Southern Thailand from Above

Top AirVuz contributor Moadh_Bukhash put together this marvelous 4k DVOW Finalist drone video from the storied province of Phuket in Southern Thailand. Consisting of one main island (Thailand's largest) and nearly three dozen smaller satellites, it's Thailand's smallest province but also one of its most well known.  Having recovered by the devastation suffered by its western coast on the Andaman Sea from the great Tsunami of 2004, Phuket remains one of the world's most sought-after beach destinations.  

If you are thinking about taking a trip to Southern Thailand, this outstanding travel video by top AirVuz contributor and DVOW finalist DigitalTravelCouple may well do the trick. The video opens with some epic shots of Phang Nga Bay, an inlet of the Strait of Malacca which separates the island of Phuket from the Thai mainland. Then you'll head north to  Ko Tao and Koh Phangan, two islands in the Chumphon Archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand.  Other featured spots include the fabled island of Phuket and the beaches of Krabi Province.   

Explore Thailand's fabled Krabi Province in this excellent video by AirVuz contributor DESPACITO POR EL MUNDO, which was picked as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist.  The video opens with shots of Phrang Na Beach on the western side of the Railay Peninsula, which extends into the Phang Nga Bay from the mainland.  At the 1:30 mark, you'll see the eastern side of Railay.  Other featured locations include the island of Ko Pada, southwest of Railay (2:00); Ko Kai, an island on the western side of the bay (2:24); and Hong Island (2:40).   

Phuket is both an island (the largest in Thailand) and a province consisting of Phuket and about 30 smaller islands in the area.  Phuket sits far down the Malaysian Peninsula from the rest of Thailand, forming the western side of Phang Nga Bay.  This area has become, in recent years, one of the world's top beach destinations, often compared to Bali in Indonesia.  Contributor and drone pilot MartinD used a DJI Mavic Pro to shoot this remarkable aerial tour of Phuket on a trip to the tropical island in 2017.  

Thailand's Phuket province has nearly 30 Buddhist temples, a testament to the religious sentiment of the island as well as to the country as a whole.  The most famous of these is the Wat Chalong Temple, which sits above the town of Chalong near the southern tip of the island.  Wat Chalong was built in the late 19th century in honor of two monks who led political struggles in the company at that time.  Contributor Raivig used a drone to capture the beauty of this important religious landmark from a drone.  

Top contributor Robin Puskas put together this stunning video from the area around Phang Nga Bay in Southern Thailand.  An inlet of the Andaman Sea, and bounded by the province of Phuket to the west and the Krabi Province to the east, the bay is home to hundreds of small islands.  Most of the bay is now part of Ao Phang Nga National Park.  Phang Nga Bay became an important tourist destination in part due to its appearance as a filming location in the 1974 James Bond film the Man with the Golden Gun.  

One of the most popular beach destinations in Southern Thailand is Koh Samui.  The country's second largest island, it lies on the opposite (eastern) side of the mainland from its largest island, the somewhat better-known Phuket.  While Koh Samui's interior is jungle, its beaches are some of the finest in Southeast Asia.  Contributor Robin Puskas used a DJI drone to create this mesmerizing aerial view of this bit of paradise in the Gulf of Thailand, which sits on the western side of the Gulf of Thailand.

Railay is one of Thailand's best-known beach areas.  It is situated not far from the southern tip of the country, between the cities of Krabi and Ao Nang.  With stunning views looking out onto Phang Nga Bay, Railay is accessible only by boat due to the high cliffs surrounding the area.  In this video, top contributor Christian Cuvelier flew his DJI Phantom 4 Professional drone over the area at sunset, creating a stunning aerial view of one of the more iconic looking beach spots in all of Southeast Asia.

Thailand's Krabi province is perhaps best known for the dozens of small islands which lie off its coast in Phang Nga Bay.  Top contributor Christian Cuvelier used a drone to create this epic continuous "reveal" shot of these beautiful islands.  James Bond fans may recognize this area from The Man with the Golden Gun (1974, #10 in the series) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997, #20). Phang Nga Bay "stood in" for unnamed "Red Chinese Waters" in the former movie and Vietnam's Ha Long Bay in the latter. 

Explore a legendary spot in Southern Thailand with this outstanding first person view (FPV) drone video by AirVuz contributor ironvaden_fpv.  The video was filmed at the Pi Leh Lagoon, a tiny bay on the island of Ko Phi Phi Le.  Ko Phi Phi Le is the second-largest of the Phi Phi Islands, an archipelago in the Andaman Sea in the province of Krabi.   The island covers about 2.5 square mi. (just under 7 square km).  It's somewhat less well-known than its larger sister island Ko Phi Phi Don, which lies immediately to its north.

