It was a wonderful experience to see the Mangrove from a canoe, just like the temple and the waterfall were worth the trip. But we spent more than half the time driving on large country roads - in the back of a four-wheel drive. The only off road that was in the trip was on a 45 minute trip up the mountain to the trip we had to go, down to the waterfall.
In return, we had the best guide, who vividly told us about all the plants and animals we passed.
This trip is basically a group Taxi to the big Buddha and on to the market. The roads are really busy, it’s a circa 2hr trip 40 min between Buddha and market and 2hrs back. The Buddha is spectacular - but upstaged by the views over Phuket. There are a few bits around and about it, history, other statues - enough to while away an hour. The market is good without being exceptional. We spent a happy 4 hours there which was more than enough. Food choice was a bit sandy - lots of fried and not much spice. Usual stuff fake football shirts, Rolex etc. Have Thai market traders never heard of rugby. Missing a trick!
Not much off-road.