Come Back To Khao Lak
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Despite what you might hear in the media, it's completely safe to visit the west coast of Thailand again - Phuket, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi and Khao Lak are open for business and ready for scuba divers
[Important Note: this article was written two months after the tsunami and is now very out of date. Khao Lak is now completely restored and receiving thousands of tourists from around the world. There are many Khao Lak hotels to suit all budgets all open for business. This article has been left on Travelhappy for archive purposes only.]
25th February 2005: There's a lot of misinformation currently going around about the state of Thailand's traditional tourist destinations. There is confusion about the scale of the damage caused by the tsunami and how effective the clean up operations have been along the west coast of Thailand. There is a question mark hanging over the availability of accommodation and, indeed, the general safety of going there at all. A lot of people are going only to the east coast of Thailand, to Hua Hin and the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao - with the result that all three islands are absolutely packed with tourists and not especially pleasant as a result. Meanwhile, the amazing beaches and superior diving of the west coast is being ignored because there's a perception everywhere has been destroyed.
So, just to let you know - the west coast of Thailand is completely safe to visit. Phuket is almost 100 per cent back to normal. Koh Phi Phi is still recovering but is open for business and its beautiful neighbouring island Koh Lanta is fully open for tourists to visit again. Lanta is a glorious island and perfect for both lazing on the beach and going diving.
Further up the coast is Khao Lak, possibly the most heavily damaged town in Thailand. Reports about the extent of destruction at Khao Lak have been greatly exaggerated. If you saw the reports about it on CNN, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the entire town had been washed away. But having visited Khao Lak myself in the middle of February, that's definitely not the case. Yes, all the beachfront hotels have been completely destroyed, but the main road at Khao Lak is absolutely fine. It's completely safe for tourists to return and there are plenty of hotel rooms still available.
Khao Lak is the ideal place to go scuba diving at the Similan Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Thailand that's renown as one of the world's best dive destinations. I just got back from a four day liveaboard to the Similans with Similan Diving Safaris, who are based in Khao Lak and run by my friend Joe Hue. (Tell him I sent you - I owe him money). Their site is at www.phuket-diving-safaris.com. It's the third time I've been to the Similans with them, so you can guess I like diving with them - good staff, good food, good equipment, good boat. I was writing an article about the Similans for Asian Diver magazine, which you can read here.
Most of the dive sites have survived the tsunami without any significant damage - my personal favourites, Breakfast Bend, Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock are untouched and teeming with life. Best of all, we saw 3 different manta rays whilst we were out there! One whilst diving at Koh Bon, and two more feeding near the surface as we cruised the ocean between sites, which we managed to snorkel with for a bit. Overall, the Similans are still as amazing as before the tsunami, even though some sites have been knocked out - there's still plenty of others to be explored and enjoyed. We didn't go there, but some say the sheer devastation to the dive site Deep Six has made it an attraction in itself.
Similan Dive Safaris and Sea Dragon are the only two dive shops open in Khao Lak at the moment, I think - but there are more and more restaurants opening back up and there are over 1000 hotel rooms still available around the main road itself and in the resorts set up on the cliff overlooking the sea which escaped major damage. (See the accommodation list on the Sea Dragon site for full details). There are big discounts available at the moment. We stayed at the posh Khao Lak Sunset Resort which charged 1000B a night, whereas normally it would be at least double that. There is cheaper accomm available, eg. Happy Lagoon Bungalows which is about 600B a night. The guys at the dive shops will be able to help you out with all that. You won't need to book in advance. You will be really helping out if you go and visit Khao Lak. It can seem a bit eerie but the Thais are so pleased to see people come back - if no tourists return, they can't get on with rebuilding their own lives and businesses.
That said, if you want a completely beach-based holiday, Khao Lak isn't probably the best place right now. Stick to Phuket or Lanta or Krabi. If you want to go diving, it's still the closest and easiest way to get out to the Similans. There's also the Khao Sok park if you want jungle trekking etc, which is also one of the best national parks in Thailand. It's not really my thing so I can only report what the other guys on the boat were saying - one mad Aussie had spent six weeks in there!
So, if you're coming to Thailand soon, don't be scared off visiting the west coast - avoid the crowds on the east coast, enjoy the superior seas and beaches of the Phuket, Krabi and Lanta and take the chance to scuba dive the Similan Islands while there's less divers out on the dive sites.
Other Travelhappy stories of interest:
- New Flights From Phuket to Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta and Krabi
- Perhentian Islands, Malaysia: A Quick Guide
- Thailand Weather: When’s The Best Time Of Year To Go To Thailand?
- Bali Dive Safari: Sport Diver
- Divehappy Roundup
