Phrae - Temples, Tom Yum and Northern Thai Hospitality
Phrae is a gorgeous small city in northern Thailand. Not on the traditional tourist trail, Phrae has escaped the trappings of the larger northern cities and retained a character all of its own. Full of unique temples, fantastic night markets, incredible food and even some really cool “Ghost Pillars”, Phrae was an unexpected delight in our Thai adventures.
Phrae is a gorgeous small city in northern Thailand. Not on the traditional tourist trail, Phrae has escaped the trappings of the larger northern cities and retained a character all of its own. Full of unique temples, fantastic night markets, incredible food and even some really cool “Ghost Pillars”, Phrae was an unexpected delight in our Thai adventures.
Check our guide to what to do, where to stay and the best things to eat in this amazing Thai town.
In this article:
Food - Where to eat in Phrae
What to do in Phrae
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Getting to Phrae - Where is it?
Phrae is a small city (large town by our reckoning) around two hundred kilometres (124 miles) south east from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Up in the mountains it is a lovely drive and serves as a great gateway into the lesser travelled regions of north eastern Thailand.
The easiest way to get to Phrae is from the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Buses run several times a day from Chiang Mai’s Bus Terminal 3 (located here), we used Greenbus who cover a lot of northern Thailand.
We booked our tickets in advance with 12go to make sure we got our seats.
You can also easily get to Phrae from Chiang Rai, Nan City or even further afield. If you are travelling away from the north, you can book buses between Phrae and Bangkok. Have a look at some of the options below:
The bus station in Phrae also serves quite a few of the very long distance routes, have a look at 12go to see more.
The bus stop in Phrae isn't very central and you will probably need to grab a ride to your accommodation. There were plenty of cheap taxis and songthaews parked and waiting at the bus stop.
If you are looking at flying there are domestic airports at Nan City and Chiang Rai, as well as the larger international airport at Chiang Mai.
Where to stay in Phrae - Accommodation choices
Phrae has a small but good selection of places to stay. We are on a backpacking budget and cannot recommend Come Moon Hotel enough.
Large stylish rooms with good air conditioning and a great shower all at a backpacker price. The lady who ran it (or at least was there when we were), was very friendly and helpful. We didn't share much language, her speaking only a little English and us even less Thai, but she was so hospitable and kind. We would definitely stay there again. Come Moon Hotel was set a little way out of the centre of town but was right next to the Saturday night market.
The hotel also has several very cute cats!
There are quite a few other choices for accommodation in Phrae, some a little more central than Come Moon Hotel. Have a look at our accommodation map below for all the available hotels, hostels and guesthouses in Phrae:
Zoom out using the - on the map to see all the options!
Be aware that due to Phrae’s fantastic Saturday night market that booking over the weekend is usually significantly more expensive. However, as you will find out if you read the rest of this blog, we definitely think the market is worth it!
Renting a Scooter in Phrae
Scooter rental is very simple in Phrae. Your Hotel / guest house / hostel will be able to sort you out. If you want to do it yourself there are several places in town you can rent from directly (just search “Phrae Scooter Rental” on Google Maps).
We paid 250 baht per day for our scooter, if we had rented for multiple days we would have probably got it a little cheaper.
We would definitely recommend renting a scooter to get to some of the sights outside of the town. Of course all the usual warnings apply to renting a scooter so get a helmet!
Coffee shops in Phrae - where to get your caffeine fix
We started one of our days with an excellent iced Americano in Café de Phaeris (located here). The café is in a beautiful building with a very chic interior. Also the (expensive) pastries looked amazing! There is a pretty upstairs seating area that, on Saturdays, is a great people watching post for the market!
Our go to coffee when in Phrae was Slope Coffee (located here).
This may be the coolest coffee shop of the adventure so far! Set in a sloping wooden house (hence the name) the café sprawls out into gardens and ramshackle wooden outbuildings. Everywhere you turn there are vintage toys and furniture. From stacks of original Nintendo consoles to micro machines and water pistols, every surface has a collection of interesting things to look at. The coffee was also fantastic with the iced lattes hitting the perfect spot on a hot day. There’s also a selection of cakes and treats for those with a sweet tooth.
Food - The best things to eat in Phrae
Thai Breakfast in Phrae
You can find a great Thai breakfast near the central fresh market. Down one of the streets bordering the market (around here), we found some delicious Khanom Jeen. White fermented rice noodles in a light curried broth. This variant was much lighter than the normal southern syle, with ground pork and a nearly clear soup. The noodles were very cheap at 15 baht per bowl, they were a fantastic start to the day!
Another great breakfast option you can find near the fresh market is a bowl of rice soup.
We ordered two bowls from the friendly lady here, who seemed both confused and happy to have two random farang at her shop. The menus were all in Thai so we just opted for the first option (we couldn't be bothered with getting our phones out and attempting Google translate). We got two hearty bowls of pork rice soup with sliced and ground pork, liver and intestines. Intestines aren't for everyone but the soup and cuts of meat were absolutely fantastic! Add in a soft boiled egg and you have an amazing bowl. Rich but somehow light, deep but comforting, the rice soup kept us full for a day of exploring.
Lunch and Dinner in Phrae
We grazed at the Sarm Wai evening market (located here) for our starters one evening. The market has loads of stalls offering takeaway foods. From curries and full meals for taking home, to small hand held snacks, there was plenty to choose from. We couldn't resist our traditional guilty Thai pleasure of market stall sushi (we know it's a terrible idea but we love it!).
Just remember Sarm Wai is an evening market not a night market, don’t get there too late or all the stalls will have sold out!
Our favourite places for dinner were all around the same intersection in the middle of town. In the evening, around a busy crossroads (located here), a swarm of delicious street stalls descended and set up camp. Tom yam, yentafo, duck noodles, stir frys of every description, whatever you fancy there will be something to tickle your tastebuds.
Street-side dining is one of the best things about Thailand!
We had two bowls of pork tom yam on our first night and it may have been our favourite tom yam of the trip! Topped with roast cha sui pork and tons of crunchy additions, this spicy sour soup was phenomenal. Make sure you add a little of the smoky roasted chilli flakes to supercharge your bowl!
There are not many things better than proper Thai Tom Yam Soup!
Another evening saw us devour a bowl of spicy noodles from the cart outside the Chinese shrine on the side of the crossroads (here). The menu listed our meal as “Spicy Noodles Large”, it was amazing. The soup had some of the juiciest, most delicious pork meatballs we have ever eaten. Not quite a tom yam soup, not quite a dumpling soup, it took the best of both worlds!
You know you want it.. We are hungry just remembering it!
Around the same roundabout are a string of restaurants open all day and serving a huge range of dishes.
We had a couple of great plates of pad krapow moo (stir fried pork and holy basil leaves) and, like the tom yam of the previous night, it was excellent!
We can also recommend checking out the Chinese style won ton noodle soup served at the restaurant here. The roast pork was especially yum!
We are obsessed with noodle soups and the places around the Phrae crossroads were some of the cheapest, most generous and most delicious we have encountered.
Another great option for food in Phrae are the weekend night markets, speaking of which:
Phrae Saturday Night Market
Every Saturday the people of Phrae close the long temple strewn road in the east of town and open the community run night market. This was one of our favourite night markets in Thailand so far, and we have been to a lot!
John had to be reminded that he didn’t actually own a CD player…
There was none of the copy-paste imported tat stalls, no two stalls sold the same thing. Instead there were lots of collectables, local crafts, vintage items and clothes for sale. Do you need an old set of Thai lounge classics on Vinyl? How about some action hero toys from the 80’s? It was great fun to browse all the different stalls.
There was also a ton of food on offer at the market!
We grazed our way through deep fried pork belly slices as well as sour fermented sausage and market stall sushi (again we just cannot resist). If you wanted full meals you could buy them there and eat them at a communal picnic area in the middle of the market. Also all the bars, coffee shops and restaurants had opened and spilled out into the market.
You could buy dinner from the market, take a seat and grab drinks from the neighbouring restaurants and bars, it was a great idea!
If you can time it right, definitely try and visit Phrae on a Saturday. The market is unique, charming and a real treat to explore.
Phrae Sunday Night Market
After the excitement of the Saturday market we were expecting a simple affair for Sunday. We made our way to our favourite crossroads for dinner but quickly spotted signs of another market. In the park next to a section of the old City Wall (opposite the 7-11) the Sunday market was in full swing. A small stage had a local band playing to an enthusiastic audience and a throng of stalls crowded the small open space. Being our third market in three days, a few of the stalls were now familiar to us. We enjoyed our fried pork again but this time managed to stop ourselves from ordering more market sushi. You could pick up meals to take away, lots of rice and curries, or eat them nearby. It was a proper local night market and like the previous two, completely charming.
The market is on Sundays from the late afternoon here.
Nightlife in Phrae
In the evening, if you are looking for a beer or something stronger head to Kham Lue street (here). This street houses several of the towns temples and also plays host to the Saturday night market, it is also home to a few fun bars and pubs. There is the Nomad Craft Beer Bar and cafe on the eastern end of the road and there are two live music Thai-beer-hall-style bars in the middle (around here). All the bars share the towns eclectic style and are welcoming and good fun. For a more posh drink (they had bouncers and everything!) check out ท่าช้างแพร่ near the bus station.
Things to see and do in Phrae
The temples of Phrae
Phrae has many famous and beautiful temples. We took a day and explored a few on foot. These are just some of the amazing temples you can find in Phrae:
Wat Phra Non
Probably the friendliest start to any temple tour we have had, Wat Phra Non is home to a famous sleeping Buddha. The statue is gleaming gold, over nine metres long and has inlaid mother of pearl eyes! The temple (when we were there at least) was also home to a very friendly and helpful attendant. We came into the beautiful main temple hall and he immediately gave us some honey drinks and turned the fans on. In a mix of English, Thai and the international sign language of pointing he explained how the specific Buddha in the temple was of particular strength and importance. He took photos of and for us and even gave us bottles of iced water when we left. We love Thai hospitality!
