It’s time for the last of my big travel posts about Thailand (I have one left about our hotel but this is the last adventurous post) and in my mind I saved the best for last. Today I want to introduce you to Sailing Rock on the largest of the Similan Islands, Koh Paet.
Sailing Rock is a huge rock formation on the upper part of the beach, where at the lookout point a massive rock is shaped like a ship’s sail. I won’t sugar coat it; being up on Sailing Rock was terrifying. It might not look that high from the beach, but once you’re up there it truly is. Plus there are zero rails or safety precautions – one slip and you’ll go tumbling onto the rocks below. I wasn’t scared at first, but a German tourist next to me dropped her lens cap as she was snapping some photos and she and I watched it roll off the cliff and fall a 100 feet. We glanced at each other in mild terror. Regardless, I’m still so glad that we climbed up because we had one of the best views from there during our entire trip in Thailand.
The climb from the beach to the Sailing Rock takes about 20 minutes. Some parts are quite steep and at other times you have to crawl on your hands and knees between boulders. Koh Paet is a famous diver’s paradise. The island is horseshoe shaped and the average water depth is around 60 feet. The water is crystal clear and it has one of the largest sections of unspoiled coral in the country. There are deer, leaf, brain, and mushroom coral formations. The best part of climbing Sailing Rock was looking down and being able to see all the underwater coral and rock formations from on high.
Afterwards Sam and I climbed down, relaxed on the beach a bit and did some more snorkelling. It really was a day in paradise, and I’m not sure I’ll ever visit anywhere more beautiful than the Similan Islands.
View from Sailing Rock into the bay.
Sailing Rock as viewed from the shore.
The Similan Islands are about as close to paradise as I have ever come. What about you?