What could possibly be better than lounging at the beach in a bikini with a drone in hand? And let's just add that this is in Krabi, Thailand - one of the hottest beach destinations in Southeast Asia, how about now?  Get a sky-high view of the ultimate tropical relaxation destination with contributor wrenees, more familiarly known as the Queen of the Dronie. You’re going to wish you were there too!  Krabi is one of the primary Thailand beach regions; it sits on the eastern side of Phang Nga Bay.

Kata Beach is one of a series of beaches along the western shore of Phuket, on the Andaman Sea (across which lies Sri Lanka and southern India).  It sits towards the southern end of what is essentially a new gold coast, with some of the most desirable beaches anywhere in Southeast Asia.  Contributor and pilot Alp Karagulle traveled all the way across Asia from Turkey to Thailand with a drone, and used it to create this very fun-to-watch aerial tour of an emerging tropical paradise beach destination.

The Islands off the coast of Thailand are offer some of the world's most captivating beach scenery. Fly along with top contributor and drone pilot OnFocus as they show off the gorgeous views of Thailand's coast captured in 4k. The video features footage of three spots: Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Krabi. Koh Tao and Koh Phangan are part of the Cumphon Archipelago in the western part of the Gulf of Thailand. Krabi province lies a bit further to the south, and faces the Andaman Sea. The video was shot with a DJI Phantom 3 Pro.

The sunrises on Krabi, Thailand casting soothing hues of mauve across its coastal cliffs and sea waters in this breathtaking drone video.  The aerial footage covers the area around the Centara Grand Hotel, one of the finest lodging properties in one of Thailand's top beach destinations.  It sits on the eastern side of Phang Nga Bay, a body of water famous for its pillar-like sandstone islands.  Enjoy contributor alirashdan's wonderful experience in this Thai destination taken from the view of a drone.

Top content creator and drone pilot Christian Cuvelier created one of the most epic dronie "reveals" we've ever seen in this amazing shot from Southern Thailand.  It was shot at Phra Nang Beach, at the southern end of a peninsula in the Andaman Sea in the Krabi province.  As the drone rises, you will see the island of Koh Rang Nok on your left and Railay, the famed Krabi beach, on your left.  The area lies just a bit to the south of Phang Nga Bay.  Krabi Beach was recently named one of the top 20 beaches in Asia by CNN Travel.

Contributor Dronujemy used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this beautiful aerial collage from the islands of Southern Thailand. It was filmed around the Phi Phi Islands, a small group which lies in the Andaman Sea, just south of the Phang Nga Bay. The islands of the Phi Phi archipelago are part of the Krabi Province, which forms the eastern shore of the Andaman. The group consists of six islands, although only two of them (Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le) are populated, the former being the largest.

Contributor Unraveled Studios celebrated his 31st birthday with a trip to Thailand, and came home with some amazing footage.  In this video, you'll get a drone's eye view of a well known artificial lake in the southern part of this Southeast Asian country.  It's called Cheow Lan Lake, and it's in the Surat Thani Province, which sits on the Malay Peninsula at the point where it bends to the southeast.  The lake was created in 1987 in connection with the Rajjaprapha dam, one of the larger hydroelectrical projects in Southeast Asia. 

Top contributor and pilot Christian Cuvelier created this stunning drone video of some of the islands in Southern Thailand's Phang Nga Bay.  Most of the video was filmed in the area around  Koh Yao Yai, one of the bay's larger islands.  It's located in the southern part of the bay, where it opens up into the Andaman Sea.  It lies about midway between the island of Phuket (to the west) and the mainland around Krabi (to the east).  The video also includes aerial footage of some of the other islands in the bay.

New contributor Chitchai Sripirom brings us this stunning drone video from a famous beach on an island in Southern Thailand.  The beach runs along Maya Bay on the island of Ko Phi Phi Lee, one of the main islands of the Phi Phi Archipelago in the Andaman Sea.  Located southeast of the somewhat better-known island of Phuket, the Phi Phi Islands are part of the province of Krabi.  Along with other spots on the island, Maya Bay was one of the primary filming locations for the 2000 adventure movie the Beach starring Leonard DiCaprio.  

