Ko Panyee: The Floating Muslim Fishing Village in South Thailand
Between the Gulf of Thailand, the Upper Andaman Coast and the Deep South, Thailand has a variety of islands that are unique and offer something interesting to the traveler. Ko Panyee is one such island that is situated in the upper Andaman coast of Thailand.
The best part about Ko Panyee is that the village is located on the open water. Since Ko Panyee is one of the many steep limestone hills of Phang Nga bay, there is hardly any place to build houses and stuff and hence the people built their entire village on stilts in the shallow water.
Now, you may ask why do you need to stay on water. The answer is simple. The people living here are from a Muslim fishing community and the fishing here is lucrative and there is the additional revenue coming in from the tourists to Phang Nga bay. Both these reasons have ensured that this is a full fledged floating village with all modern amenities.
The place is so popular that all tourists on a day trip to Phang Nga bay visit this village and many try and stay overnight on these floating houses to get a different experience and also see the famous sunrise and sunset from the village shores. Personally, I liked the place, but was not enamored enough to stay overnight as such establishments always end up causing damage to the environment and I don’t like to support such causes. But, do not let me stop you from enjoying the views from and around this floating Muslim village in the Phang Nga Bay of Thailand.
