Ko Phi-Phi Leh

Rugged Phi-Phi Leh is the smaller of the two islands and is protected on all sides by soaring cliffs. Coral reefs crawling with marine life lie beneath the crystal-clear waters and are hugely popular with day-tripping snorkellers. Two gorgeous lagoons await in the island’s interior – Pilah on the eastern coast and Ao Maya on the western coast. In 1999 Ao Maya was controversially used as the setting for the filming of The Beach, based on the popular novel by Alex Garland. Visitor numbers soared in its wake.

At the northeastern tip of the island, Viking Cave (Tham Phaya Naak) is a big collection point for swifts’ nests. Nimble collectors scamper up bamboo scaffolding to gather the nests. Before ascending, they pray and make offerings of tobacco, incense and liquor to the cavern spirits. This cave gets its misleading moniker from 400-year-old graffiti left by Chinese fishermen.

There are no places to stay on Phi-Phi Leh and most people come here on one of the ludicrously popular day trips out of Phi-Phi Don. Tours last about half a day and include snorkelling stops at various points around the island, with detours to Viking Cave and Ao Maya. Long-tail trips cost 800B; by motorboat you’ll pay around 2400B. Expect to pay a 400B national park day-use fee upon landing.

It is possible to camp on Phi-Phi Leh through Maya Bay Camping ( 08 6944 1623; www.mayabaycamping.com; per person 2100B). It offers action-packed overnight trips that include kayaking, snorkelling, lunch, dinner, and sleeping bags under the stars.

Ko Lanta

pop 20,000

Long and thin, and covered in bleached-blonde tresses, Ko Lanta is Krabi’s sexy beach babe. The largest of the 50-plus islands in the local archipelago, this relaxing paradise effortlessly caters to all budget types with its west-coast parade of peach sand – each beach better than the next. The northern beaches are busy but fun, and things get more and more mellow the further south you go.

Ko Lanta is relatively flat compared to the karst formations of its neighbours, so the island can be easily explored by motorbike. A quick drive around reveals a colourful crucible of cultures – fried-chicken stalls sit below slender minarets, creaking chow lair villages dangle off the island’s side, and small Thai wát hide within green-brown tangles of curling mangroves.

Ko Lanta is technically called Ko Lanta Yai, the largest of 52 islands in an archipelago protected by the Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park. Almost all boats pull into Ban Sala Dan, a dusty two-street town at the northern tip of the island.

Sights

Ban Ko Lanta town

Halfway down the eastern coast, Ban Ko Lanta (Lanta Old Town) was the original port and commercial centre for the island, and provided a safe harbour for Arabic and Chinese trading vessels sailing between Phuket, Penang and Singapore. Some of the gracious and well-kept wooden stilt houses and shopfronts here are over 100 years old. Pier restaurants offer a fresh catch and have views over the sea. There’s a small afternoon market on Sundays, and if you’re looking for sturdy, attractive handmade leather goods, stop by Lanta Leather Offline map ( 08 5046 6410; 8am-8pm); for quality hammocks don’t miss Hammock House Offline map ( 0 4847 2012; www.jumbohammock.com; 10am-5pm), where you can also pick up its fabulous Lanta Biker’s Map full of off-the-beaten-path recommendations.

Chao Leh Museum museum

Offline map

(Ban Sanghka-U) If you crave information on culture, stop by this museum, where you’ll find a complex of traditionally lashed bamboo homes, engaging oil canvases and exhibits detailing their myths, music and ceremonies. To find it, look for the houseboat jutting from the hillside across the road from the sea.

Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park national park

(adult/child 400/200B) Established in 1990, this marine national park protects 15 islands in the Ko Lanta group, including the southern tip of Ko Lanta Yai. The park is increasingly threatened by the runaway development on the western coast of Ko Lanta Yai. The other islands in the group have fared slightly better – Ko Rok Nai is still very beautiful, with a crescent-shaped bay backed by cliffs, fine coral reefs and a sparkling white-sand beach. Camping is permitted on Ko Rok Nok and nearby Ko Haa, with permission from the national park headquarters. On the eastern side of Ko Lanta Yai, Ko Talabeng has some dramatic limestone caves that you can visit on sea-kayaking tours. The national-park fee applies if you visit any of these islands.

The national park headquarters is at Laem Tanod, on the southern tip of Ko Lanta Yai, reached by a steep and corrugated 7km dirt track from Hat Nui. There are some basic hiking trails and a scenic lighthouse, and you can hire long-tails here for island tours during the low season.

Tham Khao Maikaeo cave

Monsoon rains – pounding away at limestone cracks and crevices for millions of years – have created this complex of forest caverns and tunnels. There are chambers as large as cathedrals, thick with stalactites and stalagmites, and tiny passages that you have to squeeze through on hands and knees. There’s even a subterranean pool you can take a chilly swim in. Sensible shoes are essential, and total coverage in mud is almost guaranteed.

Tham Khao Maikaeo is reached via a guided trek through the jungle. A local family runs treks to the caves (with torches) for around 200B. The best way to get here is by rented motorcycle; alternatively most resorts can arrange transport.

Close by, but reached by a separate track from the dirt road leading to the marine national park headquarters, Tham Seua Offline map (Tiger Cave) also has interesting tunnels to explore; elephant treks run up here from Hat Nui.

Activities

Vacationers on Ko Lanta will be delighted to find that some of Thailand’s top spots are within arm’s reach. The best diving can be found at the undersea pinnacles called Hin Muang and Hin Daeng, about 45 minutes away. These world-class dive sites have lone coral outcrops in the middle of the sea, and act as important feeding stations for large pelagic fish such as sharks, tuna and occasionally whale sharks and manta rays. Hin Daeng is commonly considered to be Thailand’s second-best dive site after Richelieu Rock (Click here), near the Burmese border. The sites around Ko Haa have consistently good visibility, with depths of 18m to 34m, plenty of marine life and a cave known as ‘the Cathedral’. Lanta dive outfitters also run trips up to the King Cruiser Wreck, Anemone Reef and Ko Phi-Phi.

Trips out to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang cost around 5000B to 6000B, while trips to Ko Haa tend to be around 3500B to 4500B. PADI Open Water courses will set you back around 14,000B to 17,000B.

Numerous tour agencies along the strip can organise snorkelling trips out to Ko Rok Nok, Ko Phi-Phi and other nearby islands.

Scubafish diving

Offline map

( 0 7566 5095; www.scuba-fish.com) One of the best dive operations on the island, located at Baan Laanta Resort (Click here) on Ao Kantiang; there’s also a small second office at the Narima resort (Click here). Unlike some of the large and impersonal operators based in Ban Sala Dan, Scubafish runs personal and personable programs tailored to your needs, including the Liquid Lense underwater photography program. The three-day dive packages (9975B) are quite popular.

Other reliable dive companies include the following:

Blue Planet Divers diving

Offline map

( 0 7566 2724; www.blueplanetdivers.net; Ban Sala Dan) The only school that specialises in free-diving instruction.

Lanta Diver diving

Offline map

( 0 7568 4208; www.lantadiver.com; Ban Sala Dan)

Dive & Relax diving

Offline map

( 08 4842 2191; www.diveandrelax.com; Hat Phra Ae)

Courses

Time for Lime cooking

Offline map

( 0 7568 4590; www.timeforlime.net) On Hat Khlong Dao, this place has a huge, hip and professional moulded-concrete kitchen with plenty of room to run amok. It offers excellent cooking courses with a slightly more exciting selection of dishes than most cookery schools in Thailand; five-hour courses cost 1800B with substantial discounts if you take more than one class. Profits from the school finance Lanta Animal Welfare (Click here).

Sleeping

Ko Lanta is home to many long stretches of good-looking beach packed with accommodation. Some resorts close for the May-to-October low season; others drop their rates by 50% or even more. Resorts usually have their own restaurants and tour-booking facilities, which can arrange island snorkelling, massages, tours and motorcycle rental.

Hat Khlong Dao

This is an outstanding 2km stretch of white sand with no rocks, which makes it perfect for swimming. Unfortunately garbage does accumulate when the tides shift. Locals say it comes from Phi-Phi. And they say it disdainfully.

Costa Lanta hotel $$$

( 0 7566 8168; www.costalanta.com; r from 6200B; ) Incredibly Zen stand-alone abodes nestled in a garden shaded by coconut palms and laced with tidal canals at the north end of Hat Khlong Dao. Everything from the floors to the walls to the washbasins are polished concrete, and the barn doors of each cabana open on two sides to maximise air flow. The restaurant is stunning, as is the black spill-over pool on the edge of the sand. Discounts are available if booked through its website. Low-season rates are a steal.

Slow Down Villas Villa rental $$

Offline map

( 08 4999 6780; www.slowdownlanta.se, in Swedish; villas per week 25,000B; ) These nine mod, two- and three-bedroom wood-and-shingle villas are all about clean lines, open spaces, comfy beach living and family-style holidays. The website is only in Swedish but everyone’s welcome. The villas are privately owned by expats but can be rented by the week and month.

Maya Beach Resort hotel $$$

Offline map

( 0 7568 4267; mayalanta.com; r 4300B; ) Ignore that Best Western affiliation if you can, because this place has attractive, large, Ikea-chic rooms on two floors. There are louvred railings on the terrace, Buddhist shrines on the sand and a pool that blends with the nearby sea.

Ocean View Resort hotel $$

Offline map

( 0 7568 4089; www.oceanviewlanta.com; bungalows 1300-2900B; ) Large, remotely stylish, tiled bungalows with queen-sized beds, cable TV, hammocks on the porch and a seaside pool. The fabulous Mrs Oh is here to help.

Hat Phra Ae

A large travellers’ village has grown up along the extensive, sandy Hat Phra Ae (also called ‘Long Beach’), with fa·ràng -oriented restaurants, beach bars, internet cafes and tour offices.

Relax Bay hotel $$

Offline map

( 0 7568 4194; www.relaxbay.com; bungalows 1200-2500B; ) This gorgeous French-run place is spread out over a tree-covered headland by a small beach. Its wooden bungalows sit on stilts with large decks overlooking the bay and stunning sunsets. For a more unique experience sleep in a seaview luxury tent perched over the rocks on a wooden platform. And there’s an incredibly stylish, open-air bar and restaurant.

Sanctuary guest house $

Offline map

( 08 1891 3055; sanctuary_93@yahoo.com; bungalows 600-1200B) The original Phra Ae resort is still a delightful place to stay. There are artistically designed wood-and-thatch bungalows with lots of grass and a hippy-ish atmosphere that’s low-key and friendly. The restaurant offers Indian and vegetarian eats and the Thai usuals. It also holds yoga classes.

Hutyee Boat guest house $

Offline map

( 08 3633 9723; bungalows 350-400B) A hidden hippy paradise of big, solid bungalows with tiled bathrooms and minifridges in a forest of palms and bamboo. It’s just back from the beach behind Nautilus. The robed and skull-capped owner is the happiest sultan on earth.

Layana Resort hotel $$$

Offline map

( 0 7560 7100; www.layanaresort.com; bungalows 11,900-17,700B; ) Yes, it’s crowded with package tourists but the location between two un-built-up, natural parts of Long Beach and the fabulous palm-lined pool make them lucky to be here. Comfy and big hardwood rooms with soothing neutral decor make it that much nicer. Rack rates are steep but internet deals can make it a bargain.

Somewhere Else guest house $

Offline map

( 08 1536 0858; bungalows 400-1000B; ) Big octagonal bamboo huts grace a shady lawn right on a very social and lounge-worthy stretch of beach. Bathrooms are big and clean, as is the beachfront restaurant that serves Indian, Thai and European food. It’s not private but is a lot of fun.

