PHANGNGA BAY
No one area epitomizes the splendor of the South’s landscape as succinctly as 400-sq km (155-sq mile) Phangnga Bay. Its scenic grandeur derives from towering limestone stacks rising sheer from calm, shallow waters up to 350 m (1,150 ft) high. Inside many of the 40-odd stacks are narrow tunnels and sea caves. Inland, too, this coastal area boasts majestic, scrub-clad pinnacles. Phangnga is, in fact, the most spectacular remnant of the once mighty Tenasserim Mountains, which still form a spine through Thailand to China.
- Phangnga province.
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TAT, Phuket Tel: (0-7621-2213) .
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from Phuket or Krabi to Phangnga town, then hire a long-tail; or join ferry tour from Phuket or Phangnga.
The limestone landscape at Phangnga Bay is known by geologists as drowned karstland. Karst is characterized by its internal drainage system, whereby water finds its way into the interior of the limestone through fissures, then erodes the rock from within. A riddle of tunnels is typical; chasms and vast sea chambers (hongs) are also common at Phangnga.
Isolated Stacks
There are a number of sheer, thin stacks in the bay. These columns of rock are splinters of limestone that have been heavily eroded by the sea.
Undercut Cliffs
The action of waves erodes the base of the stacks at a rate of about 1 m (3 ft) every 5,000 years.
Until recently boat tours of the bay took in the best-known sights, such as the fishing village built over water in the shadow of Ko Panyi, and “James Bond Island,” as well as a number of fascinating caves. Some of the eerie caverns contain prehistoric paintings and Buddhist shrines. Due to massive erosion however, tourist boats are currently banned from large areas of Phangnga Bay though viewing is still possible from a distance. The karst scenery continues inland to the east, where cliffs soar above hidden valleys with cascading rivers.
Tourist boat at James Bond Island, Phangnga Bay
In the film The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), James Bond (Roger Moore) comes to the Orient in search of the villain Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Bond is eventually taken to Scaramanga’s hideout, an island just off China. In fact, the island seen is Ko Khao Phing Kan in Phangnga Bay; the sheer rock nearby, containing the secret weapon, is Ko Tapu.
