Koh Panyee, Phang-Nga

A village in Phang Nga Bay

Koh Panyee is not an island in the true sense of the word. To be more precise, we can say that it is a Muslim village, on stilts leaning against a huge rock and which can only be accessed by boat.

In the photo on the right, you can clearly see and understand the layout of this very special little village.

In Koh Panyee, you don't go there to swim or to bask in the sun, but to visit the people who live there all year round, with their tourist restaurants, their mosque, their school, and their many shops.

Walking through the alleys (once made of wood, nowadays more and more of concrete), one can discover the life of the village with its traditional side. 

Infants sleeping peacefully, children at school, "old people" having their nap, women cleaning and preparing fish for the evening meal...

The village of "Koh Panyee" is located in the northern part of Phang Nga Bay and to get there, there is only one solution: the boat.

You can take a boat from Phuket (Chalong, Bang Rong Pier, Ao Po etc...) or do as we did: by car, leave Phuket, cross the Sarasin bridge and drive a few kilometres to reach small local organizations, often family owned.

This is what we did for the trip I am presenting here...

  A very pleasant road


Once we cross the Sarasin bridge, we are back in nature with different panoramas from one place to another.

No more crazy traffic in Phuket in this high season, and we just have to enjoy the beautiful views.

On arrival in Phang Nga Town, we turn right, eastwards, towards Krabi... but our meeting point is already not far away.

The Route

The hardest part of this "expedition" is crossing Phuket from south to north... once you cross the Sarasin Bridge, there are only 25km to go.
We decided to go to the Kalai area... and more precisely to Koh Klang Pier.

A few longtail boats are waiting for you and are always ready to take you wherever you want in this beautiful bay of Phang Nga.

Of course, on arrival, several tours are offered: you can choose different packages: Koh Panye + James Bond Island + some wineries etc...

This time we were determined to visit only Koh Panyee...
We left Koh Klang Pier at 9:30 and arrived at Koh Panyee 40 minutes later. Our goal was to spend as little time as possible on the boat, hence the location we chose for our departure... as we had planned to visit other places in the area...

Having left the main road, you find many signs to reach the place where the longtail boats are waiting for you. You can't miss it...

Koh Klang Pier

Having left the main road, you find many signs to reach the place where the longtail boats are waiting for you. You can't miss it...
For a few hundred meters, we walk along the mangroves...
I often asked myself the question: do we find snakes in this area... question asked to our guides who are used to and know these places very well: yes, there are quite a lot of snakes and in particular cobras... I would like to point out that the cobra can swim and moves easily in the water with its head in the air... like a submarine which would have raised its periscope...
After a few minutes we find ourselves in the bay of Phang Nga and the landscapes, which I will never tire of, are as splendid as ever...
Our crew is very welcoming, everything is going wonderfully well.
As always, we can see boats stopped in the middle of the bay... fishermen trying to fill their basket.
How can you not appreciate such a panorama...
Vegetation in the open sea has always intrigued and surprised me...
Our crew takes us close to a huge limestone cliff under which we can see... and take a not very high but nevertheless impressive passage.
After this short break, we take the road back to Koh Panyee...
Koh Panyee Phang-Nga
Koh Panyee...a short distance away, which we will reach in a few minutes...

 Welcome to Koh Panyee

I had been to this islet many times and had never seen the famous little floating football pitch... so it was just out of curiosity one of my priorities. It seems that our crew had read my mind and instead of taking us to the touristy side, it was dropping us directly on the football pitch...
A playground, a sports area... with such a panorama in the background... what happiness!
This photo speaks for itself...

 The School in Koh Panyee

Leaving the small football field, we find ourselves in the area of the local school... the children are there under the supervision of the teachers... at our sight some smiles are exchanged, including with the teacher. Our visit does not disturb them at all.
Koh Panyee Phang-Nga
There are other sports grounds such as this volleyball court in the school itself... but if you don't want to play, you'll have to play football... Thai people, from childhood to adulthood, are passionate about football...

 The Village, the shops...

We leave the school and the sports fields behind us, to take a little tour of the village, to discover or rediscover the sometimes endless alleys...
Koh Panyee Phang-Nga


The village of Koh Panyee is a Muslim fishing village built entirely on stilts, in the sea, but against a small island and dominated by a huge rock where, among other things, the mosque is located.

There are about 400 to 500 houses built, with a population of about 2000 people (?), very close together, and the alleys, which used to be made of wooden slats, have been redone in concrete allowing the people of the village to circulate (on foot) but also the numerous tourists to visit all the corners of the village.

A short break for a green tea on the rocks...
If they are super-fans of football, they are especially so for the Liverpool team and its playmaker Mohamed Salah...
That's the passion!
Discovered this little craft shop in an alley... charming, welcoming, smiling people.
He... spends his time creating fishes, flowers and other glass objects... the torch works non-stop and his creations are quite impressive.
I couldn't resist taking a picture of this pretty woman sitting quietly with her bowl and some cakes as a meal...
Koh Panyee Phang-Nga
This photo dates back a few years, but I like to keep it: the fact that this old man accepted easily to be photographed is already a beautiful reason, and moreover with his so natural, so restful look... I like to keep this portrait which I adore and which finally reflects the spirit of this village...
By arriving early at Koh Panyee, we avoided the innumerable groups of tourists... our walk was all the more pleasant and relaxing...


A quick hello to my friends Christine and Olivier who were my fellow travellers today.

After this little trip to Koh Panyee, we reach Samet Nangshe Boutique located a few minutes from the Koh Klang pier... which I invite you to discover by clicking on the following link:

Samet Nangshe View Point & Boutique

 Places visited South Region...