Lanta Marina guest house $

Offline map

( 0 7568 4168; www.lantamarina.com; bungalows 500-800B; Nov-Apr; ) For something really cool, try these giant bungalows, which almost look like towering hay bales with wide porches. It has a tribal feel and is on a nice quiet part of the beach.

Hat Khlong Khong

This is thatched-roof, Rasta-bar bliss with plenty of beach volleyball games, moon parties and the occasional well-advertised mushroom shake. Still, it’s all pretty low-key and all ages are present. The beach goes on forever in either direction.

Bee Bee Bungalows guest house $

( 08 1537 9932; www.beebeebungalows; bungalows 400-800B; ) One of the best budget spots on the island, Bee Bee’s super-friendly staff care for a dozen creative bamboo cabins – every one is unique and a few are up on stilts in the trees. The on-site restaurant has a library of tattered paperbacks to keep you busy while you wait for your delicious Thai staples.

Lanta Darawadee hotel $$

Offline map

( 0 7566 7094; www.lantadarawadee.com; bungalows 1000-1600B; ) If you dig the Hat Khlong Khong scene but can’t live without air-con, here’s a great-value option right on the beach. It’s bland but the new, clean rooms have good beds, terraces, minifridges and TVs. Water is solar heated and rates include breakfast.

Hat Khlong Nin

After Hat Khlong Tob, the main road heading south forks: go left for the inland road, which runs to the east coast, go right for the country road hugs, which hugs the coastline for 14km to the tip of Ko Lanta. On the right fork the first beach is lovely, white Hat Khlong Nin. There are lots of small, inexpensive guest houses at the north end of the beach that are usually attached to restaurants – it’s easy to get dropped off here, then shop around for a budget place to stay.

Sri Lanta hotel $$

( 0 7566 2688; www.srilanta.com; cottages from 3000B; ) At the southern end of the beach, this decadent resort consists of minimalist, naturalistic wooden villas in wild gardens stretching from the beach to a landscaped jungle hillside. There’s a very stylish beachside area with a restaurant, infinity pool and private drapery-swathed massage pavilions. The resort strives for low environmental impact by using biodegradable products and minimising energy use and waste.

Andalay Resort hotel $$$

Offline map

( 0 7566 2699; www.andalaylanta.com; bungalows 5400B; ) Rooms here open onto porches perched above a lotus pond, which blends into the pool and sea. Inside find rose-coloured concrete floors, ceiling fan and air-con, built-in wood furnishings, satellite TV and wi-fi.

Hat Nui

There are several small, rocky beaches around here with upmarket places to stay.

Narima hotel $$

Offline map

( 0 7566 2668; www.narima-lanta.com; bungalows 2300-3700B; ) A castaway-feeling place with ever-so-slightly upscale bamboo bungalows featuring wood floors, simple tiled baths and wide verandahs. The resort overlooks its own sheltered nugget of white sand but the bungalows lack the quality you’d expect from the price tag.

Ao Kantiang

A superb sweep of sand backed by mountains is also its own self-contained village complete with mini-marts, internet cafes, motorbike rental and restaurants. Much of the beach here is undeveloped, although there are lots of sailboats and motorboats anchored in the bay. It’s far from everything. If you land here, don’t expect to move much.

Phra Nang Lanta hotel $$$

( 0 7566 5025; lanta@vacation village.co.th; studios 6000B; ) Gorgeous Mexican-style adobe-looking concrete studios are huge and straight off the pages of an architectural mag. Interiors are decorated with clean lines, hardwoods and whites accented with bright colours. Outside, flowers and foliage climb over bamboo lattice sunshades, and the pool and lush restaurant-bar look over the beautiful beach.

Baan Laanta Resort & Spa hotel $$$

Offline map

( 0 7566 5091; www.baanlaanta.com; bungalows from 3500B; ) Landscaped grounds wind around stylish wooden bungalows and a pool that drops off to a stretch of white sandy beach. The bungalows’ centrepiece is a futon-style bed on a raised wooden platform under a gauzy veil of mosquito netting.

Kantiang Bay View Resort hotel $$

Offline map

( 0 7566 5049; http://kantiangbay.net; bungalows 500-2000B; ) Choose between the cheap, rickety, not-exactly-spotless wooden-and-bamboo bungalows or the more expensive, candy-coloured tiled rooms with minifridge. The bamboo-clad restaurant serves decent, fa·ràng -friendly Thai dishes.

Ao Khlong Jaak

There’s a splendid beach here. The namesake waterfall is further inland.

Andalanta Resort hotel $$$

Offline map

( 0 7566 5018; www.andalanta.com; bungalows 2600-6900B; ) You’ll find beach-style, modern air-con bungalows (some with loft) and simple fan-cooled ones, and they all face the sea. The garden is a delight, there’s an ambient restaurant and the waterfall is just a 30- to 40-minute walk away.

Ao Mai Pai

La Laanta hotel $$$

( 0 7566 5066; www.lalaanta.com; bungalows 2800-6200B; ) Barefoot elegance at its finest. Owned and operated by a young, hip, English-speaking Thai–Vietnamese couple, this is the grooviest spot on the entire island. Thatched bungalows have polished-concrete floors, platform beds, floral-design motifs and decks overlooking a pitch of sand, which blends into a rocky fishing beach. Set down a rutted dirt road, it’s also the closest resort to the marine national park.

Laem Tanod

The road to the marine national park headquarters fords the klong (canal), which can get quite deep in the wet season.

Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park Headquarters Offline map ( in Bangkok 0 2561 4292; camping with own tent per person 30B, with tent hire 300-400B) The secluded grounds of the national park headquarters are a wonderfully serene place to camp. The flat camping areas are covered in shade and sit in the wilds of the tropical jungle. Out the front lie craggy outcroppings and the sounds of the ocean lapping up the rocks. There are toilets and running water, but you should bring your own food. You can also get permission for camping on Ko Rok or Ko Ha here. National park entry fees apply (Click here).

Ban Ko Lanta

There are a handful of inns open for business on Lanta’s oft-ignored, wonderfully dated and incredibly rich Old Town.

Mango House guest house $$

Offline map

( 0 7569 7181; www.mangohouses.com; suites 2000B-2500B; Oct-Apr) These 100-year-old Chinese teak pole houses and former opium dens are stilted over the harbour. The original time-worn wood floors are still intact, ceilings soar and the house-sized rooms are decked out with satellite TVs, DVD players and ceiling fans. The restaurant is just as sea-shanty chic and serves Thai and Western dishes with panache.

Sriraya guest house $

Offline map

( 0 7569 7045; r 500B) Sleep in a simple but beautifully restored, thick-beamed Chinese shophouse. Walls are black, sheets are white and the bathrooms are shared. Angle for the street-front balcony room that overlooks the old town’s ambient centre.

Eating

The best places to grab a bite are at the seafood restaurants along the northern edge of Ban Sala Dan. With tables on verandahs over water, they offer fresh seafood sold by weight (which includes cooking costs).

Beautiful Restaurant seafood $$

Offline map

( 0 7569 7062; Ban Ko Lanta; mains 100-200B) The best of Old Town’s seafood houses. Tables are scattered on four piers that extend into the sea. Fish is fresh and exquisitely prepared.

Lanta Seafood seafood $$

Offline map

( 0 7566 8411; Ban Sala Dan) The best of the seafood-by-weight options. Order the pla tod ka min – it’s white snapper rubbed with fresh, hand-ground turmeric and garlic then deep fried. It’s not oily, but it is smoky, spicy and juicy. Its steamed mussels are also divine.

Country Lao Thai $

Offline map

( 08 5796 3024; Ban Phra Ae; mains 80-180B) A huddle of bamboo umbrellas and thatched pagodas on the main road. You’ll endure the smooth jazz soundtrack for its house speciality: crispy papaya salad (150B). Green papaya shreds are battered and crispy fried. They’re served in a heap alongside a bowl of lime dressing swimming with peanuts, green beans and juicy cherry tomatoes. Your job: combine, devour.

Red Snapper fusion $$

Offline map

( 0 7885 6965; www.redsnapper-lanta.com; Ao Phra Ae; tapas/mains from 70/235B; dinner) A Dutch-run roadside tapas restaurant. The garden setting is romantic, and the duck breast with shitake mushrooms comes highly recommended.

Drunken Sailors fusion $$

Offline map

( 0 7566 5076; dishes 100-200B; Hat Nui; breakfast, lunch & dinner) This hip, ultra-relaxed, octagonal pad is smothered with beanbags. The coffee drinks are top-notch and go well with interesting bites like the chicken green curry sandwich.

Bai Fern Thai $

Offline map

( 0 7566 8173; Ban Sala Dan; mains 40-100B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) Cheap, tasty and authentic Thai salads, noodles and curry served over the water in a stilted dining room.

Drinking & Entertainment

During the high season Ko Lanta has some nightlife, but there are so many driftwood-style reggae bars along the west coast that it can become diluted. Low season is beyond mellow.

Same Same But Different bar $$

Offline map

( 08 1787 8670; Ao Kantiang; cocktails 200B; 8am-11pm) In a sweet seaside setting, you can sample tasty Thai cuisine and sip terrific cocktails beneath massive trees, thatched pagodas or in a bamboo chair sunk into the sand.

Moonwalk bar $$

Offline map

(Hat Phra Ae; cocktails 180B; 7am-11pm) A sprawling, thatched bar and restaurant that brings a little Thai funk back to what is becoming an increasingly plotted, planned and international island. Expect tasty cocktails, Jack Johnson in stereo and seafood barbecue in the high season.

Opium nightclub $$

Offline map

(Hat Phra Ae; from 6pm) This chic club has live music some nights, guest DJs and a big dance floor. It’s still the top party spot on Lanta.

Information

Ban Sala Dan has plenty of restaurants, mini-marts, internet cafes (1B per minute), travel agencies, dive shops and motorcycle rentals. There are five 7-Elevens spread along the island’s west coast – each one has an ATM.

Ko Lanta Hospital ( 0 7569 7085) The hospital is 1km south of Ban Ko Lanta (Old Town).

Police station ( 0 7569 7017)

Getting There & Away

Most people come to Ko Lanta by boat or air-con minivan. If you’re coming under your own steam, you’ll need to use the frequent vehicle ferries (motorcycle 20B, car/4WD 75/150B; 7am-8pm) between Ban Hua Hin and Ban Khlong Mak (Ko Lanta Noi) and on to Ko Lanta Yai.

Boat

There are two piers at Ban Sala Dan. The passenger jetty is about 300m from the main strip of shops; vehicle ferries leave from a second jetty that’s several kilometres further east.

There is one passenger ferry connecting Krabi’s Khlong Chilat pier with Ko Lanta. It departs from Ko Lanta at 8am (400B, two hours) and returns from Krabi at 11am. It also stops at Ko Jum (for the full 400B fare).

Boats between Ko Lanta and Ko Phi-Phi technically run year-round, although service can peter out in the low season if there are too few passengers. Ferries usually leave Ko Lanta at 8am and 1pm (300B, 1½ hours); in the opposite direction boats leave Ko Phi-Phi at 11.30am and 2pm. From Ko Phi-Phi you can transfer to ferries to Phuket.

From around 21 October through May, you can join a four-island snorkelling tour to the Trang Islands and hop off with your bags at any destination you choose (350B) – bring your swimsuit. Boats stop on Ko Ngai (two hours), Ko Muk (three hours) and Ko Kradan (four hours).

There are also several speedboats boats that go from Ko Lanta to the Trang Islands, the fastest being the Satun-Pak Bara Speedboat Club ( 0 7475 0389, 08 2433 0114; www.tarutaolipeisland.com), which stops in Ko Ngai (650B, 30 minutes), Ko Muk (900B, one hour) and Ko Bulone Leh (1600B, two hours) then continues to Ko Lipe (1900B, three hours).

