4 days 3 night

To go to Surin Islands Natural Park, you drive along Highway No 4 to Phang Nga province. When you enter Kuraburi district at the 729 km, turn right to Kuraburi pier (there is a sign showing a way to Surin Islands). Driving for 2 km, you will find an entrance to the Natural Park of Surin Islands.

You can book accommodation at the park office, which offers tents and bungalows. If you are interested in renting boats, you have to contact a private company which is located about 200 metres from the park office. It will provide you with passenger boats and speed boats.

Passenger boats can be rented for about 3 hours and speed boats for about 1 hour. You can buy either a round ticket or package tour.

Box : The natural marine park is closed from November 15 to May 15.

Leaving the pier along Highway No 4, you will see PTT petrol station when you enter a community area.

If you drive along the road until you arrive at a Kokkien three-way intersection, turn right (to enter Highway No 4) to go to Kakua Pa district. You turn right at a three-way intersection, following the sign of Khao Lak.

When you drive for a while, you will see Kakua Pa Hospital (0-7642-1770).

If you drive past it to Khao Lak area, all signs are in English to guide foreign visitors. If you turn left at the Tsunami Memorial sign and drive along for 200 metres, you will find the memorial where you can take photos.

If you drive past 57 km, you will arrive at Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park (0-7642-0243).

Tip: You should be careful because the entrance is on a curving path.

Fee: Adult – Bt20, child – Bt10; vehicle – Bt30

You can park your car at a parking lot and walk to a viewpoint. Don’t worry about the way, which is full of bushes and trees, as the scenery is very beautiful.

Tip: If you are hungry, you can have your meal at the park’s restaurant. You will find tables at the balcony perfect because from there, you can see both the forest and Khao Lak sea.

After that, you should drive back to the same road to look for accommodation at Khao Lak. Room rates at hotels and resorts along the beach are quite high. You could stay at hotels along the roadsides. After finding the place, you can enjoy your time along the beach or test your swimming skills in the sea.

Box: Motive Cottage (076-420-073): air-conditioned room, swimming pool. Bt1,800

You can visit Tsunami Volunteers Centre by driving past the Marine National Khao Lak Park. At 5 km, turn right at PTT petrol station to enter Highway No 4147, drive for about 3 km, and you will find the office of the National Park of Similan Islands.

You must book for accommodation on the islands here.

Accommodation is available on Koh 4 (tents and bungalows) and Koh 8 (tents).  You can have reservation not more than 60 days in advance.

In case you bring your own tents, you have to pay Bt80 for each per night plus entrance fee of the park (Thais: Adult : Bt80, Child : Bt60//Foreigners : Adult : 400, Child : Bt200).

If you want to book a boat, drive to the pier where you can buy round tickets and package tour. Boats leave the pier at 8.30am and speed boats spend about one and half hours.

When you drive from the pier back to Highway No 4 and drive along to an intersection, both ways are Highway No 4. If you want to go to Phuket, you have to take a bypass. Another route goes to Phang Nga Bay.

Tip: Km markers in the area could be a little confusing.

At the 33 km marker, turn left and drive for 2 km, and you will arrive at Lampee Waterfall. Around 26 km, there is Tai Muang Hospital (0-7657-1779). There you will find a three-way intersection. Turn left but be careful when you arrive at 13 km because it has a sharp curve. When you enter road No 402, follow the sign to Phuket. At 3 Km, turn right at the intersection to go to Phuket. Drive past Dhepkasatree Bridge and stop to take photos at the Phuket Gate on the right side.

There are two sharp curves again at the 37 km. Around the 18, you go through to enter Muang Phuket to Kata Noi – Kata Bay and Karon Bay. The roads along the beach go up and down the hills. In the area, there is Choeng Ta-le police station (0-7632-4086). These roads pass all the beaches. You can make a right turn to any beach you want to visit. However, it is recommended that you drive slowly.

Recommended: Viewpoints to observe three bays; Take photos of Kata-Karon and Patong beaches.

After Kata beach, you drive along the beach, and turn left at a three-way intersection to enter Highway No 4233. Drive for 2 km, you will find a viewpoint to see three beaches on the right hand.

Tip: Be careful when you make a turn because the entrance to the parking lot is right on the bend and quite dangerous.

