Phuket Overview

Phuket’s appeal lies in the beauty of the island, and the variety of relatively inexpensive activities on offer. Thailand’s largest island has wonderful food, vibrant nightlife, an excellent range of accommodation and great beaches, but there’s a lot more to do besides sunbathe!

Diving, fishing, eco-adventure tours in the forests, touring the amazing area around Phang Nga Bay, trips to the outlying islands and elephant trekking are just a few……

Want to know more? Click through our site for comprehensive travel and tourist information. Check out our special offers on hotels, car rentals, etc., Use our maps and photo tours to locate the best beaches and find a place just right for you.

Where to Go

Around Phuket Island
Most sightseeing tours will take you to the well known beauty spots and viewpoints around Phuket. Laem Promthep in the southern tip of the island (super sunsets) Karon viewpoint (vista over the Andaman sea) and the Khao Phra Thaew National Park. (See tours).

The provincial town, also called Phuket, has grown rapidly over the last few years, incorporating new hypermarkets and leisure facilities such as bowling alleys and a new cinema complex. The town has some notable Sino-Portuguese buildings; a legacy from the Phuket’s days as a major tin mining centre, plus some good local restaurants as well as the ubiquitous Macdonalds and the usual fast food outlets.

Phang Nga Bay
Spectacular limestone scenery rising from the sea, mangroves, sea caves with crystalline interiors and hundreds of tiny islands make up Phang Nga Bay, one of southern Thailand’s most fascinating areas. Located north of Phuket Island tours operate daily, some combining a road/boat trip while others cruise up for the day. Prices vary with the mode of transport, the lunch and schedule. All tours visit Ko Ping Gan or “James Bond Island” where Bond was served a bottle of Dom Perignon in “The Man With The Golden Gun,” and Koh Pannyi, an unusual Sea gypsy village perched on stilts above the water against a backdrop of towering limestone cliffs.

Khao Lak
Located in the mainland province of Phang Nga just north of Phuket Island, Khao Lak has only recently been “discovered.” The area, visited by only a few tourists, stretches across three national parks and offers nature lovers an unspoilt landscape of beaches, hills, mountains, forested valleys, mangroves and estuaries. Eco-tours operate daily and include elephant trekking and in season, kayaking along the river. This area probably deserves more time and accommodation is available. An overnight stay is recommended.

Phi Phi Islands
A trip to the Phi Phi Islands is an unforgettable experience. The beauty of the area with sheer cliffs soaring from calm, clear seas is stunning. Phi Phi Don, the larger island, has idyllic tropical beaches lining its southern and eastern shores. Phi Phi Ley, to the south, was made famous as a location for the Hollywood film “The Beach” and has shallow coral gardens, teeming with fish - perfect for diving and snorkelling. Take a day trip or stay overnight.

Where to Stay

Looking for action or somewhere off the beaten track? Would you prefer an international hotel, or a small unpretentious guesthouse? Can’t decide where to stay? Check our beaches guide for more information. Or perhaps you’d prefer to stay on an island like Phi Phi? See the islands guide. You’ll find lots to choose.

Prohibited Items

Fire Arms : Importation of firearms and ammunition can be done only after a permit has been obtained from The Police Department or local Registration Office.

Personal Effects : A reasonable amount of clothing for personal use, toilet articles, and professional instruments may be brought in free of duty.

Cameras : One still-camera or one movie camera can be brought in without duty. Five rolls of still-camera film or three rolls of 8 or 16 M.M. movie- camera film may be brought in free of duty.

Tobacco, Alcoholic Beverages : Cigarettes, cigars, or smoking tobacco each or in total must not exceed 250 grams in weight but cigarettes not exceeding 200 in quantity. One litre each of wine or spirits may be brought in free of duty.

Household Effects : A reasonable amount of used household effects, accompanied by the owner on change of domicile are also free of duty.

Plants and Animals : Certain species of fruits, vegetables and plants are prohibited. Please contact the Agricultural Regulatory Division, Bangkhen, Bangkok, Tel : 5791581, 5793576 for details. A permission of Entry for animals coming in by air can be obtained at the airport. If by sea, application must be made at the Department of Livestock Development, Bangkok, Tel: 2515136, 2526944. Vaccination certificates are required.

Export of Antiques, Objects of Art from The Kingdom of Thailand :

1) The National Museums Division, Bangkok or
2) The Chiang Mai National Museum, Chiang Mai or
3) The SongkhIa National Museum, Songkhla at least four to seven days before the date of shipment or departure of the applicant in order to process the application and for inspection. For further information, telephone the Bangkok National Museum at 2261661.

Immigration Information

Temporary visitors to Thailand for the purpose of pleasure who are exempted from applying for entry visas, and who can stay for a muximum of 30 days in Thailand, must be of the nationality of and holding valid passports or travelling documents issued by:

They must enter the kingdom by passenger transports such as aircraft or sea-going vessels of 500 registered tons and up-, or through channels of immigration check- points or border check-points on the Malaysian boundary-, or enter by means of passenger aircraft, sea-going vessel, rail, bus, taxi, touring coach or hired motor-cycle and having:-

Not required.

Thailand enjoys a tropical climate with 3 distinct seasons - summer from March through May, rainy with plenty of sunshine from June to September and cool from October through February. The average annual temperature is 28′ C (83′ F), ranging, in Bangkok, for example, from 30′ C in April to 25′ C in December.

