Ko Panyi (GPS: 8.33515, 98.50341) is a towering limestone outcrop in Phang Nga National Park, to the northeast of Phuket. It is often spelling variously, as Ko Panyi, Koh Panyee, Koh Pannyi, Ko Panyee, and so on. Spread out below the towering karst mount is a Muslim village on stilts called Ban Ko Panyi. You will read in many tourist brochures that it is called a sea gypsy floating village. However, the village is not actually floating while its inhabitants, are no longer living a nomadic life, but have taken on a more stationary lifestyle as permanent settlers of the village.
Since tourism arrived in Phuket, the village of Ban Ko Panyi has seen a few seafood restaurants coming up. Most visitors stop at Ko Panyi for lunch. Many simply pass by it on their way to James Bond Island and the other islets, caves and grottoes of Phang Nga National Park. They won't fail to see the string of restaurants at Ko Panyi, which is the only village of any size in Phang Nga National Park. Towering above the village is the village mosque. Like all the structures in the village, the mosque is also built on stilts.
Depending on the tour package you take, your boat will either stopover at Ko Panyi or simply pass by it. If you wish to pay it yourself, it's best to hire your own boat to take you there.
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