Mu Ko Phetra National Park
Encyclopedia
Mu Ko Phetra is a marine national park in Andaman Sea
side of Thailand
, covering mostly intact coastal line, open water, and about 30 islands of southern part of Trang Province
and northern part of Satun Province
. Established on 31 December 1984, it is the 49th national park and 14th marine national park of Thailand.
The majority of the park, about 94.74% or 468.38 km² out of 494.38 km² are open water. Two largest islands of the parks are Ko Phetra , where the name of the park is derived from, and Ko Khao Yai .
Several islands are the site where marine turtles lay eggs. Rich coral reef
is also present around islands. Many of the islands consist of steep limestone
rocks and little beaches. They are still used as temporary residence by fishermen during fishing season.
In the caves of the cliffs high above the ground in some of the islands are where swiftlet
s build their nest and breed. Several islands were placed under concession for decades to collect bird nests. They are highly valuable and closely guarded with firearms. Traveling to those islands should be done through local tour companies in the provinces as their boats are recognized and ignored by the guards.
The name Phetra is a Thai
corruption of its original Malay
name, Pulau Petra (the Island of Petra).
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
side of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, covering mostly intact coastal line, open water, and about 30 islands of southern part of Trang Province
Trang Province
Trang is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, at the western shore of the Malay Peninsula to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Satun....
and northern part of Satun Province
Satun Province
Satun is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla...
. Established on 31 December 1984, it is the 49th national park and 14th marine national park of Thailand.
The majority of the park, about 94.74% or 468.38 km² out of 494.38 km² are open water. Two largest islands of the parks are Ko Phetra , where the name of the park is derived from, and Ko Khao Yai .
Several islands are the site where marine turtles lay eggs. Rich coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
is also present around islands. Many of the islands consist of steep limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rocks and little beaches. They are still used as temporary residence by fishermen during fishing season.
In the caves of the cliffs high above the ground in some of the islands are where swiftlet
Swiftlet
Swiftlets are birds contained within the four genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and Collocalia. They form the Collocaliini tribe within the swift family Apodidae. The group contains around thirty species mostly confined to southern Asia, south Pacific islands, and northeastern...
s build their nest and breed. Several islands were placed under concession for decades to collect bird nests. They are highly valuable and closely guarded with firearms. Traveling to those islands should be done through local tour companies in the provinces as their boats are recognized and ignored by the guards.
The name Phetra is a Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
corruption of its original Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
name, Pulau Petra (the Island of Petra).
Trang islands
- Ko Lao Liang actually consists of two similar islands just 300 m in separation. The smaller northern-most island, Ko Lao Liang Nuea (also known as Ko Lao Liang Nong; ), and the larger island to the south, Ko Lao Liang Tai (also known as Ko Lao Liang Phi; ). Both have rather small beaches and are under bird nest concession. Around the islands are shallow reefs for diving.
Satun islands
- Ko Phetra is an island with odd-shaped cliffs. A bird nest concession island, surrounding sea is available for diving.
- Ko Lidi is a rather big island with beach.
- Ko Khao Yai , the biggest island with castle-like limestone rocks. Part of the island is the Ao Kam Poo which is a 700 m wide bay with waterfall and stream. The bay is a site where sea turtles come to lay eggs.
- Ko Bulon , a beautiful island with clear water and corel reef. It is a popular tourism spot of the national park.
Satun beaches
- Rawai Beach , not to be confused with another beach with the same name in Phuket ProvincePhuket ProvincePhuket , formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon , is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
, is a 3.5 km long beach on the mainland. It is also popular camping spot.