Phang Nga Bay: Koh Panyee – A Thai Fishing Village On Stilts

Against a dramatic backdrop of sheer limestone cliffs rising out of Phang Nga Bay off the northeast coast of Phuket in southern Thailand, a web of narrow boardwalks and rickety jetties link Koh Panyee (or Ko Panyi) into a compact fishing village on stilts. 

Simple buildings with contrasting colorful roofs and wooden plank walls painted or left the rustic shades of nature, cozily nudge each other, perched above the shallow water on timber stilts sunk in the seabed.

Houses, shops, cafés and eateries cram together along a maze of wobbly walkways. Open-fronted seafood restaurants line the waterside and corrugated iron shacks reflect a mosaic of muted tin tones on the briny surface. Market stalls display sarongs, shell trinkets and other souvenirs as well as fruit, vegetables, dried fish and other wares for daily living. 

Koh Panyee School with playground and football pitch sits right on the water’s edge and a mosque with golden domes, still under construction, is sprouting up on the small area of dry land under the limestone cliff.

Koh Panyee

Stilted houses on Koh Panyee

Mosque and floating houses on Koh Panyee

Colorful roofs of stilted houses

Floating seafood restaurants with a sea view

Approaching Koh Panyee in our long-tail boat

Colorful floating houses, boats and fish traps

Close-up of long-tail boat engine moored at Koh Panyee

I’ve read that three nomadic fisherman families left Indonesia in search of a new home around 200 years ago, agreeing to plant a flag on the highest landmark to signal they’d discovered a place to settle. When they found bountiful fishing off a tiny limestone island, they raised a flag on the cliff top.

So, it became known as Koh Panyee meaning Flag Island and inhabitants of this Muslim fishing village today are descendants of these families. Traditionally surviving off the fishing trade, tourism has more recently become a major part of the economy.

On a recent long-tail boat trip around Phang Nga Bay including a quick stop at James Bond Island, we also visited Koh Panyee. This was my second visit after about 15 years.

We arrived early to miss the boatloads of tourists having lunch at the waterside seafood restaurants and explored village life beyond before having an early lunch ourselves there.

View from Koh Panyee walkway

Local woman mending fishing nets outside her home

Golden domes of new mosque

Typical local restaurant behind tourist seafood restaurants

Woman threading strings of locally farmed pearls to sell on souvenir stalls

Another typical local restaurant

Stall selling varieties of dried fish mixed with chilies

Close-up of dried fish mixed with chilies

Food stall

Houses on stilts

Houses on stilts

Potted flowering orchids and bougainvillea adorn floating houses

Poster of mosque construction

Washing line behind mosque construction site

Fish drying in the sun

Mosque under construction & satellite dishes

Poster of mosque in outside kitchen area

Boat engine & fishing paraphernalia by the water

Between floating houses

Washing line, bird cage & life between floating houses

Colorful tin mosaic of floating shack on stilts

Fishing long-tail boat moored off floating raft used for storing fish traps & fish in nets in the water

Long-tail boats moored outside restaurants

Lone long-tail boat moored at end of jetty while boatman waits in the shade of an umbrella

Moored long-tail boats against a backdrop of limestone karsts

Take a look at Jamie’s Phuket blog post about Koh Panyee for another perspective. At the end is a video worth checking out. In Jamie’s words “Finally – a video (actually an ad for a bank) which features Koh Panyee. The story of the kids on Koh Panyee starting their own football team, despite the lack of a pitch to play on! Nice story – great scenery!”

Also, for photos of a community built on stilts over the sea in Malaysia, check out my post Penang Snapshots: George Town’s Clan Jetties and for another island in the area Phang Nga Bay: Ko Yao Noi.