Tourists vacationing in Thailand on the island of Phuket are invariably satisfied with their choice and enthusiastically speak about the amazing nature, friendly locals, wonderful beaches and unforgettable excursions.
Phuket is one of the largest islands in Thailand, which has been turned into a respectable seaside resort.
It is famous for its beaches with beautiful white sand and the warm Andaman Sea. In addition to beach holidays, the island will delight vacationers with excursions to national parks, orchid and butterfly gardens, pearl and snake farms — this is not a complete list of entertainment for vacationers.
Siri-Nat Marine Park
A fairly small Kingdom of Thailand takes great care of its natural resources, and, in total, has 31 national parks. One of them is the National Park on the territory of Nai Yang Beach. By royal decree, the territory was officially declared a national park in 1981.
And in 1992, in honor of the 60th anniversary of Queen Sirikit, the park was named Siri-Nat.
The entire territory of the park is 90 sq. km, on land there are only 22 sq. km, the rest is water space.
Marine part
The national park owes much of its existence to the amazing coral reefs growing in the bay. Corals are located at a depth of 4 to 7 meters near the shore. Thanks to the timely adoption of the law, the coral reefs of Phuket island are perfectly preserved, and the marine life of the park pleases with its diversity.
Coastal part of the park (forests)
With such a small size, the coastal part of the park is divided into two parts according to the type of forests growing on it.
Coastal forests
A distinctive feature of these forests is a small number of species and a low density of growing trees. They provide enough shade and are well ventilated - ideal conditions for holding all kinds of picnics.
Mangrove forests
A vacation in Phuket will allow you to see mangroves during high tide or low tide with your own eyes. Evergreen mangrove forests can grow only in the presence of fresh and sea water at the same time. Therefore, their range is the mouths of freshwater streams and rivers flowing into the sea.
The mangrove forest of Siri-Nath National Park occupies only 1 sq. km. — this is not much, but these are natural forests, part of the untouched nature of the island.
Representing amazing thickets, mangrove forests provide food and protection to many species of birds - from the pink tern to the Brahmin kite. The thickets are full of lizards, snakes, sea turtles, crabs, various shrimps. Fish of all kinds, including the famous mud jumpers, feel at ease between the roots.
Mangrove forests are of great ecological importance - after all, they serve as the best protection against erosion of silty soil and serve as an excellent absorber of carbon dioxide, the main culprit of the greenhouse effect.
Siri-Nath National Park offers interesting tourist excursions to mangroves, boat trips to coral reefs. In the park, you can stay in a bungalow or a tent city, and tourists can have lunch or a snack in a restaurant.