Nw Phuket -can We Find Peace And Quiet?

[paulseb]

My wife and I will be in Thailand from mid- Jan and I've been researching locations where we won't be near full-on tourism.

Hat Mai Khao in NW Phuket looks promising- does anyone know this area? We're open to any ideas for places where we can experience something of Thailand's flora and fauna [as long as it doesn't bite or sting too much!] In the 60's I hitch-hiked through Asia,living rough, as far as Sri Lanka. I'm not so care-free these days and confess to being nervous of snakes, sharks, mosquitoes and other tropical denizens. Meanwhile I'm deeply attracted to visiting a tropical rainforest!

Any ideas for interesting non-'costa del sol' beach locations and not-too-intensive jungle hikes anywhere in Thailand would be much appreciated.

[sunreader]

Are you sure Thailand is the place for you?

You want peace and quite but are going at peak season to the number one tourist resort?

Also there is no tropical rainforest!

Maybe Peru or Brazil?

[retiredusn]

My wife and I will be in Thailand from mid- Jan and I've been researching locations where we won't be near full-on tourism.

Hat Mai Khao in NW Phuket looks promising- does anyone know this area? We're open to any ideas for places where we can experience something of Thailand's flora and fauna [as long as it doesn't bite or sting too much!] In the 60's I hitch-hiked through Asia,living rough, as far as Sri Lanka. I'm not so care-free these days and confess to being nervous of snakes, sharks, mosquitoes and other tropical denizens. Meanwhile I'm deeply attracted to visiting a tropical rainforest!

Any ideas for interesting non-'costa del sol' beach locations and not-too-intensive jungle hikes anywhere in Thailand would be much appreciated.

Take a look at CHAO LAO beach near Chanthaburi

[jackr]

Kata Noi beach is nice and quiet and on a no-thru road - although sadly is not free of umbrellas, jet-skis and parasailing. The beach is gorgeous and is backed by dense jungle rising up a hill. The Kata Thani hotel is right up against the beach and really nice with 3 or 4 pools, but must be booked through the internet. Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, in the north of Phuket, is probably your best bet for getting close with nature

Kata Noi

[LeungKen]

If you are flying into Phuket then the first place to check out is Nai Yang, the best family beach (and safest for swimming) on the north west of the island, the main hotel on the beach is expensive but there are lots of cheaper alternatives further back. Another location Nai Thon is perhaps worth investigating, both these beaches are fairly quiet this year. Mai Khow beach doesn't offer very much, but if that's your style then go and investigate it.

If you need a more detailed account of Nai Yang (I have lived here nearly 6 years) please feel free to PM me.

As an earlier poster has pointed out there aren't any jungles or forests in this part of Thailand and if you haven't been here for say 20 years you may be in for a shock.

Day trips from here are safe & easy from around here, so it is possible to elephant trekking, kayaking, fishing, diving, and a whole host of other activities.

[easy_jim]

I'll second the Nai Yang Beach recommendation. Lovely beach, quiet but a good range of accommodation and restaurants. You can walk from there to and along the full length of Mai Khao Beach which is a good 9km walk.

Mai Khao Beach is not as nice as Nai Yang and is very quiet. There really isn't a lot to do there.

If you want tropical rainforest you could do a trip to Khao Sok National Park in Phang Nga/Surat Thani. It is only an hour or so drive from Nai Yang.

[jonniebkk]

My wife and I will be in Thailand from mid- Jan and I've been researching locations where we won't be near full-on tourism.

Hat Mai Khao in NW Phuket looks promising- does anyone know this area? We're open to any ideas for places where we can experience something of Thailand's flora and fauna [as long as it doesn't bite or sting too much!] In the 60's I hitch-hiked through Asia,living rough, as far as Sri Lanka. I'm not so care-free these days and confess to being nervous of snakes, sharks, mosquitoes and other tropical denizens. Meanwhile I'm deeply attracted to visiting a tropical rainforest!

Any ideas for interesting non-'costa del sol' beach locations and not-too-intensive jungle hikes anywhere in Thailand would be much appreciated.

This is a joke right...peace and quiet are not allowed in Thailand. Probably 90% of Thailand's 1st growth tropical forest has been cut down and sold for furniture. Money gone into pockets of police and army generals who run the illegal logging rackets. There are lots of non-indigenous eucalyptus and rubber forests you could trek trough. Most native large mega-fauna has already been killed and eaten locally or shipped-off to China for the hot-pots there. Again, money into various pui yai bank accounts.

If you want real nature...maybe check-out Borneo (Malaysia) before that too is all cut down and the fauna finished-off

[paulseb]

My wife and I will be in Thailand from mid- Jan and I've been researching locations where we won't be near full-on tourism.

Hat Mai Khao in NW Phuket looks promising- does anyone know this area? We're open to any ideas for places where we can experience something of Thailand's flora and fauna [as long as it doesn't bite or sting too much!] In the 60's I hitch-hiked through Asia,living rough, as far as Sri Lanka. I'm not so care-free these days and confess to being nervous of snakes, sharks, mosquitoes and other tropical denizens. Meanwhile I'm deeply attracted to visiting a tropical rainforest!

Any ideas for interesting non-'costa del sol' beach locations and not-too-intensive jungle hikes anywhere in Thailand would be much appreciated.

This is a joke right...peace and quiet are not allowed in Thailand. Probably 90% of Thailand's 1st growth tropical forest has been cut down and sold for furniture. Money gone into pockets of police and army generals who run the illegal logging rackets. There are lots of non-indigenous eucalyptus and rubber forests you could trek trough. Most native large mega-fauna has already been killed and eaten locally or shipped-off to China for the hot-pots there. Again, money into various pui yai bank accounts.

If you want real nature...maybe check-out Borneo (Malaysia) before that too is all cut down and the fauna finished-off

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I got the impression from a guide-book that this NW part of Phuket was part of a nature reserve and not 'costa'-style. I'm also wondering how safe the far south andaman coast is near Pak Bara.

Official websites and travel publications advise against going to the south. Is this serious or a general 'everywhere is dangerous' warning?