4 Best Sights in Phang Nga Bay National Marine Park, Phuket and the Andaman Coast

Wat Tham Suwan Khuha, also known as the The Buddha Cave, is an impressively large cavern filled with a broad and beautiful variety of Buddha statues. It's mostly known for its giant gold statue of a reclining Buddha, before which a stage is set so visitors can light incense and pray under his gaze. There are an abundance of gray monkeys around here, so if you want to interact, have some peanuts, bananas, or coconut handy but be warned they can be very grabby. There are several tourist stalls around selling snacks and other items such as jewelry and souvenirs.

Known familiarly as "James Bond island" because the 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed here, Koh Phing Kan has fallen victim to greedy tour operators and merchants and become overrun with tourists, though it's still stunningly beautiful. Visiting the island (with a stopover often not longer than half an hour) usually involves a day trip that combines this with several other stops and lunch.

The island of Koh Panyi has a Muslim fishing village with houses built on stilts. The whole village backs onto a looming limestone cliff, giving it some protection from nature. The village is an interesting study in marine sustainability, but it does have the feel of a tourist trap—quirky floating soccer pitch aside. Restaurants here are expensive, tripling their prices for tourists.

Tham Lot is a large, limestone cave with an an opening to the sea large enough for boats to pass through. It can be explored by canoe or an inflatable boat, to see the impressive stalactites and stalagmites, some as long as 100 meters. No guide required.