The Andaman Coast is Thailand's other sea, facing the Indian Ocean along the western side of the southern peninsula — generally clearer water, more dramatic scenery, and a longer high season than the Gulf side, at the cost of a rougher monsoon from May to October.
Phuket is the region's hub and Thailand's largest island, an international airport surrounded by a string of beach towns of very different characters — brash Patong, calmer Karon and Kata, upmarket Surin, and the Sino-Portuguese streets of Phuket City itself. Phang Nga Bay, between Phuket and Krabi, is the limestone-karst seascape of James Bond Island fame.
Krabi has the same dramatic karst scenery on the mainland side, centred on the resort strip of Ao Nang and the boat-only cliffs of Railay. Offshore, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta are the best-known islands, while Khao Lak further north is the main departure point for diving the Similan Islands.
The far south is quieter and less developed: Trang and its offshore islands, Koh Phayam and Ranong near the Myanmar border, and Tarutao National Park and Satun close to Malaysia — some of the least-crowded island scenery left on this coast.
