The very south of the island of Phuket, which is about 50 km from the airport, is primarily notable for the fact that there are incomparably fewer tourists here than in the Patong or Karon areas, respectively, and the beaches are calmer, cleaner and more beautiful. In addition, there is a famous observation deck here - Phromthep Cape or, as this place is also called, Sunset Viewpoint - a platform for watching the sunset. But first things first.
Naiharn Beach
Nai Harn is rightfully one of the most beautiful beaches on the island of Phuket. This beach on the shores of the Andaman Sea, less than a kilometer long, with soft light yellow sand and clear turquoise water - a real paradise.
Not so long ago, Nai Harn Beach was considered a non-tourist place, but recently it has become increasingly popular, especially among those who come to Phuket for a relaxing holiday, avoiding the craziness of the most popular area - Patong. There are few hotels and cars, no noisy discos or large shopping centers, but there are hills, a lake with catamarans, picturesque sunsets and a Buddhist temple.
On Nai Harn Beach you can rent sun loungers and umbrellas for 100 baht for the whole day.
Tourists are offered Thai massage right on the beach. Near the beach there are several cafes and restaurants serving Thai cuisine.
Having rented a motorbike or agreed with a tuk-tuk driver, from here we will go to another place in the south of the island, also worthy of attention.
Rawai Beach
In fact, Rawai Beach is not a beach, because... There are no usual sun loungers and sun umbrellas here. Rawai is more of a long promenade where you can sit in a cafe or restaurant. There are always a lot of fishing boats near the shore, and at high tide the beach is only a few meters wide. Probably for these reasons no one swims here.
However, the sea here is calm, the water is deep turquoise, and in the middle there is a beautiful pier from which you can go on vacation to the nearby islands if you want a classic beach holiday. In addition, Nai Harn beach, mentioned above, is only 10 minutes away.
Despite the lack of a beach in the classical sense, Rawai is popular among tourists who come to Phuket to stay for a long time, because... offers a large selection of accommodation. And here is the famous fish market (Fish and seafood market Rawai) - one of the attractions of Phuket.
We go to the left of the pier, passing trays with shells, pearls and other souvenirs, and we see the same market.
By the way, the sea gypsies of Chao Le, who live in a nearby village, trade and fish here. Sea gypsies are descendants of either refugees from Burma or Indians. No one knows for sure due to their lack of written language. So one can only guess about their origin. But you don’t have to guess about the origin of the seafood on the shelves - it’s obvious that everything is very fresh, just caught, and most of the marine life is still alive.
In general, the choice at the Phuket fish market is such that your eyes widen and your mouth waters.
Everything you just bought can be eaten right away. Here, in one of the restaurants opposite, for 100 baht (per 1 kg), the seafood you just bought will be prepared the way your heart desires.
The market is open every day, from lunch until late evening.
Have you had a snack? It's already evening, so we're heading to Cape Promthep - an observation deck with a lighthouse, located on the southernmost point of Phuket Island.
Phromthep Cape
Excursions around the island of Phuket invariably end here - at the Sunset Viewpoint - an observation deck for watching the sunset. Many tourists come to the southernmost point of the island every day, and the Thais themselves love to come to Promthep Cape to once again admire the most beautiful sunset in Phuket. The sunsets and views here are such that you simply cannot get bored. But what can I say, see for yourself.
From Promthep Cape you can see a picturesque view of the Andaman Sea with nearby islands, as well as the southern part of the island and Nai Harn Beach, above which the Big Buddha Phuket sits majestically somewhere in the distance.
Translated from Thai, Cape “Promthep” literally means Cape of “God Brahma”. It is therefore not surprising that the site has a specially designated place for worshiping the gods, surrounded by small and large figures of elephants, symbolizing wisdom. Wooden elephants look enthusiastically at their domain. They obviously like the look, but we like it too!
Man Nai Island (Koh Man Nai) is one of the small uninhabited islands that surround Koh Chang. The word “uninhabited” island excites and attracts curious travelers. It contains a secret and the promise of an exciting adventure. Especially for a Russian person who knows about the islands mainly from adventure books.
This is probably why on the uninhabited islands where Galya and I visited, one could meet happy compatriots or traces of their creative activity)
And who has been here?
