Thailand Beach Holiday

Thailand glory is its magnificent coastline. Beaches range from gentle crescents of white sand with calm waters to rocky headlands pounded by raging surf. Thailand has some of the world's most beautiful beaches. Whether tucked away on a secluded island or dancing till dawn in a lively resort town, there is a beach to suit every taste and budget. Counterclockwise, from Phuket's northern tip, where the Sarasin Bridge connects the island with the mainland, Phuket's major beaches (and temples and botanical gardens)

Pattaya and Jomtien
Near Bangkok is busy Pattaya, divided into north, central and south. Accommodation is varied and always available. Although the beach is nothing special, dining and entertainment abound and water sports (water-skiing, windsurfing, parasailing, jet skiing and fishing) keep beach goers satisfied. South of Pattaya, Jomtien is a nicer, quieter beach offering similar facilities. North of Pattaya, Wong Amat's narrow beach is a complete break, with just a few restaurants staying open late. Diving and snorkeling are available around the islands off Pattaya, but visibility is not as good as it is off the southern islands.

Hua Hin
Four hours by bus from Bangkok, Hua Hin is a lively, breezy town with a long white-sand beach. Tourists can take pony rides, and Wat Khao Takiap rewards those who walk there with a nice sea view. A few catamaran, parasailing and jet ski operators work off Hua Hin beach, but it is mostly peaceful.

Koh Samui
Koh Samui has lovely beaches to suit everyone. The most active are Chaweng and Lamai, which offer similar activities to Pattaya plus mountain bike, motorcycle and jeep hire. Chaweng also has vibrant nightlife. Northwards, Koh Phangan is cheaper and quieter, except for the riotous full moon parties at Had Rin. Northwards again, Koh Tao is a restful (but busy in the high season) getaway with great diving.

Phuket
Phuket offers all the above activities and entertainment, and hiking is possible, even outside bustling Patong Beach. Runners can join the local Hash House Harriers' foot races.

Thailand Map---- Tour and travels in Thailand

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.