Top 10 things to do in Phuket, from night dives to national parks
More insider guides for planning a trip to Phuket
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When it comes to natural attractions, Phuket has a fair bounty of things to do – pearly beaches, dramatic coastlines, monolithic limestone karsts, never mind the national parks teeming with marine life and rainforest habitat – but cultural diversions have always been a bit harder to find. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Peel yourself off the sunbed for a stroll around the mosaic-tiled streets of Phuket Old Town and light some incense at a colourful tiered temple (but don’t forget to cover up).
Central
Hang out with rescued elephants
Phuket Elephant Sanctuary is the first ethical elephant camp to open on the island, and one of only two in the south of Thailand (the other being Elephant Hills in Khao Sok National Park). This jungle hideaway offers a hopeful antidote to the island's many toxic animal attractions. There's no back-breaking rides here; instead, visitors may observe retired eles as they feed, swim and happily trumpet through the jungle – rules also applied to celeb visitors Britney Spears, Leonardo Di Caprio and Celine Dion. Highly recommended.
Insider tip: For more feel-good factor, team with a visit to the nearby Gibbon Rehabilitation Project.
Contact: 00 66 88 752 3853; phuketelephantsanctuary.org
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9.30am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm; Sun, 9.30am-1pm
Price: £££
South
Explore Phuket’s multicultural history
During the 19th century traders descended from across China, Europe and the Middle East to mine Phuket for tin, depositing a rich seam of architecture, customs and cuisine in its place. The best historical remnants can be found in the colourful Old Town capital. Stroll its narrow streets (Yaowarat, Thalang, Dubik, Ranong, Rasada and Krabi Roads are the best preserved) and find flashy Taoist temples, Portuguese mansions and Chinese shophouses spliced between Malay coffee shops, Halal restaurants and hip organic cafés.
Insider tip: The Old Town has some of the finest street food on the island, including stir-fried ice-cream. You'll find stalls in the streets and some of the cafés have stands inside.
Opening times: Daily, 24 hours
Price: £
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Hike to the Big Buddha
Roosting amid birdsong atop Nakkend Hills, the 148-ft tall, alabaster Great Buddha of Phuket smiles over Phuket's spectacular southern coastline and the bright-green Andaman Sea. The local keep-fit fanatics like to hike up from Karon beach but it's a vigorous five and a half mile ascent in baking heat (you can get a taxi if it's not for you). I find it far more enjoyable to hike downhill, ending with a cooling dip in the sea.
Insider tip:There are a number of elephants chained to trees outside of the main gates available for rides and photographs. Animal welfare groups consider these practices to be extremely cruel. Please avoid any interaction.
Address: Karon, Mueang
Opening times: Daily, 8am-8pm
Price: Free (donations suggested)
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Take mind-bending photos at an optical illusion museum
A perfect cover for a rainy day, the Trickeye Musuem is the ideal place to while away a few fun-filled hours. Creating optical illusions by playing with the perspective of famous paintings and blockbuster movie scenes, this mind-bending 3D gallery sprawls over two buildings and is packed with plenty of silly photo opportunities – riding a flying carpet, wrestling a giant crocodile, dangling over a waterfall like Indiana Jones.
Insider tip: It's cheaper to buy tickets online or through your hotel concierge than it is to buy them at the door.
Contact: 00 66 76 212 806; phukettrickeyemuseum.com
Opening times: Daily, 9am-9pm
Price: ££
Visit the most beautiful Thai temple on the island
Although not particularly well known for its temples, Phuket has 29 sparkly Buddhist complexes sprinkled across the island. The one to seek out is Wat Chalong, located in the south of the island, a few miles from Big Buddha, surrounded by jasmine-scented gardens and lotus ponds with three dozen golden Buddha statues sat inside its gilded walls. As with most Thai temples, knees and shoulders of both men and women need to be covered to enter.
Insider tip:Arrive early in the morning to witness monks receiving alms from devotees.
Address: Chalong, Mueang
Contact: 00 66 76 381 226; no web
Opening times: Daily, 7am-5pm
Price: Free (donations suggested)
Sample award-winning liquors at a distillery
Get in the island spirit of things with a boozy but educational visit to the award-winning Chalong Bay Rum Distillery. Fresh-faced French couple, Marine Lucchini and Thibault Spithakis, using sugarcane organically grown on the island and a magnificent 40-year old copper alambique, have created a herby all-natural liquor which has earned them a number of prestigious drinks awards. Group tours and cocktail workshops (recommended) can be arranged in advance.
Insider tip: Stop by the gift shop before you leave and pick up a souvenir bottle to take home.
Contact: 00 66 93 575 1119; chalongbayrum.com
Opening times: Daily, 11am-10pm. One-hour distillery tours run every day at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm tours and include a free cocktail. Two-hour cocktail workshops can be arranged on request and cost THB 1,200 (£25) and include four free cocktails of your own creation
Price: ££
Pick up a bargain or two at the night market
If you’re looking for a Bangkok-style shopfest, the boisterous Phuket Walking Street will fulfil all of your retail desires. You’ll probably need to take a taxi to reach it (on the outskirts of Phuket Town) but what you spend in fares, you’ll save twice over on cut-price clothes, bargain flip-flops, gadgets and souvenirs. Hungry? You’ll find dozens of street food stalls selling grilled seafood and spicy noodles – and deep-fried insects.
Insider tip:Haggle with lots of smiles and it's possible to get around 30 per cent off the starting price.
Address: Thalang Road, Thalang
Opening times: Sat-Sun, 4pm-9pm
Price: £
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East
Discover lost islands and coral reefs by boat
Sailing around the lurching limestone sea stacks, collapsed islands and coral reefs of Phang Nga Bay is one of Phuket's most bewitching experiences. But John Gray Sea Canoe's Hong by Starlight tour takes the magic to a whole new level, with a day-to-night boat and kayak tour that includes lunch, snorkelling and a night paddle inside an ink-black sea cave to watch bioluminescent waters dance and sparkle with every touch.
Insider tip: John Gray is one of Phuket's only boat operators with an environmental policy and has personally picked over 10,000 bags of rubbish out of the Andaman Sea.
Contact: 00 66 76 254 5056; johngray-seacanoe.com
Opening times: Daily, trip times vary
Price: £££
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West
Enjoy a brilliant bargain massage
There’s no shortage of great little massage parlours in Phuket but Thai Carnation is the one where in-the-know expats go. The décor isn’t particularly fancy but it’s spotlessly clean and each of the therapists is Wat Po trained and would almost certainly have been snapped up by five-star hotels had they spoken English more fluently. Book the 90-minute Thai massage if you want your back to pop like bubble wrap, try the herbal poultices to soothe muscles, or opt for an oil massage for relaxation.
Insider tip: Thai Carnation offers free pick-up and drop-off from nearby hotels.
Contact: 00 66 325 565; no web
Opening times: Daily, 11am-10.30pm
Price: £
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North
Enter the jungle
The three-hour drive Phuket to Khao Sok National Park takes you approximately 435 million years back in time. It's one of my favourite places to escape the island, a place where nature appears to have been super-sized – skyscraper-tall palm trees, leaves the size of duvets, lakes as big as cities – with no end of adventures – hikes to wild elephant hangouts, long-tail boat trips, swimming in waterfalls.
Insider tip: It’s a long way to go for the day so I'd suggest checking into one of the treehouses at Our Jungle House (00 66 81 417 0546; khaosokaccommodation.com).
Address: Khlong Sok, Phanom District, Surat Thani
Contact: 00 66 84 184 5805; khaosok.com
Opening times: Daily
Price: ££