Many uninhabited islands are quite inhabited. Tanned tourists wander along their beaches - lovers of quiet bays and cozy small beaches. Many are wearing diving masks and life jackets. Some islands can be reached by excursion ship (ask for a “big boat”), others can be reached independently. We tried both methods: with an excursion that included snorkeling, and on our own, renting a kayak.
Let's navigate the map of Koh Chang beaches
The most famous islands of Koh Chang are Koh Wai Island and Koh Man Nai Island.
Vai Island can be reached in two and a half hours by big boat from Laem Ngob Pier. Departure daily at 15:00. Ticket price 220 baht.
Man Nai Island can be reached by kayak from nearby beaches. The easiest way is from the beach.
Here are a couple of tourists leaving the island
Kayaks on Koh Chang
There are many places on Koh Chang where you can rent a kayak. There are rental points on different beaches. We took it on the beach (Chai Chat) and on the Kai Bay beach (Kai Bae). If you can see an island from the shore, then somewhere nearby on the shore there will be kayak rentals.
We took a kayak for the first time. We had never dealt with such boats before, but after waving our oars along the beach for about 15 minutes, we felt quite confident and set off along the Koh Chang beach strip.
We went out on large beaches and “parked” in very small coves. The sensations are very different. I especially remember the place - completely deserted, surrounded by algae, in which the life of the black inhabitants was in full swing. And shells, and fish, and crustaceans, and small mollusks, densely settled on the stones - all black. Mirror water, and no waves. We folded our oars and could not tear ourselves away from the contemplation of this strange world.
By this time, the memory cards of our cameras were loaded to capacity, and the batteries were dead. At first we were upset that we wouldn’t be able to show you this beauty, but then we realized that this is happiness when nothing distracts us from the miracle happening to us. When we don’t think about how to point the camera more interestingly, which fish is more effective to photograph, but rather enjoy the moment.
On our last day, we once again took a kayak and met the sunset on the open sea, turning our backs to the island. It was indescribable. We recommend!
But let's return to the uninhabited islands.
Koh Man Nai Island
The word "island" in Thai is "Koh". Therefore, when we say “Koh Chang island” or “Koh Man Nai island”, we repeat “island-island” twice. In tourist brochures you can find different spellings of the islands: Koh Chang Island (Koh Chang Island), Koh Man Nai Island (Koh Man Nai Island) or simply “Chang Island”, “Man Nai Island”. Don't be alarmed - it's all the same.
As soon as we felt confident on the water, we immediately moved towards the islands. Some turned out to be quite far out to sea and we did not dare cross such a large expanse of water, especially since the islands are cliffs on which there is nothing special except a mysterious name.
Girl with a paddle
But we recommend visiting Man Nai Island. On one side of the island there is a sandy beach with good sand. There are dead corals on the shore and in the water. Palm trees and bush branches hang over the beach strip, so you can always hide in the shade. Tourists like to hang threads with corals on the branches of bushes, and build stone pyramids on the shore. It all looks very cute and exotic)
The other side of the island is a rocky coast, and the sea has a fairly strong current. There is nowhere to moor here, and it is also impossible to get out.
The island itself is covered with lush vegetation. Tall dense grass, shrubs, palms, deciduous trees. We didn’t find out what kind of living creatures were hiding in the grass and we don’t advise you to. And the beach here is really quiet and pleasant.
Man Nai Island turned out to be not uninhabited at all - couples in kayaks land there every now and then, while others go out to sea. But there are no hotels, houses or cafes on the island. People don't live here.
Kai Bay beach and MPN Nai island beach view from the sea
In the evening, from Kai Bay Beach you can watch the sun disappear behind the island. There is a pleasant establishment on the shore where people gather.
You can eat delicious food here. There are fresh seafood cooked on fire, European and Thai cuisine, cocktails, drinks, alcoholic drinks. All this is on small verandas located at different levels. Tasty, beautiful, calm. We recommend)
Sincerely,
And my adventures began on Nai Island after a difficult journey once again brought me to this most beautiful piece of land in the Indonesian wilderness. Exactly a year has passed since our first joint visit to Nai Island. This time I went to these hot equatorial regions alone. Fortunately, I already had established connections with the local residents, and most importantly, on the island there lived Max, a white man of Ekaterinburg origin like me, with whom we discovered this wonderful region...