Contributor and pilot Kristin Addis brings us this awesome selfie pull-out shot from Ko Yao Yai, in Southern Thailand.  Ko Yao Yai is the larger half of a two island archipelago called Ko Yao.  These islands sit in the middle of Phang Nga Bay, a body of water off the Andaman Sea formed by the provinces of Phuket (to the west), Phang Nga (to the north), and Krabi (to the east).  The two islands together cover a land area of around 150 square km (about 60 square mi.) and have a population of just under 20,000.  

Top contributor Aerial Entertainment Studios put together this remarkable drone video compilation of footage from the area around Phang Nga Bay in southern Thailand. James Bond fans may recognize the area shown at the end of the video; this was a primary shooting location for the 1974 classic The Man with the Golden Gun, the series' tenth installment. In the movie, 007 (played by Roger Moore) lands a seaplane into "Red Chinese" waters to track down the villain Scaramanga on his private island.

Top contributor Aerial Entertainment Studios created this remarkable video of a lesser known area of Southern Thailand.  It's called the Chumphon Archipelago, a group of islands in the province of the same name on the Gulf of Thailand.  The islands lay almost due south from the capital Bangkok, and a shorter distance northeast of the better known beach areas around Phuket and Phang Nga Bay.  The video covers Koh Pha Ngan Island and Koh Tao Islands, two of the best known amongst the 44 islands in the group.

Thailand's Ko Phi Phi Islands lie in the Andaman Sea, roughly between the large island of Phuket to the northwest and the island of Ko Lanta to the southeast.  In this outstanding drone video by 70daysaroundtheworld, you'll get some great aerial views of Ko Phi Phi Don, which is the larger of the two main islands of the group.  Much of the video was shot around the area of Tonsai Pier, which is part of a narrow strip of land that connects the two sides of the island.  The islands are part of the province of Krabi.

AirVuz contributor and pilot Wedroneasia created this remarkably beautiful drone video of Phang Nga Bay in southern Thailand.  The beautifully shaped islands of the bay have caught the attention of both beach-seeking travelers and movie makers.  The bay is the home of a tiny islet called James Bond Island,  which was featured in the 1974 film the Man with the Golden Gun.  Then, in 2005, Phang Nga Bay appeared in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: shots of the area were used in the Battle of Kashyyyk.

Thailand's Phang Nga Bay is known for its hundreds of tiny islands which dot this body of water off the Andaman Sea.  Amidst the tiny islands are two good-sized ones: Koh Nao Yoi and Koh Yao Yi.  In this drone video by contributor and pilot Raivig, you'll get a bird's eye look at Koh Nao Yoi, the northern and smaller of the two islands.  Both islands in the archipelago sit towards the southern end of Phang Nga Bay, roughly equidistant between the beaches of Phuket to the west and those of Krabi to the east.  

Contributor and pilot Willsanderson brings us this beautiful drone video from two of the top spots in Southern Thailand.  Ko Lanta is a small island in the Andaman Sea, a bit to the south of Phang Nga Bay.  Seen on a map, it closely resembles a curled index finger.  The other area shown in the video is the better-known Railay Beach.  Railay lies a bit north on the same coastline, in a mini-bay which is about level with the mouth of Phang Nga Bay.  Both Ko Lanta and Railay are part of Thailand's Krabi province.  

Koh Tao Island lies in Southern Thailand, near the western shore of the great Gulf of Thailand.  It is situated a bit to the north and west of the better known islands of Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan islands, all of which are part of an island group known as the Chumphon Archipelago.  Ko Tao is known for its excellent scuba diving waters.  The area is part of the Surat Thani province, which covers the middle of Thailand's portion of the Malay Peninsula.  Check out Ko Tao from above, compliments of Aerial Photography Asia.  

Aerial Photography Asia created this beautiful drone videos of a tiny island in Southern Thailand called Koh Nang Yuan.  The island is the northernmost member of a chain of islands called the Cumphon Archipelago, which are situated on the western side of the Gulf of Thailand.  Koh Nang Yuan sits just to the north of the larger Ko Tao Island.  The whole area lies on the opposite (eastern) side of the Malay Peninsula from the better-known Phuket and Krabi areas on Phang Nga Bay, and a bit to the north as well.  

Contributor Gavinski created this beautiful aerial view of the islands of southern Thailand. Most of the video was shot around Phang Nga Bay, which is bordered by the provinces of Phuket and Krabi. The bay is considered an extension of the Andaman Sea. It's known in part for its hundreds of tiny islands, some of which are basically limestone rocks jutting up from the sea. The area has been a magnet for movie-makers for decades, ranging from the James Bond series to The Beach starring Leonard de Caprio.

