The popular trips to islands lying to the south and east of Phuket about 30 minutes to 2 hours away by motor boat.

The major attractions of Andaman islands :

Phangnga

This province is directly north of Phuket and a major attractions are the marine national parks of Ao Phangnga (Phangnga ay), Mu Ko Similan (Similan Islands) and Mu Ko Surin (Surin islands). Phangnga Bay has been featured in several inter- national movies, including the 007 adventure The Man with the Golden Gun, and contains some 100 largely uninhabited limestone islands scattered around almost perpetually calm waters. Many islands are riddled with aquatic grottoes, and are best explored aboard sea canoes which are able to enter inner chambers, essentially collapsed cave systems, sometimes only at low tide. The timeless 'Jurassic Park' atmosphere of such islands contrasts vividly with more popular venues such as James Bond island, Nail island and Panyi island which supports a Muslim village built on stilts embedded in the sea.

Andaman's Amazing Anemones :

The seas around Phuket hold a wealth of marine life including a diverse range of anemone species. These flowerlike animals come in many different colours. Anemones are found from the edge of the beach at low tide to depths of less than 20m.
They do not live deeper than this because they contain ' Zooxanthellae'. These are microscopic organisms similar to algae. They photosynthesize and provide the anemone with most of its nutritional requirements.


Coral Island (Ko He) which offers a dive all year round and has very beautiful natural scenery.

Ko Racha, which have dives of up to 30 meters; Shark Point, a favorite sleeping spot of leopard sharks and stingrays.

Ko Dok Mai which offers an impressive wall dive and a series of cave dives; and Ko Phi Phi where you can see white tip sharks, stingrays and moray eels besides colorful reef fishes.

Khao Lak offers a coral reef a few hundred meters off the beach and a spectacular wreck of a sunken tin miner.
Krabi Province's Phra Nang, often called the most beautiful beach in the Andaman.

Further south, the remote, rarely traveled beaches of Lanta and the islands of Ko Tartutao National Park offer more amazing natural beauty.
Truly world class diving sites are located farther away including Ko Similan, Ko Surin, Ko Tarutao and Burma Banks. Despite their long distances, tours are organized by some agencies in Phuket regularly during the dry season. All the first three island groups are marine national parks which offer magnificent coral gardens. Burma Banks being the farthest and newest, is in the best condition as a diving site.

Hua Hin - Tour and travels in Thailand

Introduction of Hua Hin:

Hua Hin is closely associated with Thai royalty, and located on the sunrise side of the Thai Gulf, some 3 hours southwest of Bangkok, are essentially quiet and relaxing seaside resorts ideal for family vacations. Although merely some 25 kilometres apart, the resorts are each in neighbouring provinces, Cha-am in Phetchaburi, and Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Both enjoy a wealth of satellite attractions, prominent among them national parks and historic cities.

Attractions of Hua Hin :

Khao Takiap
This hill marking the southern extent of Hua Hin supports Buddhist temples and offers a commanding view of the resort, particularly early in the morning.

Sea Pine Tree Garden
This is located 8 kilometres south of HuaHin. A left turn is made at Km 240 on Highway 4 for a distance of half a kilometre. There are restaurants and accommodation facilities. Further details may be obtained from Hua Hin

Pala-U Waterfall
This scenic waterfall, some 60 kilometres west of Hua Hin, is an increasingly popular destination.

Khao Sam Roi Yot - National Park
This coastal national park, literally translated as 'Three Hundred Peaks', covers more than 24,500 acres. High, thinly vegetated limestone mountains and coastal marshlands overlook several islands. The marshlands support a great variety of waterfowl species and the limestone masses are riddled with popular caves. Accommodation and camping facilities are available.

Prachuap Khiri Khan
This unpretentious and somnolent provincial capital lies 90 kilometres south of Hua Hin and nestles against a crescent bay with a fine beach. The most prominent landmark is a beachside hillock named Khao Chong Kra Chok (Mirror Mountain) near the provincial office. The hillock supports a Buddhist shrine on the top, which is reached by a climb of some 390 steps. A tribe of mischievous monkeys inhabit the hillock. The summit affords exhilarating views of the rugged coastline to the north, including Sam Roi Yot, and a splendid view of Prachuap Bay.

Golfers Paradise :
Golfing opportunities abound in Cha-am and Hua Hin. Indeed, golf is the major sport aside from popular watersports. Some of the courses are well established. Others are recent creations, several having been specially designed by internationally renowned golfers. Major golf courses include:

Phra Nakhon Khiri Fair :

Special Attraction :
Each February, the hilltop Phra Nakhon Khiri palace in Phetchaburi becomes the focal point of a popular fair which features light & sound presentations, bazaars, folk entertainment and other special activities.

