The Malacca Strait is home to one of Thailand’s most famous tourist spots - Phang Nga Bay. The poster child for perfect looking Thailand, Phang Nga Bay is all emerald waters, teetering limestone karsts, colorful islets, and drifting long tail boats. This is the stuff movies are made of and it comes as no surprise that Phang Nga has featured as a filming locale in everything from James Bond to Star Wars. Stretching for 400 square kilometres with jaw-dropping scenery, a marine national park, ancient rock paintings, and a ton of amazing adventures, you will drop anchor and never want to leave. Some highlights of Phang Nga Bay include taking a traditional style canoe to explore the limestone karsts and intricate cave systems. Be sure to visit the bright village of Koh Panyee - home to the cave paintings, it is also a place where you can see colorful traditional boats, stilt homes, market stalls, and a glorious golden mosque. Phang Nga is also home to lavish resorts, tailor shops, and James Bond island tours.
Shake off the crowds and head for Krabi where palm-fringed beaches breathe easy beneath limestone cliffs. Krabi is exactly the Thai delight you have been seeking. Making its home in the Hat Noppharat Thara-Ko Phi Phi National Park, you will find yourself smitten as you explore the pristine clean beaches and tiny tantalizing towns along these sweet sailing grounds. Krabi is also home to the world-famed Phi Phi Islands with their full moon party. Even beyond the fame of Phi Phi, charter guests will find a smorgasbord of salty and sunny delights. Be sure to visit Koh Lanta with its rugged emerald jungle and its peaceful sands - a striking contrast to the parties of Phi Phi. Sailing these islands gifts you bustling resort towns, heaps of culture, incredible food, local encounters, and some truly special beaches.
Made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie aptly named The Beach, Koh Phi Phi is a bonafide bucket list destination. With cream colored sand and waters swirling in shades of unimaginable blue, from the deck of your yacht it's easy to believe you have died and gone to heaven. While corners of this beautiful island have been handed over to development, you can still find those golden corners away from the tourist hordes. Phi Phi Leh is all carved cliffs and crystal clear waters - a dream for snorkelling and with crystal clear visibility all the pleasures of the underwater world. For charter guests looking to lean into scenic Thai beauty but don’t mind sharing the space with other revellers, Koh Phi Phi is the poster child attracting travellers from far and wide for good reason.
With laid back beach bars and deep, dense jungle, Koh Ngai is a must-stop for any Thai island tour. Small in size and offering plenty of privacy, this authentic oasis is a natural haven for snorkelers and divers, with an offshore reef and mesmerizing marine ecosystem. Palm-fringed beaches with white sand make for postcard-worthy panoramas, complete with lines of longtail boats and startling cerulean seas. Cast anchor along the eastern side of the island for a beautiful backdrop of limestone islets and make use of any onboard entertainment such as jet skis and paddle boards atop the calm, crystalline waters. Promising unforgettable sunsets and tranquil serenity, Koh Ngai is a sublime slice of paradise.
Fanning out south in Thailand’s Andaman Sea, the Butang Islands are home to pristine beaches, crystal clear waterfalls, and exotic flora and fauna. The four main isles sit in a circle around a number of uninhabited islets and this archipelago is considered to be one of the most striking spots for sailing. A wealth of underwater life, a protected marine park, and impressive scuba diving and snorkelling are just a handful of reasons to visit this heavenly spot. There are two larger islands of Ko Adang and Ko Rowi and the smaller islands of Ko Tanga and Ko Khai. Each island has its own soul but what connects them all is tropical forest brimming with orchids and other wildflowers along with scuttling geckos, monkeys, and flying foxes. Few roads and villages can be found on the islands preserving the rugged interior and karst limestone hems in the coast. Waters brim with soft coral and in the deeper hues, you can find minke whales and bottlenose dolphins.
No less than 51 islands make up the incredible Tarutao National Park. Scattered across the Strait of Malacca, island hopping on your yacht charter is a great way to uncover this host of hidden gems. Koh Tarutao is the largest of the islands and was once a camp for prisoners. These days it's a wild and untouched part of the national park with a few bungalows, eateries, and bicycle and kayak rental. Wildlife is abundant on the island and surrounding waters. You can expect to see sperm whales and Irrawaddy dolphins cruising through the blue waters. On land, you can find crab-eating macaques, flying foxes, dusky leaf monkeys, and different kinds of squirrels. Otters and hermit crabs can also be seen on the bleached white sand beaches. As this island is so far-flung and remote, it's no rare event to have whole swathes of sand to yourself.
The sister to the twin-island of nearby Koh Rok, Koh Rok Nok is part of the Mu Ko Lanta National Park. A land of larger than life monitor lizards, spellbinding reef systems, and stretches of sand that are sure to delight. As the islands are so close together, it's easy to spend the day hopping back and forth. The snorkelling sites that surround these islands stretch for a square mile and boast pristine visibility. The coral reefs teem with life - everything from pufferfish to float angelfish and wise old turtles. Lucky snorkelers may even see the black-tipped shark or a darting moray eel. There’s not a lot to do other than pad from sand to sea, feel the sun on your face, and the warm waters swirl around you. Pack a picnic and set up camp on the peaceful sands as you enjoy every second of this absolutely untapped and untouched piece of paradise.
We sadly head back to Phuket to bid our goodbyes... and hopefully welcome you back soon!