Tigerline ( 08 1092 8800; www.tigerlinetravel.com), a high-speed ferry, runs between Ban Sala Dan on Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe (1400B, four hours), stopping at Ko Ngai (500B, 30 minutes), Ko Kradan (750B, 1½ hours) and Ko Muk (750B, two hours). The service leaves at 1pm. The next day the same boat makes the return trip from Ko Lipe, departing at 9am and arriving in Ban Sala Dan at noon.

Minivan

Minivans run year-round and are your best option from the mainland. Daily minivans to Krabi airport (280B, 1½ hours) and Krabi Town (250B, 1½ hours) leave hourly between 7am and 3.30pm. From Krabi, minivans depart hourly from 8am till 4pm. Minivans to Phuket (350B, four hours) leave every two hours or so, but are more frequent in the high season. There are also several daily air-con minivans to Trang (250B, 2½ hours) and less frequent services to Khao Lak (650B, six hours), Ko Samui (650B including boat ticket) and other popular destinations.

Getting Around

Most resorts send vehicles to meet the ferries – a free ride to your resort. In the opposite direction expect to pay 80B to 250B. Alternatively, you can take a motorcycle taxi from opposite the 7-Eleven in Ban Sala Dan; fares vary from 50B to 250B, depending on distance.

Motorcycles (250B per day) can be rented all over. Unfortunately, very few places provide helmets and none provide insurance, so take extra care on the bumpy roads.

Several places rent out small 4WDs for around 1600B per day, including insurance.

Ko Jum & Ko Si Boya

Just north of Ko Lanta, Ko Jum and its neighbour Ko Si Boya have surprisingly little development; what’s there is tucked away in the trees, making the islands look and feel nearly deserted. Although technically one island, the locals consider only the flatter southern part of Ko Jum to be Ko Jum; the northern hilly bit is called Ko Pu.

Ko Jum was once the exclusive domain of Lanta’s chow lair people, but ethnic Chinese began arriving after Chairman Mao rose up in the 1950s. At the time there were no Thai people living here at all, but eventually the three cultures merged into one, which is best sampled amid the warm, early morning, ramshackle poetry of Ban Ko Jum, the island’s fishing village. It has a few restaurants, an internet cafe (per min 3B) and a few dive shops, including Blue Juice Divers ( in Krabi 0 7563 0679; www.bluejuicedivers.com).

Sleeping & Eating

Ko JUm

Upwards of 20 properties are spread out along Ko Jum’s west coast. Some places rent out sea kayaks, and most have a restaurant. Public transport to Ko Jum and Ko Si Boya is limited in the low season, so some resorts close between May and October.

Koh Jum Beach Villas villa rental $$$

( 08 6184 0505; www.kohjumbeachvillas.com; Hat Yao; villas 6000-16,000B; ) Spacious wooden, tiled homes with plenty of living spaces, lush decks with cushioned seating and views of the sea are spread along a luscious white nub of Hat Yao. Houses are privately owned and rented out by the night, and the community is devoted to keeping the place as environmentally and socially responsible as possible (notice there’s no air-con but the houses have been constructed to catch ocean breezes). The staff is delightful, the restaurant and bar scrumptious.

Woodland Lodge guest house $

( 08 1893 5330; www.woodland-koh-jum.com; Hat Yao; bungalows 800-1000B) Tasteful, clean bamboo huts with proper thatched roofs, shiny, polished wood floors and verandahs. The exceptionally friendly British–Thai owners can organise boat trips and fishing and have an excellent, sociable restaurant. Great value and ambience.

Koh Jum Lodge hotel $$$

( 0 7561 8275; www.kohjumlodge.com; Hat Yao; bungalows 4500-5500B; ) An ecolodge with style: imagine lots of hardwoods and bamboo, gauzy mosquito netting, potted orchids, Thai carvings, manicured grounds and a hammock-strewn curve of white sand out the front. It strikes that hard-to-get-perfect balance of authenticity and comfort. Bliss.

Oon Lee Bungalows guest house $$

( 08 7200 8053; www.koh-jum-resort.com; bungalows 500-3800B) This Crusoe-chic, Thai–French family-run resort is nestled on a deserted white beach on the Ko Pu part of Ko Jum. Wooden stilted bungalows are in a shady garden and plenty of activities, including some of the island’s best hiking, are on offer. The fantastic fusion restaurant here is reason enough for a visit.

Koh Jum Resort hotel $$

( 08 0221 4040; www.kohjumresort.com; Ko Pu; bungalows 1700-5500B; ) Five stunning two-storey, ranch-style teak chalets are built with crooked, polished wood and designed with cylindrical turrets. Its five bamboo huts, attached to wide sun terraces stilted high above the sea, are rustic for the price but the excellent landscaping makes that easy to overlook.

Ting Rai Bay Resort hotel $$

( 08 7277 7379; www.tingrai.com; Ko Pu; bungalows 600-2800B; May-Mar; ) Next door to splashy Koh Jum Resort, this property is no slouch. Bungalows, which vary in size and comfort, are built in a horseshoe on a sloping landscaped hill, so they all have sea views.

Joy Bungalow guest house $

( 0 7561 8199, 08 9875 2221; www.kohjum-joybungalow.com; Hat Yao; bungalows 500-2500B) On the southwestern coast of Ko Jum, Joy has some very attractive stilted, polished-wood cottages on a tremendous stretch of beach. The best are raised 2m high in the trees. This was the first resort on Ko Jum and it’s still very popular.

Ko Jum Seafood seafood $$

( 08 1893 6380; Ban Ko Jum; meals 100-400B) By all accounts the best fish kitchen on the island. Fresh catch is served on a stilted deck overlooking the narrow strait with a keyhole view of Ko Lanta.

Ko Si Boya

Low-lying, rural Ko Si Boya has yet to garner more than a trickle from the annual tourism stream, and that’s just fine with repeat visitors – almost all of whom land at a single, exceptional bungalow compound.

Siboya Resort hotel $

( 0 7561 8026, 08 1979 3344; www.siboyabungalows.com; bungalows 200-1200B; ) OK, the beach itself isn’t spectacular. But the mangrove setting is wild, and full of life, and the wood bungalows are large, tasteful and affordable. The restaurant rocks and it’s wired with high-speed internet. No wonder ever-smiling, secretive European and Canadian 50-somethings flock here like it’s a more mature version of Alex Garland’s The Beach.

Getting There & Around

From November to May, boats between Krabi and Ko Lanta can drop you at Ko Jum, but you’ll pay full fare (400B, one hour) – Click here. In the fringe months of November and May only the early boat will drop you. There are also small boats to Ko Jum from Ban Laem Kruat, a village about 30km southeast of Krabi, at the end of Rte 4036, off Hwy 4. The boat (100B) leaves at 3pm and returns the following day at 7.45am.

If you plan to arrive in Ko Jum via Laem Kruat, your guest house can arrange transfers. A handful of places on the main road in Ban Ko Jum rent out bicycles (100B), mountain bikes (130B to 150B) and motorbikes (250B) at standard rates.

Boats to Ko Si Boya (50B) make the 10-minute hop from Laem Hin, just north of Ban Laem Kruat throughout the day. Private charters are 150B. Call Siboya Resort to arrange transfer from the pier.

TRANG PROVINCE

Lining the Andaman Sea south of Krabi, Trang Province has an impressive limestone-covered coast with several sublime islands. For the adventurous, there’s also plenty of big nature to explore in the lush interior, including dozens of scenic waterfalls and limestone caves. And it’s nowhere near as popular as Krabi, which means you’re more likely to see tall rubber plantations here than rows of vendors selling ‘same same but different’ T-shirts. Transport links are improving every year, and during the high season, it’s now possible to island hop all the way to Malaysia.

Trang

pop 77,200

Most visitors to Trang are in transit to nearby islands, but if you’re an aficionado of culture, Thai food or markets, plan to stay a day or more. It’s an easy-to-manage town where you can get lost in wet markets by day and hawker markets and late-night Chinese coffee shops by night; at nearly any time of the year, there’s likely to be some minor festival that oozes local colour.

Most of the tourist facilities lie along the main drag, Th Praram VI, between the clock tower and the train station.

Sights

Trang is more of a business centre than a tourist town. Wat Tantayaphirom Offline map (Th Tha Klang) has a huge white chedi (stupa) enshrining a footprint of the Buddha that’s mildly interesting. The Chinese Meunram Temple Offline map, between Soi 1 and Soi 3, sometimes sponsors performances of southern Thai shadow theatre. It’s also worth strolling around the large wet & dry markets on Th Ratchadamnoen and Th Sathani.

Activities

Tour agencies around the train station and along Th Praram VI offer various tours around Trang. Boat trips to Hat Chao Mai National Park and the Trang Islands start at 750B plus national park fees. There are also sea-kayaking tours to the gorgeous Tham Chao Mai mangrove forests (650B). Snorkelling trips on private long-tails to Ko Rok (3500B, maximum four people) and trips to local caves and waterfalls (1800B, maximum three people) by private car can also be arranged by most agencies. For a cultural fix you can spend a day hiking (2500B, maximum two people) in the Khao Banthat Mountains to visit villages of the Sa Kai mountain people.

Festivals & Events

Trang’s Chinese population celebrates the wonderful Vegetarian Festival every October, coinciding with the similar festival in Phuket; for more about the latter festival, Click here.

Sleeping & Eating

Trang is famous for its mŏo yâhng (crispy barbecued pork) and ráhn goh·Ъêe (coffee shops) that serve real filtered coffee. You can find mŏo yâhng in the mornings at some coffee shops or by weight at the wet market on Th Ratchadamnoen. To really get into the local scene, get to a dim sum depot early in the morning and stay out late at the coffee shops along Th Ratsada.

Sri Trang Hotel hotel $

Offline map

( 0 7521 8122; www.sritrang.com; 22-26 Th Praram VI; r 450-690B; ) There are a range of fan-cooled and air-con rooms in this renovated 60-year-old building with high ceilings, a winding wood staircase, groovy paint jobs, and wi-fi throughout. There’s also a pleasant cafe-bar downstairs.

Rua Rasada Hotel hotel $$$

( 0 7521 4230; www.ruarasadahotel.com; 188 Th Pattalung; r with breakfast from 2700B; ) Trang’s slickest choice is a 10-minute (25B) túk-túk ride from the train station. Chic rooms have large tiles, comfortable beds and a dusky blue, dark mauve and grey colour scheme. It’s a five-minute walk to Robinson’s Shopping Mall and Cinema City.

Koh Teng Hotel hotel $

Offline map

( 0 7521 8148; 77-79 Th Praram VI; r 180-380B; ) The undisputed king of backpacker digs in Trang. If you’re feeling optimistic, the huge, window-lit rooms here have an adventuresome kind of shabby charm to them; if not, the grunge factor might get you down.

Night Market market $

(btwn Th Praram VI & Th Ratchadamnoen; meals around 30B) The best night market on the Andaman coast will have you salivating over bubbling curries, fried chicken and fish, pàt tai and an array of Thai desserts. Go with an empty stomach and a sense of adventure. On Friday and Saturday nights there’s a second night market right in front of the train station.

Asia Ocha Thai $

Offline map

(Th Kantang; meals from 30B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) In business for 65 years, Asia Ocha serves filtered coffee to an all-Thai clientele who sit at vintage marble tables in an antiquated building. Don’t miss the food either – the roast duck is delectable.

Information

You’ll find several internet cafes and various banks with ATMs and foreign-exchange booths on Th Praram VI.

My Friend ( 0 7522 5984; 25/17-20 Th Sathani; per hr 30B) Has the best 24-hour internet cafe in town.

