Thailand islands

TARUTAO NATIONAL PARK

General Impressions: Tarutao National Park offers a reasonably good balance of short rain forest hikes with water activities. Tarutao National Park was not nearly as impressive as Surin or Similan National Parks, but it is definitely still worth a visit. We were not impressed with the policy of allowing domestic animals at the various camps (cats, dogs, roosters).

ACCESS: Pak Bara is the main jumping off point. Direct buses from Hat Yai or jump off any Satun-trang bus at La-Gnu and take a “songthaew” to Pak Bara. Morning ferry departures at 10:00 am go to Tarutao and onto Adang/Lipe the 3:00 pm boat goes as far as Tarutao Island only. Price is 800B return to Adang/Lipe (via Tarutao). Accommodation and basic shopping is available in Pak Bara. A more limited ferry service was also running direct to and from Satun.

BITING INSECTS: many of the Tarutao beaches have small black sandflies which appear when the wind drops. We encountered few mosquitoes.

DRINKING WATER: The larger national park islands all have good drinking water sources (clean streams) so there is no need to purchase bottled water (ask staff about the water).

TARUTAO ISLAND: This large mountainous and forested island has tents for rent at the main camp at Ao Pante Malacca for 200B. Bungalows are available, starting at 600B. Camping is excellent (along the beach) and good, reasonably priced restaurant food is available. It is easy to form a group to share the boat cost to visit “Crocodile Cave” (recommended). It is a nice beach at Ao Pante but we encountered many jellyfish stingers and stayed out of the water in February 2003. It’s a nice walk to Ao Sone beach (also camping, small restaurant, very quiet), partly along the beach and partly on the road through rain forest. Ao Sone is a 3km long beach (good walking surface many stingers encountered in the water). Walk to Lu Du waterfalls was very rewarding (nice pools). Anyone traveling on bicycle would do well bringing the bike out to Tarutao Island to use the road system (park vehicles only). Snorkeling is acknowledged to be poor off of Tarutao.

KOH ADANG: the spacious Laem Son camp also rents out large tents for 200B. Fees for own tent is the same as on Tarutao, 20B/person. Long house accommodation looked OK. Food was also reasonably priced, variable quality but generally very good. It was a quiet camp except on week-ends and Thai holidays (there were apparently 12 visitors on Christmas Day 2002). Whilst snorkeling is very good in the Adang- Rawi- Lipe area, we experienced very poor visibility (5-8 metres only) in February 2003. Poor visibility was caused by high winds but it improved to 25 metres before we left. The area also suffers from heavy fishing pressures. The better snorkeling locations are accessed by long tail boat. Hire costs 1,000B for a 6 hour trip, maximum 8; groups can be formed in the restaurant or around the information kiosk in the mornings. Half day charters cost 500B: Tapian bay on the NE coast of Adang was excellent snorkeling. Transfers to Koh Lipe cost 30B/person. There is a 45 walking minute trail to the “Pirate” waterfall (recommended).

KOH RAWI: Camping is possible at either ranger station with no facilities, though fresh water is available. Access is by long tail boat for 500B or on snorkeling trips. The eastern camp offers very good snorkeling and is visited by the standard snorkeling day trip so it can be busy during the day. The less visited western camp (Ao Ta Loh Palien) is very quiet; nice beach, rainforest, bathing pool in stream, hammocks and picnic table (shaded). There was no radio service at the western camp, so you should pre-arrange return pick-up. Bring your own food and stove, though it would be possible to use ranger’s charcoal cooker.

KOH LIPE: sometimes written Koh Lipeh. Just 2 km south of Koh Adang is the small resort island. It offers nice beaches, a nice clean village and a sometimes funky atmosphere. Acommodation looked best at Andaman Resort and possibly at Porn Bungalows. Food was great at “Pooh Restaurant”. Getting good accommodation might be tricky during the tourist peak times; book ahead if you can.

SEA KAYAKING: the Adang- Rawi area appear to offer good bring-your-own sea kayaking opportunities; reasonable distances between islands, camping possible, fresh water streams and fishing was allowed.