Top contributor and drone pilot Ben Freely created this beautiful aerial video from a well-known beach in Southern Thailand.  Tonsai Beach is situated on the island of Koh Phi Phi Don.  Koh Phi Phi Don is one of the Koh Phi Phi Islands, which are part of the province of Krabi and are situated in Phang Nga Bay.  Tonsai is kind of a mini-isthmus which connects the two main parts of the island.  It's known not just for the beautiful stretches of pristine white sand beach but also for its rock climbing spots.  

Check out this beautiful drone video of one of the world's only stainless steel temples, compliments of contributor and pilot Tom Wetherald.  Known variously as the King Bhumipol Temple and the Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol, it's situated in the southern province of Hat Yai.  It's one of just three Buddhist temples in the world that are constructed of stainless steel material.  It was built to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the reign of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2006.

AirVuz contributor 187video brings us this excellent drone video of one of the most recognized modern landmarks of Thailand: the Great Buddha of Phuket.  The seated Maravija Buddha statue is located near the town of Chalong, on the island's southeastern shore along the Andaman Sea.  Constructed beginning in 2004, the Gautama depicting structure stands 148 ft. (45 m) tall and is made with concrete and covered with Burmese white marble.  Funded with private donations, it's the country's third-tallest statue as of 2023.  

Check out this stunning drone video of a tiny island in Southern Thailand called Koh Mook.  The island is located a bit to the south of the more well-known (and crowded) areas around Krabi and Phuket.  It lies just off the coast of the Hat Chao Mai National Park in the Trang Province, which is the province immediately to the south of the Krabi province.  While it's a bit less accessible than spots around Phang Nga Bay and other more well-trod beach districts, once you watch the video you'll see it's worth it! 

Earth4two combined drone footage, ground camera footage, and some excellent editing and narration to produce this video showing us their top seven spots from the fabled province of Krabi in Southern Thailand, which covers the eastern side of Phang Nga Bay (opposite Phuket) and includes a number of islands.  Without further ado, here is their list: (7) Nang Beach, (6) Koh Phi Phi Don, (5) Tiger Cave Temple, (4) Koh Pak Bia, (3) Koh Lao Lading, (2) Ao Phra Nang Beach, and (the winner) (1) Bamboo Island.

Get a rare first person view (FPV) drone look at a famous movie filming location in Thailand, compliments of AirVuz contributor CTT Channel.  The tiny island of Ko Ta Pu, a pillar of karst limestone which vaguely resembles a pineapple, is located just 130 ft. (around 40 m) from the somewhat larger island of Khao Phing Kan in Phang Nga Bay, northeast of the island of Phuket.   The pair of islands played a starring role as the hideout of villain Francisco Scaramanga in the 1974 James Bond classic, the Man with the Golden Gun.  

Check out this drone video of a legendary island in Southern Thailand, compliments of Ki Rill.  Ko Pha-ngan is located in the Gulf of Thailand, which separates the Malay Peninsula from the "mainland" of Thailand.  It's situated in the Surani Province, well to the south of Phuket and Phang Nga Bay.  Ko Pha-ngan is best known for its month-long Full Moon Party, as well as the setting for the Alex Garland's groundbreaking 1996 novel the Beach, subsequently made into a major motion picture starring Leonard di Caprio.

The island of Phuket in the southern part of Thailand is often ranked amongst the world's top beach destinations.  In this drone video by AirVuz contributor Serj Limitless, you'll get a mini aerial tour of storied Phuket.  Shot with a DJI Air 2S drone, the video features a number of stunning hyperlapse sequences.  At about the :17 mark, you'll fly over a fireworks show, and at the :23 mark you'll buzz the famous The Great Buddha of Phuket.  Other highlights include glorious shots of hidden beaches, winding roads, sailboats, and more. 

DroneHeroes created this magnificent video from one of the lesser-known islands of Southern Thailand. It's called Koh Lipe, and it's part of the Adang-Rawi Archipelago in the Malacca Strait. The island is located near the southern extent of Thai waters; it's actually a bit closer to the Malaysian island of Langkawi than it is to the Thai mainland. Home to a tremendous variety of tropical fish, it's considered one of the world's best snorkeling spots. The islands are part of the Satun province.

