Thailand Islands and Beaches

Flat illustration of a jungle island, a waterfall, a fishing village and a bicycle, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

Koh Chang Is the Island Nobody Puts on the List and It Should Be

Thailand's third largest island, four hours from Bangkok, a road you can cycle and a waterfall on the far side. It is not on anybody's map.

Flat illustration of a longtail boat speeding over layered waves toward a small island with a jetty, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

Koh Lipe Has No Bridge and No Airport and That Is the Entire Point

Satun province, the Andaman Sea, and a boat you have to catch. Koh Lipe is the Thailand island most likely to be closed off by weather, and the one people come back from twice.

Flat illustration of a river island with a pottery wheel, a bicycle, temple roofs and cargo ships, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

Two River Islands, Ninety Minutes From Bangkok, and Almost Nobody on Them

Koh Kret makes pottery. Koh Sichang has the best sea view in the Eastern Gulf. Neither is on a package tour, and both are an afternoon from the BTS.

Flat illustration of a limestone cliff ring, a bay with a crowd of boats and a longtail boat at a pontoon, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

Phi Phi Is the Most Crowded Place in Thailand and It Is Still Worth Going

The beach from the film is closed to swimmers for four months a year and capped to a few hundred people when it is open. Here is how the place actually works now.

Flat illustration of a moon hill, a riverside cathedral spire, a produce market and a palm, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

The East Coast Has a Moon Rabbit and Almost No Tourists

Past the industrial port on the way to the islands there is a riverside town with a French cathedral, a moon-shaped hill and a produce market that starts at five in the morning.

Flat illustration of tall limestone karst pillars rising from the sea, a sea kayak and a cave mouth, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

The Cliffs Above Phang Nga Are the Best Boating in Thailand

Hong Island, James Bond Island, sea caves you can kayak into, and a bay full of karst pillars that has been in every film ever made and is still astonishing.

Flat illustration of a spiral storm over a coastline, a beached longtail boat and rain bands, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Typhoon Season Is Not a Mistake, It Is a Trade

Around twenty tropical storms a year and a coastline pointed the wrong way. July to October is a gamble, and the smart way to play it is to not bet the trip on it.

Flat illustration of a jet ski on a beach, a drinks shack with a price board and a folded towel, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Jet Ski Damage Scam Is a Whole Industry and Knowing It Is Free

The jet ski is not damaged. You are on a beach where the only drink costs a thousand baht and a towel deposit you will never see again. Here is the whole system.

Flat illustration of limestone cliffs above a bay, a kite in the wind, a fishing pier and windmills, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

The Coast North of Hua Hin Is the Best Part of the Gulf and Nobody Stops

Ninety kilometres past Hua Hin the coast turns to limestone, the hotels stop, and a province that is four hours from Bangkok goes back to being a place people live.

Flat illustration of granite boulders in clear water, a speedboat, coral heads and a coral reef fish, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

The Similans Have a Fixed Opening Date and It Is Not a Suggestion

Eleven islands, nine of them open, a hard closure every May, and a rule that no beginner course is allowed inside the park. Here is how the system actually works.

Flat illustration of a banded sea snake, a jellyfish bell, a warning flag on a beach and a vinegar bottle, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

A Sea Snake in Thailand Is Almost Certainly Not Going to Bite You

The water is warm all year so everything lives in it, and almost nothing in the sea is interested in you. Here is the small number of things that are actually worth knowing.

Flat illustration of a beach bar, a full moon, a fire bowl and a longtail boat, deep teal and gold

Islands & Beaches

Koh Phangan Is Two Islands Dressed as One

A quiet northern half and a party southern tip, connected by a road that takes an hour, and a full moon event that has been under official pressure for a decade.