Similan islands national park

Just sixty miles northwest of the bustling crowds of holiday makers on Phukets Kata Beach lie the Similan Islands. The Similan Marine National Park includes nine islands running from south to north and are numbered accordingly. The Islands are low lying granite boulder formations, densely covered with tropical vegetation and are home to crab-eating monkeys, dusky langurs, squirrels, bats and a large variety of birds.

Click on map for enlargement

Click on map for enlargement

Diving enthusiasts should not miss the Similan Islands with its incredible underwater sightseeing that is so clear you could see it at depths ranging from 2 to 30m. At times, the Similans are referred to as Ko Kao or Nine Islands.

True to its name there are a total of nine islands with each island given a designated number along with a name. These are the islands in order:
Ko Bon, Ko Ba-Ngu, Ko Similan, Ko Payu, Ko Miang (two islands), Ko Payan, Ko Payang and Ko Hu Yong.

These nine islands are small and uninhabited except for park officials and occasional tourists. The beauty of these islands lies in the 32 bird species, both resident and migratory, along with reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

The pictuesque and often deserted white coral sandy beaches and huge boulder formations are not the only attractions however as some of the most interesting sights are to be found beneath the waves. The most spectacular coral growths in the world can be found here and the same boulders that scatter the shores have turned the azure blue waters around the Similans into an adventure playground for divers.

On the western side of the islands huge granite boulders, some as big as houses, spill in jumbled piles beneath the surface of the sea to 35 metres and beyond. Submarine peaks, canyons, caves and passageways provide scuba divers with some of the most interesting prospects in the world.

Dives on 'Fantasy reef', 'Christmas tree point' and 'Bird rock' provide some exhilarating deep and drift diving where manta rays, reef sharks, napoleon wrasses and other large pelagics are frequently encountered. On the eastern side of the islands the boulders have been largely buried by coral and sand and you will find a wide variety of hard and soft corals. Most reefs consist of sloping dropoffs to approximately 35 metres and a highlight of any east coast dive are sightings of rare bowmouth guitar sharks and hawksbill turtles.

Between the islands, tidal currents of up to 2 knots make for some exciting drift diving down 'Snapper Alley' to 'Hamburger Hill' and no trip to the Similans is complete without a dive on 'Elephant Head' which offers the best of both east and west coasts at one spectacular location.