Shopping's Paradise :
Hua Hin is best known for its cotton products, which come in a wide range of prints and colours, and its dried seafood products which enjoy enduring appeal among those who favour Thai and Chinese cuisine. A nightly street market in Hua Hin is the favourite venue for shoppers. Phetchaburi has long been renowned for the excellence of its Thai-style sweets which include subtle custards and e g g - b a s e d confectionery. Several spe c i a l t y sweet shops are located at the foot of Khao Wang on the northern outskirts of the provincial capital.

Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Lanna Thai- Tour and travels in Thailand

Chiang Mai - Rose of the North

The Land of Beauty, warm hospitality and good manners, the land of fascinating, mist - shrouded mountain scenery and fertile valleys, the land of religion with nearly 1,100 Buddhist temples and the land of Thai art these are some and handicrafts .

These are some attractions you can find in Chiang Mai, an old city of 700 years which still retains its natural charm and old culture .if you can have a chance to visit this paradise on earth, you will understand why people call it " The Rose of the North".
Chiang Mai is Thailand's principal northern city and is the provincial capital of a largely mountainous province, also called Chiang Mai, which is some 20,000 square kilometres in area. Many lowland Thais regard Chiang Mai city and province as being something of a national Shangri-la, thanks to its beautiful women, distinctive festivals, historic temples dating from the 1300s, arresting scenic beauty, temperate fruits such as apples peaches and strawberries, and a crisp, invigorating cool season climate.

The people of Chiang Mai enjoy one of the most distinctive cultural identities in the whole of Thailand. Largely farmers and artisans, they have their own lilting dialect, their own customs, their own festivals, their own architectural traditions, their own indigenous handicrafts, their own dances and their own distinctive cuisine. Hill tribes also lend a great deal of character and colour to the crisply beautiful mountainous landscape.

City Attractions

There are numerous places of interest in Chang Mai and the places most worth visiting in Chiang Mai are its centuries - old warts (Buddhist temples ).To name just a few :

Wat Suan Dok :
This temple was built in a 14th century Lanna Thai monarch's pleasure garden sand is a favourite spot for photographers, particularly for striking sunsets. Several of the white chedis contain ashes of Chiang Mai's former royal family. The 500- year-old bronze Buddha image in a secondary chapel is one of Thailand's largest metal images.

Wat Chiang Man
This is Chiang Mai's oldest temple and probably dates from 1296. The temple was the residence of King Mengrai, who founded Chiang Mai, and is noteworthy for a chedi supported by rows of elephantine buttresse

The other attractions are Tribal Research Institute this contains a permanent cultural exhibition of northern hilltribes , Chiang Mai Arboreum which attractively landscaped garden contains many kinds of tropical trees and lovely flowers where as Chiang Mai Zoo is an artfully landscaped complex occupies the lower forested slopes and contains a fascinating collection of Asian and African mammals and birds.

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai - A Scenic Home Of Hill Tribes :
Chiang Rai province covers some 11,678 square kilometres with a population of 1.23 million. The average elevation is 580 metres above sea level, Myanmar borders on the north, and Laos on the north and northeast. The provincial capital is 829 kilometres north of Bangkok .

The province contains Thailand's northernmost point at Mae Sai which is well known for its crisp mountain scenery, and hilltribes. North Chiang Rai and falls within the region known as the Golden Triangle, the area where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos converge.

King Meng Rai the Great Monument
This is located on the city outskirts, beside the northern road to Mae Chan, and honours the monarch who founded Chaing Rai in 1262.

Ku Phra Chao Meng Rai
Situated in Wat Ngam Muang, on Ngam Muang Hillock, this stupa contains King Mengrai's ashes and relics.

Wat Phra That Doi Thong
This ancient hilltop pagoda overlooks the Mae Kok River and predates the founding of Chiang Rai as the capital of Lanna Thai.

Khun Korn Forest Park Waterfall
Located 30 kilometres south of Chiang Rai provincial capital, along Routes 1211 & 1208, the 70-metre high Khun Korn Waterfall is the highest in the province.

Mae Kok River
Known in Thai as Maenam Kok, this scenic 130-kilometre long waterway runs through the heart of Chiang Rai. The river is a major transportation artery from neighbouring Chaing Mai province, especially the town of Tha Ton , whence tong-tailed boats make the 3-4 hour journey every day . The river passes several hilltribe settlements and elephant camps from where jungle treks originate.

Khun Korn Forest Park Waterfall
Located 30 kilometres south of Chiang Rai provincial capital, along Routes 1211 & 1208, the 70-metre high Khun Korn Waterfall is the highest in the province.

Lanna Thai

Introduction of Lanna Thai:
In 16th century, northern part of Thailand was the independent kingdom called "Lanna Thai" until early days of Chakri Dynasty. It became part of Thailand. Today, art and culture of the old times still remains as you see when you go to Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai.

Special Attractions

Lanna Thai Heritage Fair
This cultural festival features colorful performances and a local music show. It is held each year on 2nd April at the Cultural Hall in Chiang Rai's Muang district. There are many local foods on offer as well as a special evening market called the 'Kard Laeng' for all the family to enjoy.