Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [553]
When travelling to the museum, you will most likely pass the Heroines Monument ( Map); Click here for the story behind the statues. Also in Thalang District is Wat Phra Thong ( Click here).
KHAO PHRA THAEW ROYAL WILDLIFE & FOREST RESERVE
Phuket isn’t just sand and sea. Khao Phra Thaew ( Map), in the northern part of the island, is a preserve protecting 23 sq km of virgin rainforest. There are several pleasant jungle hikes leading to a couple of photogenic waterfalls, Ton Sai and Bang Pae in particular. The falls are best seen in the rainy season between June and November; in the dry months they slow to a trickle. The highest point in the preserve is Khao Phra, rising to 442m. The park has royal status, so it is better protected than the average national park in the kingdom.
A German botanist discovered a rare and unique species of palm in Khao Phra Thaew about 50 years ago. Called the white-backed palm or langkow palm, the fan-shaped plant stands 3m to 5m tall and is found only here and in Khao Sok National Park ( Click here).
Tigers, Malayan sun bears, rhinos and elephants once roamed the forest here, but nowadays resident mammals are limited to humans, gibbons, monkeys, slow loris, langurs, civets, fruit bats, squirrels, mousedeer and other smaller animals. Watch out for cobras and wild pigs.
The Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre ( Map; 0 7626 0492; www.gibbonproject.org; admission by donation; 9am-4pm), near Bang Pae, is a must-see for park visitors. Funded by donations (1500B will care for a gibbon for one year), the volunteer-run centre adopts gibbons that have been kept in captivity and reintroduces them into the wild after they find a mate. When the gibbons are ready to forage and live in holy matrimony, they’re released into the forest nearby. Once free, they swing from branch to branch at 25km/h, eating fruit, nuts, insects and lizards.
SIRINAT NATIONAL PARK
Comprising the beaches of Nai Thon, Nai Yang and Mai Khao, as well as the former Nai Yang National Park and Mai Khao wildlife reserve, Sirinat National Park ( Map; 0 7632 8226; www.dnp.go.th; admission 200-400B; 8am-5pm) encompasses 22 sq km of coastal land, plus 68 sq km of sea. It runs from the western Phang-Nga provincial border south to the headland that separates Nai Yang from Nai Thon.
A visitor centre with toilets, showers and picnic tables is located at Hat Mai Khao, Phuket’s longest beach. Short trails lead from the centre into the mangroves and down to a steep beach. Between November and February sea turtles lay their eggs along the beach.
The area between Nai Yang and Mai Khao is largely given over to shrimp farming, which can be an interesting practice to watch. Fortunately, shrimp farmers here don’t dig artificial lagoons into the beach or mangroves (like they do on Ko Chang or at Khao Sam Roi Yot), but rather they raise the spawn in self-contained concrete tanks, a method significantly less harmful to the environment.
The park is easily accessible from Phuket International Airport.
PHUKET AQUARIUM
At the tip of Laem Phanwa, Phuket Aquarium ( Map; 0 7639 1126; adult/child 100/50B; 8.30am-4pm) displays a varied collection of tropical fish and other sea creatures. There are 32 tanks and you can experience underwater life with a stroll along the walk-through tunnel. Follow Rte 4021 south and turn on Rte 4023 outside of Phuket Town.
Activities
DIVING
Phuket enjoys an enviable central location relative to the Andaman’s top diving destinations. The much-talked-about Similans sit to the north, while dozens of dive sites orbit Ko Phi-Phi ( Click here) and Ko Lanta ( Click here) to the south. Of course, this means that trips from Phuket to these awesome