Phuket Geographical Information

Phuket

The tropical island of Phuket covers approx. 539 sqm and is situated on the west coast of Thailand. Phuket is well known as “The Pearl of the Andamenen Sea”. Picturesque coastlines with some of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, spectacular limestone peaks, forested hills, tropical vegetation, Phuket has it all. The local culture is an attractive mixture of Chinese, Malayan and Thai influences. The population of Phuket is approx. 23500, 56% Chinese, 42% Thai and 2% Muslim. The most common languages are Thai and English. On Phuket you can find best health care in hospitals, which are equal to most Western European standards (Bangkok Phuket Hospital and Phuket International Hospital).

Phuket's main tourist centre is Patong Beach. With its variety of activities and beach life it is an ideal place to spend your vacation. There are plenty of restaurants offering a vast selection of local and international cuisine, innumerable shops, diving centres and a lively nightlife. The beach itself is regarded as one of the most beautiful on the island. The calm water is perfect for swimming. The value for money Thailand offers is unequalled in South-East Asia.

Further Information for visiting Thailand

Entry (for Germans, Austrians and Switzerland)

For a holiday trip, a visa is not required for up to a maximum stay of 30 days. Passports are compulsory (with minimum validity of 6 months), accredited return or journey on ticket, adequate cash ressources / credit card. For a stay of more than one Month a visa is compulsory. You can get it from the Thai embassy or consulates in your home country. The visa is subject to a fee.

Language

The official national language is Thai (siamese). Other common speeches are Malayan or Chinese. The commercial language is English and is widely spoken. In many places german is spoken. The written script is composed of Thai signs although most important signs and displays are in both English and Thai.

Time Difference

Central European time (CET) +6 hours (during summertime +5 hours).

Electricity

220 Volt, alternating current, 50 Hertz; circular plug, sometimes the still blade terminal (forhanded entrainment of a adapter is recommended).

Telephone

The International area code to Thailand is 0066. International area code to Germany is 0049, England 0044. The phone numbers in Thailand are 8 digits, for national calls you have to pre-dial 0. Public phoneboxes mostly accept phonecards (costs: 250 or 500 Baht) which are available everywhere. In Tourist centres or in bigger hotels, international direct calls are provided. Alternatively connections can be made from post offices or private telephone agencys. Excpecially in bangok the telephone network suffers from time to time from service overloading. The telephone book is sorted after surnames. You can find fax services at the communication authority of Thailand and in bigger hotels as well. Emergengy numbers: Police, Ambulance and Fire Brigade: 191.

Cellular Phone Network

Technical Information: GSM 900/1800/1900. At the moment there are roaming contracts between providers in Thailand with E-Plus, O2, T-Mobile and Vodavone. Providing service for GSM 1900 Tri-band or Quad-band Mobile Phones.

Buying a Pay as you go Thai Sim Card for your phone is the easy and offers a call by call service for around 200 Baht.

Calling other Mobile phones costs between 1 to 5 Baht (depending on the chosen provider) per minutes. The Simcards are valid for one year.

For phoning Germany the best services Call by Call (Pre-Dial 009). This costs around 10 Baht per minute. For the exact prices, please contact the provider. Cheap phonecalls to Thailand can be done per pre-dial numbers as 01035, 01037, and 010012. Here you pay just between 1.6 – 5 Cents per minute. The cheapest preselect numbers can be found in the internet.

Internet Access

Internet shortcut for Thai Websites is: .th . In the big city like Bangkok you can find numerous internet cafes with high-performance computers. On Phuket you can find internet cafes where you can surf for 1 Baht per minute everywhere.

Public Holidays

1st and 2nd January (New Year),
18-20th February. (Japanese New Year celebrations which also be celebrated in Thailand),
6th April (Chakri-remembrance),
13th to 17th April (Thai New Year, Songkran),
1st May (Day of Work),
5th May (Crowning Day), 16th May (Day of the Plough),
16th and 17th July (bhuddistic fasting day),
12th August (birthday of the queen), 23th October (Chulalongkorn),
1st November (Celebration for the start of the high season which is celebrated with processions and street festivities),
5th December (The King’s Birthday),
10th December (Day of Constitutuin)
31st December (New Years Eve).

If one of these holidays falls on a weekend, then this holiday will be carried over to the following Monday. There are also other, minor religious holidays. There is no main vacation time for the local population. School holidays are in April and May.

Clothing

Due to the warm climate, We recommend you pack summer clothings as necessary. For the evenings, expecially for stays in the cooler north of the country, warmer clothing may be required. All of the bigger hotels (also for air conditioned buses) are equipped with air conditioning which are guests are often unable to regulate, so the packing of warmer pullovers and jackets is recommended. It is important to have rain clothing, good sunglasses, comfortable shoes or sandals. Shorts, vests tops and revealing clothing are not suitable for visits in the big citys or temple sightseeing.

Health

Required immunisations: No immunisation is required if you arrive direct from Europe Recommended immunisations: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, additional for individual tourists: Typhus. The best hospitals in Thailand are located on phuket (Patong Hospital or the hospital in phuket town). Oculists and opticians provide a high standard of treatment. The costs for these treatments are usually a fraction of that in Europe.

Malaria

Risks are just regional. Tourist resorts Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and all Beach-Resorts at the coast are generally malaria free.

There is a risk of malaria in forested areas along the borders to the countrys of Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Kambodscha. A higher risk at the moment are the Tak county (Mae Sot) and the Trat county (border area to Kambodscha in the south, including the island Koh Chang) For further Thai Medical Information contact: BKK Nursing Home Hospital Dr. Prapa Wongphaet, Convent Rd., Bangkok, Tel. (02) 632 05 60, Handy (0) 18 15 86 23.

Currency unit

Currency Unit: Baht (B)
1 Baht = 100 Satang
the currency rate is quite instable at the moment:
1 US Dollar ($) = 33 – 34 Baht
1 Euro (€) = 45 – 46 Baht

Climate

Weather in Thailand is generally warm and sunny, with clear skies for most of the year, During the monsoon time from September to November (andamanen sea), and October to December (golf of Siam) you should take an umbrella and bathshoes with you, heavy rain is common in the late afternoon. It is seldom to have too many rainy days in a row, but because of the huge amount of alternative attractions Thailand can offer you other than the beach these days never boring.

The rain has minimal effect on air temperatures, However humidity is usually reduced. The rain is usually localised. If it rains in Phuket for example the rain period is already over when it just began in Koh Samui – theoretically.

As with all weather, it is not entirely predictable. However nearly everywhere in Thailand between February and May is usually quiet hot and with little rain.

The air temperatures (apart from the mountains in the north) usually range between 26 and 38 degrees. The temperatures remain high during night also. The water temperatures are between 27 and 32C.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dez

°C	32	33	33	33	32	31	30	31	30	30	30	31

cm	2,5	2,5	5	13	20	28	30	28	35	33	18	5

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