TRANG AREA

General comment: We’ve heard good things bout the islands west of Trang , for instance Koh Mook. We visited Koh Mook in 2006 and enjoyed our stay there; food was excellent, accomodation costs reasonable, snorkeling was fair (poor viz). Inquire at travel agents in Trang. We tried to stay on Koh Kradan in April 2009 but it was too choppy for long tail boats and we ended up staying 3 days on Koh Mook. We saw very little change in three years.

KRABI AREA

General Comment: Krabi town is a good base to visit the very touristy nearby limestone coastal area. Ao Nang beach is a tourist trap. Koh Pipih is beautiful, relatively expensive and over-run by tourists. Those who visit the Pipih islands recommend them but we could not summon the courage to face mass tourism. Koh Lanta also gets positive reviews and nearby Koh Rok has some excellent snorkeling.

SIMILAN ISLANDS

GENERAL IMPRESSION: Highly recommended.

ACCESS: A half dozen of so private speed boat operators provide daily access to the islands all leaving Thap Lamu around 8:30 am, returning in the afternoon. Open return tickets cost 1500-1800B. Accommodation in Thap Lamu is available at the Park Office (500 metres before the main pier) for 100B/person or in nearby private bungalows (300b). Small shops operate around the main pier for last minute supplies.

ACCOMMODATION: Own tent camping ( 40b/person), tent rentals (300B) and stuffy longhouses are available at Island #8. While the setting of Island #8 is very good, we found the camp to be dark, claustrophobic and the kitchen foul (smells wafted through the camp) and much preferred the more open Island #4. Own tents are not permitted on Island #4, so tent rental, longhouse or bungalows are the remaining options on Island #4. Whilst 4000B is a little steep for a large tent rental by Thai standard, it is worth every Baht to stay on Island #4. Food on Island #4 is fine.

SCUBA DIVING: Live-on-boats are the normal way to visit the Similan Islands. however a small dive shop operates on Island #4. park staff will also allow visitors to communicate with off-shore dive boats to arrange day trips while staying on the islands. The standard rate was 1000B per dive plus 500B for equipment rental. “East of Eden” is widely acknowledged as the best overall dive site.

SNORKELING: excellent-very good snorkeling is found around both island camps. We often swam across the 300 metre channel from Island #4 to islands #5/6 and had very good sightings of sharks, turtles, rays, etc on the NE side of 5/6 (Barracuda Point). We had 30 metre visibility in late January. Whilst the coral is less developed than Surin Islands, we saw mere fish and exotics in the Similan Islands.

LONG TAIL BOATS: transfers between Island #4 and #8 cost 50B/person while daily excursions from Islands #4 & 8 are available to to other islands.

HIKING: Island #8 offers a 2 hour (one way) hike over the top of the island and down a step trail to the Eastern shore (snorkeling) in addition to the short look-out paths around camp. Island #4 offers 2 short trails to view points. All are recommended.

SURIN ISLANDS

GENERAL IMPRESSION: Highly recommended. The park is beautiful, unspoiled, well managed with exceptional snorkeling. We visited the park in February 2006; the 2004 Tsunami impact on reefs was minor.

ACCESS: From Khuraburi Pier. Khuraburi is 140km south of Ranong. The pier is 2km off the main road, 6km north of Khuraburi. Daily slow boat (4 hrs, 1000B return 1100B in feb 2006) and a fast boat (2hours, 1600B return) leave the pier at 9:00 am daily. Accommodation and basic shopping is available in Khuraburi town and at the pier. The pier village has a better atmosphere than the town. Tent and snorkeling equipment rental is available in Khuraburi.

ACCOMMODATION: At main camp, options are own tent 40b/person, 300B tent rentals and always-full bungalows and in the future longhouse, which were under construction when we were there. Nearby Ao Mai Ngam offered tents only. Both spots are beautiful, food options were more varied at HQ camp; we preferred the HQ camp. Tent sites are close together at both camps (limited space) but there is enough room to spread out during the day.

FOOD: Restaurant food was good and prices were reasonable for the location. Fixed meals for two had enough food to feed four people so form a group. Hot water was available mornings so you can bring your own coffee, tea and cups if you wish.

