Best Thai Islands | The Andaman Coast

Best Thai Islands

The kingdom has a lot of islands; small and large, well-known and little-known, quiet or busy, accessible or inaccessible so we’ll split our best Thai Islands post into two parts: firstly, the western or Andaman Coast ones and secondly the Gulf of Thailand’s offerings. We’re not going to describe every one – just list a few of our favourites along with a few least favourite. It’s also inevitably, highly subjective; there are islands to suit every taste and we have certainly not visited every single one. However, we have visited a lot.

Best Thai islands, Andaman side will go from south to north on a province-by province basis. Note, for all this list, the western monsoon season is typically from June to September with May and October being on the cusp months. For more details check our ‘Best time to visit South Thailand post’.

Satun Province

The southernmost province on Thailand’s Andaman Sea Coast borders Malaysia to the south and Trang to the north. Most of Satun’s islands fall within the boundaries of Koh Tarutao National Marine Park, described as covering 1500 square kilometres and including 51 islands and while we’d more realistically describe many of those islands as ‘rocks’, there are certainly plenty. They’re split into the Tarutao group and the Adang-Rawi Archipelago further out to sea, to the west.

Koh Tarutao
Tarutao itself is the National Park’s largest and indeed weighs in at number 4 nationally. There is no private accommodation and the largely unspoilt jungle-clad island is a great example of the sort of environmental protection possible when the government puts its mind to it. You can camp or stay in park chalets and while tourist facilities are minimal, the island is stunning.

Koh Lipe
In the Adang-Rawi group, Lipe (pronounced Lee-pay) is the only island, officially, with private accommodation. That means they do squeeze a lot in and with day trippers arriving by speedboat from Langkawi, just over the Malaysian border, it does mean the island can get very busy. A shame as 30 years ago we’d have described the island as the second most beautiful in the whole country (number one is coming up) and a cert for best Thai islands. Being largely flat, sandy and almost entirely enclosed by coral reefs, it has something of a Pacific atoll, rather than Southeast Asian, feel. The reefs offered the best, easily accessible, snorkelling we’d seen in Thailand and the local Chao Ley, (better known as ‘Sea Gypsies’), hadn’t yet got bored of tourists.

The reefs have taken a battering over the years but it’s still popular for diving and snorkelling but do try and choose a quieter period if you want to visit and book your accommodation well in advance.

Koh Adang and Rawi
Two, relatively large, mountainous islands with just the former offering park accommodation. It’s also worth a stop at Koh Kai – a smaller island halfway between Tarutao and Lipe featuring a stunning beach and great views.

Koh Bulon Lae
The largest island in the Bulon Group, and the only one with private accommodation, lies approximately 20 kilometres north of Tarutao. Being somewhat isolated has meant that Koh Bulon Lae has been rather overlooked by visitors yet is picturesque, relatively unspoilt and does possess a decent selection of low-key accommodation. It’s reached by a two hour ferry ride from Pak Bara. As with Lipe, Bulon is certainly far-flung but in this case avoids the day-trippers and remains an excellent, outside-of-the-box choice.

Koh Petra (Phetra)
Koh Phetra National Marine Park also remains firmly under the radar due to a relatively off-the-beaten-track location but is home to some delightful coastal scenery and spectacular, limestone, off-shore islands. Koh Bulon Lae actually lies within the park boundaries while it also extends north into Trang Province. Tourist facilities in the Satun section of the park are correspondingly limited and as far as we know accommodation, apart from on Bulon, is limited to national park chalets or camping. Dusky langurs and hornbills are common and there’s some great diving and snorkelling.

Trang Province

Moving north, karst-style scenery prevails in Trang so islands are arguably more spectacular than Satun’s sandstone, but also busier. Nonetheless, Trang islands represent an excellent compromise since they mirror the scenery of popular, neighbouring Krabi Province but see far fewer visitors. Most islands fall into one of several National Marine Parks with Kradan and Koh Muk part of Hat Chao Mai Park and Koh Rok part of Koh Lanta National Marine Park in addition to the aforementioned Koh Petra Park. (Libong,  famous for endangered dugongs, has its own non-hunting area status.) The southern reaches fall into Satun’s Koh Petra National Park although is easily accessed from Trang. Amongst numerous islands in the park, we’ll single out the below for its particularly beauty.

Koh Laoliang
A clear candidate for Trang’s most beautiful island, as well as a best Thai island, Laoliang actually comprises the twin isles of Laoliang Nong and Laoliang Phi. There used to be a rather ill-conceived, private camp site on the island which we believe is now closed so Trang’s part of Petra Marine Park offers no private accommodation that we know of.

If you’re staying on Koh Libong or Koh Muk for example then do not miss a day trip to Laoliang and surrounding islands and make sure to pack a mask and snorkel.

