Nature Trekking at Naka Yai Island
Naka Yai Island is one of the islands around Phuket off Thailand. I knew it was a small island with only one village, which is to the west side of the island. My information was correct but the island was more than just a secluded reserve of Nature. It is increasingly becoming popular among tourists.
The island offers a lot to experience. From abundance of nature to luxury offered at the manmade resorts, everything got engraved into my memory.
All resorts appreciate nature and try to maintain its richness on Naka Yai Island; at least until now.
Trekking journey started from the Tenta Nakara Resort
Entry point to the village and trek across rubber plantation
Get a feel of the islanders’ livelihood in the Muslim village
Enjoy evening sun at the fishing pier
Scroll along the beach while enjoying the sunset
Stop by Naka Camp
Detour the jungle trail and exit at the other side of the beach
Track across the rocky beach
Nature is what me and my honey admire the most and I heard this island has much more to offer so we opted not to stay at the resort but explore the whole island by walking.
Tips: Don’t forget to look back before you enter into the village. The view will give you a calming effect.
Despite being low in population, the residents of Naka Yai Island involve in labor-intensive commercial agriculture. Rubber plantation is the dominant commercially grown plants and it was not strange to me as Phuket’s climate is suitable for growing rubber plants.
Though plantation occupied respectable fraction of land, we observed extensive natural vegetation too. For me, observing the rubber plantation was a knowledgeable experience as I had not seen it before.
Muslims are known to adhere to their tradition more strongly than other communities and it was a good experience to know them. In fact, the entire Naka Yai is considered a Muslim island and so halal food is served everywhere.
The pier was built not only to park the fishing boat, it serves as a facility to come ashore on the island when the tide is really low.
The evening sun was blocked by the small hill at the west and the back lighting shone on the objects, bringing about beautiful shadows that created a romantic view that me and my girlfriend would never forget.
The meaning of an untouched beach is best illustrated when we saw batches of sand bubbles generated by crabs scattered everywhere. Though the bubbles were randomly created, many shapes looked familiar. This is something that you would never find in a crowded beach.
The facilities are lesser here, so is the cost. Another drawback of staying here is that you get less privacy because the distance between tents are quite close to one another. Tenta Nakara is the much preferred choice to experience nature to the fullest.
There was nothing exciting to see through the jungle track. Those who want to see large animals will be disappointed but not for the admirers of biodiversity.
As the sky was getting darker, we stepped up our walking speed so we did not have much chance to explore the jungle.
Phuket is a popular island and I think Naka Yai has also gained good fame but if anyone does not know about it or has not been told about it, I must say that it deserves all praise. I will recommend Naka Yai Island to everyone who goes to Phuket for long enough to enjoy adjoining beauty. My trip was worth every penny I spent.