Wat Phong Sunan - the temple of the tortoise
A stunning temple with a reclining Buddha, ornate white spiked shrine, golden chedi and perhaps most striking, gigantic golden tortoise! It was not like any temple we have been in so far, and we have been in quite a few! The temple grounds go back over 500 years and are full of statues and amazing images of the Buddha. Inside the main hall the walls are covered in amazing colourful artwork, showing Thai festivals and scenes from Buddhist scripture.
Must….resist…Terry…Pratchett…reference…
Wat Luang
With a huge white chedi / stupa this gorgeous temple sits close by to Wat Phong Sunan. The temple site is one of the oldest in town (although the buildings have been renovated / replaced during their history). We visited on a sunny day in June and the temple was setting up for a formal event so we couldn't get to the small museum on site, but it was still a lovely temple with some fantastic traditional wooden houses in the grounds.
Wat Si Chum
Down an incredibly pretty street lined with flowers and butterfly filled houses, this smaller temple houses a historical brick stupa. Next to the old stupa was a small raised wooden building, its outside intricately painted in Buddhist scenes. With a pack of small dogs and a friendly little old lady as our only companions, it felt like stepping back in time.
City Pillar Shrine - Lak Mueang
A city pillar is meant to be the “soul of the city”, the spiritual heart where the city's guardian spirit resides. Phrae’s City pillar is housed in a pointed red, gold and white shrine. It is also (again when we visited) entirely surrounded by small tiger statues!
The City Pillar looks especially lovely at sunset!
Phrae’s Museums
The Khum Vongburi Museum aka The Pink House
The Pink House is aptly named. A mix of Thai and European architectural influences, the beautiful teak mansion has been painted a soft shade of pastel pink. Inside is a fascinating collection of family heirlooms, old radios, furniture and historical documents. We spent a happy half hour wandering around through the lovely rooms. Set in gardens and surrounded by jasmine trees, the museum is a perfect refuge on a hot day.
Naming it the Pink House didn’t take much imagination!
Tickets: Entry to the museum is 30 baht per person.
Opening times: The Pink House is open from 9am to 4pm daily.
Khum Chao Luang
Home of the last “Kings of Phrae” this imposing mansion houses restored period rooms, stunning historic outfits and artefacts from the last rulers life. There are displays of elephant logging equipment, historic photographs and lots of trinkets to find. We especially liked the tiny crystal ornaments in the upstairs bedrooms, they looked like extremely bling dolls house furniture!
The basement of the museum is easy to miss but definitely worth a little inspection. The basement functioned as holding cells and prison for accused and convicted criminals.
Ever wished you didn’t translate something?
The empty rooms are low ceilinged and very eerie. This sense of eeriness was massively worsened when we used Google Translate on some of the pictures which explained some truly horrific torture devices….Lets just say spiky elephant football and leave it at that!
Tickets: Entrance to Khum Chao Luang is free but donations are appreciated!
Opening times: Khum Chao Luang is open everyday between 8:30am and 4:30pm.
In both museums there were a few translated displays but you did need Google translate on a lot of the exhibits in order to know what it was you were looking at! If you want to sort out your international mobile data in advance check out Airalo for an eSIM!
The Ghost Pillars of Phrae - Phae Meuang Phii Forest Park
A short twenty odd minute scooter ride from Phrae town (or at least our hotel) lies the Phae Meuang Phii Forest Park and the mysterious Ghost Pillars of Phrae. A barren Mars-like canyon surrounded by forests. We scooted up there one morning and thought it was well worth the trip.
We arrived at the car park and hopped off our tiny little scooter (it had performed admirably with us two non-tiny people aboard). There was a small exhibition centre, a souvenir stand, restaurant and a visitor enquiry desk but nearly no other visitors when we visited.
Setting off the forest path towards the pillars we passed selfie spots and information signs explaining the importance of trees in preventing erosion and how the formation ahead is an example of what happens when the trees are removed. After a brief backwards jog when John realised the scooter keys were still in the ignition back in the car park we came to the valley of the Ghost Pillars.
It is beautifully bizzare!
Sometimes known as the ‘Grand Canyon of Thailand’, the scenery really is strange. Set in the midst of green forest, a scar of ochre rock and dirt forms a small steep sided canyon. Calling it the ‘Grand Canyon’ might be exaggerating it a little but it is very impressive. Sprouting out from the valley floor are the famous Ghost Pillars; towering yellowed stacks of stone, isolated survivors of the erosion that had gouged out the formation all around.
We wandered around the rim of the canyon and then down through the floor, snapping photos at viewpoints and the occasional especially dramatic rock. It is not a large site but well worth the short drive from town.
Some of the pillars are pretty tall!
If you are visiting make sure you take the short nature trail back to the car park rather than just retracing your steps. When we visited it was completely deserted except for us and some very colourful caterpillars.
Tickets: Entrance to the Ghost Pillars is free.
Facilities: There are toilets as well as food and drink available near the car park.
Opening times: The Ghost Pillars are open all the time but the visitor centre and facilities may close in the afternoon. We spent maybe a little over an hour at the site.
National Parks, waterfalls and viewpoints
The weather stopped us on our visit but, if you have a scooter make sure you check out the mountains and national parks surrounding Phrae. The area has lots of viewpoints, nature preserves and waterfalls a short drive from town!
Phrae ancient city walls
Phrae was once ringed with a large defensive wall and you can still see this in long stretches all across the town. Most portions of the wall are open to the public and some have been adapted into parks and gardens. There is a very nice stretch to stroll down along the river, near the central 7-11 and Sunday night market. You can find the location here. There is also some cool street art to spot on the opposite bank of the river.
If you are staying at or near Come Moon Hotel, there is a large section you can walk along the top of at the nearby roundabout. You can find this section of the walls here.
After Phrae - Where to go next?
Phrae could easily be part of a northern Thai loop. It is easily connected to Nan City, the pretty town of Pua and Chiang Rai. You could come from Chiang Mai, go to Chaing Rai then move on to Phayao, go across to Pua, down to Nan City and then to Phrae before heading to Lampang and then back to Chiang Mai or take a train / bus back to Bangkok. Alternatively you could use Phrae as a stop off when going further east to Issan or even all the way to Laos.
On this trip (as we had already been to Chaing Rai and Lampang) we visited Phrae, Nan City and had a day trip up to Pua. This was a fantastic trip and, like all the best trips, left us with the feeling that we need to come back and spend much more time in this corner of Thailand.
Phrae town - Our thoughts
Sometimes the simplest things are the best, we loved just walking around Phrae! It is a lovely town that is full of little corners and surprises. We would just be wandering through a park and a gaggle of people, all dressed in gold and burgundy traditional clothing would pass us on the way to a dance practice. We would stop in for a coffee and someone would just pick up an acoustic guitar and start singing.
We visited Phrae in the low season at the start of the rainy months. It did rain and we did have some grey skies, but it didn't stop us enjoying ourselves. In the rainy months you just have to be prepared with raincoats and umbrellas and be more willing to dive into a nearby coffee shop to avoid a downpour. The rainy season also has the advantages of cheaper accommodation and much less tourists to share the sites with!
Phrae was a fantastic small town, completely different from the larger northern Thai cities. It really felt like a different Thailand, one far removed from elephant pants, booze buckets and full moon parties but full of warmth, genuine people and, of course, amazing food.
We loved it
Thanks for reading!
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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The Best Noodles in Northern Thailand - Pork Rib Tom Yam in Nan
The best noodles in northern Thailand is a high claim, and one we are probably not qualified to make. That being said the Tom Yam of Crazy Noodle in Nan City was one of the best bowls we have ever eaten and we have eaten a lot! Check out our blog on this amazing bowl of deliciousness to find out more about Crazy Noodle and the City of Nan.
Noodles, we love ‘em. Pretty much whatever form they take, from rounded bun rice noodles to flat yellow egg noodles, they can be used in a million different delicious ways. During our adventures we have eaten hundreds of bowls of different noodles: noodle soups, noodle salads, fried noodles, cold noodles you name it and we have (probably) tried it. So when we say a bowl of noodles is one of the best we have ever tried, it is high praise.
Let us tell you about the special pork rib noodles of Nan, Northern Thailand.
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Nan is a small city, capital of the Nan province, in the north of Thailand. A four and a half hour drive from the city of Chiang Mai, Nan is a quiet place littered with beautiful temples and a famous weekend market. What it also holds is one of the most delicious noodle dishes we have ever tried.
Crazy Noodle is a small restaurant, sitting on the corner of a street filled with garages and scooter dealers. From the outside it doesn’t look any different from any of a hundred other noodle shops in Thailand. Tables are crowded with the traditional Thai cruet of vinegars, chilli and sugar.
Nothing marks this noodle shop out as any different from your standard tom yam joint. We have had many great bowls of tom yam noodles from near identical shops.
The menu too is restrained, giving no hint at the treasures it holds. Five entries and a drink is all the menu promises.
The only thing even slightly out of the ordinary for a tom yam noodle shop is the “Signature” bowl on the menu. This special bowl costs 70 baht, comparatively pricey for a bowl of tom yam. This, however, was the bowl we had come for!
Crazy Noodle, if you travel in the SE Asian food circles (translation, spend too long on YouTube and food blogs) is famous for a specific thing: a signature bowl of tom yam soup crowned with a dinosauric set of pork ribs. The soup is legendary and the ribs even more so.