Post office (cnr Th Praram VI & Th Kantang) Also sells CAT cards for international phone calls.

Getting There & Away

Air

Nok Air (www.nokair.com) and Orient Thai Airlines (www.orient-thai.com) operate daily flights from Bangkok (Don Muang) to Trang (around 1500B one-way), but note that flights may be cancelled due to heavy rain. The airport is 4km south of Trang; minivans meet flights and charge 60B to town. In the reverse direction a taxi or túk-túk will cost 80B to 100B.

Minivan & Share Taxi

Hourly vans heading to Surat Thani (180B, 2½ hours), with connections to Ko Samui and Ko Pha-Ngan, leave from a depot (Th Tha Klang) just before Th Tha Klang crosses the railway tracks. Several daily air-con minivans between Trang and Ko Lanta (250B, 2½ hours) leave from the travel agents across from the train station. There are share taxis to Krabi (180B, two hours) and air-con minivans to Hat Yai (160B, two hours) from offices just west of the Trang bus terminal.

Local transport is mainly by air-con minivan rather than sŏrng·tăa·ou. Minivans leave regularly from the depot on Th Tha Klang for Pak Meng (70B, 45 minutes), Hat Chao Mai (80B, one hour) and Kuantungku pier (100B, one hour).

Train

Only two trains go all the way from Bangkok to Trang: the express 83 and the rapid 167, which both leave from Bangkok’s Hualamphong station in the afternoon and arrive in Trang the next morning. From Trang, trains leave in the early and late afternoon. Fares are around 1480B/831B for a 1st-/2nd-class air-con sleeper and 285B for 3rd class.

Getting Around

Túk-túk mill around near the train station and should charge 30B for local trips, 250B per hour. Motorbike taxis charge the same price. Motorcycles can be rented at travel agencies for about 200B per day. Most agencies can also help you arrange car rental for around 1400B per day.

Trang Beaches & Islands

Think: limestone karsts rising from steamy palm-studded valleys and swirling seas. Trang’s beaches are mostly just jumping-off points to the islands, but if you have the time, stop and enjoy the scenery.

The mythical Trang Islands are the last iteration of the Andaman’s iconic limestone peaks before they tumble into the sea, and are home to roving sea gypsies.

Hat Pak Meng & Hat Chang Lang

Thirty-nine kilometres from Trang in Sikao Amphoe (District), Hat Pak Meng is the main jumping-off point for Ko Ngai. There’s a wild-looking stretch of coastline here, and though the beach is scruffy, the backdrop – jutting limestone karsts on all sides that rival the best of Railay and Phi-Phi – is spectacular. The main pier is at the northern end of the beach and there are several seafood restaurants with deck chairs under casuarinas where Rte 4162 meets the coast.

Tour agencies at the jetty organise one-day boat tours to Ko Muk, Ko Cheuk, Ko Ma and Ko Kradan for 900B to 1000B per person (minimum three people), including lunch and beverages. There are also snorkelling day tours to Ko Ngai (750B) and Ko Rok (1200B to 1400B, plus national park fees). Mask and snorkel sets and fins can be rented by the pier for 50B each.

Hat Chang Lang is the next beach south from Hat Pak Meng and it continues the casuarina-backed-beach motif. At the southern end of Hat Chang Lang, where the beachfront road turns inland, is the headquarters of Hat Chao Mai National Park ( 0 7521 3260; adult/child under 14yr 200/100B; 6am-6pm).

The 231 sq km park covers the shoreline from Hat Pak Meng to Laem Chao Mai and encompasses the islands of Ko Muk, Ko Kradan and Ko Cheuk plus a host of small islets. In various parts of the park you may see endangered dugong and rare black-necked storks, as well as more common species such as sea otters, macaques, langurs, wild pigs, pangolins, little herons, Pacific reef egrets, white-bellied sea eagles and monitor lizards.

Sleeping

Anantara Sikao hotel $$$

( 0 7520 5888; www.sikao.anantara.com; r 5400-15,400B; ) Set on the northern edge of Hat Chang Leng, Anantara’s glamorous yet hip vibe has refreshed these old bones (it was once an Amari Resort). Deluxe oceanfront rooms have wood floors, floating desks, flat-screen TVs and amazing views of Pak Meng’s signature karsts. There are impressive timber columns and Balinese wood furnishings in the lobby, and the view from its Acqua restaurant is jaw dropping. Take the free shuttle to its guests-only beach club on seductive Ko Kradan.

National Park Headquarters Camping Ground $

( 0 7521 3260; www.dnp.go.th/index_eng.asp; camping with own tent free, with tent hire 300B, cabins 800-1000B) Simple cabins sleep up to six people and have fans. You can also camp under the casuarinas. You’ll find a restaurant and a small shop here, too.

Getting There & Away

There are several daily boats between Pak Meng and Ko Ngai. Boats leave Ko Ngai for Pak Meng (400B) at 9am and return to Ko Ngai at 10am. A long-tail charter is 1200B.

Regular air-con minivans from Th Kha Klang in Trang run to Hat Pak Meng (80B, 45 minutes) and Chao Mai (100B, one hour). Or you can charter a taxi from Trang for around 800B.

The Chao Mai National Park headquarters is about 1km off the main road, down a clearly signposted track.

Ko Ngai

The long, blonde, wind-swept beach along the developed eastern coast of Ko Ngai (Ko Hai) extends into blue water with a sandy bottom (perfect for children) that ends at a reef drop-off with excellent snorkelling. Coral and clear waters actually encircle the entire densely forested island – it’s a stunning place. With no indigenous population living here, several spiffy resorts have the whole island to themselves. There are two dive centres (dives from 1500B). Mask and snorkel sets and fins can be rented from resorts for 60B each, sea kayaks for around 150B per hour, or you can take half-day snorkelling tours of nearby islands (850B per person). Internet at the big resorts is slow and costs 100B to 150B per hour.

Even though it’s technically a part of Krabi Province, the island’s mainland link is with Pak Meng.

Sleeping & Eating

Most places are decidedly midrange and come with restaurants and 24-hour electricity. The boat pier is at Koh Ngai Resort, but if you book ahead resorts on the other beaches will arrange transfers.

Coco Cottages hotel $$

( 08 1693 6457, 08 9724 9225; www.coco-cottage.com; bungalows 1650-4700B; ) As the name suggests, cottages are coconut extravaganzas with thatched roofs, coconut-wood walls and coconut-shell lanterns. Decks and interiors catch plenty of breezes, so air-con isn’t necessary. Grab a sea-view fan bungalow if you can. There are bamboo lounges on the beach, massage pavilions, and a terrific restaurant and beachfront bar.

Thanya Beach Resort hotel $$$

( 0 7520 6967; www.kohngaithanyaresort.com; bungalows 3500-7600B; ) Ko Ngai’s Bali-chic choice has dark but spacious teak bungalows with indoor hot and outdoor country-style bucket showers (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it). Dry in fine linens, then stroll to your seafront terrace and gaze at the palm-dappled lawn, which rolls towards the sea.

Ko Hai Seafood guest house $$

( 08 1367 8497; r 1200B; ) Of the cheaper choices on the beach, these solid bamboo bungalows are easily the most charming. The owners are happy, fun and laid-back, and they have one of the best kitchens on the island. The coconut-milk crab curry with big chunks of de-shelled fresh crab is a dream come true.

Mayalay Resort hotel $$

( 08 3530 7523; www.mayalaybeachresort.com; r 2000-3500B; ) A charming resort with huge bungalows, all with double beds plus windowside day beds draped in mosquito nets. The Thai–Western beachside terrace restaurant is a little pricy but the view is sublime and portions are big and tasty.

Fantasy Resort & Spa hotel $$$

( 0 7520 6960; www.kohhai.com; r 2500-7500B; ) A massive Angkor Wat-meets-cheesy-cruise-ship-style place that extends from the beach and up the hillside. The bungalows are comfy but a little gaudy (floral wallpaper matched with red Chinese art). There are also plainer hotel-style rooms up the hill.

Ko Hai Camping camping ground $

( 08 1970 9804; seamoth2004@yahoo.com; tent 600B) Big, clean fan-cooled tent-bungalows on the beach have shared bathrooms and are run by friendly Tu, who also manages the adjacent Sea Moth Dive Center.

Getting There & Away

Ko Ngai Villa runs the daily boats from Ko Ngai to Hat Pak Meng at 9am, returning to Ko Ngai at 10am. Transfers cost 400B (1½ hours). You can also privately charter a long-tail to and from Pak Meng for 1200B, as well as Ko Muk (1200B) and Ko Kradan (1500B).

In the high season, the Tigerline ( 08 1092 8800; www.tigerlinetravel.com) high-speed ferry runs between Ban Sala Dan (750B, 30 minutes) on Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe (1400B, four hours), stopping at the pier on Ko Muk. Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club ( 0 7475 0389, 08 2433 0114; www.tarutaolipeisland.com) is the more direct and comfortable choice from Ko Lanta (650B, 30 minutes). You can charter a long-tail to Lanta for 2000B.

Ko Muk

Motoring into Ko Muk is unforgettable whether you land on the sugary white sand bar of Hat Sivalai or spectacular Hat Farang (aka Hat Sai Yao, aka Charlie’s Beach) where jade water kisses a perfect beach. Unfortunately, the lodging options aren’t tremendous, and there’s a steady stream of Speedo-clad package tourists tramping the beach and even more in the speedboats that buzz to Tham Morakot (Emerald Cave) from Ko Lanta. Still, the west-coast sunsets are glorious, it’s easy to hop from here to any and every island in the province, and you may be shocked to feel Ko Muk’s topography stir something deep and wild in your primordial soul.

Sights & Activities

Tham Morakot (Emerald Cave) is a beautiful limestone tunnel that leads 80m into a hôrng. No wonder long-gone pirates buried treasure here. You have to swim or paddle through the tunnel, part of the way in pitch blackness, to a small white-sand beach surrounded by lofty limestone walls; a piercing shaft of light illuminates the beach around midday. The cave features prominently on most tour itineraries, so it can get ridiculously crowded in the high season. Better to arrange a long-tail boat (300B) or rent a kayak (hour/day 150/500B) to zip over to the cave at daybreak or late afternoon when you’ll have it to yourself – but note you can’t get inside the cave at high tide.

Between Ko Muk and Ko Ngai are the small karst islets of Ko Cheuk and Ko Waen, both of which have good snorkelling and small sandy beaches.

Princess Divers ( 08 6270 9174) is located at Charlie Beach Resort and the independent Chill Out Divers is right behind the resort. Both are recommended and offer one/two dives for 1800/2600B and PADI courses from 10,900B. Chill Out Divers also offers yoga classes (250-400B) on the beach.

Koh Muk Nature Resort rents out mountain bikes (per day 150B) with maps for self-guided island tours, and you can also spend hours walking through rubber plantations and the island’s authentic sea shanty villages (please cover up).

Sleeping & Eating

Hat Sivalai & Hat Lodung

The following places are a short walk from either side of the pier. If you’re facing the sea, humble, local-flavoured Hat Lodung is to your left after a stilt village and some mangroves; stunning Hat Sivalai wraps around the peninsula to the right.

Sivalai hotel $$$

( 08 9723 3355; www.komooksivalai.com; Hat Sivalai; bungalows incl breakfast 5000-8000B; ) Straddling an arrow-shaped peninsula of white sand and surrounded by views of karst islands and the mainland, this location is mind-bogglingly sublime. Elegant thatched-roof cottages are almost encircled with glass doors, so you can let in as much of the view as you want. The vibe is a little cool and the pool is disappointing but the beach offers shallow swimming.

