Koh Phuket

Touristic island
It doesn’t get much more touristic than on Koh Phuket, the largest island of Thailand. Everything has been directed to holidays for decades. Phuket is a tad more expensive than other Thai destinations and there are relatively many luxurious resorts. Most of the tourists mainly come for the beautiful beaches at the westcoast. The inlands of Phuket are  very diverse: vast plantations, steep cliffs and a bit of rainforest within the national park Khao Phra Taew. The island is easily accessible: about 20 air companies have direct connections to Phuket International Airport.

Capital Phuket
Phuket city, the capital of the province Phuket, lies on the south end of the island Phuket. The city has a typical scene, within a Thai context. It has Portuguese-colonial architecture close to Chinese sanctuaries. The city has a colonial background, many inhabitants have Chinese ancestors. In the month October there is the vegetarian festival, a celebration that has its roots in Chinese religion.

Daytrips and live-aboards
Directly at the coast of Koh Phuket you won’t find many good dive spots. Who wants to dive or snorkel can take a boat trip. To the many dive spots around the archipelago Koh Phi Phi, or to the Anemone Reef, where the shipwreck of the King Cruiser Car Ferry is located. You can also book trips for several days, many live-aboard operators leave from Koh Phuket. With these you can visit the gorgeous underwater parks Mu Koh Similian and Mu Koh Surin.

Tsunami
On December 26th 2004 Phuket was hit by the tsunami. It has hit the tourist industry hard, but slowly but certain it is on its rise again.