It's no secret that my plans were to study the ability of sedentary, autonomous living on a tropical island. Since early childhood, seduced by the aesthetics and incredible attractiveness of a tropical paradise, I have been running through my head various thoughts about a settled, secluded, autonomous life and adventures on an island. Far from civilization, large cities, but surrounded by snow-white coral sand and turquoise salt water of the lagoon. A rich imagination built colorful, bright images in my head, idealizing some average tropical island as the equivalent of heaven on earth. I believe that most of you, dear readers, will agree with me and remember yourself behind these words.
As usually happens in our lives, such ideal images, as a rule, turn out to be erroneous in practice. Those. in real life, events, situations and everything else turn out to be completely different from what our rich romantic imagination depicted. That's right, this is what usually happens in our lives... but not in this case, not in the case of a tropical island, i.e. I want to say that the difference between our ideal average island and the real island can be quite minimal if certain conditions are met, a sober approach and patience. Of course, you won’t find an island like the one depicted in the film “The Blue Lagoon” and the plot of the film bears little resemblance to real life, but this fact itself does not mean that it is somehow bad.
Of course, there is no heaven there and there cannot be, since heaven is heaven only if it is not on earth, and all attempts to find it or organize it have led people to a dead end. Everything always has its pros and cons, and these are not just small nuances, but really serious things. When changing your living space, the reality in which you find yourself, you will always have to sacrifice something in return for gaining something. And here everyone decides for himself what is more important to him. Having lost one, he gains another and vice versa. And I dare to say that despite all the romantic appeal of island life, there are still disadvantages, but such life is an order of magnitude better than the ordinary city life of the average person...
So, the adventures on the island began long before arriving on the island. To be honest, all this year I was not planning a trip back to Nye Island, to Max, Michael, Lawrence, and its other inhabitants. I was planning to go somewhere else. I was almost ready, at least mentally I was definitely ready, I chose an approximate date, and then one day Max wrote me a message that the other day he had the pleasure of communicating with one person, a relative of our friend Amro, who, by his social status, is some kind of Jakarta official. So, he offered Max help in obtaining a new Indonesian passport with the adoption of Indonesian citizenship. He proposed it himself, no one pulled his tongue, Max, of course, was very happy, since his illegal presence in Indonesia limited him in some ways, in particular, his freedom of movement for fear of being caught by the police. You, of course, have already read the details in our previous articles, starting with.
Max told me with joy. Then he communicated with this person again, and he still insisted on the possibility of obtaining an Indonesian passport. At first we had little faith in it, but then, after thinking about it, we believed it. Indonesia is considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world, knowing this, we could easily assume this fact.
This is where the turning point in my decision began. Now I’m also excited about this idea, that it’s so easy to get a passport and not have to worry about troubles, live peacefully on the island. Then I found out that in order to obtain Indonesian citizenship, I would have to lose my Russian one, since Indonesia only allows one citizenship. This thesis repulsed me, and suddenly I realized that if this official can issue a passport, then he will probably be able to issue some other documents, for example, a residence permit... I asked Max a question so that he would ask Amro, Is it possible for me to issue this document? Max then texted me back to say that he could.
And so, without thinking twice, knowing that Amro has a large family, and she, like the Sicilian mafia, spread her tentacles throughout the country, I decided that a bird in the hand is better than a pie in the sky. Here everything was already familiar to me than in some other country in Oceania. Contacts have been established and everything else. That with such an opportunity, going to who knows where is somehow very unwise and risky.
At Koltsovo airport, Yekaterinburg
To celebrate, I completely transformed myself into the Indonesian version, bought everything I needed and went. Flew on the route Ekaterinburg - Helsinki - Singapore - Jakarta. And then the local inconvenient airlines LionAir all the way. In total there were 5 flights. By the way, in Lyons there is never food, the distance between the seats is small and flying far is very tiring, but it’s budget-friendly. I flew for 2 days, there was a long transit wait only at Helsinki airport. By the way, visa-free transit through the Schengen zone is allowed for up to 24 hours through one Schengen airport. Now many European airlines offer various convenient flight options, even cheaper than the Arabs.
