Bang Rong Community Tourism

In the 1990s the village's mangrove forest, the last of its kind left in Phuket, was being cut for charcoal, and locals launched a replanting effort in 2001 that eventually brought back the fish, crab and shrimp that the fishing community depends on. The community tourism programme grew out of this success. Visitors now paddle or take long-tail boats through that same restored mangrove forest, learning from local guides about their lives.

As well as mangrove exploration, a full day trip includes harvesting pineapple, tapping rubber trees, catching octopus by hand with a local fisherman and releasing egg-carrying female crabs onto seagrass beds, where the eggs stand a far better chance of surviving. Lunch is at the village's own halal restaurant overlooking Bang Rong pier, and the day often ends on Koh Phae, a small island whose sandbar only appears at low tide, eating whatever was caught that afternoon. Every baht spent here stays in the community. Tourism income has funded medical supplies for the local hospital, supported a nursing home, and paid for continued mangrove replanting along the estuary. Homestays with local Muslim families are available for those who want to stay longer than a day, sharing meals and helping with fishing or farming.