Khao Lak Day Trip

Khao Lak is a national park of some 150 km² spread across the mainland districts of Phang Nga province. The tropical forest here has not merely survived the centuries but grown into itself: the park's real assets are its mountains and tiered waterfalls, its white sand beaches, the flat blue of the sea and the rocky coves along the shore.

The Khao Lak trip from Phuket takes in a good number of these, and it stays consistently popular. Here is how the day runs.

Half an hour after the Sarasin Bridge, which connects the island to the mainland, comes the first stop: the cave temple known as the Monkey Temple. It is a working temple, with a fifteen-metre reclining Buddha and several more Buddha figures in different postures. Dozens of long-tailed macaques live on the grounds, and you can feed them and photograph them at close range.

After that: a marine life rehabilitation centre, an elephant ride, and a float downriver on traditional Thai bamboo rafts. The current is slow and the jungle shades the water, which makes this the calmest hour of the day. By the time it is over you will have an appetite, and lunch is a choice of Thai dishes at a local restaurant.

The last stop is a waterfall, which settles any remaining doubt about how beautiful this park is.