Most European
nationals need a passport which is valid at least 6 more
months, a return air ticket and sufficient financial
means. If the length of your stay should exceed 30 days,
you will need a visa which you must obtain before the
beginning of the journey. Children need a passport of
their own or must be registered in the passport of their
parents.
You find detailed and current information, as well as
all important addresses at the:
If you are
planning to stay more than 30 days in Thailand without
visa, there is an interesting alternative available: You
can participate -without problems- in a so-called
"Visarun" to Myanmar (Burma). This is an organized day
tour by mini-bus to Ranong. It then continues to
Kawthong in Myanmar with a Longtail boat via the
Pakchang River . On the following re-entry into Thailand
you get another 30 days stay.
There is a
hot, dry climate with occasional thunderstorms and
short, intense tropical thunderstorms from February until
May.
June to October it's quite sultry with partly
longer periods of rain as at the mountain range behind Khao
Lak the clouds often get stuck at this time of year. Durin this season the southwest monsoon brings
steady, firm winds with moderate to rough seas, which is the main
reason why diving during this time of year can be
impossible some days.
The most pleasant time of
year with an average temperature between 25 -30 degrees,
is usually from November until January.
The best time for diving the Andaman Sea is considered
from November until April, with January, February and
March being the months with the best visibility and the
calmest sea. October and May are ok, however these
months are still depending to weather conditions.
Khao Lak is
located approx. 60 km north of Phuket along the National
highway #4 at the west coast of Thailand. Phuket
International Airport has excellent connections with
daily direct flights from/to Bangkok, Chiang May,
Hattyai, Koh Samui, and many other domestic destinations.
Phuket Airport is
well connected with most important
capitals of the region like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong
Kong and many others. During high season a wide range of charter
airlines also offer direct flights from Europe and Asia.
Airport transfers to/from Khao Lak are uncomplicated:
cabs, mini-busses or the airport sedan service are
available.
Thailand has an excellent road network with an efficient
bus-system connecting almost every town. Air-conditioned
busses are cheap, comfortable and fast. If you are
travelling from the north, the bus-ride to Khao Lak
generally goes via Takuapa; and via Phuket- if you are
coming from the south. There are daily direct
connections from Bangkok, Chumpon (Koh Tao), Koh Samui/Surathani via Khao Sok/Takuapa, or from Hattyai, Koh Lanta and
Krabi via Phuket.
Khao Lak and the west coast aren't connected to the
railroad network. However, if you are travelling from
Bangkok or Malaysia/Hattyai you can alternativly take
a train to Surathani and continue with an
air-conditioned bus to Khao Lak.
Accommodation in Khao Lak?
After the great 'Indian Ocean
Tsunami' in December 2004, financial plans have been worked out and the
reconstruction of the resorts has been enforced as of summer 2005.
Already a year after the events, Khao Lak
was ready to welcome and acccomodate guests, at the end of the season 2005/2006
there were more than 40 Resorts and 'Guesthouses' and a few more simple rooms in
the center availlable.
Many stetches of the central located Nang Thong
Beach and partly at Bang Niang Beach were alreday finished for the season 2006/2007
and could be recommended without hesitation.
The supply and offer of accommodation in Khao Lak is now completely back to
normal. Along the beaches you will find resorts in all categories and for all
budgets. A few small, simple and clean resorts with room/bungalow rates from 1.500,-
to 2.000,- Baht, depending on the facilities.
Most resorts however are in the
more upper market with rom/bungalow rates starting from 2.500,- Baht upwards,
depending on facilities and the location on the beach.
Currencies and credit cards in Khao Lak?
National
currency is the Thai Baht (THB). Traveler's checks and
cash in Euro, U.S. Dollar or other currencies can be
exchanged without problems. Several banks operate branches in Khao Lak, amongst others the Bank of
Ayutthaya and Siam Commercial Bank.
Most other banks provide exchange
facilities some of
them with extended opening hours until well after
20:00, depending on the season. You can find cash
dispensers (ATM) everywhere, from the port in Tab Lamu
up to the 7-Eleven in Khuk-Khak. All ATM
accept Visa/Mastercard, some of them will also
accept the Maestro EC-card.
If you are planning to solely use your credit card(s),
please pay attention to the daily-, weekly- and monthly
limits of your card to avoid unpleasant surprises. It is
recommended to at least have a back-up credit card
handy.
Current exchange rate:
Transportantion in/around Khao Lak?
Khao Lak is
rather wide spread and stretches more than 15 km
along the coast. Song Teo's and motorbike taxis are available as local means of transportation.
Song Teo's are usually modified pick-up trucks with
a roof over 2 benches on the loading area. They often drive a
fixed route and you can "hop on" or "hop off"
along the road. Song Teo's can also be hired as private 'Taxi'.
Many larger resorts and hotels offer a shuttle/taxi service
to/from the centre of Khao Lak.
Cars, jeeps, motorbikes, mopeds or bicycles can be
rented to explore the surroundings of Khao Lak. Keep in
mind that here is driving on the left in Thailand and
that traffic can be quite chaotic. Of all things, it is
certainly not recommended to have your first driving
attempts on a moped in Thailand...
Medical facilities in Khao Lak?
Khao Lak has
numerous small pharmacies and doctors with ambulatory
practices. They cover the basic medical needs of the local population and therefore most
medical needs of our guests.
The closest, better equipped hospital facilities are
located approx. 30 km north in Takuapa or 30 km south in
Thai Muang. Hospitals and clinics with international standard are located in
Phuket, 1
hour from Khao Lak. There are 3
recompression chambers in Phuket.
We recommend a comprehensive travel insurance covering diving accidents and
repatriation.
Internet, Telephone & Fax services in Khao Lak?
Khao Lak has
numerous small Internet cafés, all of them provide ASDL- highspeed internet access
and connection for your own laptop.
Many of these Internet cafés are attached to other
small businesses like bistros, pubs, souvenir-shops
or booking-agencies. Some of them provide Skype, many offer telephone and fax
services.
Own mobile phones, when opened for roaming, do work in
Thailand. Check details and roaming rates with your mobile provider. There is
the possibility to
purchase a Thai SIM-card with your
own number and pre-paid units.
Transfer times to the harbour of Tap
Lamu?
Shore diving in Khao
Lak is not possible, in general dive trips
are conducted by boat. Departure point for all dive excursions is the harbour in
Tab Lamu, approx. 12 km south of the SUB AQUA DiveCenter™. Tab Lamu is located in a protected river
inlet
and is homeport for a large fishing fleet and
serves as a naval base for the Royal Thai Navy.
Depending on the location of your resort, the
transfer from the northern beaches like Bangsak, Pakweeb
or Pakarang to the harbour will take approx. 35 min.;
approx. 25 min. from Khuk-Khak Beach; approx. 20 min.
from Bang Niang Beach, approx. 15 min. from Nang Thong
Beach and approx. 10 min. from Khao Lak Beach. We pick-up from all resorts
in Khao Lak.
How long takes the boat ride to the Similan Islands?
The boat ride
from Tab Lamu at the mainland to the Similan Islands
takes on M/V Nam Sai almost 3 hours, depending on the
selected dive sites.
It's about 2,5 hours to Koh Bon and 3,5 hours to Kho
Tachai.
