The north in a day: Buddhas, rainforest and Sarasin Bridge

The north is Phuket before the tourists: temples people actually pray in, forest that never got cut, and the island's longest beach with nobody on it. It all fits one day, if you follow the sun.

Morning: the two Buddhas of Thalang

Start at Wat Srisoonthorn — the 29-metre reclining Buddha is visible from the road. Then Wat Phra Thong and its half-buried golden Buddha: legend says misfortune found everyone who tried to dig it out, so nobody does. Mornings are cool and the services are on.

Midday: the last rainforest

Khao Phra Thaeo is what the whole island was before the rubber plantations. One national-park ticket (200 ฿) covers both waterfalls: Ton Sai by the entrance with its swimming hole, and Bang Pae, home to the gibbon rehabilitation centre — you hear them long before you see them. On a hot day the forest runs five degrees cooler.

Evening: Mai Khao and Sarasin Bridge

Mai Khao is twelve kilometres of empty sand along the airport fence: the planes come in right overhead, and that alone is worth the drive. The finale is Sarasin Bridge, the gate to the mainland — a promenade, street food, and a sunset over the strait that northerners will tell you is the island's best.

Why this order

Temples in the morning, before the heat and the buses. The forest at noon, because it is the one place on the island where noon is pleasant. The beach and the bridge for sunset: Mai Khao faces west, and Sarasin turns into a fair after dark.