 Thailand's
2,710 kilometres of coastline fronts on both the Indian and the Pacific
Oceans. Thai waters include a dozen marine national parks,all of them awe-inspiringly
beautiful natural preserves. Hundreds and hundreds of islands, many of them
uninhabited, provide an abundance of coral reefs, beaches, and other scenic
marvels for the visitor. |
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| The
dramatic, sheer-sided islands of areas such as Phang Nga Bay, Krabi and
Ang Thong Marine National Park are of limestone. Holed with sea-caves, snaggled
with stalactites and fringed with jungle, they thrust hundreds of metres
out of the sea. Other island groups are granitic, of lower relief and more
heavily forested. Some of them the Similan Islands, for instance have shorelines
jumbled with enormous sea-sculpted rocks. Beneath the sea, similar boulders
spill down in piles to 40 metres and more. Encrusted with coral and algae,
they are home to vast numbers and varieties of fish which stream and drift
through their caves and archways. |
| Between these
two frontiers the visitor can explore such idyllic island groups as Ko Phi
Phi, Ko Racha, and Ko Similan, not to mention any number of other, lesser
known attractions. The is land of Phuket, meanwhile, provides a convenient
base of operations for more remote destinations. |
| The
Andaman Sea is deep and clean, flushed by the Indian Ocean. Water temperatures
are similar to those in the Gulf - ranging between 26°-28°C year-round.
This is a rare treat for visitors who are used to wearing wetsuits (or even
drysuits) when diving or windsurfing. Sailing is also an entirely different
experience where you don't have to worry about the cold. Winds don't normally
get much above 15 knots, though 25- to 30-knot winds are possible. In the
high season, meanwhile, the seas are usually slight to moderate, with waves
generally of less than a metre. |
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| Climate.
This side of the Thai peninsula puts forward its best face during the northeast
monsoon season. "Monsoon season", contrary to some popular opinion, does
not mean unremitting torrential rains. In fact, you can rely on consistently
fine weather and calm seas from November through March, with peak conditions
extending from late December until late February. From April through October,
on the other hand, the southwest monsoon does bring rain and squalls and
rough seas (though rarely more than 4-metre waves) to exposed coastlines
in the Andaman. Even in this season, however, there are frequently periods
of fine weather. At this time of year, with favourable weather reports,
diving and sail ing daytrips are still possible to destinations such as
Phi Phi, Racha, and the Similans, though scheduled ex-cursions cannot be
re lied upon and longer cruises are often ill-ad vised. |
THAILAND HAS IT ALL