Tikood Bay
is a bay with a white sandy beach.  On the north is a rocky point from which can be seen a very beautiful panorama.  The shore is shaded by a line of casuarinas trees.

Ao khlong Son
has a white sandy beach shaded by evergreens, with variously colored sea rocks and small boulders.  In this bay you can swim, look at lovely corals during low tide, or search for shellfish. 

Ao Sai
A beach with fine white sands and beautiful sea rocks.  Good for swimming.

Ao Larn
is a lovely beach.  Swimming is good.  On the north is a headland of steep cliffs.  Watch out for deep water.  Travel to Ao larn is easier by boat than overland.

Ao Hin Gong
The beach is shaded by a forest of Mai Kiem (Cotylelobium Lanceolatum), which are long, straight trees.  Rays and skates abound in the waters.  Not suitable for swimming.

Lo Pa Raed Beach
is a beach with fine white sands shaded along its length by a coconut plantation.  A rocky cape is at the north end.  Swimming is safe at Lo Pa Raed anytime.

Laem Nok-ok
A beach of many colored rocks;  good swimming anytime. And Koh Yao Noi, there are same beaches :

Hat Pasai
lies about 7 kms. from Koh Yao Noi's District Office (referred to as the amphoe).  It is a white sandy beach shaded by a line of trees where swimming is safe.  The islands in the distance off Krabi form a panorama in the distance.

Hat Tha Khao
is approximately 5 kms. from Koh Yao Noi's District Office.  Intricately lined, colorful rocks both large and small are the attraction of this beach.  Just offshore is Koh Nok, a tiny island that can be conveniently reached on foot at low tide.  It is covered by very interesting wild plants and orchids.

Travel to KohYao
is available from Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi, but leaving from Phuket is the most convenient. 

For Yao Noi island, leave from Bang Rong Pier in Tambon Pa Khlok on Phuket's northeast shore to go to Koh Yao Noi.  Mail boats ferry passenger mornings on a daily basis for 50 Baht per person (one way).  Long-tail boats can be chartered for 600-1,200 Baht each way.  (depend on number of passengers) The trip takes about 1 hour. 

For Koh Yao Yai, leaves from Tien Sin Pier at 10.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. It also takes about 1 hour and the fare is 50 Baht per person (one way).  Travel between Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai is 20 Baht.  Boats leave from Koh Yao Noi's Manoh Pier and take 15 minutes to cross the channel.

Khai Island
consist of two islands, Koh Khai Nok and Koh Khai Nai.  The islands can be  reached from Koh Sirey, Laem Hin Pier and Chalong Bay in Phuket by hiring a boat or contact tour operators.  The island is known for the beautiful fishes rocks, corals, and secluded beaches.

» Interesting sites include :
Koh Hu Yong
has the Similans' longest white sandy beach.  From November till February sea turtles come up to lay eggs and their tracks may be seen in the sand.

Koh Miang
is actually two islands connected and forms the second largest land mass in the group after Koh Similan. The National Park Office is here, and there is a fine beach where visitors can stay.

Koh Similan
is the largest island. It has a long curving bay, and beneath the waters coral reefs remain pristine.  The beach is composed of fine grain sand.  Diving to look at the fish and coral is strongly recommended.  At the island's northern end are bizarrely shaped big boulders; one looks like a soldier's boot, the another is shaped like a sailboat.  Here also is an excellent view.

Koh Ba Ngu
is also called Hua Kalok or Skull Island.  Beneath the waters, a field of grass and coral appears to be growing in a deep valley.  Schools of fish are everywhere.

» Travel to the Similans
is easy from either Phang-Nga or Phuket. Chartered boats leave from Thap Lamu Pier in Thai Muang District of Phang-Nga and take about 3 hours to reach the islands.  Here is also the office of National Park located.  Alternatively, trips to the Similans can be arranged in Phuket.  A boat trip from Patong Beach takes 2 hours by Andaman Marine Travel Tel (076)220665, 220184-6 Divers,  however, go to the island on boat that leave from Patong Beach and also take 3 hours by diving companies.  Moreover, visitor can leave from Chalong Bay on scuba diving excursions.  These leave in the evening and take about 7 hours.  A typical dive trip lasts 4 nights and 3 days, and includes 10 dives.  Prices range from 9,000 to 25,000 Baht, depending on the level of luxury, and include food, and accommodations.  The Similans are regarded as mainly "deep water" diving.