Koh Sukorn
Laidback Sukorn Island lies just north of Petra National Park and is another excellent off-the-radar option with a small fishing village on its northern coast and a string of low-key resorts along the southwest beaches.

Koh Kradan
We’ll head out to sea slightly for our next two islands which include Kradan – another often-cited most beautiful island candidate. Its principal, white sand beach is undoubtedly stunning and the interior well-preserved although frankly, apart from snorkelling and short hikes there’s not too much to do so do make sure you pack a good book. There are several mid to upper range accommodation options and boats leave from Trang’s Pak Meng pier.

Koh Rok
Ditto the above except as part of the Mu Koh Lanta National Park, overnight stays are limited to camping only. The reefs are vibrant, sea a clear turquoise and the island unspoilt. So hats off again to the Thai national parks department but this does bring us on to an earlier article we posted – Are pristine tropical islands overrated? The point of the tongue in cheek post was the difference between islands you’d go on holiday to and islands you’d visit on a day trip.

Koh Rok certainly fits the best Thai islands to visit even if it isn’t one of the best Thai islands to stay on. A day trip to Koh Rok and Koh Kradan is therefore highly recommended if you’re staying on Libong, Koh Muk or even Lanta.

Koh Libong
Lying roughly midway between Sukorn to the south and Koh Muk to the north, Libong is another excellent, unspoilt and low-key island with some great mid-range resorts and offering a wide range of activities including cycling, hiking, kayaking, village visits as well as the usual swimming and snorkelling options. As with Sukorn, it lacks the dramatic karst features but features picturesque, west-facing, sandy beaches offering awesome sunsets. Easily accessed from the mainland and well-placed for boat trips in the surrounding area. A shoo-in for any best Thai islands list.

Koh Muk
Back to the karst scenery and tiny Koh Muk is famous for its scenic Emerald Cave. A sea level, swim-through tunnel leads to a collapsed cave which now forms a hidden cove complete with miniature beach and tropical vegetation. It’s ubiquitous on local travel agent tour programmes so, if you do want to visit, try and pick a quiet time.

Otherwise the small island is considerably busier than Sukorn or Libong but without the facilities of Lanta.

Krabi Province

Koh Ngai
Tiny island lying some 8 kilometres northwest of Koh Muk although it is actually located just over the border in Krabi Province. (Popular snorkelling spot Koh Waen is situated around halfway between the two.) The interior comprises well-preserved, forested hills with the main beach, resorts and restaurants lining the sandy east coast. Some decent snorkelling off-shore but it is another take a good book spot.

Koh Lanta
Krabi Province’s largest island, Lanta features a string of sandy bays along its western coast, some mangroves to the east and forested hills in its centre. The island has been a popular destination for a long time now and has a well-developed tourism infrastructure, myriad resorts in all categories and, needless to say, can get busy in high season. The island is accessed by boat or road from Sala Dan in the far north so broadly speaking, the further down the island you go, the quieter it gets.

It’s a good compromise for longer stays as there is obviously more to see and do than on smaller islands and Sala Dan plus the bays offer a wide choice of restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping but avoids the package tour feel and sleazier side of Phuket, Chaweng or even Koh Chang’s White Sands Beach. Local agents also offer a range of boat trips to surrounding islands such as Koh Muk, Koh Rok etcetera although take the Phi Phi day trip at your peril. (More below.) Regular boats to Krabi Town, Phuket and Trang islands and easily accessed by taxi from Krabi Airport, we’d say Lanta is a good choice for families.

Koh Jum (Koh Pu)
Situated approximately mid-point between Sala Dan and Krabi Town, Koh Jum, (sometimes spelt Jam) is one of our personal favourites on either Thai coast. It was very quiet 40 years ago – when most islands were relatively quiet – but has stubbornly, for reasons we’ve never fathomed, consistently remained off the radar ever since.

The east coast has a couple of low-key fishing villages, the west coast has miles of pristine white sand beaches and strings of picturesque coves with a selection of resorts but last time we visited there were more monkeys than tourists. There’s not as much to do as on larger Lanta but then Krabi Town or Lanta are only an hour north or south respectively by boat so there are day trip options.

Koh Phi Phi
Not sure where to start. It’s a tragic example of unchecked, unrestrained, unplanned tourism and greed. When we first visited, some 40 years ago, it was stunning, albeit already very busy and we didn’t want to stay more than a couple of hours but today we wouldn’t stay 5 minutes. We did recommend a Phi Phi day trip to some friends on Koh Lanta last year, warning them, ‘be prepared for crowds but you’ve got to see it etc’. On returning, they spent the next week cursing us.

The tragic 2004 tsunami flattened most of the island’s structures thus providing an opportunity to rebuild in a more considered and environmentally friendly manner so the fact that today one of the planet’s most beautiful features is covered in fast-food joints and mini-market chain stores is inexcusable.

