Khao Lak

Khao Lak comprises several villages that have merged into a continuous tourist zone, offering long stretches of beach backed by lush tropical vegetation and the forested hills of Khao Lak–Lam Ru National Park. The area serves as the principal departure point for live-aboard and day-trip diving expeditions to the Similan and Surin island chains, making it a key hub for underwater tourism. On 26 December 2004, Khao Lak suffered the greatest loss of life of any coastal area in Thailand from the Indian Ocean tsunami, with the death toll estimated at over 4,000 people, including many foreign visitors. A beached Thai navy patrol boat, HTMS Thaksin Ratchanives, swept inland by the tsunami now serves as a memorial to the disaster. The area has since been rebuilt and remains one of the Andaman Coast's most popular beach destinations, prized for its relative tranquillity compared to Phuket.