We visited on a Wednesday lunchtime in the rainy season. It was not busy, in fact it was just us and one table of ladies in office wear. We passed their chattering group and were hit by a waft of delicious smelling soup. They each had a near empty bowl of the signature tom yam. The ladies were at the end of their meal and their bowls now looked like they had looted a natural history exhibit, with large bones, picked clean lying everywhere.
We took our seat and ordered two bowls of the signature tom yam with pork ribs. What came out was the best smelling and looking bowl of noodles we have had the luck of consuming in a while! Piled high with large pork ribs and spine, spring onions and crushed peanuts, the bowls looked amazing. A sheen of deep red chilli oil glistened on the surface and a rich aroma or pork, citrus and peanut enveloped everything.
Have you ever seen a better looking bowl of tom yam noodles?
We have never unwrapped chopsticks with such speed. It was like an anime, the chopsticks went from plastic clad to poised for action without any in-between stage being visible to the naked eye.
The pork was not tender, tender doesn’t come close to how meltingly soft the pork was. A light nudge from our chopsticks and it slid off of the bones. It was like pulled pork only they was no pulling, it was...gently tapped pork? We don’t know, it was ridiculous. The pork was sublime; rich, meaty and almost roasted in flavour, despite definitely being slow braised. The meat had leached its rich juices into the soup and visa-versa, the gentle sharpness of tom yam cut each bite, lightening the fatty pork and making it seem like we could eat an unlimited amount of the delicious meat.
There was so much meat on the ribs!
All it took was a little push and the pork just slid off!
The soup was hands down one of the best examples of tom yam we have ever had. We have had some utterly incredible bowls in Dusit, Phrae and other places in Thailand, Crazy Noodle easily joins this upper echelon of deliciousness. The perfect balance of sweet, salt and sharp, the rich soup marries everything in the bowl in beautiful polygamic harmony. Studded with slowly softening pork scratchings and laced with spring onions and chilli, the bowl is different from bite to bite. The fragrance of peanuts permeating each spoonful. Their nuttiness both complementing the rich meat and punctuating the sharp, lime citrus notes. The firm yet yielding yellow noodles bridge everything together, carrying the soup and clinging to the sticky juicy pieces of meat.
The Tom Yam master at work!
Taken as a whole it was a spectacular tom yam. Every ingredient complimented each other. As the bowl dwindled we changed it up with squeezes of lime or spoons of the smokey roasted chilli powder. As the last sips of soup were slurped, we both were regretting eating so fast. We wanted a bottomless bowl. We would put this soup on cornflakes if we could, it is just so addictively good. Luckily for us we had another couple of days exploring Nan so this wouldn’t have to be our only fix of these beautiful Crazy Noodles!
We picked these bowls clean, there was barely a chilli flake left when we had finished!
Thailand is so lucky it is hard to eat badly. Provided you walk out of the tourist bars and Western only restaurants you have to try really hard to get a bad meal. We have been spoiled in our visits to this wonderful country and have had too many good bowls of noodles to count. But this bowl, this perfect symphony of porky flavour, this bowl we will remember.
Where is Crazy Noodle / Where is Nan?
If any of the above has whetted your appetite you can find Crazy Noodle here. Nan has plenty of great food other than Crazy Noodle, we enjoyed eating at night maket (here) every night of our stay. The town of Nan is really lovely, laid back and full of stunning temples. It is worth it for more than just a noodle based pilgrimage.
Accommodation in Nan
There are plenty of places to stay in Nan. We had a great budget stay at the Nan Lanna Hotel. The Nan Lanna had a huge double room with a good hot shower and (crucially) good air conditioning. For those looking for a little more luxury check out the top hotels here.
If possible try and time your visit to coincide with the weekend market, as it is meant to be quite something!
How to get to Nan
Nan is easily accessible from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai or Bangkok. We moved from Chiang Mai, to the gorgeous town of Phrae and then down to Nan and we can highly recommend this route. There are lots of bus companies that stop at Nan and even a small airport with multiple daily flights to Bangkok.
Easy bus links to Nan City
We hope you have enjoyed this and it hasn’t made you too hungry. Thailand is a beautiful, delicious country that always rewards those willing to go a little further for food. Don’t be afraid, follow your nose and treat your tastebuds!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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Chang Chill - visiting an ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai
The elephants of Thailand are a ‘must see’ on any trip to Chiang Mai. Read our guide for all you need to know about choosing an ethical elephant sanctuary and why you should book a tour with Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary. Follow us as we spend a morning watching the elephants in their natural habitat, observing them deep in the jungle.
Elephants are synonymous with Thailand. Wherever you are in Thailand, you won’t be far from the image of an elephant. Whether it's the ubiquitous, colourful, elephant print pants sold in every Thai market or the clinking of Chang beers in a bar, elephants are everywhere in Thailand.
Throughout Thailand’s history, elephants have been central to many aspects of Thai life. From the royal war elephants of the Thai kings, to logging and transportation of heavy goods. Elephants and the mahout (human handlers) are symbols of pride and strength and are emblems of Thailand.
Sadly though, the real thing, actual wild, live elephants are harder to come by. With less than 3500 elephants left in the wild, the only real way you should be seeing elephants in Thailand is at an ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuary.
In this elephant guide:
The dilemma and contradictions of an ethical elephant sanctuary
Our day with the elephants, a visit to ChangChill elephant sanctuaries
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Why choose an ethical elephant sanctuary?
Choosing an ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuary is a must if you’re planning to see the elephants of Thailand.
There are many sanctuaries throughout Thailand that offer tours to see elephants, however these will usually include some form of touching, hand-feeding, bathing or even riding.
Elephants love to eat, love to play in water and love to bathe in mud, however like us, they like to do this on their own terms and don’t want to be forced into doing it. An ethical sanctuary will not permit any kind of touching, forced bathing and definitely no riding. Instead visitors will be brought into the elephant's habitat and allowed to observe these beautiful creatures from a distance.
If you’re in Chiang Mai, we can recommend booking a trip with Chang Chill elephant sanctuary. Read on to find out what to expect on your day with the elephants.
The dilemma and contradictions of an ethical elephant sanctuary
In a perfect world there would be no such thing as an “elephant experience". Elephants would be wild, free and protected in forests and parks away from human interference. Unfortunately, this is far from a perfect world.
As we’ve mentioned, in Thailand elephants have been used alongside humans for generations. When the logging industry was banned and the National Parks created (more on this later) this left thousands of elephants in limbo. Unable to live in the wild but unable to generate the money needed to feed them. Thailand pivoted its elephants towards tourism. This unfortunately led to elephant rides, elephant circuses and street performing elephants. Today thankfully, there are strict laws and most of this is a thing of the past*. Nowadays the focus is moving firmly towards treating these unwildable elephants as ethically as possible.
An ethical elephant sanctuary today is the best compromise available between the expensive business of feeding elephants that cannot be released into the wild and respecting these amazing, intelligent creatures. It’s not perfect, but currently it's the best solution.
*There are places in Thailand that still have elephant shows, riding elephants and other elephant exploitation - please do not encourage these with your patronage.
What is the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary?
Chang Chill is an ethical elephant sanctuary located about an hour and half away south west from the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.
Chang Chill is home to four elephants, all of which were saved from the logging and tourist industries.
The sanctuary is an ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuary offering tours to tourists. When visiting the sanctuary, visitors are only allowed to observe the elephants from a distance. There is strictly no touching, bathing or riding of the elephants.
Our day with the elephants - a visit to Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary
Our guide Wit cheerfully picked us up at 7.30am from the lobby of our accommodation in Old Town Chiang Mai. We bundled into the waiting minivan and headed out onto the streets of Chiang Mai to pick up our fellow travellers.
After everyone had been picked up, we quickly left the busy main roads and outskirts of Chiang Mai and began to wind ourselves up the sides of a steep mountain. We passed paddy fields full of water ready for planting, buffalos wallowing in the mud and market stalls piled high with colourful fruit and vegetables. After spending a couple of days in Chiang Mai, it felt refreshing to leave the busy streets and escape to the mountains.
As we wound our way higher, Wit gleefully shouted out from the front of the van that it was time to begin the “roller coaster” part of the journey as we headed steeper up the mountainside. He wasn’t joking as soon enough we were switch-backing our way up a near vertical road.
As we zig-zagged our way to the top of the mountain, the trees parted and we were treated to an incredible view down the stepped mountainside. The green stepped rice terraces, wooden houses and small villages felt a world away from the busy, modern city of Chiang Mai.
We pulled off the road and down a dirt track, bumping our way past tethered cows, flapping chickens and stilted wooden houses before eventually pulling in to a small lay-by which marked the end of the road.
We must admit at this point, we did question whether we had made the right decision and wondered if Chang Chill was as “ethical” as it had seemed, as in this small car park there were about sixty or so people and four minivans. Hoping that our fears would be laid to rest, we followed Wit through the small village. Quickly it became apparent that these minivan groups were all scattered far and wide around the sanctuary. Wit assured us that the elephants were never crowded by people and we would still get an intimate experience.
As we made our way past the rice paddy fields, Wit pointed to a tree and motioned to us to pick some small orange fruits. He explained that these were loquats.They were sweet and slightly citrussy, almost like a big grape.
We followed the raised mud paths across the paddy fields, criss-crossing our way to a wooden bridge which marked the entrance to the Chang Chill sanctuary.
Taking seats, it was time to refresh with tea, coffee and more importantly, bug spray! Wit explained that to see the elephants we’d have to leave the paths and delve deep into the forest. Mosquito-proofed (as much as we could be) and caffeinated we began our hunt for elephants.
