Ao Phang Nga

Ao Phang Nga National Park was created in 1981 on the western coast of southern Thailand, in Phang Nga Bay, between Phuket and Krabi, and protects some 400 km², most of it marine.

Its landscape is a tower karst: dozens of limestone islets with vertical walls rising abruptly from the water, remains of an ancient massif dissolved by rain and then partly flooded by the rise in sea level after the last glaciation. Many are pierced by caves and by hongs, collapsed cavities that form inner lagoons reachable only by canoe and with the right tide, each with its own microclimate and vegetation. The islet of Ko Tapu became world-famous after appearing in a James Bond film in 1974, with the corresponding effect on visitor numbers.

Less well known but of greater ecological value is its mangrove: the bay holds one of the best-preserved expanses of mangrove forest in Thailand, which acts as a nursery for fish and crustaceans for the whole region and as a coastal barrier. The cliffs preserve prehistoric rock paintings and the islands are home to macaques, seabirds and a varied mangrove fauna. The pressure of mass boat tourism is the main management problem.