Helsinki Airport
Pattimura, Ambon Airport
Take off from Ambon on the way to Kay Kechil
Before Ambon, I had transit from Singapore in lions, i.e. I checked my luggage in Singapore and only received it in Ambon. Actually, the point is that when I received my luggage on Ambon, I was horrified when I opened my backpack. All my things were hanging out haphazardly, while I folded them carefully, with the hope that the backpack would be thrown. Then I missed some of my things and realized that I would no longer have them, they were simply no longer in the backpack. It was pointless to complain to the airport administration, since the luggage was flying in transit, and where is the evidence that it was opened on Ambon? But I am sure that it was opened at this airport, since things that were missing were typical for Ambon residents, but not for residents of large Jakarta. They stole a mask and snorkel, various fishing accessories, some clothes, and so on, a few small things. Not to say that the loss was great, but the fact itself, and a diving mask would be very useful to me in the future... The Jakarta dudes would simply have no need for these things, when like the provincial Ambonians, whose sea is already a few steps from the airport - just right! Well, that means so be it - you need to part with things easily, adventures on the island - that’s what adventures are for, so as not to be boring!
Nye Island seen from an airplane
And so I flew to the Cay Kecil Islands, to the airport in Langgur, where Amro and his brother Pierre met me. We got on mopeds and rushed to the village of Debut, where my friends live. The weather was very hot, and mine were wearing windbreakers, real scumbags!
Amro with his wife Santia
Arriving at Amro’s house, having retired a little from traveling so as not to go far, I asked Amro about the documents. More precisely, perhaps he was the first to ask me how long I wanted to stay here and why I came. I said that I would like to stay for a long time, but I don’t know how long exactly, maybe a year, maybe two. Then Amro said that neither he nor his entourage were against my presence there, they were all happy to see me, but then he asked how I wanted to ensure such a long stay, what plans I had and what trump cards I had up my sleeve. I replied that I would have to try to organize this for me through him. But he asked how to do this, and said that he did not know how, but was ready to help.
And here, dear reader, came the second turning point in my trip. The fact that Amro was ready to help me was understandable, but what’s interesting here is that he had no idea how to do this, chuckling friendly at such a bold plan. Those. I already thought that he had a plan ready, and that all I had to do was go with him to the authorities and, roughly speaking, sign it. And Max asked him this question a long time before my visit, Amro was aware, and they were all preparing for it. But that was not the case, in a conversation with him I realized that he had no idea at all about my plans. He knew that I wanted to come, I wanted to live here for a long time, as Max told him, but there was no sign of any residence permit here... So, Indonesian pathological laxity and sloppiness played a cruel joke on me.
The next day Max arrived from Nye Island to Debut. The three of us discussed this, then with Max in Russian among ourselves, and we realized that things were bad. Max also told me that about the possibility of obtaining a passport for him, the official himself refused shortly before my arrival, which seems to be no longer possible. First he promised, and then he took back his promises. It turns out that I came there just as a tourist and the most I can do is extend my visa. Actually, this is what we did in the following days. Max went to Nai, and Amro and I went to the immigration office for 5 days to try to extend my visa and extended it for a month. But I was not satisfied with such a short stay and I wanted to stay here longer. To which the officer said that it would be possible to extend the visa for another month. I was glad at least for this, but, looking ahead, I will say that the visa was never extended, they were simply mistaken, because of their frivolity they gave me hope.
And only from that moment did my adventures on the island begin, i.e. all of the above, in fact, could not have been read, since only at that moment, with a 2-month visa, I arrived on Nai Island on a motor boat with my friend Michael, with whom Max lived for a little over six months.
You can live at least a year in a luxurious (or not so luxurious) hotel on the island of Bali, but you won’t recognize the local life, the local people, because everything there is designed to steal money from you. But you can live just two months in a remote place, not spoiled by tourists, side by side with the locals, and experience this life. Therefore, if you are going to Bali or some other resort area, then you are going there for comfort, rest, relaxation, but you cannot get to know the country, the local people, what is on their minds and how they live, for this you need to do it yourself become a local resident, just like them, ordinary people...
