Koh Panyi

Koh Panyi is a Muslim fishing village built almost entirely on stilts over a tidal inlet in Ao Phang Nga Bay, Phang Nga, at the foot of a limestone karst that leaves the community almost no dry land to build on. Around 1,500 to 2,000 people live here, descended from families said to have settled the spot roughly two centuries ago; the only solid ground is a small outcrop holding the village mosque and cemetery. Everything else — houses, shops, school, and the village’s famous football pitch — sits on wooden and concrete stilts above the water.

That football pitch is worth knowing the real story behind. Local children, inspired after watching the 1986 World Cup on television, built their own pitch from scrap wood, old fishing rafts, and nails, since there was nowhere flat on the island to play. Balls that went astray meant a swim to retrieve them. The team they formed went on to reach the semi-finals of a Southern Thai schools tournament — playing barefoot, as they always had — and the club that grew out of it, Panyee FC, has since won regional titles. The current pitch, rebuilt and reinforced since those early days, is one of the most-photographed spots on the boardwalk.

Walking the village means following a network of concrete and wooden walkways linking homes, a school, waterfront seafood restaurants, and stalls selling batik and dried seafood. Boats moor directly beneath stilted houses; kids cut across the walkways on bikes; the smell of grilled fish and Thai spice drifts from restaurant kitchens serving whatever the morning catch brought in. It’s genuinely a working village, not a recreation — but by mid-morning, when convoys of day-tour longtails from Phuket arrive together, the main boardwalk gets crowded and restaurant prices climb well above what a meal costs a local family.

Watch out: Seafood restaurants along the main walkway are priced for tour groups, not locals — expect to pay considerably more than mainland Phang Nga prices, and check the bill before assuming a set-menu price includes everything served.

Almost every visitor arrives as part of an organised Phang Nga Bay boat tour, typically departing from Ao Po Grand Marina or Surakul Pier and bundled with a stop at Khao Phing Kan (James Bond Island) and a paddle through the bay’s karst lagoons. That combined itinerary carries the separate Ao Phang Nga National Park entrance fee — roughly 300 THB for foreign adults, less for children and Thai visitors — charged at the park checkpoint, since Koh Panyi’s karst neighbours sit inside the park even though the village itself doesn’t. Renting a private longtail from Surakul or Tha Dan pier costs around 1,500 THB for the boat and lets you set your own pace, arriving before the 9-10 AM group-tour rush for a noticeably quieter walk through the village.

Insider Tip: Time your visit for early morning prayer or the mid-afternoon lull between tour groups — the boardwalks empty out considerably once the big Phuket day-tour convoys move on to their next stop.

The Koh Yao Noi hub covers the wider Phang Nga Bay area, and a Koh Panyi trip is almost always paired with Ko Tapu (James Bond Island) and the karst lagoons of Ao Phang Nga.