» For those wishing to stay a short time on the Similans :
Basic accommodations are available at the National Park Office on Koh Miang and can be reserved by contacting : the Similan Islands National Park Office, Moo 1, Tambon Lam Kaen, Thai Muang District, Phang-Nga. Tel. (076) 959045, 421365. The best period to visit the Similans is from December through April, March being the best month, when the winds are lowest and the water clearest.

Accommodations at the National Park are Spartan, but the modest inconvenience of roughing it will be amply  rewarded by the experience supplied.

The five islands are
Koh Surin Neua, Koh Surin Tai, Koh Ri, Koh Kai, and Koh Klang. The two large islands, Surin Nua and Surin Tai  (which mean, respectively, north and south) have ten bays in which coral gardens are found.  

» The best known are:
Ao Mae Yai
The largest, with still waters and peaceful breezes.

Ao Luk
Which is on the southeast shore of Koh Surin Nua.  Luk means deep, and this bay is so deep that the water turns a dark green.  In the shallows of the bay, however, are some impressive corals.

The Singh (or Lion) tribe of Chao Lay (Sea Gipsies) have a settlement on Koh Surin Tai. These nomadic sea people continue in this modern age a very primitive way of life; time, for example, appears to be a vague concept as none of them knows his own age, nor can count beyond the digits on his fingers.  On the other hand, they are quite skilled in their own ways, able to hew an ocean-going boat using only the most basic tools, catch fish by hand, and are famous for their talents as deep divers without benefit of scuba tanks.  On the fifteenth night of the third lunar month they perform a religious rite similar to the Thai festival of Loy Krathong, a propitiation ceremony in which small models of the larger Chao lay craft are set adrift on the waves. 

» Travel to the Surin Islands
can be initiated from several different points:
• From Khuraburi Pier, Ban Hin Lad.  To reach Ban Hin Lahd, take the road (located at km. 110 on the Ranong-Takua Pa Highway) which splits from the main road at Ban Hin Lad School.  Travel onward to the pier about 1 km.  After embarking, travel to the islands takes 4-5 hours. Make a reservation for the boat trip in advance from the National Park Office Tel : (076) 491477-8, 595068.
• From Thap Lamu Pier in Thai Muang District.  Travel time is 4-5 hours.
• From Kaper Pier in Ranong Province, or contact the Janson Tara Hotel which has boats leaving from Chan Damri Beach for trips to the Surins.

N.B. One reason why the Surins are still so beautiful is that they are rather out of the way.  There is no regular boat service for travelers to the islands.  Boats leaving from Khuraburi Pier are suitable for group tours, and cost in the range of 8,000 to 15,000 Baht to rent, depending on various factors.  The situation at Thap Lamu is similar.  It is sometimes possible for individuals to hitch a ride or pay a reasonable fraction of the rental cost on a boat chartered by a group.  This method is by no means certain and should be an option only for the adventurous who have time to spare. 
Perhaps the best way for individual travelers to visit the Surins is to join a dive trip out of Phuket that includes the islands on the itinerary.  This typically lasts 4 or 5 days and includes visits to the Similans, the Richelieu Rocks (regarded by some as the very best dive site on Thailand's west coast), and Koh Ta Chai, a small island south of the Surins with notably good diving.  Price for such a trip is 8,000 Baht and up, depending on the level of luxury, and includes meals, accommodations, equipment, and transportation. Contact one of the many dive shops in Phuket for further details.

» For those wishing to stay on the Surins
basic accommodation are available at a very modest price in the National Park.  For details (and information for individual travelers about joining a group to the islands) contact the Visitor's Center (076) 491378. Information about weather conditions and current numbers of visitors can sometimes be obtained from the Park Office located on the islands by calling (076) 419028-9; phone service to these isolated islands is, however, problematic.

» Weather conditions can also be investigated by dialing the Weather Forecasting Service in Bangkok, Tel. (02) 3994566, 2601502

» Weather on the islands is best from November to April.

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