Where is the best to do kayaking and learn scuba diving?

Koh Tao is the best place to learn scuba diving.

Q: My friend and I are having two weeks in Thailand in January and we're interested in a kayaking tour, perhaps in a national park or somewhere we can see some animals. Could you recommend a threeday, twonight tour?

A: Khao Sok may be your best choice for kayaking in southern Thailand - nowhere else comes close in terms of the volume of wildlife you'll see in there in January.

Khao Sok National Park surrounds the Ratchaprapa Dam in Surat Thani province. It covers 646 square kilometres and extends beyond Ban Ta Kun, Phanom and Khiri Ratniyom districts.

The scenery is dramatic, with tropical jungle and limestone karst towers jutting from the sea that resemble to those in Guilin, China. Khao Sok is in fact nicknamed "Thailand's Guilin".

You can use kayaks provided by the hotels or tour organisers.

You're likely to see birds including several species of hornbill and kingfishers, as well as macaques and gibbons. If you're lucky you may spot wild pigs fighting or even an elephant on a stroll.

Most kayaktour operators lodge guests in floating, thatchedroof bamboo bungalows.

Some offer expeditions to quite remote places that take several days.

Check www.KhaoSok.com or www.PaddleAsia.com, and www.DNP.go.th has more information about accommodations in the national park.

Q: Where do you suggest I take a Padi openwater dive course in Thailand? I'm looking for value for money and a beautiful underwater landscape. - Lou

Koh Tao will meet your criteria. The island has a wide choice of diving schools, most of which offer accommodations along with the course for less than Bt10,000. Many also have their own swimming pools for rookies to practise.

Compare the prices. Among the schools are Planet Scuba, Easy Divers, Simple Life Divers, Buddha View and New Heaven.

Also, there are small bays without currents where you can tackle your first sea dive.

Life on the island is enjoyable, with a good selection of food and a mellow nightlife.

Once you're certified as a Padi diver, you can enjoy plenty of dive sites around the island, including the famous Sail Rock with its iceberglike pinnacle rising from the sea floor, surrounded by patches of coral.

You'll find barracuda, batfish, jacks and occasional whale sharks, but I advise newbies against attempting the vertical "swimthrough" of the rock.

Nearby are the Chomphon, Laem Tien and Southwest pinnacles and Green Rock, White Rock and Hin Wong.

If you prefer to go slowly, Koh Tao has Mango Bay off its north shore, which gets no deeper than 15 metres, and the Japanese Gardens to the east of Koh Nang Yuan.