Ao Phang-Nga's top tourist drawcard is known to Thais as Ko Phing Kan (‘Leaning on Itself Island’). Used as a location setting in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, today the island is packed with photo-snapping visitors and vendors hawking coral and shells that should have stayed in the sea.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.14 MILES
Beautiful 8km-long Hat Bang Thao is one of the longest, dreamiest beaches on Phuket. This slice of pearlescent sand is just asking for you to laze around…
27.82 MILES
Branching off Th Thalang, in the heart of the Old Town, this small, vibrant street flaunts some of Phuket's most gorgeously revamped Sino-Portuguese…
2.97 MILES
Established in 1981, 400-sq-km Ao Phang-Nga National Park is famous for its classic karst scenery. Huge vertical cliffs dominate its 42 islands, some with…
29.53 MILES
A genuine candidate for Thailand's most beautiful beach, Hat Tham Phra Nang is on the southwest side of the headland and has a crescent of pale, golden…
Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi-Phi National Park
25.73 MILES
This park protects 397 sq km of Krabi Province coastline and islands, including Ko Phi-Phi, Ao Nam Mao and the Shell Cemetery.
27.9 MILES
Founded in 1934 and formerly a Chinese-language school, this flashy museum is filled with photos, videos and English-language exhibits on Phuket’s history…
27.91 MILES
Built in 1903 with tin-mining riches, this beautifully preserved Sino-Portuguese mansion should make any antique- or architecture-lover's must-visit list…
28.08 MILES
One of the island's most important Chinese shrines, this red-washed, elevated complex is dedicated to Tean Hu Huan Soy, god of performers and dancers. It…
Nearby Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park attractions
2.97 MILES
Established in 1981, 400-sq-km Ao Phang-Nga National Park is famous for its classic karst scenery. Huge vertical cliffs dominate its 42 islands, some with…
3.76 MILES
A stilted Muslim village clings to this small karst island, where most tours dock for lunch. It's busy, but Ao Phang-Nga tour operators can arrange for…
11.61 MILES
A dam at the mouth of this cave created an artificial river, which visitors can explore, first by kayak and then bamboo raft as the cave narrows…
12.48 MILES
This unusual Buddhist complex (the name means 'Heaven and Hell' temple) has cave shrines, a dragon tunnel and a collection of grotesque figures…
16.26 MILES
Dotted with a few upmarket resorts, Phuket’s longest beach is a beautiful, secluded 10km stretch of pearl-white national park sand extending from just…
6. Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Project
17.47 MILES
Financed by donations (2100B sponsors a gibbon for a year), this tiny sanctuary adopts gibbons previously kept in captivity in the hope of reintroducing…
17.5 MILES
You'll hear haunting gibbons' songs all the way along the jungly earth-and-concrete path to this waterfall, a 300m walk up from the Phuket Gibbon…
8. Khao Phra Thaew Royal Wildlife & Forest Reserve
18.32 MILES
On the northern half of the island, this lush reserve protects 23 sq km of virgin island rainforest (evergreen monsoon forest). Because of its royal…