Want to know how many islands are included? 17,804! Surprisingly, most of them still do not have a name - they are small and uninhabited. But the remaining territories of this amazing country have been studied for a long time and are very different from each other. Let's find out why they are interesting for tourists.
Largest islands of Indonesia
The largest, most populated and popular among travelers are:
In addition to those listed, Indonesia includes 32 archipelagos. The two largest of them are the Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands. Let's take a closer look at them.
Lesser Sunda Islands
This archipelago consists of many small and 6 large islands:
The Lesser Sundas, in turn, are divided into Eastern and Western (the island of Bali stands apart and is considered the Indonesian province of the same name). The first include Flores, Timor, Sumba, the second - Lombok and Sumbawa.
Moluccas Islands
Between New Guinea and Sulawesi, this archipelago is located, also known as the Spice Islands. This unusual name comes from the fact that nutmeg and other types of exotic plants from which spices are made have long been grown here. It is part of an archipelago of 1027 islands. The most notable among them:
Other popular islands in Indonesia
It takes about 30 minutes to get there from the east coast of Phuket, but ask anyone on the island if they have been there - they will look at you in bewilderment, if they haven’t.
But a pearl well hidden from prying eyes is more valuable, so when we learned about a day tour to this island, we jumped at the opportunity to get there.
Sunny morning at Phuket Royal Pier. In the Royal Phuket Marina office, colorful videos about day tours around Phang Nga Bay are playing on the big screen, and the sea breeze carries the smell of fresh coffee. The layouts contain souvenirs and candles, postcards and booklets. Our guide urges us - it’s time to set sail. We slowly pass luxury yachts, powerful speedboats and an antique wooden rice barge on our twin-engine boat.
Travel to Khai Island
The sea is a little rough. Our guide Cooper explains that it usually takes about 30 minutes to get there, but today the journey will take a little longer. We leave Sapan Bay into the sea and head southeast. In the north lies the beautiful island of Rang Yai, there is a pearl farm, we turn back and see the radio masts and hills of the city of Phuket.
The silhouette of Khai Nok Island has not yet appeared on the horizon; we rush past Khai Nai, a small neighboring island. Cooper says we'll stop there on the way back.
Khai Nok
We land on Khai Nok Island - a small triangular island the size of a football field. Rocky island with white sandy beach. At least 12 species of tropical fish live near the island and they are absolutely not afraid of people. It's just a pleasure to swim among them and take pictures.
They give us pieces of bread to feed us, and a rainbow explodes near each fallen piece. Some tourists swim further away, along a stretched rope to the coral reef, while others swim even further, to the southern coast of the island, enjoying the lush subtropical underwater life.
There are three types of people in this world: some put on a mask and fins, take a snorkel in their teeth and enjoy themselves among the fish and corals; others chew free sandwiches and wash them down with low-alcohol drinks; and still others, lounging on sun loungers under umbrellas, survey the exotic surroundings.
There are more cameras on the island than at the Oscars - and that's understandable. People take pictures of everything: the sea, mountains, beach, themselves against the backdrop of the sea, mountains, beach. You should definitely go into the sea with your camera and take pictures of the tropical fish in the clear water surrounding your feet.
It’s better to drag the sun loungers to the northern coast, 200 meters from the landing site - there is a pleasant, refreshing breeze blowing there.
The sea here is the purest blue, especially in the shade. Yachts are anchored nearby, and passengers of these yachts are resting on the coast in the shade.
On the island
Despite its small size, the island has a lot to offer. In the center of the island there is a restaurant and displays with goods: from handmade souvenirs to shawls and T-shirts.
There is a small shop here with diving supplies at very reasonable prices. In general, in the center of the island you can comfortably sit in the shade and enjoy the atmosphere of a southern market.
Way home
At 14:40 we were called to the boat and we went to Khai Nai Island to look at the corals. The corals here are gorgeous, reminiscent of outstretched fingers, and they are especially impressive under the midday sun.
Half an hour later we climbed onto the boat again and set sail towards the Phuket pier. The sea was calm, and we quickly returned home, filled with impressions and joy. The day was a success, as expected!
