Bucketlist Destination| Phuket Adventures Thailand

Phuket is a province in the Southern region of Thailand and considered a pearl of the Andaman sea. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand and home to some impressive beaches in the Indian ocean. During our recent trip to this gorgeous island, we were able to venture out on some planned Phuket Adventures.

Our Phuket Adventures consisted of venturing to all the popular tourist destinations on the island. We booked a guided tour that allowed us to experience all the various attractions in style. The first guided tour we booked consisted of visiting everything on land and the second was island hopping.

Related: Chiang Rai Adventures

Phuket Adventures – 13 Must Experience Places

In hopes of giving you inspiration, our Phuket Adventures will serve as an itinerary for things to do in the city within 3-days. Our 3-day adventures were spent delving into the beauty that is Phuket from accommodation to food.

Travelling in and around Phuket is easy, we hired taxis for almost all our trips and a speed boat for island hopping. If you’re flying into Phuket airport, we suggest grabbing a metered taxi to your accommodation. These are more cost-effective and less chance of anyone ripping you off.

When it comes to booking tours, always search around, haggle and look for the best deals. In this article, we share the 13 places we visited during our 3-day Phuket Adventures.

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Big Buddha

Phuket’s Big Buddha is a 45-meter tall cultural monument that sits atop on the peak of Mt. Nagakerd. The official name of this seated Maravija Buddha is Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Akenakiri. Construction of the Phuket Big Buddha started in 2004 and only 80% of was completed by 2017. Various works around the third biggest Buddha in Thailand continue but it’s still open daily to the public from 6 am to 7pm.

On a clear day, the views of the beaches {Karon Bay and Kata Noi Bay} from up on high is absolutely breathtaking. We recommend visiting early in the morning when there are fewer crowds to truly appreciate the statue.

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Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong is a 19th-century Buddhist temple, the largest, most visited and important of the 29 temples in Phuket. The locals and tourists alike visit this temple in their masses to pray and show their respect to the monks. Wat Chalong or Wat Temple is located approximately 10km south of Phuket town and has its share of tales and legends.

Like all temples, there is a certain decorum expected of visitors to the temples. Women should ensure their shoulders are covered and clothes are below the knees. No shoes are allowed to be worn inside the temple and everyone is expected to speak quietly and respectfully.

Tiger Kingdom

Though I did it, I would not recommend visiting the Tiger Kingdom. At first, I thought we would be seeing the tigers like in a zoo but this was later clarified. We would be entering the cages where these tigers are kept, fear leapt into my mouth. When I was the tigers I was still scared but later sadly realised they had been drugged to control them.

The tiger kingdom is advertised as a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with such a wild beast. But in reality, it’s drugged up tigers in a cage tortured to please tourists. I should have done more research but I was caught up in the moment thinking I was just seeing them like in a zoo.

Snorkelling at Maiton Island

Maiton Island is a private tropical island located off of the east coast of Phuket and home to some incredible and golden sandy beaches. The island is largely unspoilt and still holds on to its natural beauty surrounded by crystal-clear waters and vibrant coral reefs.

During our visit, we couldn’t stop at the island but rather spent an hour swimming and snorkelling near the island. Staring at the beach in the distance, we could appreciate the pristine coastline.

Sightseeing at Phi Phi Islands

Though technically speaking, the Phi Phi islands, most famous tourist destination in Thailand are in the Krabi province, they can be reached from Phuket too. The Phi Phi islands are located between Krabi and Phuket in the Andaman sea and can only be reached via boat.

The Phi Phi Islands are made up of Koh Phi Phi Don, Koh Phi Phi Leh and several small rocky islands. Koh Phi Phi Don is the only inhabited island and home to everything from hotels, shops, bars, restaurants to guesthouses. There are no cars on the islands and they can only be accessed by boat.

Phi Phi Don viewpoint

One of the most incredibly satisfying views whilst visiting the Phi Phi islands is hiking up 200 metres to the viewpoint. It offers unparallel views of the Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Marine National Park. The best time to hike up the trail is early morning or just before midday to avoid the afternoon sun.

Maya Bay {closed}

Those who’ve watched the movie ‘The Beach’ will be familiar with Maya Bay unfortunately due to its popularity it has now been closed. The clear waters and coral reefs made it one of the most popular islands for tourists and now has to be preserved. During our visit, we were allowed to see it from a distance but could not stop to enjoy the beach.

Pileh Lagoon

The Pileh lagoon is still part of the Phi Phi islands and is situated next to the Maya Bay and separated by a precipitous limestone cliff. The water inside this gorgeous lagoon is the most crystal clear sky-blue waters I have ever seen. It’s shallow so it’s easy to swim around and it is so relaxing, for some reason it never gets super busy.

Lohsama Bay

Like the Pileh Lagoon, Lok Sama Bay is separated from the May Bay by a limestone cliff. This part of the Phi Phi islands is famous for snookering and diving especially at night when the hundreds of crustaceans light up the bay.

Viking’s Cave and Monkey Beach

The Viking cave can only be accessed via boat and is located at the northwestern tip of the Phi Phi Leh island.

The Monkey beach is a fascinating beach filled with monkeys who at times can be very hostile. We saw a few and gave them bananas but some grabbed people in the second boat. It is a nice place to visit but with caution and care, there is loads of boat traffic wanting to feed the monkeys.

Khai Island

Khai Island is located a mere 30-minutes boat ride off of Phuket and a hidden gem that not everyone knows about. This island is where more tours end, where tourists can enjoy some swimming and relax on the beach.

Big Bee Farm, Cashew Farm and Gemstone Shopping

When we booked our tour of famous Phuket attractions, we did not know that visiting a bee farm, cashew factory and going gemstone stopping was on the cards too. It seems as though this is one of the ‘tourist traps’ on booking these private tours. Though you’re not forced to buy from any of these places, it is sprung upon you and it might make you feel obligated to purchase something.