SNORKELING: the park organized daily morning and afternoon boat trips to excellent snorkeling sites each day (50B per person per half day 60B in 2006). Highly recommended access to excellent snorkeling sites.

HIKING: short trail between both camps and an un-maintained trail east of HQ provide the limited walking opportunities.

KOH PHAYAM

GENERAL IMPRESSION: Very good value quiet beach island. Long, wide sand beaches. However, we were munched badly by black sand flies and stung by stingers in the water and stayed only 3 days.

ACCESS: from Ranong pier. 9;00 am and afternoon (2:00 pm?) departures. 150B each way.

ACCOMMODATIONn: very good value on either of the two beaches. We stayed at coconut Bungalows on the main beach and paid 200b for a wooden bungalow with attached bath. Good Food.

KOH CHANG ARCHIPELAGO (TRAT PROVINCE)

The rains generally finish earlier in this are so this area is an attractive option in November through to mid-December.

ACCESS: Trat is well served by buses (Bangkok Eastern terminal) and mini buses running from Khao San road in Bangkok. While not a necessary overnight stop, Trat is interesting and offers a few guesthouses. Accommodation is also at the nearby pier (Laem Ngop).

BITING INSECTS: Mosquitoes were encountered at dusk in and around toilet blocks. Otherwise, they were not an issue. Mosquito nets are standard at most bungalows. The area has a malarial risk.

KOH CHANG: the island has seen drastic changes since our previous visit in 1992. Sealed roads, bank machines, bars, crammed in bungalows lacking good taste are indicators that Koh Chang has been discovered and is well traveled. we did find a small oasis of sanity at the north end of White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Kao) in the form of the White Sand Beach Resort. Our basic 250B (shared toilet) was right on the beach and the clear, placid water was ideal for swimming. Bungalows with attached toilets were 500B. There was no road immediately behind the quiet beach section, only rainforest. the restaurant food was OK (not great) but the rest of the beach scene was a 15 minute walk away. Access is by direct (resort) boat that runs most days from the Laem Gnop pier at 3:00 PM or the standard boat – “sonthaew” – walk combination. We did some snorkeling around the northern rocks (fair) but were too lazy to do any hiking. Most of the western side of Koh chang is busy. There are a few quieter spots on the South Eastern sections of the island (access by boat) but they would not hold most people’s interest for very long.

KOH WEI: Just south of Koh Chang lies another world. Good (although not great) snorkeling is off the beach. Two bungalow operations contrast each other. Paradise bungalows is a farang (foreigner) hang-out with many long stayers (almost a clique atmosphere), excellent beach, good food and nice wooden bungalows (share toilets). The very popular bungalows are about 200B and often require a wait of several days to get a sea front bungalow. Paradise Bungalows feels like a throw-back to Koh Samui, circa 1985. The Pakarang bungalows (15 minute walk away) has comfortable attached toilet bungalows for 250B. Food is fine nice people and it has more of a Thai atmosphere but the beach is not as nice. The owner organizes occasional snorkeling trips to Koh Rang (excellent). Access to the relaxed, enjoyable Koh Wei is via the daily 3:00 pm ferry from Laem Gnop (150B) or by the Island Hopper from the South-Western end of Koh Chang (also 150B).

 KOH MAHK: another option to the over-developed Koh chang.

KOH KUT: we met people who really enjoyed a stay on Koh Kut.

OTHER GULF OF SIAM ISLANDS

We have not been to Koh Samui or Koh Phangam since the mid 1980’s. Most people visiting Koh Samui remark on the relatively high costs. Koh Phangam is the place to party (some quieter spots in the north) and Koh Tao is the cheap place to learn to dive, though diving is much better on the Similan or Surin Islands.

KHAO SAN ROI YOT NATIONAL PARK

We were disappointed with our visit; no coastal walking getting around was awkward, heaps of mosquitoes at Hat Sam Phraya and many shrimp farms. Interesting for keen birders but not of much interest for casual visitor.

An excellent site for information on Thai islands (and some on Bali) is Tezza's Thai Islands Site