By foot our group wound our way up a steep stone path behind the canteen area, when suddenly Wit pointed out a perfect, large plate sized footprint. He then ran to the other side of the path to point out a very large pile of fresh elephant dung. This pile of poo and a fresh set of elephant footprints meant that elephants had passed through very recently.
We continued on until we heard a muted trumpeting. Wit instantly asked us to hush and disappeared into the undergrowth. Signalling us to follow him, in silence we clambered over fallen logs, through thick bushes and past trailing vines until we saw the unmistakable mottled grey and pink skin of two elephants foraging in the undergrowth. We had stumbled upon the mother and daughter elephants of Chang Chill, Mae Gohae (mother elephant) and Mae Mayura (daughter).
The mother, Mae Gohae was born in the early 1970s and had spent most of her life in the logging industry, before moving to a trekking camp on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. Her daughter, Mae Mayura was born in 1989 and began her life logging in forests on the Thai/Myanmar border before being sent to Chiang Mai to carry tourists around the city. During their early days, both mother and daughter were separated for long periods of time and since being reunited at Chang Chill, the pair are almost inseparable.
Our group stood a good couple of metres away in silence and just watched as the mother and daughter went about their eating. Pulling leaves from the trees with their trunks, snorting through the undergrowth and trumpeting to each other. It was a beautiful sight. Instead of seeing the elephants parade around a gated enclosure, here they were just going about their day. After a short while, the pair headed off in the opposite direction and Wit signalled to us that it was time to leave.
We continued down a steep slope and headed deeper into the forest. We were quickly brought to a stop and asked to retreat as another elephant Mae Korn emerged and walked a couple of metres in front of us, pushing and eating her way through the thick foliage.
Mae Korn was born in 1987 in the province of Tak. Instead of logging, Mae Korn has spent the whole of her life in the tourism industry. At first she was a riding elephant, carrying tourists around on her back. Then she was sent to an elephant camp where bathing and feeding was allowed. Nowadays she happily roams around Chang Chill.
We waited until Mae Korn had moved a good distance away. Wit then led us to a small clearing below for us to observe her. We stood in silence and watched as Mae Korn munched her way deeper and deeper in the forest, using her trunk to pull leaves and vines from the trees. We watched until all we could see was her tail swinging in amongst the dense bushes and headed off in the opposite direction.
We came to a stop above the stepped rice paddies and listened as we could hear the sound of another elephant approaching. Suddenly above us, the trees parted as two large ears flapped their way through. It was time for us to meet the biggest elephant of the sanctuary Mae Too.
Mae Too was born in 1984 and belonged to a Karen hill tribe in the province of Mae Hong Son. Mae Too spent her early years dragging logs in the forestry industry before being transferred to a trekking camp in Chiang Mai.
Not even noticing our group watching her in the bushes, Mae Too passed by above us. Her eyes focused entirely on eating whatever she could find. We stood and watched as she disappeared into the jungle.
Wit explained that before 1989, elephants in Thailand were mainly used in the logging and forestry industry helping to drag fallen logs. In 1989, the Thai King, King Bhumibol banned logging and in its place created around 150 National Parks. The creation of these National Parks meant that there was no need for elephants and so a lot of the elephants were sent to the tourist industry for riding and bathing. Today there is more of a focus on ‘ethical tourism’ and with this, more and more ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuaries are being created in Thailand.
The four elephants at Chang Chill were all rescued from the logging and tourist industries, and as such will never truly be wild. As a result, each of the elephants have their own mahout which help to care and feed them. They also make sure that they don’t trample through the local farmers' paddy fields!
We left the paddy fields and clambered back up the steep forest to reach the road. Wit quickly stopped in his tracks and jumped to the side of the road. We followed suit and were soon greeted with the unmistakable sound of an elephant enjoying its lunch. Around the corner, a mahout appeared leading the towering Mae Korn towards us. Mae Korn plodded along slowly, focused entirely on chewing her way through the bundle of green grasses she was carrying in her trunk. She stopped right next to us and continued to eat. It was incredible to see her this close. In the jungle it was hard to make out her size, but stood right next to her, she towered over us. Her mahout eventually got her to move again, bribed by waving some more tasty grasses and she disappeared down the road.
We started moving again, but it wasn’t long until Wit asked us to stand at the side again. Pointing to the distance we could see the grey shadow of Mae Too moving towards us. Flapping her ears, Mae Too looked massive compared to Mae Korn. Taking up almost all of the road with her width, she slowly tramped past us, focussed entirely on her eating! As she disappeared from sight, it was time for us to head back to camp.
Heading back down past the rice paddy fields we arrived back at the “Elephant Food Storage” where Wit showed us bunches of yellow and green bananas and piles of long, dark purple, sugar cane. He pointed to logs and machetes and showed us how to cut up the sugar cane ready for the elephants to eat later that afternoon. Like us, elephants love their sugar!
After preparing the elephant food, it was time for our lunch. Wit jokingly said we were here to spend time with the elephants and so we’d be eating like the elephants “with an all vegetables feast”. We were treated to a creamy coconut, onion and potato curry, peanut noodles, fried eggs and vegetables. The food was delicious.
After lunch we took our seats in the covered decking area close to the river and waited for the elephants to come.
In the bamboo pipe troughs, the sugar cane we had cut up earlier had been fed through ready for the elephants to feast on. One by one the elephants emerged from the jungle.
We spent a good 45 minutes just watching the elephants curl their trunks up, under and through the hollow pipes, taking out the small chunks of sugar cane. It was incredible to watch. From the angle we were sitting, you could really see the dexterity of their trunks as they wound them around the purple canes. We sat opposite Mae Korn and Mae Too who seemed (despite their earlier jungle feast) to still be super hungry, and we watched as they greedily took out chunks of sugar cane in trunkfulls of three to four pieces.
Mae Gohae and Mae Mayura seemed to be more restrained and were delicately taking out the sugar cane piece by piece. When they had had their fill, they left their pipe still half full and headed back to the jungle. Much to the delight of the greedy Mae Korn and Mae Too!
After the sugar cane had been devoured, the mahouts of Mae Korn and Mae Too fed them nutrition balls full of rice, banana and medicine to help keep the elephant's healthy. As with the sugar cane, both elephants enthusiastically caught the balls by the trunk!
We were told by Wit that their diet is carefully monitored and these feeding times were balanced with their foraged diet. They are not always fed sugar cane as too much of it (much like humans) can cause diabetes. It was their treat day when we visited. When they see sugar cane on the menu, they go wild for it.
When they were finally full (elephants can eat a lot), Mae Korn and Mae Too headed back into the jungle. This signalled the end of our trip to Chang Chill, it was time to return back to the city.
As we headed back to our minivan we had one last glimpse of Mae Korn and Mae Too as they headed to the stream to drink.
Chang Chill essential information
How to book an elephant tour
Booking a trip to visit the elephants at the Chang Chill sanctuary is easy.
Just head over to their website, choose the length of the program, the day you’d like to visit and the number of visitors.
Which program to choose?
This is entirely up to you and depends on your schedule.
We chose to visit during the morning, but Chang Chill also offers the same program during the afternoon.
If you’re after even more elephant time, then Chang Chill also offers one or two day programs. Check their website for more details.
Travel to and from the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary
Chang Chill will arrange for a mini bus to collect you / drop you back off to any hotel or guesthouse in or around Chiang Mai’s Old Town.
When you book your trip, just make sure you include the address of where you will be staying.
For those looking for a luxury break in the Old Town, we can recommend a stay at the Viang Luang Resort Hotel or the Sirilanna Hotel. Both hotels offered beautiful rooms, outdoor swimming pools and breakfast.
For those more on a budget, we've had fantastic stays at the Chana Place guesthouse in the south of the Old City and Rendezvous Old Town guesthouse to the north. Both guest houses had comfy beds, warm showers and were within walking distance of all the main sites.
To check out all available accommodation within Chiang Mai's Old Town, check out the map below:
How much does a visit to Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary cost?
For our half day visit to the sanctuary, we each paid 1900 THB.
This included transport to and from our hotel in Chiang Mai to the sanctuary, free tea and coffee, a guided walk through the forest to see the elephants, and a vegetarian lunch.
If you’d prefer a full day visiting the sanctuary, a day trip will cost 2500 THB per person and for those looking to spend even more time with the elephants, a two day trip (including accommodation close to the sanctuary and meals) will cost you 5500 THB each.
Other ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai
There are few other “ethical” elephant sanctuaries you can visit in and around Chiang Mai, with the most popular being the Elephant Nature Park.
The Elephant Nature Park offers both morning/afternoon visits as well as longer volunteering opportunities, check out their website here.
Final thoughts
We cannot recommend a trip to Chang Chill enough. We loved observing the elephants in their natural habitat, watching them as they wound their trunks through the undergrowth finding food to eat. It felt completely natural and we loved how unfazed the elephants were when they walked past us.
A lot of people could argue that this isn’t wild enough, that the elephants aren’t ‘truly wild’ but are led by the mahouts. Whilst each of the elephants did have a mahout, the elephants were as wild as they could be. Sadly, these elephants will never be the ‘wild’ elephants we all imagine in the jungle as they were brought up in the logging / tourist industry.
In the past we did visit an elephant park that did allow the touching, feeding and bathing of elephants, and whilst we loved our experience then, we now know that this wasn’t necessarily the right way to observe the elephants (we all learn from our mistakes). What we didn’t realise back then was that these elephants are paraded down to be fed, bathed and touched multiple times a day.
Surely, this is the best way to see elephants!
