What if we tell you that you can still find islands without mass tourism in Thailand? Koh Mook is one of the many that still escape the large crowds of visitors that, like us, they just want to enjoy the wonderful Thai coasts, but they end up changing a place, an ecosystem and a town.
At the moment Koh Mook is somewhat foreign to mass tourism and one can still enjoy the quiet island life, the walks between the different parts of the island, a wild and virgin vegetation and the company of an extremely local people friendly. Nevertheless, Koh Mook does not have one of the best beaches in Thailand, but it offers many other things that, at least to us, captivated us.
So here we are going to tell you a little everything you can do in Koh Mook to relax in one of the Trang Islands, south of Thailand.
In Koh Mook there are basically two beaches, the one on the west coast (where the port is), which is usually very affected by the change of tides and is sometimes quite ugly, and that of the east coast (called Had Farang beach), where the Charlie Beach Resort is located, which remains less changing, although the water can be quite moved. We prefer the latter, although it is not suitable for snorkeling, it is the best for a swim and has several very interesting beach bars and restaurants. On the beach of the part of the port it is only advisable to go when the tide is high.
Had Farang Beach
There are many agencies where to hire a boat to explore the nearby islands and the corners of Koh Mook itself. We hire the one who takes snorkeling in the immediate vicinity of the island of Koh Kradan, stopping on this island to eat and enjoy its beach and finish on the Emerald Cave. We did it with the agency Mr Young (it is a family and the father took us and then the son brought us) and the price was 1,200THB for 3 people.
The Emerald Cave (on google maps it appears as “Morakot Cave”) is a secret beach accessible only through a cave. To get there you can do it including your stop on a boat trip, or arrive by kayak.
- On excursion: you drop the anchor a few meters from the cave and you have to throw yourself to swim through it to the beach. The boatman would have to jump with you and guide you through the cave with a flashlight, because being L-shaped there is not much (if not void) lighting. It is important to put on the vest and swim on your back so as not to get too tired. The waves can be a nuisance, but it is not as dangerous as it seems from the outside. It takes about 5 minutes to get through it.
- By kayak from Had Farang beach: it is possible to go with a kayak through the cave, provided the tide is quite low. I rented a double kayak with my friend Soufi and we went there but when we reached the entrance we did not dare to pass, the waves were quite strong and we were afraid that he would take us against the rocks. To get from Had Farang is like 30 minutes at a good pace. Eye, do not rent it just eaten or being in a bad way (like me) or you will have some unexpected surprise (come on, I almost died on the road). And if you can take one Lantern of those upside down! Kayaks can be rented at the Charlie Beach Resort for 100THB / hour.
You have to keep in mind that you can only enter at certain times of the day, coinciding with the Low tide. In addition there is a guard who puts up until 3 in the afternoon that charges 200THB for entering. Talk to the agency or the boatman with whom you hire the tour.
We didn't do it but we met a couple who were interested in doing some jungle trek inside the island. Apparently there are gibbons, in addition to monkeys, varanos, etc. At present there is no path that can be traveled and that goes into nature, so it is best to hire a guide who knows where to move.
We were very pleasantly surprised by the cuisine of the island. Both in the part of the town (next to the port) and on the beach of Had Farang there are several restaurants with varied menus and at a good price. And really the food was delicious! We tried several, but the one that beat us was the “Koyao“, Arranged on the rocks on the side of Had Farang beach: rich food, good prices and unbeatable views.
You also can't not snack on a man chocolate donut (or any other candy) at the Charlie Beach Resort (about 40THB).
Not having a fast ferry that connects it with land does not mean you can't get there! Here we give you the three options to get to Koh Mook:
- Hiring a private Longtail boat. They leave from the port without established hours, you just have to arrive, pay and leave. The price is 600THB per boat (€ 16). It takes 15 minutes.
- Sharing a longtail boat. The schedules depend on the groups that will arrive at the port. We arrived at 11:30 and we had to wait until 12:30 that a group arrived to share it. The price is 150THB per person (€ 4). It takes 20 minutes.
- Local ferry It is a boat tartana, type of Chanquete. It leaves at 13pm in the direction of Koh Mook from the port of Khuan Tung Ku and at 08:00 in the opposite direction. The price is 100THB per person (€ 2.6). It takes 30 minutes.
In the Wrong Way The prices are these:
- To Trang with the local ferry, including transport to the port of Koh Mook if you negotiate it well (the motillo that costs 50THB) and transport to Trang from the port, by 250THB per person (€ 7). Departure at 08:00.
- To Trang with shared / private ferry, by 350THB per person (€ 10) at 09:00 and 400THB per person (€ 11) the rest of the hours.
- To the airport at any time by 500THB per person (€ 13.5).
A good agency to hire both transportation and excursions is Mr young, right next to the port of arrival in Koh Mook.
→ More information on how to get to Koh Mook.
Both the local ferry and the boats arrive at the port of Ao Kham in Koh Mook. From there you can take one motorcycle with sidecar to mount both people and suitcases (maximum 3 people) or a van If you are a larger group. The price is the same: 50THB per person (€ 1.3). These bikes are the best option to go from one point to another on the island (from one coast to another) and the price is always the same. You can request in your accommodation to call a motorcycle contact or they will have someone in charge of this.
You also have the option of rent a motorcycle or a bicycle for days. Motorcycle prices are around 300THB per day and bikes 100THB per day.
As in the rest of the Thai islands on the slope of the Andaman Sea, the best time to visit them (which coincides with the dry season) goes from November-December to March-April. You already know that on the Gulf of Thailand coast the dry season usually covers the months between March and September.
We being three did not have too many triple room options. We opted to book online at the Koh Mook Had Farang Bungalow. They have from very basic bungalows for about 500-600THB to some with air conditioning and good mattresses. It is a step away from the beach of Had Farang and has a good restaurant. Wifi only in the restaurant area.
