Khoa-Lak-Thailand Hotels

DIVING

One of the major assets of Phuket and Khao Lak as a flourishing vacation resort is its abundance of diving destinations both in its vicinity and off islands several hours boat ride away, all offering a fantastic underwater world of tropical fishes and coral formations, so exotic and colorful. From Phuket, all sorts of diving tours are organized lasting from half a day to 2 weeks. The nearest are sites off the west coast where you can explore soft and hard coral reefs, with a large variety of tropical marine life. There are good close-up photo opportunities with dives up to 35 meters. Much more popular are trips to islands lying to the south and east of Phuket about 30 minutes to 2 hours away by motor boat including Coral Island (Ko He) which offers a dive all year round and has very beautiful natural scenery; Ko Racha, which have dives of up to 30 meters; Shark Point, a favorite sleeping spot of leopard sharks and stingrays; Ko Dok Mai which offers an impressive wall dive and a series of cave dives; and Ko Phi Phi where you can see white tip sharks, stingrays and moray eels besides colorful reef fishes. Khao Lak offers a coral reef a few hundred meters off the beach and a spectacular wreck of a sunken tin miner. Truly world class diving sites are located farther away including Ko Similan, Ko Surin, Ko Tarutao and Burma Banks. Despite their long distances, tours are organized by some agencies in Phuket regularly during the dry season. All the first three island groups are marine national parks which offer magnificent coral gardens. Burma Banks being the farthest and newest, is in the best condition as a diving site. There are a lot of dive schools in Phuket and Khao Lak , all staffed with qualified instructors who are members of PADI or NAUI, and provided with all sorts of modern equipment.

GAME FISHING

An important sports event took placed in Phuket early in 1991. That was the 13th Asian Game Fishing Tournament organized by the Asian Game Fishing Federation. It took place from 21 to 24 February with Chalong Bay near the southern end of Phuket as its base. The event pointed to the fact that Phuket is fast becoming a top game fishing destination in Southeast Asia. Indeed the list of fighting fish species available in the Andaman Sea around Phuket is as long as one to be found in a game fisherman's handbook. They include Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Giant Trevally, King Mackerel, Wahoo, Cobia, Barracuda, Rainbow Runner, Dolphin Fish, Queen Fish and African Pompano. These 12 were the eligible species listed for the tournament.
The available fishing grounds in the Phuket area extend far beyond the nearby waters. In fact, annual game fishing contests have been held in Krabi since 1982.

RIDING

To satisfy the needs of foreign tourists, especially those from Europe who enjoy horseback riding, riding clubs have been set up in Phuket. Instructors are available for beginners. And those accomplished rider can walk their horses to admire the natural beauty, or seek adventure by riding at a canter through the forests, along the beaches or over the hills.

GOLFING

Thailand has rapidly become an important golfing destination of Asia, boasting well over 100 golf courses scattered throughout the country. Many of them are newly opened with lush surroundings and superbly equipped club-houses. And many more are being developed. Some of the courses have been designed by well known golf pros such as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. The rapid booming of golfing facilities in Thailand has been attributed to several factors: the healthy economic development with a high GNP growth rate for several years successively; the favorable weather conditions throughout the year with hardly any long-lasting rain even in the rainy season, and the comparatively low green fees and caddy fees.
Some of the best golf courses in Thailand are in Phuket. The rapid booming of golfing facilities in Thailand has been attributed to several factors: the healthy economic development with a high GNP growth rate for several years successively; the favorable weather conditions throughout the year with hardly any long-lasting rain even in the rainy season, and the comparatively low green fees and caddy fees. Some of the best golf courses in Thailand are in Phuket.

SAILING

The Andaman Sea around Phuket is emerging as the newest addition to the foremost yachting regions of the world. An annual event, the King's Cup Regatta, first held in Phuket in 1987 as a 60th birthday tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is a gold medal sailor himself, has taken place in Phuket with great success each time. The regatta has attracted more and more yachting enthusiasts from neighboring countries every year and is now one of the prime yacht racing fixtures in Asia. In 1991, it was joined by several world class participants in the Europe 92 Round-the-World Rally who had arrived just in time for the event.
The rapid development of sailing activities in and around Phuket has been due to several factors. First, the natural beauty of the area is unparalleled, especially the scenery in the Phang-nga Bay. Second, the climate is warm throughout the year and the sea is calm from December to April. Third, all equipment and facilities for the sport are available. And fourth, there are countless other attractions in Phuket for the sailors.

CANOEING

It has long been known that some islands in Phang-nga Bay and the sea off Krabi such as Ko Tha, Ko Hong and Ko Phanak contain caves accessible through small openings which are immersed in sea water at high tide but which are just a few feet above water when the tide is at the lowest. It was found only a few years ago, that there is another big world inside these undersea caverns. The water is calm and clear, the sand is white and powdery, and the mangroves grow better than elsewhere. To help tourists find out these secrets of natures polyester canoe have been imported by some tour companies and used as vehicles to pass through the narrow entrances conveniently. And undersea cave exploration tours have been organized regularly. When making such a tour, the canoe is Aiwa's paddled by a professional assigned by the tour agency As a sport, you can also paddle it yourself not to get into a cave, but to get a close look at the rocks and plants of the islet or adventure seeking tourists, Phuket provides different kinds of exciting activities. Trekking through the natural environment with a wealth of tropical flora and fauna is a great adventure. Elephant trekking is another form of enjoyment for visitors to the island. An even more challenging activity is rock climbing in the limestone mountains where the adventurers can experience world class climbing opportunities. And to sea lovers, sea walking is recommended. They can view the colorful underwater lives closely by walking under the sea.

ELEPHANT TREKKING

Elephant trekking is another form of enjoyment for visitors. Exploring the jungle on the back of these gentle giants is an adventure, that should not be missed. Most of the trekking elephants have been working in the logging business before, which is banned now in Thailand. They are officially classified as an endangered species, numbers in Thailand estimated between 3,000 and 4,000 animals. Around half of this number are domesticated, the remainder living wild in National Parks Reserves.

ROCK CLIMBING