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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Kamala
Spend 1–2 days in Kamala for beach time, a visit to Phuket FantaSea and the local wat; add a day‑trip to Patong if nightlife is wanted.
Kamala is a quieter west‑coast beach town on Phuket, offering a long sandy beach, the Phuket FantaSea cultural park and a small Buddhist temple. One full day covers the beach and FantaSea; a second day allows a relaxed visit to Patong or a dive trip.
- Country
- Thailand
- Best months
- Nov–Apr (dry season on Andaman coast)
- Avoid
- May–Oct (monsoon, higher rain)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿800–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,000 excl. bed · High ฿2,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Thai massage (beach stall) | 300 baht per hour |
| Meal at beach restaurant | 200–400 baht |
| Taxi to Patong | 300–500 baht |
| Local bus ride | 30–50 baht |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HKT · Phuket International Airport
- Taxi 500–600 baht to Kamala
Typical fares
- Airport → Kamala, taxi
- ≈500–600 baht, 20 min
- Kamala → Patong, tuk‑tuk
- ≈300 baht, 10 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Language, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Taxi from HKT (≈500 baht); local bus runs hourly along main road; tuk‑tuk to Patong (~300 baht); walk on beach.
See and do
Known for
- Kamala Beach
- Phuket FantaSea
- Kamala Wat
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Patong | Taxi ~500 baht or tuk‑tuk ~300 baht, 10 min drive | ≈20 min |
| Phuket FantaSea | Short taxi ride or hotel shuttle, 5 min | ≈15 min |
| Kamala Dive Center trips | Long‑boat from beach, half‑day | ≈3 h total |
Sleep
- Budget bungalows
- ≈1,600–2,000 baht per night in high season
- Mid‑range hotels
- ≈1,200–2,500 baht per night
- Luxury resorts
- ≈4,000 baht+ per night
Language
Thai is tonal and written in its own script; English works in hotels, malls and tourist areas, much less in the north-east and small towns. Polite particles (khrap for men, kha for women) go a long way.
- Ask hotels for their address card in Thai script.
- LINE is the messaging app of Thai businesses.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Taxi fares can be inflated; bargain or use the local bus.
- Phuket FantaSea is closed on Thursdays; book tickets in advance.
- Peak beach crowd at southern end in high season.
Kamala is generally safe; keep an eye on belongings on the beach and use reputable taxis.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kamala yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kamala Beach
- Phuket FantaSea
- Kamala Wat
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikidata – Kamala: www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123456
- Wikivoyage: Kamala, revision 5249001 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5249001
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/kamala). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.