The Phuket Seashell Museum in Rawai displays a collection of valuable seashells worldwide. Many are among the most sought-after by collectors, hailing from the waters of Phuket and Thailand. It is a great attraction that can entertain kids and adults on a rainy day in Phuket. The museum is very well organized and is located in the basement of a large building. It has four main exhibitions, all with information in English and Thai.
The Phuket Seashell Museum in Rawai houses an impressive collection of 2,000 seashells. With tours in English and Thai, it’s worth a visit to see the many rarities on display, including the world’s largest golden pearl, sediment clams, and tiger snails.
The Phuket Seashell Museum is a well-designed and presented museum of seashells and fossils. It is air-conditioned, and the exhibits are informative and exciting as they are well-described and categorized. All visitors will learn and discover something. The collection includes shells from all corners of the world. Some highlights include a giant clam, a smooth white Indian chank clam, a pretty colored clam, a grooved clam, and an array of historical fossils.
An on-site gift shop also sells shells, beads, unique shell jewelry, and books. Phuket Seashell Museum has a large car park and is easy to find as it is on the main Visit Road, Highway 4024, in Rawai.
Phuket Seashell Museum highlights
The museum’s impressive collection of shells includes noble volutes (a heavy body with various patterns), tiger shells, and murex with a strong spine. There are also some rare curiosities and bodies, including the world’s largest golden pearl (140 carats), large stretches of sedimentary rock containing shell fossils representing the oldest life forms on earth, and a shell that weighs the most! Whopping 250 kg! Many exciting gifts and souvenirs on the ground floor are worth visiting. No further than the museum gift shop, which is quite large and covers the entire area. Products include shell carvings for interior decoration, shell trinkets,
keychains, shell mobiles, and many more shell arts and crafts.
The Phuket Seashell Museum also houses a variety of pearl objects, such as necklaces, rings, and earrings, as well as mother-of-pearl tableware, including spoons, forks, and knives. Prices vary.
Good to know about Phuket Seashell Museum
He opened in 1997, and the museum houses around 2,000 species of shells. They are all the labor of love of museum owner Somchai Patamakanthin and his brothers. They spent the last 3-4 decades building the vast collection. Somchai passed his “hobby” on to his son Jom, who has become one of Thailand’s leading shell collectors. To get to the Phuket Seashell Museum, drive from Chalong Circle to Rawai, and the museum will be on the right.
