Planning a Khao Lak fight night

Where Khao Lak is

Strictly, Khao Lak is a small village in Phang Nga province, south of Lak Mountain. The name means main mountain, after a peak that ancient seafarers used as a landmark on the way into harbour. Tour operators use the name for a whole string of beach villages along the Andaman Sea about 60 kilometres north of Phuket, mostly in Takua Pa district. Taken together, the beaches run for around 25 kilometres, from Nang Thong and Bang Niang to Khuk Khak and Bang Sak, and all of them are public.

Getting to the stadium

The ticket includes no transport, so you go directly to the stadium on your own. A taxi or a car booked through your hotel is the simplest option: agree the fare before you set off and arrange the return at the same time. Songthaews, pickup trucks with two benches along the back, work as shared taxis in Thailand and suit a short hop between beach villages. Whatever you choose, have the ride home settled before the card starts, and keep your hotel's name and address on your phone for the driver.

Arriving from Phuket airport

Phuket International Airport lies 32 kilometres north of Phuket city, in Thalang district. A private transfer between the airport and Khao Lak hotels is about ninety minutes on the road and can be booked from the cards on the home page, priced per vehicle for up to four people, with the driver tracking your flight. If you land on a fight night, leave enough time to check in, eat and change before you head to the stadium.

Choosing your night and season

Fights are on two nights a week; the calendar marks the open dates and gives a start time for each. The dry months, November to April, are Khao Lak's main tourist season, and the monsoon runs from May to October. Because the fights are indoors and air-conditioned, the season matters less for fight night than for a boat trip. Avoid booking the card the night before an early pickup for a day tour.

Before the first bout

Eat before you go, since food is not included and leaving to eat may cost you your place: re-entry may not be allowed. Bring your voucher on a charged phone or printed, money for drinks and snacks, and a light layer for the air-conditioning. Walk in a good half hour before the first bout, so you are seated in time for the wai khru ram muay that opens each fight, and so you can find your row without hurrying.

Read next: The wai khru ram muay explained

Getting home after the last bout

Re-entry may not be allowed once you leave, so treat walking out of the stadium as the end of your evening. If you came by taxi, ask your hotel to book the return for the end of the card or keep the driver's number; if you came by songthaew, agree the ride back before the card starts. Keep some money aside for the trip home, and keep your phone charged for it as well as for the voucher you show at the entrance.

A coast with a long past

The area was once known as Takola, and finds dating back about 1,400 years show it was a trading post on the ancient maritime silk route. Much later, for the first half of the 1900s, the district was an important tin-dredging area. Khao Lak was the stretch of Thailand's coast hardest hit by the tsunami of 26 December 2004, and an early-warning system has since been installed along the shore. Today tourism is the region's main source of income.