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 Hoards
of families come to Patong every year and the Thai people are without
equal when it comes to welcoming and caring for kids of all ages.
This means that kids can come and go with their parents as most
hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions are kid friendly. Most
families come to enjoy the beach, the food and the colourful friendly
atmosphere of Patong both by day and by night. For this reason,
there are few activities and attractions that specifically cater
for kids, simply because kids and their parents usually find that
they can enjoy their holiday activities together.
For those inevitable occasions when parents want to venture out
by themselves and leave the youngsters in good hands however, most
major hotels offer organised activities catering specifically for
younger age groups, and good reliable child minding is also readily
available at most hotels.
Here we provide a rundown of some activities your kids (and you!)
might enjoy, should sun, surf, sand and eating not be quite enough
fun.
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Take a trip over to the Phuket Zoo off Chao Fa Road East at
Chalong, which offers close-up encounters with Thai animals.
See crocodile shows, elephant shows and monkey shows, as well
as tigers, birds, snakes and other wildlife. The zoo is open
daily from 8.30-18.00 hours, with regular shows staring from
about 9.00a. until 5.30pm.
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Visit the Butterfly Garden and Aquarium just north of Phuket
Town, open 9.00 am - 5.00pm daily, or The Phuket Aquarium at
Cape Panwa.
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Take an elephant ride at Phuket Elephant Village - located along
the road between Patong and Kata Beach, or contact Siam Safari
for half day elephant treks fun for all the family.Tel: 280116/
Fax: 280107.
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Take in the Snake Show at the Phuket Shooting Range in Chalong.
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Head over to Kata and Kata Beach to Dino Park, where the miniature
golf and amusement park will help while away a good half day.
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Take in some horseriding at the Phuket Riding Club in Chalong
or Phuket Laguna Riding Club in the north of Phuket.
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Go visit the Gibbon
Rehabilitation Project at Bang Pae Waterfall in Talang.
The project is open from 10.00am to 4.00pm every day, and you
can also take in the Bang Pae Waterfall while you're there.
Tel: 260 491 -2 Fax: 260 492 or check out their website for
more information.
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Go hiking or trekking with a local tour company such as Adventure
Safaris.
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Visit the The Patong Go-kart Speedway - open every day of the
week from 10:00am to nightfall within easy reach of Patong.
Here you can reach high speeds as you race against others on
a real challenging 600m-stretched racing track. Single and double
karts are available and there's floodlighting for evening races.
A car park and restaurant with ice cool refreshments and snacks
are also available.
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For big kids, try the Catapult Bungy Jump - a reverse bungy,
or a catapult - the latest concept in aerial thrills. The jumper
wears a body harness similar to that of para-sailing instead
of having his ankle strapped. This reverse action taxes the
nerves less, as you need not jump off a platform. Instead you
will be fastened to the ground while the elastic cord is stretched
and then you are catapulted from the ground to a height of 33
meters before you "yo-yo" on the elastic cord. Located at the
end of Soi Sunset by the Expat Hotel in Patong.
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Let your daughter (or younger sister!) be the envy of her friends
and neighbours when she returns home with funky braided and
beaded hair done in exotic Patong. Braiding and beading is carried
out on the beach during high season, and many of Patong's beauty
shops will do it for very little cost (a good way to keep youngsters
occupied while you enjoy a massage or manicure!). Best of all,
braided hair will keep looking good for up to a week or more
even after hectic days in the sun and surf, and it's easy to
wash too.
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Or why not get a fake tattoo for you and your kids?! Guaranteed
not to last more than 2 weeks, henna tattos are great fun for
kids. Tatto artist stalls are located along Beach Road and most
have design books which feature hundreds of motifs to choose
from. Dependent on the complexity of the design, a tattoo might
cost 200 Baht and take 10-20 minutes.
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Go Ten-pin bowling at Ocean Shopping Plaza in Phuket Town or
Ocean Bowl Patong.
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Visit Laguna
Phuket Resort's Camp Laguna - fun for ages 8 to 18. Full
and half day programs provide a variety of activities including
rock climbing, high ropes, frisbee, golf course, beach games,
volleyball, scavenger hunts, orienteering, soccer, low ropes
activities, sailing and canoeing, swimming, sand art, batik,
painting masks, banana leaf crafts and papermaking.
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Rent or buy some snorkel equipment and head down to Kalim Beach
(northern end of Patong) for some snorkeling.
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Take the kids on a sea canoe trip.
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If your kids are 14+, take them on a scuba diving course, or
sailing course.
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Organise a fishing trip (taking care to go with a reputable
service that provides adequate safety precautions).
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Take the whole family over to Kamala Beach to see the Phuket
FantaSea cultural theme show.
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