Caves are known to have creepy critters like bats, spiders and snakes!  So when we signed up for the Simba Sea Trips tour in Phuket, which included cave exploring, I thought this may not be a good idea given my severe case of arachnophobia (I don’t do spiders).  Thankfully my excitement for sitting on a secluded beach outweighed my fear so I was on board!  (Spoiler Alert: It was the most adventurous trip I’ve ever been on and I would absolutely do it again!)

If you’re at all curious, here are 5 reasons why you should not explore caves in Phuket.

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Reason #1: You’re staying in Phuket for less than 12 hours

The sea trip starts early in the day around 6am and goes into the evening around 6pm.  While that may seem like a long time to be on a boat, your time is well spent seeing places that are only accessible by canoe, visiting the famous James Bond Island, snorkeling in the Andaman Sea and quite frankly, having fun!

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Reason #2: You don’t want to walk through some of the most beautiful land masses in the world

For our first stop we put on a hard hat, grabbed a flash light and began our walk through the shallow water in the Koh Phanak cave.  Our tour guide gave us a history lesson on the land mass and explained how it’s important to enter the caves early in the day to prevent being washed out by the rising sea tides.  As expected, the only way out was the way we came in but this time the entry point was shaped like a human skull.  The irony in this is that if you enter at the wrong time when the sea tides are rising, you may not make it out alive.  The center of the cave opened to the sky above and rock walls surrounding us.  Birds were flying around, the water was calm and tiny fish swam at our feet below.  It was all so serene. 

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Reason #3: You’d rather sit by your hotel pool than lay on an exotic beach

The beaches in Phuket are almost unreal!  As part of our tour we spent some time relaxing in the sand on one of the Phang Nga Bay islands.  (I actually spent most of my time hunting for sea shells lol)

Reason #4: You live in Phuket and do this type of stuff all the time

If this applies to you, step aside and allow more room on the boat for other travelers. 🙂

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Reason #5: You want to miss out on an unforgettable life-changing experience

 This experience without a doubt changed my life.  Quotes similar to  “Live the life you love, love the life you live” are often cited for inspiration but rarely is the true meaning put into action.  It’s hard to describe the impact this trip had on my outlook toward life and foresight for the future.  The best way I can put it is life, not just simply being alive, but life was lived in this moment.  All my cares, fears, uncertainties, to-do lists and worries disappeared.  I was engulfed in beauty of genuinely living in the way life should be lived.

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If you weren’t convinced by any of these reasons, you should definitely explore caves while visiting Phuket, Thailand! 🙂

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All images are copyright protected. © Phylicia Munn