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Thailand has many beautiful and picturesque islands that travelers can’t miss. Next time you come to Thailand, why not plan for a few-day trip to one of them instead of staying only in the capital city? You won’t regret visiting that place. For those who haven’t gotten an idea of where to go yet, this article presents 5 islands a traveler like you must visit once in his/her life. Let’s see if you like any of them.
Koh Chang (Elephant Island)
This island is located in Laem Ngob (Ngob Cape) in the province of Trad. It’s the largest of all that are located in the Gulf of Thailand and the second largest island of the country. The sea water is clear. One of the characteristics of this island is that, even when it’s summer, the weather won’t get extremely hot there, because most of the area of the island is covered by a tropical rain forest. The activities available here include swimming in the sea, visiting a waterfall, trekking through the forest, riding an elephant, cruising, fishing and diving to enjoy watching coral reefs. You can visit, to mention some, Khlong Prao Beach, Kai Bae Beach, Than Mayom Waterfall and Baan Chang Thai.
Koh Chang is more than 300 kilometers away from the province of Trad. There’s more than one way you can get there. One is to drive a car. Pass through the districts of Pattaya and Sattahip in the province of Chon Buri and the district of Klaeng in the province of Rayong. Then, change to Highway No.3 passing through the province of Chanthaburi to the town of the Trad province.
There are ferry piers at Natural Bay and Center Point. Another way is to use a bus which is available at both Mochit Transport Station and Ekkamai Transport Station. The bus will arrive at Trad Transport Station. Then, to get to the pier at Natural Bay, you have to get on a two-row bus (called “song thaew” by Thai people). After that, you can get on a ferry to Koh Chang. Besides, you can also fly from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Trad Airport. Only one airline is available in this case: Bangkok Airways. There you can get to your hotel on Koh Chang by van.
Mu Koh Lanta (Lanta Archipelago)
Mu Koh Lanta is a large archipelago located in a district with the same name in the province of Krabi. It consists of Koh Lanta Yai (Big Lanta Island), Koh Lanta Noi (Small Lanta Island) and some other small islands. Most tourist attractions are on Koh Lanta Yai. On Mu Koh Lanta, you can enjoy the scenery, swimming in the sea or view the nature. Mu Koh Lanta National Park is one of the most popular places you should visit.
Koh Ngai (Ngai Island) in the southeast is one of the places where you can enjoy watching coral reefs in shallow water. Koh Ha (Ha Island) gives you the chance to dive to enjoy watching some manta rays. However, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation declares that Koh Ha be closed from July 1 to November 30 of every year.
Mu Koh Lanta is about 70 kilometers away from the province of Krabi. To get there, you can drive to Baan Hua Hin Pier where you can get on a ferry to Koh LantaYai. Besides, you can catch a bus from the Southern Bus Terminal on Borommaratchachonnani Road. Once you’ve arrived at Krabi Transport Station, you can then get on a van which can take you to your accommodation. Alternatively, you can catch a plane to Krabi Airport. From there, you’re encouraged to hire a car and drive to your accommodation.
Koh Lipe (Lipe Island)
This island is located in the southernmost area of Thailand. It’s in the province of Satun. The island is adjacent to the Malaysian territorial waters. The sea water is clear and it’s full of colorful coral reefs. It’s regarded as one of the most beautiful diving areas of Thailand. Some people call this island “Thailand’s Maldives”. You can enjoy some great views on Pha Chado (Chado Cliff) on Koh Adang (Adang Island),north of Koh Lipe. The Walking Street is one of the major attractions on Koh Lipe where you can buy food of various types. It’s located in the center of the island.
Koh Lipe has three beaches called Pattaya, Sunrise and Sunset. To get there, you can take a plane to Hat Yai. From there, take a van to Pak Bara Pier. From this pier, you can then take a ferry to Koh Lipe. You can also use a bus from the Southern Bus Terminal on Borommaratchachonnani Road to the district of La-gnu in the province of Satun. Then take a two-row bus to Pak Bara Pier and get on a ferry to Koh Lipe.
Mu Koh Similan (Similan Archipelago)
One of the world-famous places, this archipelago is located in the district of Khura Buri in the province of Phang-nga. The sea water is as clear as a mirror. The scenery here is fantastic. You can enjoy both diving and kayaking. Coral reefs can be watched in both shallow and deep water. Manta rays, whales and dolphins are some of the creatures you might see here. Koh Hu Yong (Hu Yong Island) is the longest of the nine islands of Mu Koh Similan. Turtles usually come to lay their eggs here at some time between November and February. To go to Mu Koh Similan, you have to take a ferry from Khura Buri Pier in the district of Khura Buri or from Hat Patong Pier in the province of Phuket. Mu Koh Similan is about 70 kilometers away from both piers.
Koh Tao (Turtle Island)
Koh Tao is located in the district of Koh Pha-ngan in the province of SuratThani. Because this island is located so far from the main land, in the past a number of turtles came to lay their eggs on this island. It was peaceful and had no inhabitants. Besides, Koh Tao is the world’s second largest diving area after Australia. In the history of Thailand, Koh Tao used to be where a prison was built. One of the most common activities here is diving to enjoy watching coral reefs both in shallow and deep water. You can get to Koh Nangyuan (Nangyuan Island) which is located in the north west to enjoy the scenery and peace.
To go to Koh Tao, you have to get to Thayang Pier or Rom Lom Phraya Pier in the province of Chumphon and get on a ferry. Alternatively, you can catch a ferry from Don Sak Pier in the province of Surat Thani.