Our second time with the elephants at Chang Chill felt completely different. The elephants were free to wander around wherever they wanted, feed on food from the jungle and weren’t tied to some rigorous daily routine. It was an incredible day and one we won’t forget in a while. Whilst we were worried at the start of the tour by the number of minivans, Chang Chill did a great job of splitting up the groups and making sure there was never more than a handful of us in view of any elephant at any time.
If you are in Chiang Mai a day seeing the elephants of Thailand is an absolute ‘must’. We just ask you to please do your research and whatever you do, do not ride an elephant - this goes without saying for any elephant not just the elephants in Thailand!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Elephant photo gallery from our time at Chang Chill
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Cooking Thai food in Chiang Mai with “The Best Thai Cooking Class”
Read all about our day with Chiang Mai’s “Best Thai Cooking Class”. From Pad Thai to Penang curry, Som Tam Salad to Mango Sticky Rice we have a go at cooking a bit of everything. Check out our guide to a great afternoon cooking on a gorgeous organic farm outside of Chiang Mai’s Old Town.
Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second city, is a melting pot of South East Asian flavours. Thai, Laotian and Burmese all mix together and are peppered with influences from China and India. Chiang Mai is an amazing city for eating, it is also the perfect place to take a cooking class. With vibrant markets selling the freshest of produce and an endless choice of menu items, Chiang Mai is the obvious choice for donning an apron and learning some Thai recipes.
With all this in mind we had to book ourselves onto an afternoon’s cooking class, this is what happened that day!
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Our Thai cooking class - An afternoon cooking a Thai feast
It started, as many good meals do, in a market. We unloaded ourselves from a minivan and stepped into the massive heat, crowds, bustle and colour of a local Thai market. This was the first stop on our half day cooking school.
We had signed on to “The Best Thai Cooking Course” in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We had been picked up from our accommodation in the Old City and whisked off to the market. Before we could get to cooking we needed to learn about what we were to be chopping and simmering. Our afternoon class would start with a tour of all the ingredients we would be using later that day.
Thai markets are always a hectic rainbow of produce!
Our guide was Mrs Oily, or so she asked us to call her. She was a whirlwind of a lady, bouncing and flitting through market stalls explaining the different herbs, fruits and vegetables. We were shown all the different kinds of produce, told what kind of flavours they gave and the best way to use them. Mrs Oily even told us what we could use in their place, just in case our local market had run out of galangal or fresh frog!
We always love a good market especially with a local guide and this was no exception. The market we walked around was not a tourist market full of Chang singlets and elephant pants, it was a real place where locals came to buy the fresh ingredients for their dinner. Having Mrs Oily show us around gave us a real insight into the market and its patrons.
After the market, and the hurried purchase of some fresh coconut milk, it was back in the van and on to the cooking school. We drove about half an hour out of Chiang Mai to a beautiful converted farm. Outside we were shown demonstration gardens of the different rices as well as aubergine (eggplant to our American friends), beans and different kinds of basil plants.
The purple rice gives a rich black colour to the grains
The house was also lucky enough to have a tree full of weaver birds with their delicate nests swaying in the breeze above.
After our garden tour it was time to get ready to cook our Thai feast! Inside we were greeted by a beer fridge (a welcome sight on such a hot day) and rows and rows of shining metal cooking stations. We put on our aprons, opened our beers and were ready to get stuck in!
Earlier, in the minivan, we had each chosen our own menus to cook. We each selected: a soup, a stir fry and a curry. In addition to this we would all be cooking a pad thai, som tam papaya salad, spring rolls and a mango sticky rice dessert. As this was not our first rodeo and being tactical thinkers, we had both selected different options for each course, that way we could have double the different dishes. We were, however, beginning to regret our lunch!
Concerns about our stomach capacity aside, it was time to start cooking our feast. Our first task was cooking a Thai soup.
Our selected soups were the spicy and sour tom yam and the creamy and coconutty tom kha.
We were guided through the steps and were shocked at how easy the soups felt to make. Very little chopping was required; we mainly smashed things with our cleavers or tore them apart with our hands. It felt organic and very rewarding, cooking simply and manually with fresh ingredients.
Next up, and before our soups could cool, we blitzed through a pad thai. Honestly we were amazed, it was maybe four minutes from start to finish. We smashed some garlic, sliced a little tofu tossed some noodles, spring onion and peanuts along with sauce then cracked and egg on the back of our ladles. Before we knew it we had made a pad thai, smokey with wok flavour and completely delicious.
You know this pad thai looks gooooood!
The soups were fantastic too, they were made with no stock, just fresh ingredients, soy, fish sauce and a little oyster sauce. Like many good dishes, the key was simplicity and not messing around with the ingredients.
Over the next few hours we smashed, chopped, pounded and flamed our way through our chosen menu of penang curry, pad krapow, chicken with cashew nuts, deep fried spring rolls, khao soi, som tam salad and multi coloured sticky rices. All the time being cheerfully guided along by Oily and the head Chef.
The curry pastes all started with the same base ingredients, tossed into a big wooden pestle and mortar. Our instructions were to beat it like you would beat your enemies and our group set about turning fresh ingredients into vibrant curry pastes (some with a worrying degree of enthusiasm).
We assembled the spring rolls by hand, folding and rolling them up in little pastry envelopes before sealing them shut ready to be deep fried. A quick dipping sauce was whipped up out of sugar, fish sauce and pickled plums.
The stir fries were fun and frantic affairs. Once the ingredients were prepped (smashed mainly) it was all hands on deck for a searing hot wok session. The stir frys went from raw to perfectly seared in about three minutes! For the daring the chef showed us how to add…a little theatre…
This was an optional activity for those who like to gamble their eyebrows.
Som tam, papaya salad, was grated up and pounded with chillies, tomatoes, fish sauce and lime into a zingy, buzzy, crunchy salad. Som tam salad is the perfect accompaniment to the richer curries, it balances and refreshes everything.
Look out shes got a club!
The multi-coloured sticky rices were all made by adding a natural colourant to rice and coconut milk. Blue pea flower turned one batch to sky blue, pink was achived with dragonfruit whilst the purple rice was made with the inventive addition of violet sweet potatoes.
Each dish was assembled quickly and with surprising ease. Nothing was buried in mystery or complicated with terminology, everything was clear and fun. There was no pressure even if you did mess up a little (John likes to jump the gun sometimes).
All the ingredients had been conveniently prepared for us and were easily and immediately to hand. We felt a little like those TV chefs, you know know the ones who show you a “thirty minute meal” (that actually takes an hour and ten), with unseen sous chefs prepping all the ingredients for us!
A deconstructed pad thai!
When it came time to eat the sun had long since set and we had a mighty spread on our lakeside table. We dug into our banquet of self cooked dishes and devoured the fruits of our labour. It was delicious! Each of the dishes was unique and full of those amazing Thai flavours we love so much! Creamy, coconutty, zingy and zesty all underscored with the cheeky heat of thai chillies.
It was a feast!
Sat on tables overlooking lamplit water, with swallows darting overhead it was a meal to remember.
After eating our body weight in curry, we were presented with cookbooks with all the day’s recipes as well as a coconut spoon to take home.
It really was dinner with a view.
When the minivan came around to take us home you could nearly hear the suspension creak under the increased load of our stuffed bellies. It had been a great afternoon and we definitely felt we could recreate a little of it in our own kitchen... Even if we cannot find the galangal in Tescos!
Why take a cooking class?
We love our food so our answer may be coloured by our infatuation with flavours but, that being said, we really don’t think there are many better ways to get to know a place than through its food. Cooking lessons mean you get to take a little bit of that home. We love our photos and stories from our travels but it is amazing to be able to bring the flavours of a country home with us. Taste and smell are amongst the most evocative triggers of memory so why not have a slice of Thailand on hand in your kitchen?
If you are more of an eater than a cook, or want to get an amazing overview of the Chiang Mai food scene check out our article on one of the fantastic food tours we went on:
If you have the time, do both! Do the food tour and then book a cooking class and learn some of the dishes for yourslef!
Is Chiang Mai a good place for a cooking class?
Short answer, yes! Long answer: Yes but so is pretty much anywhere in Thailand! Chiang Mai does have the unique advantage of the Northern Thai flavours. Its proximity to both Laos and Myanmar means that you get some amazing extra flavours to play with. Khao Soi is a great example of this with Thai/Burmese and even Indian influences all blending to make a uniquely northern Thai dish. You can do a cooking class pretty much anywhere in Thailand but we would definitely recommend it in Chiang Mai!
What cooking class is best in Chiang Mai?
There are so many to choose from! We opted for, and had a wonderful time at, the “Best Thai Cooking Class” you can book it here.
Our guide asked about and could accommodate vegetarians and allergy sufferers -just let them know in advance. Our class was meant to run from 15:30 to 20:30 but ran slightly longer with the taxi dropping us back in the Old town around 9pm. The price (1200 baht per person when we went) included everything: pick up and drop off at our selected hotel in the Old Town, all the ingredients, tea, coffee, water and aprons. The only thing extra were soft drinks, wine and beer and these were all reasonably priced. We had a fantastic day and can highly recommend the “Best Thai Cooking Class”.
We only tried one cooking school but there are dozens of other operators in Chiang Mai serving every niche imaginable:
We cannot recommend cooking classes enough. If you enjoy food and travel it is a no-brainer, get out there and learn to recreate a little piece of your travel story!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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The Best Northern Thai Food Tour - A Chef’s Tour Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is a beautiful city full of unique Northern Thai cuisine. Follow us as we embark on a food tour sampling all the best dishes Thailands second city can offer! From the famous “Cowboy Hat” lady’s pork leg on rice, raw buffalo laab and northern sausages to the delicious Shan Burmese noodles outside the city walls, we eat our way to the heart of Northern Thai cooking with A Chef’s Tour!