Pawapi Resort guest house $$

( 08 9669 1980; www.pawapi.com; Hat Sivalai; bungalows incl breakfast 2600B) The upscale bamboo bungalows here are perched on stilts about 1.5m off the ground so that breezes ventilate the room from all sides and the insanely gorgeous view sits 180 degrees in front of you. It’s British-Thai owned and friendly with a restaurant serving good Western and Thai fare and huge breakfasts.

Koh Muk Nature Resort guest house $$

( 08 1894 6936; www.trangsea.com; Hat Sivalai; bungalows 1500-1800B; ) Plain little blue and white concrete bungalows are fronted by two orderly lines of coconut palms just metres away from a gorgeous beach. The resort grows its own organic herbs and vegies, recycles and offers self-guided island bike tours.

Ko Mook Garden Resort guest house $

( 08 1798 7805; Hat Lodung; bungalows 300B, r 500B) Wooden rooms are large while bamboo bungalows are small and basic. Staying here means you’re in with a local family who take guests snorkelling, lend bikes and give out detailed maps of all the island’s secret spots.

Hat Farang

This is where most of the action is – a blend of travellers and package tourists more liable to relish the calm than to party. More and more places are opening inland from the beach, so shopping around is worthwhile. Most boats will pick up and drop you off here, but if not you’ll have to take a 10-minute motorbike taxi to or from the pier (50B).

Charlie Beach Resort hotel $$

( 0 7520 3281/3; www.kohmook.com; bungalows 1200-3100B; ) There’s a bunch of different bungalow options, ranging from basic beach shacks to three-star, air-con cottages at this sprawling resort, which dominates the beach and is linked by sandy paths. Skip the restaurant. Staff, although not always helpful, can organise snorkelling tours to Tham Morakot and other islands for around 1000B. Charlie’s is open year-round.

Sawasdee Resort guest house $

( 08 1508 0432; www.kohmook-sawadeeresort.com; bungalows 800B) Unremarkable wooden bungalows with terraces are right on the quiet shady north end of Hat Farang. You’re paying for the location – which is sublime.

Rubber Tree Bungalow guest house $$

( 08 1968 0332; www.mookrubbertree.com; bungalows incl breakfast 800-1990B; ) Inland from the beach, there are cute, peach-tinted air-con cottages; cheaper bamboo bungalows and a large restaurant are high up among the rubber trees.

Ko Yao Restaurant seafood $

(meals 100-200B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) Perched on the cliffs, with wood tables scattered beneath a string of lights, is this family-owned patio restaurant with astounding views. The beer is cold, and the fish is fresh and steamed in a smouldering broth of chilli and lime.

Getting There & Away

Boats to Ko Muk leave from the pier at Kuantungku. There are four daily departures at 8am, 10am, noon and 3pm (100B to 300B, 30 minutes), which make the return trip to the mainland an hour later; the early morning ferry is the cheapest. Minibuses to/from Trang (200B, one hour) meet the boats. A chartered long-tail from Kuantungku to Ko Muk (600B, 30 minutes) and to either Pak Meng or Hat Yao is around 1200B (45 minutes to one hour).

Long-tail charters to Ko Kradan (600B, 30 minutes) and Ko Ngai (1000B, one hour) are easily arranged on the pier or at Rubber Tree Bungalow or Ko Yao Restaurant on Hat Farang.

From November to May, Ko Muk is one of the stops on the speedboats connecting Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe; Click here for details.

Ko Kradan

Kradan is dotted with slender, silky white-sand beaches, bathtub-warm shallows and limestone karst views. There are pristine hard and soft corals just off the south coast and a small but lush tangle of remnant jungle inland. Development is happening fast, and while there are now many places to stay on Kradan, all except a select few are over-priced and lack soul.

For internet and boat tickets go to Kradan Beach Resort, the biggest spread of mediocre bungalows on the main beach.

Sleeping & Eating

Seven Seas Resort hotel $$$

( 08 2490 2442; www.sevenseasresorts.com; r 6600-7600B, bungalows 11,750-15,600B; ) This stunning small luxury resort has ultra-slick rooms with enormous beds that could sleep four (if you’re into that). Beach bums will adore this stretch of sand where cotton hammocks link the curling mangroves. The breezy restaurant, hugging the jet-black infinity pool, serves a mix of Western dishes and excellent southern-style curries. It’s a tad pricey, but the amazing staff more than make up for it.

Paradise Lost guest house $$

( 08 9587 2409; www.koradan.wordpress.com; bungalows 700-1600B, dm 250B) One of the first places built on Kradan and still one of the best, this groovy, inland American-owned bungalow property has easy access to the island’s more remote beaches. Small bamboo nests have solid wood floors and shared baths. Larger bungalows are all wood and have private facilities, and dorms are on an open verandah. Its kitchen (dishes 120B to 1800B) is the best on the island.

Kalumé Village guest house $$

( 08 6905 5034; www.kalumekradan.com; bungalows 900-1500B) Basic bamboo or wooden beach shacks are in a sandy garden steps from blue water. It’s Italian run and an honourable effort is made to be environmentally low impact (limited electricity, sustainable materials etc). Our only gripe is the inflated price tag.

Ao Niang Beach Resort guest house $

( 08 1891 7379; bungalows 800B) Accessed by a jungle track from Paradise Lost or by rounding the corner from the main beach at low tide, this clean, basic place is a wade away from some outrageous snorkelling. The owner goes a little heavy on the Sam Song, but he’s a happy guy and was building new, bigger bungalows when we passed. You can also camp here (300B, tent included).

Getting There & Away

Daily boats to Kuantungku leave at 9am and noon; tickets include the connecting minibus all the way to Trang (450B). A chartered long-tail from Kuantungku will cost around 800B one-way (45 minutes to one hour); you can also charter boats from Kradan to other islands within the archipelago.

Tigerline ( 08 1092 8800; www.tigerlinetravel.com) connects Kradan with Ko Lanta (750B, 1½ hours) and Hat Yao (750B, one hour). Patpailin Ferry goes to Ko Muk and Ko Ngai (both 500B) then continues to Ko Lanta.

Hat Yao

A rickety, scruffy fishing hamlet just south of Hat Yong Ling, Hat Yao is sandwiched between the sea and imposing limestone cliffs, and sits at the mouth of a thick mangrove estuary. A rocky headland at the southern end of Hat Yao is pockmarked with caves and there’s good snorkelling around the island immediately offshore. The best beach in the area is the tiny Hat Apo, hidden away among the cliffs. Tham Chao Mai is a vast cave full of crystal cascades and impressive stalactites and stalagmites that can be explored by boat.

Just south of the headland is the Yao pier, the main departure point for Ko Libong and the midpoint in the Tigerline ferry route that connects Lipe to Lanta.

Sleeping & Eating

Haad Yao Nature Resort guest house $

( 08 1894 6936; www.trangsea.com; r 500-1200B, bungalows 800B; ) Set in the harbour and run by the Lifelong Learning Foundation, an ecological and educational NGO led by enthusiastic naturalists, this place offers a variety of environmentally focused tours in the Hat Yao area. It has large cottages with wide terraces, TV and DVD, simpler motel-style rooms and a few overwater bungalows.

Restaurants Thai, Seafood

Along the beach, north of the limestone headland, is a collection of wooden seafood restaurants selling cheap Thai meals. There is also a handful of tasty harbour restaurants.

Getting There & Around

From here, you can catch one of the regular long-tail boats to Ko Libong (50B, 20 minutes). You can also charter long-tail boats to Ko Libong (800B, 20 minutes) or to Ko Muk (1500B, one hour) each way. Sŏrng·tăa·ou to Trang (70B, one hour) leave when full from the pier and meet arriving boats. Tigerline ( 08 1092 8800; www.tigerlinetravel.com) is the area’s high-speed ferry service, which docks in Hat Yao for lunch on its way between Lanta (750B, 2½ hours) and Lipe (750B, 2½ hours).

Ko Libong

Trang’s largest island is just 15 minutes by long-tail from Hat Yao. Less visited than neighbouring isles, it’s a peaked, mountainous jungle pearl, known for its captivating flora and fauna more than its thin reddish-brown beaches. The island is home to a small Muslim fishing community and has a few resorts on the west coast.

Sights

Libong Archipelago Wildlife Reserve nature reserve

( 0 7525 1932) This reserve on the eastern coast of Ko Libong at Laem Ju Hoi is a large area of mangroves protected by the Botanical Department. The grass-filled sea channels here are one of the dugong’s last habitats, and around 40 of them graze on the sea grass that flourishes in the bay. The Haad Yao Nature Resort (Click here) in Hat Yaho and resorts here on Ko Libong (the reserve is not far from the Libong Beach Resort) offer dugong-spotting tours by sea kayak, led by trained naturalists, for around 1000B. Sea kayaks can also be rented at most resorts for 200B per hour.

Sleeping

Libong Beach Resort hotel $

( 0 7522 5205; www.libongbeachresort.com; bungalows 500-800B; ) This is the only place on the island that’s open year-round – rates drop considerably in the low season. There are several options, from bland slap-up shacks behind a murky stream to beachfront and very comfortable varnished wood-and-thatch chalets. It offers a slew of trips, motorbike rental (300B) and internet access (per hour 100B). There’s also a dive centre (two dives 3500B) open during the high season.

Le Dugong Resort hotel $

( 08 7972 7228; www.libongresort.com; bungalows 400-900B) The best digs are rustic yet stylish wood-and-bamboo bungalows with terracotta sinks, woven walls and shuttered doors that open the whole room to the sea and setting sun. The lower-end bamboo shacks with shared bathrooms are icky.

Libong Sunset Resort hotel $

( 08 9766 3341; www.libongsunsetresort.com; bungalows 200-800B; ) Brand new with a huge deserted restaurant pumping out techno, this resort has very small and basic bamboo bungalows or simple wood or cement bungalows in a sparse garden on the beach.

Getting There & Away

Long-tail boats to Ban Ma Phrao on the eastern coast of Ko Libong leave regularly from Hat Yao (20 minutes) during daylight hours for 50B per person; the long-tail jetty at Hat Yao is just west of the newer Yao pier. On Ko Libong, motorcycle taxis run across to the resorts on the western coast for 100B. A chartered long-tail directly to the resorts will cost 800B each way.

Ko Lao Liang

Ko Lao Liang is actually two islands right next to each other: Ko Laoliang Nong, the smaller of the two where the only resort is found, and the larger Ko Laoliang Pi, where there’s a small fishing settlement. The islands are stunning, vertical karst formations with small white-sand beaches, clear water and plenty of coral close to shore.

The only place to stay is the rock climbing–oriented Laoliang Island Resort ( 08 4304 4077; www.laoliangresort.com; per person 1500B). Lodging is in comfy tents equipped with mattresses and fans, right on the beach, and there are plenty of activities on offer, including snorkelling, climbing the islands’ karst cliffs and sea kayaking. At night there’s a small bar and the restaurant fires up its seafood barbecue regularly – it’s like summer camp for grown-ups (although kids are happy here too). Rates include all meals, snorkel gear and sea kayaks.

Tigerline ( 08 1092 8800; www.tigerlinetravel.com) stops just off Ko Lao Liang between Lanta (1400B, 2½ hours) and Lipe (750B, 2½ hours).

Ko Sukorn

Sukorn is a cultural paradise of tawny beaches, light-green sea, black-rock headlands shrouded in jungle, and stilted shack neighbourhoods home to about 2800 Muslim fisher folk – their rice fields, watermelon plots and rubber plantations unfurling on narrow concrete roads. Bike past fields occupied only by water buffalo, through pastel villages where folks are genuinely happy to see you, and sleep soundly through deep, black nights. Sukorn’s simple stillness is breathtaking, its authenticity a tonic to the road-worn soul.

