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Phang Nga Overview

Phang Nga is one of the southern provinces of Thailand situated on the Andaman Sea coast over an area of 4200 Sq Km. To its South is Phuket and to its East is the Krabi province. Phangnga is an Archipelago of some of the most scenic islands such as James Bond Island, Sea Gypsy Island, Ko Phra Thong, Similan Islands, Surin Islands.

The Phang Nga Bay is quite a popular tourist destination. Several tour operators provide for trips to various sites in this bay area and the area is always bustling with tourists. It is well known for its several national parks, plenty of wild life with numerous exotic birds & animals (White-belly Sea Eagles, Brahminy Kites, Pacific Reef Egrets, a wide variety of Kingfishers, Little Herons, Frigate Birds, Blue Rock Thrushes, Oriental Pied Hornbills, Lizards, Macaques, Langurs and Monkeys), beautiful beaches, lagoons.

Phangnga is situated 800 km from Bangkok. However, since it is close to Phuket and Krabi, you can plan your visit to the Phangnga Bay along with your trip to Phuket and Krabi.

History & Culture

The original name of Phang Nga is Kraphu Nga. It was originally inhabited by small communities who had migrated from the nearby areas when the nearby areas (including Phuket) were under Burmese invasion. This was during the rule of King Rama II. Subsequently, in 1824, the Burmese invaders were defeated and expelled out. In 1933, King Rama III renamed the bay area as Phang Nga and the town was expanded into a province.

Culturally, Phang Nga is a good mix of Buddhists, Thai-Chinese, Thai-Muslims and Morgan Sea Gypsies – all living together in harmony. People speak various dialects and languages. The southern Thai dialect is difficult to understand even for the Thais living in other provinces. The sea gypsies speak Yawi dialect.

Phang Nga has had its own share of natural calamities. It was severely hit by the Tsunami in 2004 when thousands of people lost their lives.

Food

The local food in the Phangnga bay area has influences of India, Malaysia and Indonesia. The food is general spicey. Some of the savoured dishes include - the Indian-style Muslim curry (Massaman), Rice noodles in fish curry sauce (Khanom Jeen) and Chicken Biryani. The Koh Pannyi Island is famous for its Shrimp Paste and Takuapa is famous for its Chinese-style baked cakes.

How to reach Phang Nga Bay?

It would be better to plan your trip to Phang Nga when you are in Phuket or Krabi. A 1-2 days trip would be good enough to see the main attractions of the bay area. When in Phuket, you can take a launch/boat from the east coast. You can also look for local tour operators organizing a day long cruise or chartered yacht. The adventurous tourist may try a canoe tour.

If you are planning to visit Phang Nga directly from Bangkok, you have the following options:

1. Hire a Car or take a bus from Bangkok to Phangnga.
2. Take a Train from Bangkok to Suratthani. At Suratthani, you can hire a car to take you to the Phang Nga town.
3. For quick travel, take a flight from Bangkok to the Phuket International Airport. From phuket, take a boat to Phang nga from the east coast of phuket.