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We love Thailand. We also love our food. Put the two together, and you have some very happy Jellie!
Happy Ellie eating in Thailand!
Thai cuisine is renowned world over, for its incredible blend of hot, sweet, salt and sour flavours, but outside of Pad Thai and green curries, most people's experience of this amazingly varied cuisine falls short. We have already eaten our way through the south of Thailand, up through the islands, mainland and the chaotic streets of Bangkok, but it was now time to sample the wonders of Northern Thai cooking.
What Is Northern Thai Cuisine?
This is far too bigger question to answer! If we had to narrow it down a bit, this is what we’d say:
Northern Thai cuisine differs from its central and southern counterparts. The food in the north is heavily influenced by its Burmese, Chinese and Laotian neighbours. The northern Thai dishes blend their own cuisine with the borrowed flavours to create something deliciously unique.
Northern Thai cooking is unique in its uses of herbs and spices, sourced from the local fauna or further abroad from neighbouring countries. Due to its geographical location, river fish are more common, and jungle ingredients take a more central role. Northern dishes tend to be less creamy, with a more prominent bitter flavour.
What Is The Best Way To Try Northern Thai Food?
The best way to try Northern Thai food as always, is just to get out and eat. In Thailand, street food is king and is available 24/7, 365 days a year. Getting out amongst the street life, pulling up a chair at a plastic table and ordering whatever the person sitting next to you is eating is one of the best ways of expanding your horizon and encountering yummy food.
However, sometimes a more curated approach is necessary.
Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second city, and the true hub of the north. Chiang Mai has everything you could want to experience of northern Thai cooking. From the Old City to Chinatown, Little Burma and Shan cuisine it has a little bit of everything.
The city of Chiang Mai is big, too big to explore on foot and certainly too big to try every tasty thing it has to offer. A food tour is a great way to overcome these issues. An expert guide can show you around and lead you to the places and dishes you would never find by yourself. This is where ‘A Chef’s Tour’ comes in.
We had an amazing experience with A Chef’s Tour eating our way through southern Thai cuisine in Phuket, as well as experiencing the street food in the colourful warren of Chandni Chowk in India’s Old Delhi . Both tours were incredible, with brilliant guides who opened our eyes to the cuisine and culture and added so much context to every dish we tried. With this in mind, it was a no brainer, A Chef’s Tour was our number one choice for a food tour in Chiang Mai.
Northern Flavours - A Chef’s Tour Chiang Mai
Stop One - The Cowboy Hat Lady and Her Pork Leg On Rice
It started, as many great things do in a market. Chiang Mai’s North Gate food market is famous for its street food offerings. After dark the area outside of the Old City walls comes alive in fluorescent lights and flashing woks.
We were here to see a local legend - The Cowboy Hat Lady. She was (according to rumour) already the most popular seller of Thai style pork leg and rice when, in order to protect her eyes from the bright lamps of her stall, she started to wear her iconic cowboy hat. Her fame grew in the West when the acerbic and brilliant late Anthony Bourdain ate at her stall and featured her in his books and TV shows.
Our guide said this was technically a bonus stop as pork leg is not a uniquely northern Thai dish. Pork leg and rice traces its roots from central Thailand and the Chinese communities who brought both pigs and Chinese five spice from their homelands. We were presented with small sample plates from the smiling be-hatted proprietor.
It was beyond delicious, and the Cowboy Hat Lady thoroughly deserves her popularity. We have never eaten such tender pork! Meltingly soft seven hour stewed pork in a rich five spice sauce with a soft yolked duck egg, pickled mustard greens and a chilli vinegar. We wished our plates were larger, at least until we were reminded we had between ten and fifteen dishes still to go…
Piling into the back of the red songthaew, it was time for our next stop.
Stop Two - Roasted Meat Perfection - Clay Jar Roasted Pork and Chicken
Our next stop was a roadside wonder. Huge clay jars engraved with Chinese dragons lined the shop front. Moui, our guide (more on her later), lifted the lid on one of the jars and revealed its treasure. Huge slabs of pork belly, hung from the inside rim over flaming charcoal. The smell was amazing as the pork fat became crackling before our very eyes. The next pot was hung with roasting chickens. Again, the smell was incredible.
We quickly grabbed a table and were presented with a plate of pork, chicken and two dipping sauces.
Since coming to Thailand we’ve become slightly addicted to crispy pork belly. This was possibly the best we’ve had so far. The first layer was the crispiest crackling we’ve ever crunched, with each subsequent layer of the belly, either meltingly soft fat or perfectly tender meat. It was divine! Moui directed us to try the next bite with the dip of the special sauce. Made from soy sauce, chilli, lime and coriander root, this fresh acidic sauce cut through the rich pork belly beautifully.
The roast chicken was next. Being from England we love our roast chicken, but this was a long way from stuffing and gravy. The chicken had been marinated prior to its spell in the charcoal fired kilns, and the skin was sweet and crisp, whilst the meat was so juicy, you could eat it with a spoon. The chicken, paired with a sweeter tamarind based sauce, was again insanely delicious.
Moui explained that this location was relatively new. The stall had always been popular, and had even been featured on the popular YouTuber Mark Wiens’ channel but had exploded in popularity during the pandemic as it offered home delivery of its roasted treats. Vowing to return, it was onwards to the next stop.
Stop Three - Deep Into The North - Buffalo Bile Laab, Burmese Curry and Fermented Pork Naem
We think it's probably time we introduced you to Moui. Our tour guide had been amazing, sat in the back of our songthaew, Moui ran us through the histories of northern Thai cooking. We never knew that prior to the Chinese influence, there was no pork, no noodles and no duck in Thai cuisine. As we made our way to our third stop, she reached into her Mary Poppins bag and brought out two spice mixes.
The first of her spice boxes was full to the brim with mak waen peppercorns. We have never heard of, seen, or tasted these little peppercorns. They smelled wonderfully floral, but when eaten were like baby szechuan peppercorns. Mak waen are fundamental in the blend of spices needed for laab, our next dish. Moui’s second spice box was a treasure trove of wonderful smells. Cinnamon mixed with star anise, mace, nutmeg and finally the mak waen produced an intoxicating aromatic blend. Moui was fantastic at explaining the roles, history and effects of the spices and what they would bring to the coming dishes.
Our songthaew, driven by the silent Mr Pong, pulled up next to a small restaurant on the side of a large road. Outside the restaurant, barbeques smouldered with leaf wrapped packages being grilled on top. Inside, the smell of curries permeated the air and we were ushered to our table by the smiling owner. It was time for some truly northern fare.
Laab (larb) in Thai literally means minced. A laab salad is not what we in the West would call salad. Minced meat is combined with a spice blend as well as onions, herbs, lemongrass and chilli. The meat is served either raw or cooked and is an iconic dish both of northern Thailand and neighbouring Laos.
On our table, two dishes arrived. One a blood red, raw laab and the other a steaming cooked laab. Both were made of buffalo meat, mixed with the mak waen spice blends we had just been shown. Our guide swiftly assured us that we did not have to eat the raw buffalo laab but we had already dived in. For a salad including raw meat, blood, bile and undigested intestinal juices (Moui kept referring to this as poo juice), the raw salad was surprisingly subtle. The lemongrass and spice blend, had removed any gamey flavour, and you were left with a pleasant, tartare-esque, iron rich and slightly bitter salad. It was completely unique. The cooked laab was strikingly different. The meat and blood, now had a firmer texture and the spice mix, being cooked came through stronger. The closest comparison we could think of, was that this salad tasted a bit like a Thai version of Black Pudding. This cooked laab, eaten with a ball of sticky rice, was delicious. Moui explained that this is popular drinking food and we can see why.
The second of our dishes was a Burmese pork curry. This was incredible. Moui explained that northern Thai food is defined by a more bitter flavour profile, whereas this, originating in Burma, was sweet, cinnamony and rich in spices.
Next came the sour soup. Despite its name, the sourness was not overwhelming, just the perfect counterpoint to the rich, tender stewed beef of the soup. A slice of radish added a bite of texture and a deep savoury undertone.
The final dish of this stop was delivered from the barbeque wrapped in banana leaf. As we unwrapped the banana leaf, Moui explained that this was fermented pork or Naem Mok. Naem Mok is a traditional way of preserving pork meat. The minced sausage meat is combined with pork skin, shallots, sticky rice, salt, sugar, garlic and chilli, wrapped in a leaf and left to ferment for up to 3 days. You can use the Naem Mok raw, stir fry it or grill it. We were eating our Naem Mok grilled with sticky rice. The texture was like that of a terrine, and the flavour was amazing. When you think of fermentation, you think of sour and bitter flavours, and although they were present here, they were married with the sweet richness of pork. Each mouthful was incredible but made even better when paired with a bite of raw garlic and chilli.
Our northern feast!
After our laab and fermented pork, the unspeaking Mr Pong drove us to the amazing Siri Wattana Market.
Stop Four - Siri Wattana Market / Tha-nin Market - A Thai Market Feast - Sae Oua, Khanom Buang, Khanom Tuay, Coconut Sticky Rice, Sugarcane Juice, Thai Tropical Fruits, Fried Insects and Stir Fried Malindjo Leaf with Egg
Siri Wattana and Tha-nin markets were brightly lit and full of colour, produce and people. One of the things we love about Thailand are the local wet markets. So many fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and dried goods line tight alleyways. It looks to our food obsessed brains like an Aladdin’s cave.
We had already eaten many dishes, but it was time for the grand picnic! Moui took us all around the market, which even at 7pm was full of fresh produce and bustling life.
We took a tour of the aromat vendors and had a crash course in the many types of basil used in Thailand. After the fresh produce, we were shown big vats of curry pastes, pungent fish and shrimp pastes before going through the dried spices and noodle vendors.