Krabi – north

The coastline northwest of Krabi Town includes iconic Railay Beach and popular Ao Nang but also forms the eastern coast of Phang Nga Bay with Phang Nga Province providing the north and west coasts. The myriad spectacular limestone outcrops and islets that make the bay famous are split between the two provinces. Note, most of the Bay’s myriad islets are tiny but highly popular.

Koh Hong Group
Some of the most picturesque islets and limestone outcrops are in Krabi’s Hong Group which forms part of Than Bok Khorani National Park. Koh Hong itself, Koh Lao Lading, Koh Pak Bia and Rai are all postcard perfect and can be visited on a boat trip from Ao Nang, Railay or Thara Nopharat Beach. (There’s no accommodation on the tiny islets.) Predictably they can get very crowded during high season so start any visit as early as possible.

Koh Poda and Koh Kai
Slightly south of the Hong Group, just offshore from Ao Nang and included in Hat Nopharat Thara National Park, are Koh Poda and Koh Kai, (Chicken Island), two more highly popular and iconic boat tour destinations.

Phang Nga Province

Phang Nga Bay
The northern and western parts of the bay fall into Phang Nga Province and Ao Phang-Nga National Park Iconic and much-photographed islands include ‘James Bond Island’ and Koh Panyi with its floating village. There are no private resorts and, as with the Krabi sections, it can get very crowded with day trippers. Boat tours leave from Krabi or Phuket with the choice between a long-tail boat or speedboat. The latter obviously save travel time but will feature larger groups whereas a private hire on a slower long-tail will offer more flexibility. Otherwise consider paying extra for a ‘luxury’ version which offers an earlier start or have a look at a more outside-the-box sea canoe tour.

Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi
Roughly equidistant between Krabi and Phuket, on the south side of the bay, these are two more islands which remained for a long time well off the radar. While still a good choice they are developing fast and both now offer a wide range of accommodation in all categories. They do lack the dramatic karst features seen elsewhere but do offer attractive, low key and easily accessible options. To our minds it’s a toss-up between the two so here’s a good, detailed pros and cons Koh Yao article.

Koh Surin and the Similan Islands
Off the west coast of the province are Koh Surin and the Similan Archipelago. Both national parks are World-renowned diving destinations while also attracting large numbers of day-trippers creating a delicate balancing act for the national parks department. Certain islands are closed at certain times of the year, some closed on certain years for rehabilitation while camping permission also varies from year to year.

There’s possibly a perception that because the islands are a long way off shore there won’t be many visitors yet in a busy year 1 million day-trippers to the Similans think the same. There are hundreds of spectacular beaches in Thailand but with the two parks offering some of the country’s best diving, there’s something to be said for limiting casual tourist numbers. Don’t sit on a speedboat for three hours just because the islands are famous and so you get some selfies and stand on the coral. (Go to Phi Phi instead.)

If you do want to discover the amazing underwater flora and fauna,the best option is to sign up for one of the various overnight, live-aboard diving and snorkelling trips.

Koh Phra Tong and Koh Kho Khao
A brief mention to a couple of not very well known islands in Si Phang Nga National Park, also off the west coast. The lack of spectacular rock formations is compensated for by unspoilt west-facing, white sand beaches and a low-key, undeveloped vibe.

Phuket

We’ll keep this section brief to avoid appearing snobby and the World famous resort island needs no introduction anyway. To us it’s rows of deckchairs, jet-skis, package hotels for the families and myriad bars for the lads – plus it’s not cheap. (Well it maybe compared to Ibiza or Majorca but it isn’t by Thai standards.) Sure, regular visitors, of which there are many, point out that there are quiet bits, there’s great accommodation deals and world class restaurants plus of course a vibrant nightlife but if scantily-clad Thai maidens is your thing you may as well head to Pattaya and for a good value package tour head to not-as-bad Samui. Okay, a lot of tourists love it – up to them – but there’s now way it’s appearing on our best Thai islands list.

Ranong Province

Last but not least is a clutch of decidedly off-the-beaten-track islands in Ranong Province, just south of the border with Myanmar which includes Koh Phayam and Koh Chang. (Not to be confused with Koh Chang, Trat, which is easily done.) The former features some classic, unspoilt, white sand bays and beaches while the latter has some unusual, volcanic black sand beaches. Both remained stubbornly under the radar for a long time and to some extent still present something of a retro, 90s backpacker feel although more upmarket resorts are starting to move in.

Both islands are very laid-back, remarkably underdeveloped and while black sand may not fit everyone’s preconceptions of what best Thai islands should look like, Phayam is another shoo-in on our list.

Best Thai islands 2 will cover both coasts of the Gulf: the long, eastern side of the peninsula as well as Trat Province’s Koh Chang archipelago.