Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
DIVING |
 One
of the major assets of Phuket and Khao Lak as a flourishing vacation
resort is its abundance of diving destinations both in its vicinity
and off islands several hours boat ride away, all offering a fantastic
underwater world of tropical fishes and coral formations, so exotic
and colorful.
From Phuket, all sorts of diving tours are organized lasting from
half a day to 2 weeks. The nearest are sites off the west coast
where you can explore soft and hard coral reefs, with a large variety
of tropical marine life. There are good close-up photo opportunities
with dives up to 35 metes.
Much more popular are trips to islands lying to the south and east
of Phuket about 30 minutes to 2 hours away by motor boat including
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 em 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. 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.
There are a lot of dive schools in Phuket and Khao Lak , all staffed with qualified
instructors who are members of PADI or NAUI, and provided with all
sorts of modern equipment. |
Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
GAME
FISHING |
 An important sports event took placed in Phuket
early in 1991. That was the 13th Asian Game Fishing Tournament organized
by the Asian Game Fishing Federation. It took place from 21 to 24
February with Chalong Bay near the southern end of Phuket as its
base.
The event pointed to the fact that Phuket is fast becoming a top
game fishing destination in Southeast Asia. Indeed the list of fighting
fish species available in the Andaman Sea around Phuket is as long
as one to be found in a game fisherman's handbook. They include
Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Giant Trevally, King Mackerel, Wahoo, Cobia,
Barracuda, Rainbow Runner, Dolphin Fish, Queen Fish and African
Pompano. These 12 were the eligible species listed for the tournament.
The available fishing grounds in the Phuket area extend far beyond
the nearby waters. In fact, annual game fishing contests have been
held in Krabi since 1982. |
Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
RIDING |
 To satisfy the needs of foreign tourists, especially those from
Europe who enjoy horseback riding, riding clubs have been set up
in Phuket. Instructors are available for beginners. And those accomplished
rider can walk their horses to admire the natural beauty, or seek
adventure by riding at a canter through the forests, along the beaches
or over the hills. |
Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
GOLFING |
 Thailand has rapidly become an important golfing destination of
Asia, boasting well over 100 golf courses scattered throughout the
country. Many of them are newly opened with lush surroundings and
superbly equipped club-houses. And many more are being developed.
Some of the courses have been designed by well known golf pros such
as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
The rapid booming of golfing facilities in Thailand has been attributed
to several factors: the healthy economic development with a high
GNP growth rate for several years successively; the favorable weather
conditions throughout the year with hardly any long-lasting rain
even in the rainy season, and the comparatively low green fees and
caddy fees.
Some of the best golf courses in Thailand are in Phuket.
The rapid booming of golfing facilities in Thailand has been attributed
to several factors: the healthy economic development with a high
GNP growth rate for several years successively; the favorable weather
conditions throughout the year with hardly any long-lasting rain
even in the rainy season, and the comparatively low green fees and
caddy fees.
Some of the best golf courses in Thailand are in Phuket. |
Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
SAILING |
 The
Andaman Sea around Phuket is emerging as the newest addition to
the foremost yachting regions of the world. An annual event, the
King's Cup Regatta, first held in Phuket in 1987 as a 60th birthday
tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is a gold medal
sailor himself, has taken place in Phuket with great success each
time.
The regatta has attracted more and more yachting enthusiasts from
neighboring countries every year and is now one of the prime yacht
racing fixtures in Asia. In 1991, it was joined by several world
class participants in the Europe 92 Round-the-World Rally who had
arrived just in time for the event.
The rapid development of sailing activities in and around Phuket
has been due to several factors. First, the natural beauty of the
area is unparalleled, especially the scenery in the Phang-nga Bay.
Second, the climate is warm throughout the year and the sea is calm
from December to April. Third, all equipment and facilities for
the sport are available. And fourth, there are countless other attractions
in Phuket for the sailors. |
Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
| CANOEING |
 It has long been known that some islands in
Phang-nga Bay and the sea off Krabi such as Ko Tha, Ko Hong and
Ko Phanak contain caves accessible through small openings which
are immersed in sea water at high tide but which are just a few
feet above water when the tide is at the lowest.
It was found only a few years ago, that there is another big world
inside these undersea caverns. The water is calm and clear, the
sand is white and powdery, and the mangroves grow better than elsewhere.
To help tourists find out these secrets of natures polyester canoe
have been imported by some tour companies and used as vehicles to
pass through the narrow entrances conveniently. And undersea cave
exploration tours have been organized regularly.
When making such a tour, the canoe is Aiwa's paddled by a professional
assigned by the tour agency As a sport, you can also paddle it yourself
not to get into a cave, but to get a close look at the rocks and
plants of the islet or adventure seeking tourists, Phuket provides
different kinds of exciting activities. Trekking through the natural
environment with a wealth of tropical flora and fauna is a great
adventure. Elephant trekking is another form of enjoyment for visitors
to the island. An even more challenging activity is rock climbing
in the limestone mountains where the adventurers can experience
world class climbing opportunities. And to sea lovers, sea walking
is recommended. They can view the colorful underwater lives closely
by walking under the sea. |
Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
| ELEPHANT
TREKKING |
 Elephant trekking is another form of enjoyment
for visitors. Exploring the jungle on the back of these gentle giants is an adventure, that should not be missed. Most of the trekking elephants have been working in the logging business before, which is banned now in Thailand.
They are officially classified as an endangered species, numbers in Thailand estimated between 3,000 and 4,000 animals. Around half of this number are domesticated, the remainder living wild in National Parks Reserves. |
Diving
| Game fishing | Riding
| Golfing | Sailing
| Canoeing | Elephant
Trekking | Rock Climbing
|
| ROCK
CLIMBNG |
 An even more challenging activity is rock climbing
in the limestone mountains where the adventurers can experience
world class climbing opportunities. Krabi is without doubt Thailand's most developed and extensive climbing area. With over 500 bolted routes in walking distance, the ability to belay off the beach in many areas and all year round sunshine, this has deservedly become one of the world's top climbing holiday destinations |
| |
BOOKINGs
