Asian islands and beaches

Mu Ko Similan National Park: Similan is a Yawi or Malay word, which means nine or a group of nine islands. This is located in Tambon Ko Phra Thong, Amphoe Khura Buri, occupying an area of 32,000 acres. It was declared a national park on 1st September 1982. Similan is a small group of islands comprising nine islands stretching from north to south, respectively, namely: Ko Bon, Ko Bayu, Ko Similan, Ko Payu, Ko Miang (two adjoining islands), Ko Payan, Ko Payang, and Ko Huyong. The National Parks office is located on Ko Miang. Similan is highly praised for its beautiful scenery, both onshore and...

Some time ago, say in the 1930s and 1940s, the very mention of "Borneo" conjured up the world of jungle, orangutans, and adventurers such as "Bring 'em Back Alive Frank Buck". And in many ways, the island still lives up to the billing of one of the "last best places" for adventure. Geographically, the northern part of the island includes the tiny (but very wealthy) kingdom of Brunei, sandwiched between two, much larger Malaysian states – Sabah and Sarawak – while an Indonesian province, Kalimantan, fills the map of central and southern Borneo. Most visitors these days head for the "eco-destinations"...

The Perhentian Islands are a small group of beautiful, coral-fringed islands off the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, not far from the Thai border. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Big Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Small Perhentian"). Kecil, the more popular of the two, has cheap accommodation and a bit of a backpacker party scene, while Besar is slightly more expensive and caters more to families. The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara, Seringgi and Rawa lie off Kecil. All the islands belong to a protected marine park, which means that fishing,...

Koh Tao - Overview A great getaway In the Gulf of Thailand, just a couple of hours north of Koh Samui, lies the island of Ko Tao. Once the haunt of sea-turtles, this small island with its quiet beaches has become a favourite destination both of paradise seekers and divers who come for the best coral diving in the area. "Discovered" by travellers in the 80's Ko Tao (literally translates as "Turtle Island.") has been gradually gaining popularity. In recent years word of Ko Tao's natural beauty, beaches, coral and marine life has spread with more and more visitors arriving each...

Easily visible from Ko Samui and about two-thirds its size, Ko Phangan has beautiful beaches and inexpensive, basic bungalows. It's the simple beach life which attracts many tourists each year, and the island's reputation for full moon parties and hedonistic culture. During the 90's Phangan became popular with backpackers, budget tourists and aging hippies seeking paradise complete with cheap accommodation, New Age therapies and good cheap food. The Full Moon party scene still exists but the original word-of-mouth happening with only a few hundred participants is now a well advertised...

Koh Samui, the beautiful island of the coconut trees, is the third largest Thai island. (Only Phuket and Koh Chang are bigger) The area is about 247 square km's and it is located 700 km south of Bangkok in the Surat Thani province. Well known beaches are Chaweng, Lamai, Bophut, Big Buddha, Choeng Mon, Hua Thanon and Maenam. Samui also has many sister islands; Koh Tao, (one of the top diving islands in Asia) Koh Phangan, Angthong National Marine Park, Koh Tan and beautiful Koh Nang Yuan. Short history Koh Samui has been settled for about 1500 years. The first arrivals here were fishermen....

Phuket, Thailand, is commonly referred to as the ‘Pearl of South’ and is the largest island in Thailand. Phuket Island runs 48 kilometers (34 miles) north to south and 21 kilometers (16 miles) east to west. Phuket is broken by a chain of mountains and valleys mainly from a north-south range running down the west coast. This accounts for about 70% of the land area. The tallest peak, Mai Tao Sip Song (12 Cane Peak) is 529 meters. The other 30% of the island is flat land located mainly in the central and eastern portions of the island. Laying in the Andaman Sea off southern Thailand’s west coast,...

The legendary backpackers' paradise of Ko Phi Phi is certainly not the Thai backwater it was a decade or so ago. But progress (translation: hotels, dive centers, and beachfront bars) hasn't obliterated its essential allure. Ko Phi Phi (pronounced ko-pee-pee) is actually two islands: Dramatically beautiful Phi Phi Don, with its long, soft-sand beaches and limestone cliffs rising from the sea, has grown into a resort offering both simple bungalows and larger hotels. Phi Phi Le, no less beautiful and only a short boat ride from its larger sister island, has no accommodations at all. What's...

Bali, a tropical island in the Indonesian archipelago, is so picturesque and immaculate it could almost be a painted backdrop. It has rice paddies tripping down hillsides like giant steps, volcanoes soaring up through the clouds, dense tropical jungle, long sandy beaches, warm blue water, crashing surf and friendly people who don't just have a culture but actually live it. In Bali spirits come out to play in the moonlight, every night is a festival and even a funeral is an opportunity to have a good time. Bali Island, the perfect holiday destination for all ages offers something for everyone....