With few hills, stunning panoramas, lots of shade and plenty of opportunities to meet locals, renting a bike (150B) is the best way to see the island. Covering up is an absolute must when you leave the beach – be respectful.

Sleeping

Sukorn Beach Bungalows hotel $$

( 0 7520 7707, 08 1647 5550; www.sukorn-island-trang.com; bungalows 1000-2500B; ) Easily the most professionally run place on this island, the concrete-and-wood bungalows all have comfy verandahs and a long swimming beach out the front, from which you can watch the sun set over outlying islands. The friendly Dutch and Thai owners are chock-full of information, arrange excellent island-hopping tours and offer guided tours of Sukorn (per person 350B). Oh, and the food (mains 180 to 300B) is the best in the Trang Islands.

Sukorn Cabana hotel $$

( 08 9724 2326; www.sukorncabana.com; bungalows 800-1300B; ) Sloping landscaped grounds dotted with papaya, frangipani and bougainvillea hold large, clean bungalows with thatched roofs, varnished wood interiors and plush verandahs. The gorgeous beach has stunning views over Ko Petra.

Getting There & Away

The easiest way to get to Sukorn is by private transfers from Trang available with the resorts for 1750B per person. The cheapest way is to take a sŏrng·tăa·ou from Trang to Yan Ta Khao (40 minutes, 60B), then transfer to Ban Ta Seh (45 minutes, 40B), where long-tails (50B) leave from the pier when full.

Otherwise, book a private taxi or sŏrng·tăa·ou from Trang to Ban Ta Seh (800B), where you can charter a long-tail to Ban Saimai (200B), the main village on Ko Sukorn. The resorts are a 20-minute walk or 50B motorcycle-taxi ride from Ban Saimai. You can also charter long-tails directly to the beach resorts (750B).

From Ko Sukorn you can charter long-tails to Ko Lao Liang (1750B), where you can meet the high-speed Tigerline ( 08 1092 8800; www.tigerlinetravel.com) ferry that connects Lanta with Lipe and serves all islands in between – including Ko Kradan, Ko Ngai and Ko Muk (1400B).

SATUN PROVINCE

Until recently, Satun was mostly overlooked, but that’s all changed thanks to the dynamic white sands of Ko Lipe – a one-time backpacker secret turned mainstream beach getaway. Beyond Ko Lipe the province still hardly rates a blink of the eye as visitors rush north to Ko Lanta or south to Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia. Which means, of course, that they miss the untrammelled beaches and sea caves on Ko Tarutao, the rugged trails and ribbon waterfalls of Ko Adang and the rustic beauty of Ko Bulon Leh.

Largely Muslim in make-up, Satun has seen little of the political turmoil that plagues the neighbouring regions of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat (see boxed text, Click here). Around 60% of people here speak Yawi or Malay as a first language, and the few wát in the region are quite humble and vastly outnumbered by mosques.

Satun

pop 33,720

Lying in a steamy jungle valley surrounded by limestone cliffs, and framed by a murky river, isolated Satun is a relaxing coastal town where tourism is limited to visa-run traffic, which flows in both directions. Malaysia-based yachties, passing through for cheap repairs in Satun’s acclaimed boat yard, are the only travellers who seem to hang around, but if you wander a bit before you leave, you’ll see some interesting religious architecture, lots of friendly smiles and plenty of gritty charm.

Sights & Activities

Ku Den Museum museum

Offline map Google map

(Satun National Museum; Soi 5, Th Satun Thanee; admission 20B; 8.30am-4.30pm Wed-Sun) Housed in a lovely old Sino-Portuguese mansion, this excellent museum was constructed to house King Rama V during a royal visit but the governor snagged the roost when the king failed to show up. The building has been lovingly restored and the exhibits feature dioramas with soundtracks covering every aspect of southern Muslim life.

Monkey Mountain walking

This jungled mound of limestone, teeming with primates, winds around Spirit Rock, a kitschy but locally beloved Buddhist shrine; or you could walk over a bridge to stroll through a stilted fishing village just a kilometre from town.

Mangrove Walk walking

A self-guided walk along a boardwalk with a river viewpoint behind the football stadium – it’s especially popular at sunset.

Tours

On’s (Click here) offers a one-day Satun Discoveries trip (per person 990B). You’ll be picked up at 8.30am and shuttled to Tham Phu Pha Pet, where you’ll slip into kayaks and paddle through mini-rapids for 7km before relaxing at the Wang Sai Thong waterfall. You can also tack on an overnight stay in its jungle house overlooking the river (1500B). Prices include meals, refreshments and transportation.

Sleeping

On’s Guesthouse guest house $

( 0 7473 0469, 08 1097 9783; 1 Soi 1, Th Khuhaprawat; r 200B) This big airy wooden house, about 10 minutes walk from central Satun, has a B&B feel. Rooms are basic but very clean with concrete floors downstairs and wooden floors upstairs. Easily the best of Satun’s slim pickings.

Sinkiat Thani Hotel hotel $

Offline map Google map

( 0 7472 1055; www.sinkiathotel.thport.com; 50 Th Burivanich; r 680B; ) Central, a bit rundown, but certainly clean enough. This ageing tower hotel has all the mod cons and amazing city and jungle views through smudged windows on the top floors. Plus, it’s right next to On’s restaurant.

Eating & Drinking

Quick and cheap Chinese and Muslim restaurants can be found on Th Burivanich and Th Samanta Prasit. The Chinese food stalls specialise in kôw mŏo daang (red pork with rice), while the Muslim restaurants offer roti with southern-style chicken curry (around 50B each).

Night Markets market $

(Th Satun Thanee) There are some excellent night markets in Satun. The daily market begins just north of Satun Tanee Hotel, comes to life around 5pm, and serves great fried fish, squid skewers and spicy, southern-style curries. There’s also a much larger Saturday night market on Th Burivanich and a Monday night market 1km from town on Th Yatrasawat.

On’s Thai, Western $

Offline map Google map

( 0 7473 0469, 08 1097 9783; 48 Th Burivanich; dishes 80-150B; 8am-late; ) With its bamboo, sarong-draped tables, leafy front porch and tasty Thai and Western dishes – including chilli con carne and chicken mushroom pie – this is the place to hang out in Satun (which explains the yachtie bar flies). It also has the best travel information in town.

Information

Bangkok Bank (Th Burivanich) Has a foreign-exchange desk and an ATM.

CAT office (Th Satun Thanee) The Communications Authority of Thailand – or Telecom – office; same location as the post office.

Immigration Office ( 0 7471 1080; Th Burivanich; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Handles visa issues and extensions for long termers. It’s easier and cheaper for tourists to exit Thailand via the border checkpost at Tammalang pier and immediately re-enter to obtain a new 15-day tourist visa. You will need to catch the boat and enter Malaysia before you come back, however. If you have wheels, hop to Malaysia via Thale Ban National Park.

Post office (cnr Th Satun Thanee & Th Samanta Prasit)

Siam Commercial Bank (Th Satun Thanee) Also has foreign exchange and an ATM.

Getting There & Away

Boat

Boats to Malaysia leave from Tammalang pier, 7km south of Satun along Th Sulakanukoon. Large long-tail boats run daily at 9.30am and 4.30pm to Kuala Perlis in Malaysia (300B one-way, one hour). From Malaysia the fare is M$30.

For Pulau Langkawi in Malaysia, boats leave from Tammalang pier daily at 9.30am, 1.30pm and 4pm (300B, 1½ hours). In the reverse direction, boats leave from Pulau Langkawi at 8.30am, 12.30pm and 3pm and cost M$27. Keep in mind that there is a one-hour time difference between Thailand and Malaysia. You can buy boat tickets for these trips in Satun at the pier.

There’s a high-season service to Ko Lipe that departs at 11.30am daily (650B, 1½ hours; December to May). Enquire about tickets at the pier or at On’s (Click here).

Bus

Buses leave from the bus terminal (Th Samanta Prasit), 2km east of the town centre. Air-con services to Bangkok (800B to 1200B, 14 hours) leave at 7am, 7.30am, 3pm and 4pm. Air-con buses to Trang (110B, 1½ hours) leave hourly. There are also a few daily buses to Krabi (220B, four hours) and Phuket (360B, seven hours). Buses to Hat Yai (70B, two hours) and local non-aircon buses to Trang (90B, two hours) will stop and pick up passengers on Th Satun Thanee as they slowly make their way north.

Minivan & Share Taxi

There are regular minivans to the train station in Hat Yai (80B, one hour) from a depot south of Wat Chanathipchaloem on Th Sulakanukoon. Occasional minivans run to Trang, but buses are much more frequent. If you’re arriving by boat at Tammalang pier, there are direct air-con minivans to Hat Yai and Hat Yai airport (90B).

Getting Around

Small orange sŏrng·tăa·ou to Tammalang pier (for boats to Malaysia) cost 40B and leave from the 7-Eleven on Th Sulakanukoon 40 minutes before ferry departure. A motorcycle taxi from the same area costs 60B.

Around Satun

Pak Bara

The small fishing community of Pak Bara is the main jumping-off point for the islands in the Mu Ko Phetra and Ko Tarutao Marine National Park. Tourist facilities are slowly improving as Pak Bara becomes increasingly busy with tourists discovering these dazzling isles. The peaceful town has some decent sleeping options and great seafood, but unless you arrive after the boats have gone there’s no pressing reason to stick around.

The main road from La-Ngu terminates at the pier where there are several travel agencies, internet cafes, cheap restaurants and shops selling beach gear. There’s a brand-new, huge visitors centre ( 0 7478 3485) for Ko Tarutao Marine National Park just back from the pier (under construction when we passed), where you can book accommodation and obtain permission for camping. Travel agencies here can arrange tours to the islands in the national park.

Tours

There are several travel agencies near the pier that will vie for your transport custom. Adang Seatours ( 0 7478 3338; www.adangseatour.com) is one of the more reliable agencies and also has an ATM. Shop around for kayaking day trips through the impressive caves at Tham Chet Khok (per person incl lunch 1800B).

During the high season, the Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club ( 0 7478 3643; www.tarutaolipeisland.com) runs speedboat tours to Ko Tarutao, Ko Bulon Leh and Ko Lipe – visit the website for the latest details.

Sleeping & Eating

Best House Resort hotel $

( 0 7478 3058; bungalows 600B; ) This place, 100m inland from the pier, has tidy concrete bungalows around a murky pond. Management is super-friendly and helpful with travel tips.

Red Boat Thai, Western $

( 0 7478 3498; dishes 60-150B; 7am-11pm) Stop here while waiting for your ferry for Western breakfasts, espresso drinks, cocktails or tremendous fried prawns in tamarind sauce.

There are several elementary restaurants and vendors near the Pak Bara pier that serve good Malay Muslim food for 20B to 50B. There’s also a series of tasty seafood stalls along the coast south of town that get smoking just before sunset. They’re a popular local hang-out on Sundays.

Getting There & Away

Buses There are hourly buses between 7am and 4pm from Hat Yai to the pier at Pak Bara (90B, 2½ hours). Coming from Satun, you can take an ordinary bus towards Trang and get off at La-Ngu (60B, 30 minutes), continuing by sŏrng·tăa·ou to Pak Bara (20B, 15 minutes).

Minivans Air-con minivans leave hourly for Hat Yai (150B, two hours) from travel agencies near Pak Bara pier. There are also minivans to Trang (200B, 1½ hours), which connect to numerous destinations like Krabi (450B, four hours) and Phuket (650B, six hours).

