Several months back we went on a trip to Koh Tao and by far the highlight of it was kayaking in the crystal waters around the shoreline rocks and just stopping to drop off into the sea and explore the under water world! Well, I hoped there would be somewhere to do this on Phuket and after a little reading it turned out that a place called 'Agrotourism at Bang Rong Pier up on the north east of the island had just the thing. It's the same place where you can get a boat to islands like Koh Yao Yai and Noi.
On the way in you will probably see the resident Macaques. Watch out they can be cheeky little monkeys! :)
I had read that it was 150B/hour, but it turned out to be 200B/hour and also per person, not per kayak. They have hard plastic kayaks and inflatables. All in all about four of each.
The first set of photos here are from when I went alone. The tide was quite low, which initially I thought would mean an inferior experience to time when the tide was high, but in the end it made for more interesting sights.
The low tide also meant you could stop off on the sand bars.
It also made it tricky negotiating the best path to go on without becoming grounded.
A hermit crab I brought aboard. One of many different types of crabs I saw on the sandy deposits.
If you sat there silent and still enough they would go about their business. Then the moment you made a sound or the wind blew they would all simultaneously stop moving around. Interesting to watch indeed.
Mangrove roots that would normally be in the water of a high tide were now hanging above.
There were many small fish that would jump out of the water as you passed on by and also a number of fishing birds that would fly away and quite vocally alert every other living thing that you are approaching!
An old disused pier I explored for a little while...
Mangroves are a very interesting and rather alien environment!
The following set of photos is from the second time when I went with the miss', Chris, Ben and his girlfriend called Pim. This time we went on inflatable rafts instead of the solid plastic kayaks. They were more comfortable, but not as fast. But maybe that had something to do with my passenger! :D
Chris exploring...
Followed by Ben and Pim. His steering as 'good' as his motorbike riding 'skills'... 555+
May and I...
Going with the flow...
This cool looking spider managed to find its way onto my paddle, so I dropped it off on to a leaf of the mangrove tree.
Interesting sign on the door of a floating bungalow. Not quite sure what to make of it. 'Don't Cry'. Kinda scary really.. 555+
After going our separate ways, we meet again!
Back at the restaurant.
All in all a great experience. I recommend going when the tide is medium to low and probably in the morning or late afternoon when it isn't so hot. Don't forget the sun cream and a few plastic bags to keep stuff dry.
On the way back we stopped off at Bang Pae National Park for a well deserved swim in the waterfall. The first few pictures are at the pond at the entrance.
Floodgate cogs...
By the way, the restaurant in the background does some wonderful food. I forget the name, but it has nice views also. I highly recommend it!
A pretty poisonous looking spider. They are very common here. Not a web to walk into!
Ben and Pim in front of the falls...
Benefits of a waterproof camera!
The water was cool, but so so refreshing. Bang Pae waterfall in all its glory. This IS the biggest waterfall on Phuket. Quite small by Thailand standards, but great none the less. It's just a pity it isn't easier to jump from!
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