 Phang Nga Bay National Park, Thailand
Phang Nga Bay National Park, in Phang Nga province, is an island-studded bay located between Phuket and Krabi. The national park was established in 1981. I have visited it a couple of times with members of AsiaExplorers, on trips which I organised. Phang Nga Bay is famous for its weird limestone landscape, and also for being the place to see James Bond Island.
Long tail boat pass through one of the limestone grottoes at Phang Nga Bay National Park.
We entered Phang Nga Bay at a landing pier at a river estuary where we can see limestone outcrops jutting out of an otherwise mangrove swamp landscape. Our boat took us through the estuary, which widens into the open bay. Here we see a multitude of limestone outcrops and islets. I learn that there are over 40 such islets, and they are scattered in all directions and as far as the horizon. Some of these rise to over 300 meters.
Our boat takes up through the limestone tunnels under the towering karst mountains to emerge in a "hong", meaning room. This is a natural cavity created when the limestone mountain collapsed to create an opening surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs. The environment was so tranquil and magical.
Phang Nga Bay National Park contains a large expanse of mangrove forest, among the largest in Thailand. The mangrove plays in important role in keeping erosion in check. It also provides a habitat for the parks fauna, including the white-handed gibbon, the Serow, the smooth-coated otter, the dusky langur and the crab eating macaque, not to mention the many birds, reptiles, amphibians and marine life.
As we explored the limestone islands, our boatman pointed out Khao Kien, or Written Mountain. It is so named because it has prehistoric rock paintings on its walls. Our boatman took us close to the cliff so that we could view upclose the rocks and see the seaweeds growing on them.
Later we stopped over on a shore and got down to explore the rock formations as well as vegetation. It was a weird experience to be here, without any other tourists nearby.
Boat moored amount the limestone outcrops providing kayaks for us to explore then islands.
Kayaks made ready for us.
The limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay.
The vegetation on the limestone islands is called limestone scrub forest consisting of plants such as cycads, euphorbs, prickly pears.
The limestone scrub forest clings tenaciously to the islands.
Tourists on kayaks limestone islands.
We were told to look up at the limestone wall.
On the walls are prehistoric cliff paintings.
Stalactites hang from the ceiling of the limestone tunnels.
At water's edge.
We returned to the pier in time to escape the coming rain.
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