Phitak Island

Phitak Island is located in Ao Thong Khrok, Bang Nam Jued Sub-district, Lang Suan District, Chumphon Province. It is 1 kilometer from the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. At first, Ko Phitak was called Ko Phee Tak because, in the past, when the fishermen went fishing by boat to Ko Phitak, they looked at the shore of the island and saw a shadow of someone beckoning them. However, when they approached the shore, they could see no one. Therefore, the fishermen called the island Ko Phee Tak (which means the ghost greets). But when there were some people living on the island, Phitak Island was renamed as Ko Phitak for luck. Owing to the peaceful atmosphere and the island’s nature, later, people gathered and established the home stay community, providing around 15 houses for the tourists to experience the villagers’ lifestyle. There are many activities for the tourists to do, including studying the lifestyle of the fishermen’s community, eating fresh delicious sea food with good quality, cycling around Ko Phitak, sailing, and seeing corals in the water shallows. Ko Phitak is accepted as an interesting community and as an island which still conserves the beautiful environment around it very well. A number of tourists start to be fond of this island now. There is a paving block road around the island. The tourists can walk leisurely around it. If the tourists want to enjoy the spectacular view, they have to walk northwards because there is a view point which is around 200 meters high. There is also a pavilion for relaxing and enjoying the breath-taking scenery which can be seen as far as Ko Tao, Ko Samui, and Ko Pha Ngan. When the tide is on the ebb, the tourists can stroll on the sand dune or walk across to the other side of the island which has a pier to Phitak Island. In addition, Phitak Island community is referred as a community that can conserve marine environment very well and is no inferior to any island. In the past, the community was rewarded a drug-free island. At present, Ko Phitak community is a center that conserves tridacna and beautiful corals around the island. Besides, around the nearby island like “Kram Island,” which is approximately 1 kilometer from Ko Phitak, there are staghorn corals, brain corals, tridacna, and beautiful sea fish, which the tourists can enjoy seeing. Travelling to Phitak Island is, therefore, regarded as an ecotourism and many people wish to keep the beauty of the island as long as possible.