Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Any bus running along Hwy 4 between Takua Pa (50B, 45 minutes) and Phuket
(100B, two hours) will stop at Hat Khao Lak if you ask the driver.
Khao Lak Discov-
eries
runs hourly minibuses to/from Phuket International Airport (600B, one hour 15
minutes).
Surin Islands Marine National Park
The five gorgeous islands that make up this
national park
(
www.dnp.go.th
;
admis-
sion 400B; mid-Nov-mid-May)
sit about 60km offshore, a measly 5km from the
Thai-Burma marine border. Healthy rainforest, pockets of white-sand beach in
sheltered bays and rocky headlands that jut into the ocean characterise these
granite-outcrop islands. The clearest of water makes for great marine life, with un-
derwater visibility often up to 35m. The islands' sheltered waters also attract
chow
lair
(also spelt
chao leh;
sea gypsies), who live in a village onshore during the mon-
soon season from May to November. Around here they are known as Moken, de-
rived from the local word
oken
meaning 'salt water'.
Khuraburi is the jumping-off point for the park. The pier is about 9km north of
town, as is the mainland
national park office
(
0 7649 1378;
8am-5pm)
,
which has good information, maps and helpful staff.
Sights & Activities
DIVING & SNORKELLING
Dive sites in the park include
Ko Surin Tai
and
HQ Channel
between the two main
islands.
Richelieu Rock
(a seamount 14km southeast) is also technically in the
park and happens to be one of the best - if not the best - dive sites on the Andam-
an Coast. Whale sharks are sometimes spotted here during March and April.
There's no dive facility in the park itself, so dive trips (four-day live-aboards around
20,000B) must b e booked from the mainland; see Khao Lak (
Click here
) for more
information.
Snorkelling isn't as good as it used to be due to recent bleaching of the hard cor-
als, but you'll still see fish and soft corals. If you'd like a serene snorkelling experi-
ence, charter your own long-tail boat from the national park (half day 1000B), or
better yet, directly from the Moken themselves in
Ban Moken
. The most beautiful,
