Approximately 800 kilometers south of Bangkok is Thailand’s largest island, PHUKET. Often dubbed as the pearl of the Andaman sea. Its natural resources- rocky peninsular, limestone cliffs, tranquil broad bays, beautiful powdery beaches and tropical inland forests contribute to making it the South’s wealthiest,   busiest, most visited and most popular island and province. It is estimated that PHUKET Province covers an area of approximately 600 square kilometers if its 39 other small islands are included. The islands total length is estimated at 50 kilometers from north to south and approximately 20 kilometers wide.  Staying on the island is easy, as there are only two seasons in a year - the rainy season (May to October) and the hot season (November to April). The low season of PHUKET is between September and October as they are the wettest months. The best period for a visit, is from November to February, when it is possible to see the clear blue sky, feel the fresh sea breeze and marvel at the crystal clear water while lying on powdery, palm-fringed beaches. Average temperatures ranges between 23°C and 33°C. Phuket's topology is exceptional with 70 percent of its area covered with mountains which stretch from north to south and the remaining 30 percent being plains located in the central and eastern parts of the island. The island does not have any major rivers except for a total of 9 brooks and creeks. Nowadays the tourist industry is the biggest income source and the tourists are concentrated at certain beaches, PATONG, KARON , KATA and SURIN Beach.  There are in total 17 sandy beaches, many of them nearly untouched by the tourist industry. If you want to experience the original Thailand, you do not need to go far from the touristy areas. Some people find PHUKET very exploited and to touristic, but usually they have never been outside PATONG. Don’t make that mistake because it’s very easy to explore the natural wonders of PHUKET, just to visit all 17 different beaches will keep you for more than one week. Every beach on the west coast of PHUKET offers excellent conditions for swimming and bathing. But please  be aware that there are sometimes during the monsoon season (april-october) strong currents. At this time Red flags tell you that the beach isn’t safe for swimming .