We then moved through the meat and fish stalls, being shown all the different cuts of meat. From the usual bacon and pork belly, to whole pig faces, intestines and gall bladders!
After the meat vendors, we made our way down to the front where a lady was grilling northern Thai sausages - Sae Oua. Fresh off the grill, the Sae Oua were herby and full of lemongrass and spiced pork. They were so moreish, and we would love a plate of these with some sticky rice and ice cold beer! Picking up a bag full, it was time to head to the dessert aisle of the market.
We knew instantly that we had arrived in dessert town. Tables of brightly coloured sweet treats surrounded us and the smell of roasted coconut filled the air. A smiling dancing man cooked us up a fresh batch of crispy Thai pancakes - Khanom Buang. On a piping hot flat plate, circular discs of pancake batter crisp up and are filled with meringue before being topped with either orange coloured roasted coconut, or yellow shavings of egg. They are sweet, delicious and highly addictive. Next time we see these, we will pick up a bag and have them with coffee!
Next door we grabbed Khanom Tuay, a small steamed pudding of coconut and pandan. Each side is flavoured either coconut or pandan and you have to eat both together to get the full effect. They are rich, creamy, slightly salty and very yummy!
Our final pudding of this stage was the coconut sticky rice cooked in bamboo.
Peeling apart the bamboo tube revealed a fat cigar of steamed coconut sticky rice studded with black beans. Although a dessert, this sticky rice was more nutty than sweet, and super satisfying, we thought it would make an excellent breakfast.
After this round of sweets, we grabbed some fresh sugar cane and lime juice from a lovely stall holder who pressed it fresh on site. Although extremely sweet, the lime juice cut through and made for a really refreshing pick me up.
Desserts done we delved back into the market to assemble a picnic. First stop was the fruit section where we grabbed a bag full of exotic looking treats. We moved on and picked up some deep fried insects before finally ordering a stir fry from a small stall at the back of the market. We made a camp on an unused market table and unpacked our goodies.
The stir fry was eggs mixed with malindjo leaf - Bai Lieng Pad Kai. The leaf is unique to the north and is deeply savoury and rich in iron. Think spinach but on steroids. Paired with the creamy egg it was lovely.
Next came the fried insects, these are not just for the dares of drunken revellers on Khao San Road, but are an important source of protein in Thailand’s past and poorer communities. The silk worms were… an acquired taste, a taste we have not yet acquired. Crunchy, yet gooey they were not our favourite. The two different types of cricket however were strangely moreish. Crunchy and salty they would make an excellent bar snack.
Moui spread out a colourful platter of snake fruit, mangosteen, rose apple and pomelo. Each fruit was completely unique and a treat to try. Honestly we wish we had this type of selection in the UK. The sweet mangosteen were great all by themselves but the pomelos were perfect when paired with some salt, chilli, and sugar dip. We had eaten snake fruit before in Indonesia and had loved their floral tart flavour, but these were more intense with an almost alcoholic taste.
Our market feast was enormous, but this was not the end of our tour. Moui gleefully informed us that we had two more stops to make.
Stop Five - Shan Cuisine - Khao Soi Ei Si Ket and Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
Our songthaew made our way down an alleyway so small that if the paint was any thicker we wouldn’t have fitted. Colourful textile shops selling silks and traditional clothing from Burma lined the alleyway, and we were dropped off outside a tiny restaurant that Moui assured was run by a true noodle master. This was a perfect example of why you need a food tour. We would never have found this place, let alone gone in, but this one shophouse restaurant is apparently responsible for supplying a good deal of the surrounding area with delicious handmade noodles. We took a table.
This was a Shan restaurant in the Shan district of Chiang Mai. Moui explained how the Shan people of Burma had, and were, moving to northern Thailand to escape the ongoing conflicts of their homeland and had brought their cuisines and culture with them.
First up came the traditional Burmese Tea Leaf Salad. We have eaten a tea leaf salad before in Phuket but this was completely different. We do not know if it was a specifically Shan version of a tea leaf salad but it was wonderful. A tea leaf salad is made up of fermented tea leaves, raw onions and vegetables and topped with chilli, coriander and peanuts. It’s a true textural treat. This one was less sour in its fermented flavour than its Phuket counterpart, but was full of nuttiness, spice and fresh herbs. It was amazing.
Then came the noodles. The Shan noodles - Khao Soi Ei Si Ket. These noodles are a wheat and egg blend, cut to long strips, with flat sides. They have an amazing texture. Firm yet springy, they allow any sauce to cling to them. We were served the noodles in a sweet, savoury nutty sauce topped with red pork. They were delicious as they were, but under Moui’s direction, we added a healthy scoop of roasted chilli oil and a big spoon of pickled mustard leaves. These two additions elevated the dish to new heights. Smokey, sweet, nutty and sharp, it had everything.
At this point we pretty much rolled back into the songthaew. Think of Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Stop Six - One Last Sweet Treat - Bualoy Khai Wan
The tour ended where it began, at the Chiang Mai North Gate Market. The market was in full force, the Cowboy Hat Lady had a long queue to serve and all the stalls were doing a roaring trade.
We had one more dish to try. This would be another famous stall, the Bualoy Khai Wan stall. Bualoy Khai Wan is a desert made up of tapioca balls (dyed green with pandan leaf) that sit in a coconut milk broth. This broth can be topped with lots of different ingredients, from sweet corn to poached eggs and any number of fruits and jellies. Ours came topped with steamed purple taro root. The taro provided a tempering flavour against the sweet coconut milk and vanilla scented tapioca balls. It was the perfect way to finish an evening of over indulgence.
Just some of the many toppings you can choose from to top your bualoy khai wan!
With our bellies full of food, and our brains loaded with information, we bid farewell to Moui and the mute Mr Pong, happy and full with our evening of eating.
Why Book ‘A Chef’s Tour’?
The knowledge and experience of the guides is incredible. The tours are more than just a ‘greatest hits’ food tour. You get the history and culture of a place, laced through with the story of the ingredients and how society shaped the food. Not only do you get to try famous dishes like “Cowboy Hat Lady” but you genuinely go off-piste finding tiny hidden gem restaurants that truly encapsulate the best of the cuisine. As we’ve said we have used in southern Thailand and in India, and they have been consistently amazing.
How To Book Your Own Tour?
If this has whetted your appetite and made you hungry to try the best of Northern Thailand’s cuisine, then why not book your own A Chef’s Tour?
A Chef’s Tour runs two tours daily in Chiang Mai. A lunchtime tour and the evening tour we took. The lunch time tour is slightly different from the evening tour as different stalls and shops are open.
A Chef’s Tour also run tours in Bangkok, with two tours running focusing on the food from Old Siam and the backstreets of Bangkok.
For those travelling in Phuket, Thailand A Chef’s Tour also runs a tour focussing on the southern flavours in Phuket’s Old Town.
To read about our experiences on other food tours we’ve taken, check out our articles on Delhi and the Phuket Old Town.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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Koh Libong - A True Off The Beaten Path Thai Island Paradise
Koh Libong is a lesser known island on Thailand’s western coast. This hidden gem is off the traditional backpacker trail and has retained its own unique culture and identity. Read our guide to this beautiful island with its perfect beaches, friendly people and wonderful food!
Sometimes you just find yourself somewhere that can only be descibed in cliches: Paradise, hidden gem, secluded oasis, the Thai island of Koh Libong is just such a place. A picture perfect tropical island, full of jaw dropping beaches but without the crowds of tourists you might expect in such a beautiful place.
We’ve travelled our way down the west coast of Thailand staying on the islands of Phuket, Koh Yao Noi, Koh Jum, Koh Lanta, Koh Mook and Koh Lipe. You would think we’d be bored of islands by now! But no, the Thai islands keep us coming back for more and each island has its own unique charms. Whatever it is you’re looking for, from scuba diving to rave parties, there will be a Thai island that provides.
Our final island stop on this trip to Thailand was to be three days and two nights staying on the island of Koh Libong. We knew very little about the island, but had heard positive things. We were expecting an even more laidback island than Koh Mook and with even less tourists than Koh Jum. We set off into the relative unknown, and boy what we found… Koh Libong may well be our favourite Thai island!
This off the beaten path island was stunningly beautiful and blew all of our expectations out of the crystal clear waters of the Andaman Sea.
In this guide to Koh Libong:
What to do on Koh Libong
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How To Get To and From Koh Libong?
From the Thai mainland you can get to Koh Libong via the Hat Yao pier in the province of Trang. This pier is located about an hour away from the city of Trang, or two hours from Krabi airport. It’s a short ferry ride and should cost you around 100 to 150 baht per person. You can find the pier on a map here.
If you’re already on a neighbouring island, then you can get to the island via a long tail boat. The long tail boats will drop you off either at Koh Libong’s main pier of Banphrao Pier, or if you’re staying on the western beaches, directly on to the beach outside your accommodation!
We travelled from Koh Mook and it cost us 1400 baht (£33.02 or $41.51) for two people including a tuk tuk pickup from our Koh Mook accommodation and a private long tail drop off to the beach in front of our Koh Libong accommodation. The whole journey took around an hour. This was a pricey option, but the alternative would have been a ferry to the mainland, a taxi or minibus between two piers and another ferry to Banphrao pier on Koh Libong. After all of this we would still have needed to have got a tuk tuk from the pier to our new accommodation. We may have saved 500 odd baht doing this, but we would have sacrificed the best part of a day. Backpacking is all about compromising your time versus money and on this occasion with the shorter stay on Koh Libong we thought that our time was more precious.
