On the hunt for quiet islands around Phuket. There's certainly plenty of islands in Phang Nga Bay to choose from. Seeking out the quiet ones can be a challenge but we found 2 in 2 days. Win, win.
Koh Yao Yai is quite a large island. For our purposes we wanted a quiet anchorage and we found just that. A deserted bay and shore line. Perfect opportunity to take a walk on the beach. The water was already a long way out from the sandy beach, but that just meant a longer walk for us. Did I mention the deserted beach? A bit of heaven. On shore there was 1 stall owner who was just packing up, and a road leading into the local village. Exploration for another time.
After a peaceful night we headed to Koh Rang Yai, which is a private island. That means an admission fee, which was all of 20ɓaht. We anchored on the east side in a lovely little bay surrounded by mangroves. There was one small access point from this side that was also tidal. It was up to us to keep a check on the tides after the time we pulled up onto a tidal beach at Koh Naka Yai. The dinghy was high and dry that time and we had to wait over 3 hours on shore, in the dark with no beer I might add, until we had enough water to get back to our boat. Not in a hurry to make that mistake again.
Koh Rang Yai is only a small island, shaped like a kidney dish. We jumped ashore on the narrowest point and it was a ten minute wander through coconut palms on a well worn track to reach the western side. From there, we faced the biggest island, Phuket. There was a lovely 1km long beach of white sand and coastal trees with deck chairs and little tables lining the sands edge. And no people! I couldn't believe our luck. Not so good for the one and only local bar/restaurant. But we made sure to spend some dollars there.
outdoor showers, ready for campers
Phuket is entering its low season which is also its wet season, so tourism drops off alot and it's these smaller places that suffer the most with the lack of money being spent.
The lovely bar owner has several tents set up on a grassy area and is planning on offering camping accommodation within the next month or two. And what a place to camp. Such a stunning location with various trails running across the island for some land exploration.
There's kayaks and snorkelling equipment, giant inflatable toys, crystal clear turquoise waters and a soft sandy seabed. There's chairs and tables, beach swings, deck chairs and barstools. Plenty of things to see, do and enjoy.
There used to be a pearl farm and a big shop on shore but the shop is closed and I can only assume the pearl farm is no longer operating either.
For us, we had a tide to think of. We indulged in some late lunch and one of the most delicious mango smoothies I've had in ages and legged it back to the dinghy. She was already high but not too dry so it was little effort to get her back in the water.
Another day, another tropical island. Almost deserted this time.
back to Watusi 2
Until next time, Watusi Woman - connoisseur of mango shakes, out.