Boats From 21 October to the end of May there are several speedboats to Ao Pante Malacca on Ko Tarutao and on to Ko Lipe. Boats depart from Pak Bara at 10am, 11am and 12.30pm (return 1200B, 1½ hours); in the reverse direction boats leave fro Ko Lipe at 9.30am, 10am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm. From 16 November these boats also stop at Ko Adang for the same price. For Ko Bulon Leh, boats depart at 12.30pm, arriving in Ko Bulon Leh one hour later (return 800B), before buzzing on to Ko Lipe. If you miss the Bulon boat, you can easily charter a long-tail from local fishermen (1500B to 2000B, 1½ hours). During the wet season, services to Ko Lipe are weather and demand dependent, but usually cut back to three times per week.

Ko Bulon Leh

This pretty island, 23km west of Pak Bara, is surrounded by the Andaman’s signature clear waters and has its share of faultless beaches with swaying casuarinas. Gracious Ko Bulon Leh is in that perfect phase of being developed enough to offer comfortable facilities, yet not so popular that you have to book beach-time days in advance.

The exceptional white-sand beach extends along the east coast from Bulone resort, on the northeast cape, to Pansand. At times the beach narrows a bit, especially where it is buffered by gnarled mangroves and strewn with thick sun-bleached logs. But those nooks and crannies make it easy to find a secret shady spot with dreamy views.

Bulon’s lush interior is interlaced with a few tracks and trails that are fun to explore – though the dense, jungled rock that makes up the western half remains inaccessible on foot. Bulon’s wild beauty is accessible on the southern coast at Ao Panka Yai, which is blue and laden with coral gravel. There’s good snorkelling around the western headland, and if you follow the trails through remnant jungle and rubber plantations – with eyes wide lest you miss glimpsing one of Bulon’s enormous monitor lizards – you’ll wind your way to Ao Muang (Mango Bay), where you’ll find an authentic chow lair squid-fishing camp. Ao Panka Noi, accessible from the path leading down from Viewpoint Resort, is another fishing village with long-tails docking on a fine gravel beach. Here you’ll find beautiful karst views and a clutch of simple but very good restaurants.

Resorts can arrange snorkelling trips (1500B, four hours) to other islands in the Ko Bulon group for a maximum of six people, and fishing trips for 300B per hour. Trips usually take in the glassy emerald waters of Ko Gai and Ko Ma, whose gnarled rocks have been ravaged by wind and time. But the most stunning sight has to be White Rock – bird-blessed spires rising out of the open sea. Beneath the surface is a rock reef crusted with mussels and teeming with colourful fish. Snorkelling is best at low tide. The area’s best coral reef is off Laem Son near Bulone Resort, where you can rent masks, snorkels (100B), fins (70B) and kayaks (150B).

Bulone Resort also offers internet (per minute 3B), and battery-charging services for laptops (50B) and digital cameras (10B).

Sleeping & Eating

Most places here shut down in the low season. Those that persevere rent out bungalows at discount rates. For eating, it’s worth hiking over to Ao Panka Noi.

Marina Resort hotel $$

( 08 1598 2420, 08 5078 1552; bungalows 500-1000B) Log-built and shaggy with stilted decks, louvred floors and high ceilings, thatched huts never looked or felt so good. There’s a tasty kitchen attached to an inviting patio restaurant with cushioned floor seating. The ever-gracious Max will be your wise-guy host. The resort arranges speedboat tickets and snorkelling tours. It’s located just inland from Pansand resort.

Bulone Resort hotel $$

( 08 6960 0468; www.bulone-resort.com; bungalows 1250-1650B) Perched on the northeast cape with access to two exquisite stretches of white sand, these cute wooden bungalows have the best beachside location on Bulon. Queen-sized beds come with iron frames and ocean breezes. It has electricity all night long and serves up a tremendous mango smoothie with honey, lime and fresh yoghurt.

Chaolae Homestay guest house $

(bungalows 300B) The fantastic-value classy bungalows have varnished wood interiors, thatched roofs and polished cement bathrooms (with squat toilets). It’s blissfully quiet, run by a lovely chow lair family and is steps away from decent snorkelling at Ao Panka Yai.

Pansand Resort hotel $$

( 0 7521 1010; www.pansand-resort.com; cottages 1200-1500B; ) Pansand sits on the south end of the island’s gorgeous white-sand beach. Brick-and-bamboo bungalows are fan cooled and come with sea views. The actual lodging isn’t any better than elsewhere on the island – you’re paying for a sublime location and a larger, organised resort setting. Cheaper wooden bungalows are set back in the trees.

Jungle Resort guest house $

(bungalows 150B) You won’t find a better deal than this on the Andaman coast: cute, clean, terraced bungalows with attached bathrooms (with squat toilets) sit in a shady inland garden constantly tended by a welcoming chow lair family. To get there, ask the boatman to let you off at Ao Panka Yai, walk up through Chaolae Homestay then turn right.

There are a few local restaurants and a small shop in the Muslim village next to Bulon Viewpoint.

Getting There & Away

The boat to Ko Bulon Leh (400B) leaves from Pak Bara at 12.30pm daily if there are enough takers. Ship-to-shore transfers to the beach by long-tail cost 50B – save yourself some sweat and ask to be dropped off on the beach closest to your resort. In the reverse direction, the boat moors in the bay in front of Pansand Resort at around 9am. You can charter a long-tail from Pak Bara for 1500B to 2000B.

From November to May there are two daily speedboats (600B, one hour) from Ko Bulon Leh to Ko Lipe in Ko Tarutao Marine National Park. Boats, which originate in Ko Lanta and make stops in the Trang Islands, depart from in front of the Pansand resort at 1pm and 3pm.

Ko Tarutao Marine National Park

One of the most exquisite and unspoilt regions in all of Thailand, Ko Tarutao Marine National Park ( 0 7478 1285; www.dnp.go.th/parkreserve; adult/child under 14yr 200/100B) encompasses 51 islands covered with well-preserved virgin rainforest teeming with fauna, and surrounded by healthy coral reefs and radiant beaches.

One of the first marine national parks in Thailand, the main accommodation in the park are small, ecofriendly government-run cabins and longhouses. Pressure from big developers to build resorts on the islands has so far (mostly) been ignored, though concessions were made for the filming of the American reality-TV series Survivor in 2001. And there is the minor issue of a private fishing resort on Ko Adang, which is supposed to be off-limits to developers. It was originally slated to open in 2010, but local environmentalists have appealed to the Thai courts to keep it shut.

Rubbish on the islands can be a problem – removal of beach rubbish as well as that generated by visitors only happens sporadically. Do your part and tread lightly out here. Within the park, you can spot dusky langurs, crab-eating macaques, mouse deer, wild pigs, sea otters, fishing cats, tree pythons, water monitors, Brahminy kites, sea eagles, hornbills and kingfishers.

Ko Tarutao is the biggest and most-visited island in the group and is home to the park headquarters and government accommodation. Many travellers choose to stay on Ko Lipe, which has managed to evade the park’s protection and is fast becoming a popular and increasingly paved resort island with tourist facilities and bungalows aplenty. Long-tail tours to outlying islands can be arranged through travel agencies in Satun or Pak Bara, through the national park headquarters on Ko Tarutao or through resorts and long-tail boat operators on Ko Lipe. Note that there are no foreign-exchange facilities at Ko Tarutao – you can change cash and travellers cheques at travel agencies in Pak Bara and there’s an ATM at La-Ngu.

Ko Tarutao

Most of Ko Tarutao’s whopping 152 sq km is covered in old-growth jungle, which rises sharply up to the park’s 713m peak. Mangrove swamps and typically impressive limestone cliffs circle much of the island, and the western coast is pocked with caves and lined with quiet white-sand beaches. This is one of Thailand’s wildest islands. The park entrance fee, payable on arrival, is 200B.

Tarutao’s sordid history partly explains its preservation. Between 1938 and 1948, more than 3000 Thai criminals and political prisoners were incarcerated here, including interesting inmates such as So Setabutra, who compiled the first Thai–English dictionary while imprisoned on Tarutao, and Sittiporn Gridagon, son of Rama VII. During WWII, food and medical supplies from the mainland were severely depleted and hundreds of prisoners died from malaria. The prisoners and guards mutinied, taking to piracy in the nearby Strait of Malacca until they were suppressed by British troops in 1944.

There’s internet (80B per hour) and wi-fi (50B per hour) at the Ao Pante Malacca Information Centre.

Sights & Activities

The overgrown ruins of the camp for political prisoners can be seen at Ao Taloh Udang, in the southeast of the island, reached via a long overgrown track. The prison camp for civilian prisoners was over on the eastern coast at Ao Taloh Waw, where the big boats from Satun’s Tammalang pier now dock.

Next to the park headquarters at Ao Pante Malacca, a steep trail leads through the jungle to Toe-Boo Cliff Offline map, a dramatic rocky outcrop with fabulous views towards Ko Adang and the surrounding islands.

Ao Pante Malacca has a lovely alabaster beach shaded by pandanus and casuarinas. If you follow the large stream flowing through here inland, you’ll reach Tham Jara-Khe Offline map (Crocodile Cave), once home to deadly saltwater crocodiles. The cave is navigable for about 1km at low tide and can be visited on long-tail tours from the jetty at Ao Pante Malacca.

Immediately south of Ao Pante Malacca is Ao Jak, which has another fine sandy beach; and Ao Molae, which also has fine white sand and a ranger station with bungalows and a camp site. A 30-minute boat ride or 8km walk south of Ao Pante is Ao Son, an isolated sandy bay where turtles nest between September and April. You can camp here but there are no facilities. Ao Son has decent snorkelling, as does Ao Makham, further south. From the small ranger station at Ao Son you can walk inland to Lu Du Falls (about 1½ hours) and Lo Po Falls (about 2½ hours).

Sleeping & Eating

There’s accommodation both at Ao Pante Malacca and Ao Molae, open mid-November to mid-May. Water is rationed, rubbish is (sporadically) transported back to the mainland, lighting is provided by power-saving lightbulbs and electricity is available between 6pm and 7am only.

The biggest spread of options is at Ao Pante Malacca, conveniently near all the facilities, where there are bungalows (800-1000B), simple longhouse rooms (550B) sleeping up to four people with shared bathrooms, and camp sites (with tent rental 150B or 375B).

Ao Molae is much more quiet and isolated – and arguably prettier. Recently constructed, rather swanky one- and two-room duplexes (r 600-1000B) are right on the beach. Accommodation can be booked at the park office ( 0 7478 3485) in Pak Bara. National park entry fees can be paid at Ao Pante Malacca or Ao Taloh Waw.

Camping is also permitted under casuarinas at Ao Molae and Ao Taloh Waw, where there are toilet and shower blocks, and on the wild beaches of Ao Son, Ao Makham and Ao Taloh Udang, where you will need to be self-sufficient. The cost is 30B per person with your own tent, or you can hire tents for 225B. Camping is also permitted on Ko Adang and other islands in the park. Note that local monkeys have a habit of going into tents and destroying or eating everything they find inside – so shut everything tight.

The park authorities run canteens (dishes 40-120B; 7am-2pm & 5-9pm) at Ao Pante Malacca and Ao Molae. The food is satisfying and tasty, but you can find beer only at Ao Molae.

Getting There & Around

Boats connecting Pak Bara and Ko Lipe stop at Ko Tarutao along the way; see (Click here) for detailed information. The island officially closes from the end of May to 15 September. Regular boats run from 21 October to the end of May; when the boats aren’t running, you’ll have to charter a long-tail from Pak Bara for 1500B. During the high season, you can also come here on speedboat day tours from Pak Bara for 2000B, including national park fees, lunch, drinks and snorkelling.