See the stunning and exotic Thavorn Beach Village Resort & Spa in Kamala Beach on the island of Phuket, Thailand from above in this drone video by hyatt_films. This special Director’s Cut of the property was shot on the Fujifilm XT3, DJI Mavic Pro 2 and Inspire 2 with the Zenmuse X7. Phuket is known for its beaches, the most well known of which are situated along the western shore of the island. The high-end Andaman Sea seaside resorts, spas and restaurants are all favorites amongst travelers here.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot ironvanden_fpv earned a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in April of 2023 with this fantastic FPV drone video of Ko Phi Phi Le in tropical Thailand.  Somewhat less known than its sister island of Ko Phi Phi Don, which lies to its north, Ko Phi Phi Le is the second-largest of the Phi Phi Islands, an archipelago in the Andaman Sea in the southern province of Krabi.   Ko Phi Phi Le covers about 2.5 square mi. (just under 7 square km).  

Ko Yao Noi is the second-largest of the islands in Thailand's Phang Nga Bay, the body of water which separates the provinces of Phuket and Krabi.  Ko Yao Noi lies just to the north of the somewhat larger (and better-known) Ko Yao Yai; the two islands together are known as the Ko Yao Islands.  In this drone video by CMY.MEDIA, you'll get some great views from the northwestern coast of Ko Yao Noi.  Here, you can see what Phang Nga Bay is most famous for - numerous, tiny islands, most of which are uninhabited.  

Check out these glorious aerial views of Thailand's Hong Island (Koh Hong), compliments of contributor and drone pilot CTT Channel.  The small island is located in the Andaman Sea, in the southern province of Krabi.  It's situated just to the east of the much larger islands of Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi.  Like many of the islands of Southern Thailand, Koh Hong features numerous hidden cove beaches, lagoons, tall basalt rock formations, and deep blue-green waters.  The video includes some impressive first person view (FPV) drone footage   

Explore the fabled province of Krabi in Southern Thailand in this excellent drone video by CTT Channel, which includes extensive FPV drone footage.  The first stop is tiny Hong Island, which lies between the mainland and the larger island of Ko Yao Noi in the Andaman Sea.  Then you'll fly over the Tiger Cave Temple, which is located a short distance northeast of the town of Krabi.  Starting at about the 2:20 mark, you'll see the famous Railay Beach.  Other featured locations include Thale Waek (2:45), Ao Nang (3:17), and more.    

Check out this amazing drone video from one of the most unusual sights in Southern Thailand, compliments of contributor and pilot dronevfx.  The subject of the video is the "floating village" of Ko Panyi in the Phang Nga Province, at the head of the body of water known as Phang Nga Bay.  The village doesn't actually "float"; rather, it's built on stilts.  Believed to be built by Malay nomads sometime in the 18th century, the village is currently home to over 350 families and has a total population exceeding 1.6k.  

With its stunning limestone islands that rise almost vertically out of the sea, Thailand's Phang Nga Bay is home to some of the most iconic scenery in Southeast Asia.  Situated between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Malay Peninsula, this inlet of the Andaman Sea "played the role" of Planet Kashyyyk in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).  Check out the famous bay from a totally new perspective in this first person view (FPV) video by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot Livyu FPV.

Check out this stunning 4k drone lapse of Thailand's Koh Lipe island, compliments of DroneEyePerspective.  Koh Lipe sits just north of the entrance to the Malacca Strait, which separates the southern Malay Peninsula from the giant Indonesian island of Sumatra.  The island is part of Satun, the southernmost of the Thai provinces on the western side of the peninsula.  It's far less known than the beach destinations which lie to its north, such as namely those found in the provinces of Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi.  

Thailand is home to the world's second largest Buddhist population (after China), so it's no surprise that the country hosts a treasure trove of temples and pagodas from the world's third largest religion.  Some are old, some are of modern vintage, and some are very new like the Wat Bang Thong temple in the town of Ao Leuk in the (southern) Krabi province.  Actually, it's not quite finished yet, but it's close.  You can get a great aerial view of the temple in this drone video by contributor CMY.MEDIA.  

Here's an outstanding aerial view of a fabled beach in Southern Thailand, compliments of top contributor 70daysaroundtheworld.  Railay Beach is located on the western side of a peninsula of the same name in the province of Krabi.  Facing southwest towards the Andaman Sea, the beach sits on a crescent-shaped shallow bay just above the peninsula's tip.  Accessible only by boat due to the giant rock formations which form its northern and southern ends, Railay showed up in the #9 spot in a recent US News ranking of the world's best beaches.