Long white sand
And shallow turquoise water.
Tournasol7 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tournasol7 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Krzysztof Golik — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of the loveliest and calmest islands in the Andaman Sea, south-west of Ko Muk, with a long beach of soft white sand on its east coast and shallow, clear turquoise water facing limestone peaks on the horizon. Most of the island is forest and rubber plantations inside Hat Chao Mai National Park, with only a few small resorts. Coral reefs lie close offshore for snorkelling straight from the beach, and a short path through the forest leads to a small sunset beach on the west coast. The island is also known for the underwater weddings held here each year on Valentine's Day, when dozens of couples marry in diving gear. There is usually no entry fee for the island itself, but four-islands tours generally include the park fee, so ask when booking. Electricity and services are limited, so bring what you need. Most people on the Trang islands are Muslim, so there are small mosques and halal food is easy to find. The best season is November to April; from May to October the monsoon makes the sea rough and boats thin out or stop. It makes a day trip from Trang or Ko Muk, but a night on the island reveals its real calm after the boats leave.
And shallow turquoise water.
Right off the beach.
Across a forest path.
South-west of Ko Muk, within Hat Chao Mai National Park, Trang province
By boat from Kuan Tung Ku or Pak Meng pier in Trang, or on the four-islands tour, in the dry season.