Surat Thani: Limestone Mountains and Beautiful Islands

Surat Thani is a southern province and a city situated on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. As one of the most beautiful regions of Thailand it is popular because its limestone mountains and its islands: Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, and Ang Thong National Marine Park.

A beautiful landmark in the south

While Surat Thani city has nothing special excepting a old but fully functional airport, there are interesting markets such as the night market, a few shopping malls and a almost decent nightlife. Some areas of Surat Thani province are plenty of wonderful limestone mountains covered with rain forests, grassland interchanged with rubber tree and coconut plantings, and perhaps the most beautiful islands of Thailand. All of them are well worth a visit:

Koh Samui a island with rich natural resources, white sandy beaches, coral reefs and famous for its coconut trees.

Koh Phangan is famous for its Full Moon Party at Haad Rin Beach and as a backpackers destination.

Koh Tao island, once a detention place for prisoners, is well known for scuba diving and snorkeling. In Koh Tao you can visit some rock climbing areas and the island also offers some hiking and bouldering.

Mu Koh Ang Thong Marine Park which is not an island but covers 42 islands.

Inland, you can visit Ban Ta Khun, located within the hills of the Phuket mountain range and the Khao Sok national park, one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Thailand.

The Thai Switzerland

Khao Sok is a beautiful small village frequented by backpackers and also by high-value tourists. There are a few restaurants, floating raft houses, tree house bungalows, and many resorts, 3 or 4 small supermarkets and 2 or 3 ATM machines. If you plan to visit there keep in mind that you’re in the jungle. If you want a Tarzan-style holidays, surrounded by amazing landscapes, that place is for you. Please note that wild animals live in the forest, not inside resorts, and tourists are safe. Concerning malaria, Khao Sok is a low risk zone. There is no malaria in the towns and cities of Thailand, only areas near the borders with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are endemic. Mosquito borne illnesses such as Dengue exist in all Southeast Asia.

In Khao Sok you can do many activities, most of them usually available everywhere in Thailand but, of course, in a unique and exotic place: mountain biking, trekking, elephant riding, kayaking the beautiful Sok river with its still waters, visiting the local monkeys and cave temples etc. The Tiger Cave Temple and the Cheow lan Lake also known as Ratchaprapha dam are worth a visit. Due its high mountains and scenery, Khao Sok is often called the “Thai Switzerland”.

-Thailand News (TN)