Kamala Beach

Kamala is a Muslim fishing village north of Patong beach and feels more like a little Thai village than other towns on Phuket. It still has the standard touristy stuff, but you don't need to walk far to find an unaffected place or enjoy an authentic meal at a restaurant that sees more locals than tourists. Tourist development on the beach Much of which is covered by a Muslim graveyard and a police outpost has been slow in coming. Buffalo herds still come down to the beach to cool off in the afternoon.

The beach is beautiful and about 2 kms. Kamala is the perfect place to get away from it all and has little to offer in the way of entertainment for that go across the mountains to Patong. Regular bus service to and from Phuket Town during daytime, tuk-tuk services available to Patong 5 kms. Away on the new road.

While the beach's far northern end remains mostly undeveloped due to a Muslim cemetery, the mountainous headlands to the south are dotted with cranes and half-built luxury villas.

A paved road runs the length of the beach, but is broken in the middle by the police station and a small park. Cheap guesthouses and a couple mid-range resorts can be found at both ends of the beach. A sandy path along Kamala's northern stretch is popular with joggers, but also used by locals on motorbikes as a short-cut into town.

During the high season activities like windsurfing, water skiing, banana boats, fishing trips and island hopping all run on a daily basis. But in the low season all signs of watersports vanish, leaving just sun-bleached price-lists tacked to palm trees to linger in the seabreeze.