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Some 8 north of the Equator, and well below the latitudes of destructive
tropical storms, Phuket's balmy tropical climate is tempered by
cool northeasterly breezes from November to March, and by fresh
on-shore winds in summer months.
Time is + 7 hours ahead of GMT, 1 hour behind Hong Kong,
Singapore and Malaysia.
Detailed Maps
of the island and surrounding areas, are available Here.
Phuket is the natural base for exploring the Andaman Sea.
The Andaman Sea, separated from the Bay of Bengal by the Andaman-Nicobar
Ridge, is part of the Indian Ocean. Thailand's Andaman coast extends
for 870 km from the Surin Islands on the northern border with Burma
to Tarutao National Park on the southern border with Malaysia. Hundreds
of islands are accessible to small craft from Phuket, many of them
uninhabited, many of them forested and fringed with spectacular
coral reefs. You often won't find even a footprint on the beach.
Two distinctively different varieties of island are found in the
Andaman Sea, each of them scenically striking in its own way. Low-relief
granite intrusions, which include the Surin and Similan islands,
run in series roughly parallel to the more dramatic limestone islands.
Island groups such as Koh
Phi Phi have been shaped by a variety of forces from a massive
limestone platform that was deposited 350 million to 450 million
years ago.
Phuket Island itself is mainly granite, with low forested mountains
and a series of fine white-sand beaches, mostly on the west coast.
Much of the forest has been cleared, first for rubber plantations
and then for tourism development. The one remaining significant
stand of virgin rainforest is the Khao Phra Thaeo Park a protected
national park area where you can take short treks or visit the waterfall.
Phang Nga and Krabi provinces, mainland and islands alike,
have the same dramatic limestone ("karst") scenery of
the Phi Phi Islands. Many different tours leave daily for Phang
Nga, well worth a visit.
Khao Sok National Park, on the mainland just to the north
of Phuket, has large areas of tropical forest, which have an amazing
variety of plants and animals. Eco-tours
have started in the last few years, offering the opportunity to
experience the forest and get close to nature. Most operate in small
groups to minimise any impact on the environment.
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