Don’t miss sunset at Promthep Cape.

After you leave the viewpoint of the three beaches, turn right and drive about 1 km, you will find a three-way intersection. Follow the sign of Promthep Cape. You will have to make right turns three times to reach the cape. There are signs throughout the road. After enjoying beautiful sunsets at the cape, you can return to stay at Kata-Karon or Patong beaches or turn right to route No 4233 to stay downtown.

In the morning, you can take photos of antique buildings

on Deebuk Klang - Krabi and Yaowarat Roads (they are connected).

To go to the Butterfly Garden, you should drive along Yaowarat Road and turn left at Samkong intersection. Go straight, turn right at another intersection and go for about 500 metres, you will find a sign showing entrance to the Butterfly Garden and Insect World. The place is good for sight seeing.

Fees: Thai (adult – Bt80, child – Bt40), Foreigner (adult – Bt300, child – Bt150).

To go to Sarasin Bridge, take road No 402 after leaving the Butterfly Garden, turn right until you find a major intersection where Lotus Department store is located. Turn right again and follow Phang Nga Sign. Turn left at a three-way intersection to Sarasin Bridge.

Before you leave Phuket, you should visit Tao Thepkrasatree and Tao Sisoonthorn Monument at the Ta Rua Intersection. Then when you drive straight, you will find Shell petrol station on the left, and an LPG station on the right.

Talang Hospital  (076-311111) is at 17 km., followed by a community which has many banks. Drive until you reach a three-way intersection, and drive through it and make a U-turn. Turn left to enter Pra Thong or Phra Pud Temple, which is about 250 metres from there.

In the afternoon, make a U-turn after leaving the temple, go past Sarasin Bridge and to Phang Nga. Before reaching the bridge at 24 km, there is Susco gas station which sells LPG. You should take photos of Sarasin and Thepkrasatree Bridges.

When you pass Sarasin Bridge, turn right at a three-way intersection to take Highway No 402 and follow the sign of Phang Nga until you reach 18 km where a Susco station sells LPG.

At around 32-33 km, you turn right and follow the sign of Phang Nga to take Highway Route 4144. Drive for about 2 kilometres and you will find the office of the National Park of Phang Nga Bay (0-7641-1136, 0-7641-2188). Here you can find restaurants and pier for renting boats to visit many islands.

Tip: Drive to the end of the road, where you will find private boat services. The prices are much cheaper than at the park.

Fee: Bt40 to visit Khao Ma Ju, Nom Sao Island, Khao Ta Pu. Two-engine boat – Bt1,000/10 persons; Four-engine boat – Bt1,2,00/10 persons, for one and half hours.

Tip: You should visit in the afternoon when the tide is low. You can visit the Tham Lord Cave using the same boat.

In the afternoon, to go to Krabi, you leave the pier, turn right at an intersection to go into road No 4, turn right again at a traffic light, follow the sign of Krabi to go to Highway No 415. You can take road No 4, which also goes to Krabi. But Highway No 415 is the shorter route and less winding.

Drive until you pass an intersection, which has a PTT petrol station on the left and a Shell petrol station on the right. Turn right to take Krabi-Surat road and drive past Siam Gas station until you reach Ao Luek intersection. Turn right and follow the sign.

Recommended: Than Bok Koranee National Park (0-7568-1071, 0-7568-2058), Entrance fee – Bt20. Visit the green big waterfall, which has water all year long. After enjoying the waterfall, you can order food such as somtam there.

In the morning, leave Ao Luek, turn right to road No 4 to go to Muang Krabi district. There are many petrol stations along the way. If you drive past Ao Luek police booth, you will find some rolling chicken stalls.

BOX : You should visit the rolling chicken stalls along the road. They are very spicy.

Next, you should visit Songnam Canal. To go there, you drive along Highway No 4 until you reach 127 km. Turn right at the sign of Songnam Canal and drive for 5 km.

Fee: Car parking: Bt10; Thais (adult –10, child – Bt5), Foreigners (adult – Bt50, child – Bt30). The water is crystal clear.

TIP: The water turns green under strong sunlight. You can rent canoes to enjoy the canal. However, visitors are not allowed to swim because swimmers in the past destroyed tree roots underwater.