If you find yourself on Koh Mook and do want the most budget friendly option; get the public ferry across the water from Koh Mook pier to Khuang Tung Ku pier for around 100 baht per person, then get a private taxi, or a shared minivan from the pier to Hat Yao pier (a fifteen minute ride), and then catch a public ferry across the water. This should get you to Koh Libong for a little under 900 baht for two people.
If you’re on an island slightly further away, you can hop on any of the speedboat services that work their way up and down the western islands. This is usually the more expensive option, but will almost certainly be the quickest. Both the speedboat and long tail boat tickets can be arranged via your accommodation or via any travel agent wherever you are. If you like being prepared and having everything booked in advance, the tickets can be brought online via 12Go.
The Island of Koh Libong
Our long tail boat from Koh Mook approached the island and we could see a near endless and empty white sand beach stretching along the coast. It was only as we skimmed closer over the ridiculously clear water that we realised that we were looking at the “busiest” beach on the island! It was something out of a tourist brochure, you know the ones where they have to photoshop out the crowds of pasty sunbathers. Except here there was no photoshop trickery, just a beautiful, deserted stretch of the most perfect beach you could imagine.
Koh Libong’s busiest beach….
Koh Libong is far less visited than other islands on the west coast of Thailand. It is still a `working island` in that it has an economy outside of tourism. There are no 7/11s, chain stores and only a few small scale beachside “resorts”. Koh Libong is also a predominantly Muslim island so alcohol is not readily available outside of some of the hotels. This all means that Koh Libong is not a party island which discourages a good portion of the banana pancake trail backpackers. Koh Libong is a little oasis, a Thai island with beaches straight out of a postcard but with hardly any tourists there.
Our visa was running out in Thailand and we had only booked a couple of nights on Koh Libong but as we jumped from our long tail boat into the diamond sparkling water outside our hotel we were already regretting not booking more.
Where to Stay on Koh Libong?
There are only a smattering of hotels and guest houses to choose from on the island and most of them are clustered on a single beach in the south west. These hotels stretch along the beach with wooden bungalows sitting up on stilts looking down out onto the sea.
We opted for Le Dugong Hotel (location), The hotel was on the beach, had good reviews and, crucially for us, was not too pricey! The raised beachside bungalows of Le Dugong were set within flower-strewn gardens and swaying palm trees. The room had a large comfy bed and private open air bathroom and shower. The room was fan only but the shaded windows and clever wooden design meant that it was always cool and airy inside. We had a little veranda with fantastic views over the beach and out across the sea.
This unassuming beach hut, with its beautifully crafted wooden interior was one of our favourite accommodations we have stayed in so far. Sometimes simplicity and location is all you need.
Click here to book a stay at Le Dugong Hotel.
Le Dugong also has a restaurant that serves food throughout the day and evening. We only used this for breakfast, so can only report that they make very good scrambled eggs! Le Dugong is also one of the few places on the island that serves beer. You would think that this would mean paying a premium price for a large bottle, but no, it was ironically our cheapest island beer from our whole Thai island adventures!
Jellie beer price index 1 x large bottle of Leo cost 100 baht (£2.35 or $2.94)
There are a couple more hotels on offer on this beach, one offers slightly cheaper rooms that are set a little distance back from the beach. The other is considerably fancier (and more expensive) - the luxury Andalay Resort. It looked very swanky and it has (we think) the only swimming pool on the island. If you are looking for a little extra pampering in paradise, check it out here.
As this was to be our last island on this leg of our Thailand trip, we chose the middle path. Beachfront, but not overly bougie, Le Dugong was the Goldilocks choice!
Have a look at the map below to check out the accommodation choices on the island.
What to Do on Koh Libong
Beaches
The number one recommendation we can give for Koh Libong is just to enjoy the beach. The south western beach of Lang Khao Beach (location), the one with the majority of the hotels on, is simply spectacular. The beach is blessed with perfect white sand and the clearest water we have ever seen. Seriously, when we were pulling into the island on our long tail boat, a couple of hundred metres offshore, we could see all the way to the bottom!
Adding to the white sand and the crystal waters, is the fact that you’re basically getting this beach to yourself. The beach must be over a km long and at its busiest, had five other people on it whilst we were there! It would be foolish not to spend your time here, when else in life are you presented with a postcard perfect, near deserted beach.
Just don’t be like us and forget to pack your snorkel!
It is almost too perfect!
There are other beaches on the island as well, easily accessible by scooter. Further north from Lang Khao beach is Tung Yaka Beach (location), an even more secluded white sand paradise. Panyang Beach (location) is also meant to be lovely and very good for snorkelling (we didn’t manage to get there in our short stay). Tub Beach (location) lying on the east of the island, the beach is more for birdwatching than sunbathing as it’s a great spot to watch migratory birds (again we didn’t manage to get there so cannot comment).
There are so many hidden beaches and coves on Koh Libong!
Lang Khao Beach is home to armies of hermit crabs. During the day you’ll frequently see the small ones skittering back and forth across the sands. At night however is when the giants come out. Hordes of hermit crabs with shells of every shape and size crowd the beach. Le Dugong hotel puts out little plates of food for the crabs and these become a literal feeding frenzy of shunting, shuffling crustaceans!
Although we failed spectacularly in spotting much non-crabby wildlife, Koh Libong boasts fantastic biodiversity in the sea. Sea turtles frequent the island and the ubiquitous dugong is also a visitor to the island's sea grasses. An organised tour will give you better luck in spotting these elusive creatures than we had on our stay. Tours can be booked through your accommodation or from one of the shops on the islands.
Point Dugong - Viewpoint and Cave
(location)
Point Dugong is, for some reason, listed as a theme park on Google Maps. There are no slides or roller coasters here, but it is still well worth a visit. Located up a winding and very steep road (so steep in fact that we parked our scooter and walked the last stretch), lies the entrance counter for Point Dugong. It was at this point we almost turned around and left as the sign stated it would cost 400 baht per person to enter! Luckily for us it looks like this sign is a sign of things to come and not a current cost; the island looks like it is in the midst of developing Point Dugong and this will be the final entrance fee when it is done. In any case there wasn’t anyone to collect the entrance fee from us. The only other bike in the car park was owned by a charming older gent from Germany who cheerfully reassured us that we didn’t need to pay anything. Trusting our new German friend we wandered past the entrance counter and up into the park.
Point Dugong is split into two sections, there is a viewpoint out across the bay accessed by the path that forks right from the entrance, and a cave accessible via the left hand path.
The viewpoint is lovely, the high vantage point giving great views out to sea. There is a large wooden platform under the shade of trees and whilst we were there a Thai family came up and had their lunch on this scenic spot. We wished we had thought of that! Below in the shallows you can see fishermen and rock pool hunters going about their business.
We didn’t see any dugongs (a recurring theme for us) and don’t know if it an especially good place to try and see them from, nevertheless, it was a great place to stop and admire the view.
The caves at Point Dugong are an entirely different experience, much more of an adventure!
The caves start out on a well maintained, new looking set of stairs. As you climb, the paths wind up and through some amazing caves. Every so often there will be a break in the rocks forming a window with views out across the sea and…the sheer drop below. Abruptly however, the well maintained path ends and you are left to continue upwards. Occasionally a section of the path will re-emerge with steps or a rope to help you up a steep portion of rocks but it definitely looks like this is an area they haven’t finished redeveloping yet.
Beware also there are a couple of forks in the path. Including one which looked like a cliff edge walk with a small rope and six inches of ledge being all that separated you and a long fall. We reasoned (correctly as it turned out) that this couldn’t be the way and continued on up. Eventually we reached a fantastic viewpoint near the top of the mountain, with jaw dropping views across the island and sea. A frayed rope up a near vertical rock indicated that it was possible to go higher but we decided this was quite high enough! After admiring the view and taking the obligatory selfie, we headed back down the mountain.
Point Dugong is well worth a visit, it is a scooter or taxi ride away from anything, but is a lovely viewpoint. The caves were exciting and fun to scramble around but we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with small children or mobility issues!
Dugong Tower and Leekpai Pier
(location)
In the village of Ban Ba Tu Pu Pe, to the north of Point Dugong, is the Dugong Tower. The tower is set over the water at the end of the Leekpai Pier. Confusingly this pier is called Leekpai Bridge on Google Maps. You can either scooter / taxi to the village and walk down the pier or you can scooter all the way down the pier, across the water and park just underneath the tower. We parked up in the village and walked down the long sun-baked pier. At low tide you can see lots of mudskippers and wading birds hunting and just generally flopping around on either side of the pier. As you get to the end you are treated to a brightly painted mural of dugongs on the pier itself and, finally, the viewing tower.
At the top of the tower, up a few sets of concrete steps, you can see out across the bay and to the towering limestone cliffs of Point Dugong.
Through the clear water we saw large shoals of fish and waving clumps of seagrass. We did not, however, see any dugongs. At this point, after staying on Koh Mook and Koh Libong, after visiting at least 5 places with dugong in the name and still not catching a glimpse of these cute ocean grazers, we started to suspect that we are cursed.
The village of Ban Ba Tu Pu Pe is not just fun to say but also well worth exploring! Home to a couple of guesthouses and quite a few restaurants, street food vendors and shops, this little village was relaxed, friendly and great fun to wander around. The village felt a world away from the island villages on the busier Thai islands.
Stone Bridge
(location)
At the far north of the island sits the Stone Bridge. To get to the Stone Bridge you drive (or are driven) all the way up and round the north of the island and park up next to a snack stall. From there you walk for a couple of minutes through a forest until you pop out into a cove. This small beach is littered with boulders and rocks along the shore line but on the left lies the main attraction. A large mass of black stone with a flat top sits squat on the shoreline, at low tide the receding water reveals the ