The Similan Islands ( th, หมู่เกาะสิมิลัน, , , Malay: ''Pulau Sembilan'') is an archipelago in the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated fro ...

off the

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

of, and part of, Phang Nga Province in southern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. It is the maritime border between

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and

. It was established as Mu Ko Similan National Park in 1982 after a one-year assessment by the forestry department.

Access and tourism

Access to the Similan Islands is easiest from Tab Lamu Port, just south of Khao Lak in Phang Nga Province. The park headquarters is in Tab Lamu, which is a small fishing village, just 13 km from Bang La On in Khao Lak. Boats depart daily from the middle of October to the middle of May. The trip takes about three hours each way on slower boats or 70 minutes via speedboat. During the diving season liveaboard boats head to the Similan Islands. These dive boats depart and return from Tab Lamu, Ko Lanta,

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands o ...

, and

Ranong Ranong ( th, ระนองPronunciation) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong District. The town covers completely the area of the '' tambon'' Khao Niwet (เขานิ� ...

and stay for several days at Similan National Marine Park. The Similan Islands Park is the most overcrowded Thai national park. Five to six thousand persons per day visit the islands during its open season from mid–October to mid–May. The DNP reports that since October 2017 the park has been visited by 883,438 persons. Sheer numbers have resulted in degradation and thus increased regulation. The park is closed in the rainy season, from 16 May-15 October, every year. The island of Ko Tachai has been closed to tourists indefinitely beginning 15 October 2016 to allow it to recover from effects of its heavy tourist burden. As of the park's re-opening on 15 October 2018, the number of visitors allowed to visit the islands was capped at 3,850 per day in order to slow environmental destruction. Prior to the visitor cap, the islands received about 7,000 visitors per day. In 2017, about 912,000 tourists visited. Tour operators have protested the new rules, saying jobs will be lost. All overnight accommodations on the islands have been demolished as part of the rehabilitation program.

Geography

The islands are at The park is an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

consisting of 11 islands, occupying an area of 87,500 rai ~ with a land area of about . For convenience, the Thai Department of National Parks (DNP) has assigned numbers to the islands. From north to south, they are: * Island 11: Ko Tachai * Island 10: Ko Bon, also known as Ko Talu * Island 9: Ko Ba-ngu, also known as Ko Bayu * Island 8: Ko Similan * Island 7: Ko Hin Pousar * Island 6: Ko Payu, also known as Ko Pa Yu * Island 5: Ko Ha * Island 4: Ko Miang, also known as Ko Meang. Park HQ is here. * Island 3: Ko Payan, also known as Ko Pa Yan * Island 2: Ko Payang, also known as Ko Pa Yang * Island 1: Ko Huyong, also known as Ko Hu Yong Crab similan islands

The Similans lie 70 kilometres off the coast of Phang Nga Province. "Similan" is a Yawi word meaning 'nine'. Ko Bon and Tachai were added to the national park in 1998. Ko Similan: Ko Similan is the largest island. The sea in the area has an average depth of 60 feet. Underwater it is full of rock formations and coral reefs in several shapes and forms, resembling such things as deer, leaves, brains, and mushrooms. Above the water are found many diverse species such as the Nicobar pigeon, mangrove monitor lizards, flying fox and more. Ko Huyong: Ko Huyong has the longest and widest beach in the park. However, the park prohibits any tourists from landing on the island as the beach is a place where turtles come to lay their eggs.

Wildlife protection

Islands 1, 2, and 3 are closed to the public due to a turtle hatching protection program and reef conservation efforts. Island number 3 belongs to a Thai princess. Fishing is banned in Similan and Surin National Parks. However, fishing boats are constantly seen in and around the park. When diving, one can often find nets stuck to reefs and

illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes p ...

traps. In recent years many illegal fishing traps have been found outside the most common dive sites. They have contained among others trevallies, batfish, barracuda, golden pilot jacks, and triggerfish. Fishing traps seem to be overly abundant around Ko Bon and Ko Tachai.

Important Bird Area

The archipelago has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because it supports a population of Vulnerable

pale-capped pigeon The pale-capped pigeon (''Columba punicea''), also known as the purple wood pigeon, is a species of large pigeon that is found patchily distributed in parts of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has a slow flight and spends a lot of t ...

References

External links