Return to Road No 4 again to go to Krabi. If you want to buy something, you can visit Makro Department store at 113 km. If you drive along the road for a while, turn left to take a road to Krabi and then Highway Road No 411 (Krabi). When you reach a viewpoint take photos of Kanab Nam Hill, which is the symbol of Krabi.

Then, you head to Phra Nang Bay. There are signs along the road. You will pass Muang Krabi Police Station (0-7561-1222) and then turn right to Krabi Road. Go straight until you reach an intersection which has a Shell petrol station, turn left to take Highway No 4204. You will reach Nam Mao intersection. If you go straight, you will arrive at Fossil Shell Beach. You should turn right and then turn left at an intersection to take Highway Road No 4203 to go the beach. All signs are in English.

– To go to Phi Phi Islands, you can contact private tour companies along the beach.

One-day trip: diving at 8 island – Bt1,200-1,800 negotiable price. If you book from Bangkok, the price is Bt1,800.

Tip: It is cheaper to buy trips at the beach.

Boat fee to Phi Phi Island: Bt450 per route – two and a half hours. Boat leaves the pier twice a day – 10 am and 2pm.

1. If you board a boat at Klong Jilard Pier, the price will be Bt250 and will take 2 hours.

To go to Lunta Island: Leave Pranang Bay by using the same way (follow the sign of Krabi) until you reach Klong Jilard intersection, turn left and turn right at a big intersection to return to road No 4.

When you drive for a while, you will see Outlet Village and Lotus department store on the left. Keep going until you reach Huey Nam Khao intersection, turn right to take Highway No 4206. Dive for about 27 km until the end of the highway. There you will find a ferry to go to Lanta Islands. There is traffic congestion there because many vehicles wait to take the ferry. You may have to wait for about an hour.

Each raft can carry 40 cars. The raft leaves the pier every 20 minutes. Its service is between 6am to 10pm.

Fees:

Four-wheel cars – Bt50 with driver; passenger – Bt13                       each

Small six-wheel truck – Bt350

Big six-wheel truck – Bt450

Motorcycle – Bt8 with driver, passenger – Bt3

Accommodations:

– Phang Nga Bay Resort: Ta Dan road, Muang district, Phang Nga province; Tel 0-7641-2070,0-7641-2076-8; Room rate ­­– Bt700-1,200

– Khao Lak Countryside Resort and Spa: Takoapa district, Phang Nga province; Tel 0-7642-3475-6; Room rate – Bt1,800-2,000

– Andaman Sunset Resort: Ao Nang Beach, Krabi province; Tel 0-7563-7484-6; Room rate – Bt1,000-2,300

– Kiengtale Resort, Krabi; Tel 0-7562-2885-8; Room rate –  Bt500-1,200

Restaurants:

– Puttachart (Thai food) : Phetkasem Road, Muang district, Phang Nga province; Tel 0-7644-2175

– Khao Lak Seaview (a la carte): Phetkasem road, Takoapa district, Phang Nga province; Tel 0-1891-0672

– Ta-le Phuket: Chao Fa road, Muang district, Phuket; Tel 0-7626-3956

– Ao Pa Lai Seafoot : Soi Palai, Muang district, Phuket; Tel 0-7638-1907

– Chuanchim Seafood : Tambon Ao Nang, Muang district, Krabi; Tel 0-7563-7355

Souvenir shops:

– Jew Bakery (Tao Sor) : Phetkasem road, Phang Nga; Tel 0-7642-1521

– Sri Krabi: Tambon Sai Tai, Muang district, Krabi; Tel 0-7562-3549

Hospitals:

– Phang Nga Hospital: Tel 0-7641-2-23, 0-7641-1616

– Ta Koa Pa Hospital: Tel 0-7642-1770

– Wachira Phuket Hospital: Tel 0-7621-1114

– Krabi Hospital: Tel 0-7561-1227

Police:

– Pangnga Provincial Police: Tel. 0-7641-2075

– Muang Police, Phang Nga; Tel  0-7641-2073

– Phuket Provincial Police: Tel 0-7622-1157, 0-7621-9022

– Tourism Authority of southern region (Zone 4 – Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi) Tel 0-7621-1036, 0-7621-7138, 0-7621-2213