With a navigable river and plenty of long paved roads, the island lends itself to self-propulsion: hire a kayak (per hour/day 100B/300B) or mountain bike (50/200B) – or if it’s just too darned hot, you can charter a vehicle (per day 600B). Long-tails can be hired for trips to Ao Taloh Udang (2000B), Ao Taloh Waw (1500B), and Tham Jara-Khe or Ao Son for around 800B each.

If you’re staying at Ao Molae, take a park car (per person 60B) from the jetty at Ao Pante Malacca.

Ko Lipe

Ko Lipe is this decade’s poster child for untamed development in the Thai Islands. Blessed with two wide white-sand beaches separated by jungled hills, and within spitting distance of protected coral reefs, a few years ago the island was only spoken about in secretive whispers. But then the whispers became small talk, which quickly turned into a roar – you know, the kind generally associated with bulldozers. The biggest losers have been the 700-strong community of chow lair villagers who sold to a Thai developer.

Yet, given this upheaval, there’s still plenty to love about Lipe. The gorgeous white-sand crescent of Hat Pattaya on the southern coast has some terrific beach bars, seafood and a party vibe during the high season. Windswept Sunrise Beach, another sublime long stretch of sand, juts to the north where you’ll have spectacular Adang views. A drawback of both of the busy beaches is the preponderance of long-tails that crowd out swimmers. Sunset Beach, with its golden sand, gentle jungled hills and serene bay that spills into the Adang Strait, has an altogether different feel and retains Lipe’s wild soul. In between there’s an ever-expanding concrete maze of cafes, travel agencies, shops and salons. More resorts are opting to stay open year-round.

There are no banks or ATMs on the island, though several of the bigger resorts can change travellers cheques and cash or give advances on credit cards – all for a hefty fee. Internet is available along the cross-island path for 3B per minute and a few places behind Sunrise beach charge 2B per minute.

Sights & Activities

There’s good coral all along the southern coast and around Ko Kra, the little island opposite Sunrise Beach. Most resorts rent out mask and snorkel sets and fins for 50B each, and can arrange four-point long-tail snorkel trips to Ko Adang and other coral-fringed islands for around 1500B. The best way to see the archipelago is to hire a local chow lair captain. Islander Sea Sports Offline map ( 08 7294 9770; per hr/day 100/600B) rents brand-new kayaks on Hat Pattaya.

While it would be a stretch to call the diving here world class, it’s certainly very good, with fun drift dives and two rock-star dive sites. Eight Mile Rock is a natural amphitheatre of coral-crusted boulders that attracts mantas and whale sharks. Stonehenge is popular because of its beautiful soft corals, resident seahorses and rare leopard and whale sharks, and also because it resembles that (possibly) alien-erected monstrosity that inspired Spinal Tap’s greatest work. On Sunrise and Pattaya beaches, French-run Forra Dive ( 08 1479 5691, 08 4407 5691; www.forradiving.com), Lipe’s least expensive choice, offers PADI Open Water dive courses for 12,800B, and day trips with two dives for 2700B. Castaway Divers Offline map ( 08 7478 1516; www.kohlipedivers.com), based on Sunrise Beach, offers PADI and SDI training, and more intimate dive trips (two dives 2800B) off long-tail boats. Sabaye Divers Offline map ( 08 9464 5884; www.sabaye-sports.com) is the small Greenfins-certified shop on Sunset Beach owned by a long-time expat.

While it may look inviting, do not try to swim the narrow strait between Lipe and Adang at any time of year. Currents are swift and can be deadly.

Sleeping

Most, but not all, resorts on Ko Lipe close from May to October, when the boats don’t run as frequently.

Castaway Resort hotel $$

( 08 3138 7472; www.castaway-resorts.com; Sunrise Beach; bungalows 3500-5000B; ) The roomy wood bungalows with hammock-laden terraces, cushions everywhere, overhead fans and fabulous, modern-meets-naturalistic bathrooms are the most chic on Lipe. The resort is also one of the most environmentally friendly – with solar water heaters and lights.

Daya Resort hotel $

( 0 7472 8030; Hat Pattaya; bungalows 500-1000B) One of the few places that’s still locally run, the striped bungalows here are your standard slap-up wooden affairs but the beach is fantastic, the flowery back garden charming, and the restaurant has the absolute best and cheapest seafood grill on the island…and that’s saying something.

Idyllic hotel $$$

Offline map

( 08 1802 5453; www.idyllicresort.com; Sunrise Beach; bungalows 6300-15,000B; ) High design has arrived on Lipe. With slanted roofs, concrete-and-glass walls, flat-screen TVs, a shingled exterior and floating decks out the front, the digs are more like futuristic pods than beach bungalows.

Blue Tribes hotel $$

Offline map

( 08 6285 2153; www.bluetribeslipe.com; Hat Pattaya; bungalows 1200-1700B; ) One of Pattaya’s more attractive small resorts, its best nests are the two-storey thatched wooden bungalows with a downstairs living room and top-floor bedrooms that have sliding doors opening to sea views.

Bila Beach hotel $$

Offline map

( 08 0589 2056; www.bilabeach.com; Sunset Beach; bungalow 1500B) This place has a killer bamboo reggae bar and beachfront restaurant below stylish cliffside bungalows set on and above a tiny, private white-sand cove, which is strewn with boulders and adjacent to Sunset Beach. It’s the perfect setting for your hippy honeymoon. It’s a short jog over the hill from Pattaya.

Mountain Resort hotel $$

Offline map

( 0 7472 8131; www.mountainresortkohlipe.com; Sunrise Beach; bungalows incl breakfast 1300-5000B; ) This big resort has views from its hillside location out over Ko Adang. Winding wooden walkways lead down to the sublime beach on Sunrise Beach’s northern sand bar.

Forra Dive hotel $$

Offline map

( 08 0545 5012; www.forradiving.com; Sunrise Beach; bungalows 800-1000B) This place captures the look of Lipe’s pirate spirit with a range of bamboo bungalows and lofts. The best are large with indoor-outdoor baths and hammock-strung terraces. Divers get 25% off lodging and there’s a second location with similar bungalows on Hat Pattaya.

South Sea guest house $

Offline map

( 08 0544 0063, 08 1678 9903; Sunset Beach; bungalows 350B) Inland from Sunset Beach, this sunny compound filled with flower and shell mobiles has tiny bamboo huts with small sleeping mats and attached semi-outdoor Thai-style bathrooms.

Porn Resort hotel $

Offline map

( 08 9464 5765; Sunset Beach; bungalows 500-750B) This collection of weathered bungalows with hard beds is the only resort on imperfect yet golden and swimmable Sunset Beach. It’s rustic but the best deal on Lipe for a terrace on a private beachfront.

Sita Beach Resort hotel $$$

Offline map

( 0 7478 3664; www.sitabeachresort.com; Hat Pattaya; bungalows 6500-9000B; ) The most upmarket choice on Hat Pattaya feels a little like a Southern California apartment complex but it’s very comfortable with rooms spreading from the beach to high on a hill.

Eating & Drinking

Hat Pattaya’s resorts put on nightly fresh seafood barbecues and Daya’s is arguably the best. Cheap eats are best found at the roti stands and small Thai cafes along Walking Street, the main paved path.

For drinking, driftwood-clad Rasta bars are found on all beaches. At least some things never change.

Som Tam cafe $

Offline map

(Sunrise Beach; dishes 20-50B) There was no name when we passed by, but this tiny cafe on the corner of Walking Street and the Sunrise Beach road serves fantastic sôm·đam with lip-smacking fried chicken – a perfect lunch.

Nong Bank Restaurant restaurant $$

Offline map

(Hat Pattaya; dishes 80-120B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) This place has a half-dozen tables scattered beneath a tree on the white sand. It serves point-and-grill seafood and a superb yellow curry with crab (120B).

Pooh’s Bar restaurant-bar $

Offline map

( 0 7472 8019; www.poohlipe.com) This massive complex was built by a Lipe pioneer and includes bungalows, a dive shop and several restaurants. It’s a very popular local expat hang-out, especially in the low season. Each night it projects films onto its big screen.

Pee Pee Bakery bakery $

Offline map

(Hat Pattaya; dishes from 80B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) The best breakfasts on Lipe include homemade breads and pastries and great people-watching as you dine. A full American set costs 240B.

Mia Luna bar $

Offline map

(Hat Pattaya) This is a real pirate bar of hanging painted buoys, driftwood seating and hammocks. It’s isolated on its own nugget of white sand near Bila Beach but is only a short walk over the hill from Hat Pattaya. It’s also a quiet spot to park a towel in the daytime when partiers are sleeping it off.

Getting There & Away

From 21 October through to the end of May, several speedboats run from Pak Bara (Click here) to Ko Lipe via Ko Tarutao or Ko Bulon Leh at 9.30am, 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm (550B to 650B, 1½ hours); in the reverse direction boats leave at 9.30am, 10am and 1.30pm. Low-season transport depends on the weather, but there are usually three direct boats per week. A boat charter to Ko Lipe from Pak Bara is a hefty 4000B each way.

Tigerline ( 08 1092 8800; www.tigerlinetravel.com) offers the cheapest high-speed ferry service to Ko Lanta (1500B, 5½ hours), stopping at Ko Muk (1400B, 3½ hours), Ko Kradan (1400B, four hours) and Ko Ngai (1400B, 4½ hours). It departs from Ko Lipe at 9.30am.

The daily and more comfortable Satun-Pak Bara Speedboat Club ( 0 7475 0389, 08 2433 0114; www.tarutaolipeisland.com) speedboat departs from Ko Lipe for Ko Lanta (1900B, three hours) at 9am, stopping at Ko Bulon Leh (600B, one hour), Ko Muk (1400B, two hours) and Ko Ngai (1600B, 2½ hours). The same boat makes the return trip from Ko Lanta at 1pm.

Both of these speedboats also offer daily trips to Pulau Langkawi (1200B, one hour) in Malaysia; departure is at 7.30am, 10.30am and 4pm. Be at the immigration office at the Bundhaya Resort early to get stamped out. In reverse, boats leave from Pulau Langkawi for Ko Lipe at 7.30am, 9.30am and 2.30pm Malay time.

No matter which boat you end up deciding to use, you will have to take a long-tail shuttle (per person 50B) to and from the floating pier at the edge of the bay.

Ko Adang & Ko Rawi

The island immediately north of Ko Lipe, Ko Adang has brooding, densely forested hills, white-sand beaches and healthy coral reefs. Lots of snorkelling tours make a stop here, and there are mooring buoys to prevent damage from anchors. Inland are a few short jungle trails and tumbling waterfalls, including the ramble up to Pirate’s Falls, which is rumoured to have been a freshwater source for pirates (and is more of a river than a waterfall). There are great views from Chado Cliff Offline map, above the main beach, where green turtles lay their eggs between September and December.

Ko Rawi, a long rocky, jungled ellipse 11km west of Ko Adang, has first-rate beaches and large coral reefs offshore. Camping at Ao Lik is allowed, with permission from the national park authorities. Excellent snorkelling spots include the northern side of Ko Yang and tiny Ko Hin Ngam, which has underwater fields of giant clams, vibrant anemones and striped pebble beaches. Legend has it that the stones are cursed and anyone who takes one away will experience bad luck until the stone is returned to its source. There is a small restaurant here, but bring your lunch from Lipe, where it’s cheaper and (much) tastier. Even a short stop on the island will cost you the park’s entrance fee (adult/child 200/100B).

Park accommodation on Ko Adang is located near the ranger station at Laem Son. There are new and attractive bungalows (3-9 people 600-1800B), scruffier longhouses (3-bed r 300B) with attached bathrooms, and facilities for camping (sites per person 30B, with tent hire 250B). A small restaurant provides good Thai meals.

Long-tails from Ko Lipe will take you to Ko Adang and Ko Rawi for 50B per person, although you might have to do a little bargaining.