Time

Time in Thailand is 7 hours ahead of Gree wich Mean Time (GMT+ 7).

History

Archaeological discoveries around the northeast hamlet of Ban Chiang suggest that the world’s oldest Bronze Age civilisation was flourishing in Thailand some 5,600 years ago.

Successive waves of immigrants, including Mons, Khmers and Thais, gradually entered the land mass now known as Thailand, most slowly travelling along fertile river valleys from southern China. By the 11 th and 1 2th centuries, Khmers ruled much of the area from Angkor.

By the early 1 200s, Thais had established small northern city states in Lanna, Phayao and Sukhothai. In 1238, two Thai chieftains rebelled against Khmer suzerainty and established the first truly independent Thai kingdom in Sukhothai (literally, “Dawn of Happiness”).

Sukhothai saw the Thais’ gradual expansion throughout the entire Chao Phraya River basin, the establishment of Theravacla Buddhism as the paramount Thai religion, the creation of the Thai alphabet and the first expression of nascent Thai art forms, including painting, sculpture, architecture and literature.

Sukhothai declined during the 1300s and eventually became a vassal state of Ayutthaya, a dynamic young kingdom further south in the Chao Phraya River valley. Founded in 1350, Ayutthaya remained the Thai capital until 1767 when it was destroyed by Burmese invaders.

During Ayutthaya’s 417 years as the capital, under the rule of 33 kings, the Thais brought their distinctive culture to full fruition, totally rid their lands of Khmer presence and fostered contact with Arabian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and European powers.

Ayutthaya’s destruction was as severe a blow to the Thais as the loss of Paris or London would have been to the French or English. However, a Thai revival occurred within a few months and the Burmese were expelled by King Taksin who later made Thon Buri his capital. In 1782, the first king of the present Chakri dynasty, Rama 1, established his new capital on the site of a riverside hamlet called Bangkok (Village of Wild Plums).

Two Chakri monarchs, Mongkut (Rama IV) who reigned between 1851 and 1868, and his son Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868-1910) saved Thailand from western colonization through adroit diplomacy and selective modernization.

Today, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. Since 1932, Thai kings including the present monarch, H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej have exercised their legislative powers through a national assembly, their executive powers through a cabinet headed by a prime minister, and their judicial powers through the law courts.

People

Throughout her long history, Thailand has gently absorbed immigrants. Many were skilled as writers, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians and architects, and helped enrich indigenous culture.

People inhabiting Thailand today share rich ethnic diversity - - mainly Thai, Mon, Khmer, Laotian, Chinese, Malay, Persian and Indian stock - - with the result that there is no typically Thai physiognomy or physique. There are petite Thais, statuesque Thais, round-faced Thais, dark-skinned Thais and light-skinned Thais.

Some 80% of all Thais are connected in some way with agriculture which, in varying degrees, influences and is influenced by the religious ceremonies and festivals that help make Thailand such a distinctive country.

Religion

Theravada Buddhism is the professed religion of more than 90% of all Thais, and casts strong influences on daily life.

Buddhism first appeared in Thailand during the 3rd Century B.C. at Nakhon Pathom, site of the world’s tallest Buddhist monument, after the Indian Buddhist Emperor Asoka (267-227 B.C.) despatched missionaries to Southeast Asia to propagate the newly established faith.

Besides moulding morality, providing social cohesion and offering spiritual succour, Buddhism provided incomparable artistic impetus. In common with medieval European cathedrals, Thailand’s innumerable multiroofed temples inspired major artistic creation.

Another reason for Buddhism’s strength is that there are few Thai Buddhist families in which at least one male member has not studied the Buddha’s teachings in a monastery. It has long been a custom for Buddhist males over twenty, once in their lifetimes, to be ordained for a period ranging from 5 days to 3 months. This usually occurs during the annual Rains Retreat, a 3-month period during the Rains Season when all monks forego travel and stay inside their monasteries.

Besides sustaining monastic communities, Thai temples have traditionally served other purposes - - as the village hostelry, village news, employment and information agency, a school, hospital, dispensary and community centre - - to give them vital roles in Thai society.

The Thais have always subscribed to the ideal of religious freedom. Thus sizeable minorities of Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs freely pursue their respective faiths.

Language

Spoken and written Thai remain largely incomprehensible to the casual visitor. However, English is widely understood, particularly in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket where

it is almost the major commercial language. English and other European languages are spoken in most hotels, shops and restaurants, in major tourist destinations, and Thai-English road and street signs are found nationwide.

Thailand is a Southeast Asian, predominantly Buddhist kingdom almost equidistant between India and China. For centuries known by outsiders as Siam, Thailand has been something of a Southeast Asian migratory, cultural and religious crossroads.

Geographically speaking, Thailand is divided into six major regions: the mountainous north where elephants work forests and winter temperatures are sufficiently cool to permit cultivation of temperate fruits such as strawberries and peaches; the sprawling northeast plateau, largely bordered by the Mekong River, where the world’s oldest Bronze Age civilisation flourished some 5,000 years ago,- the central plain, one of the world’s most fertile rice and fruit-growing areas; the eastern coastal plain, where fine sandy beaches support the growth of summer resorts’, western mountains and valleys, suitable for the development of hydro-electric power; and the peninsular south where arresting scenic beauty complements economically vital tin mining, rubber cultivation and fishing.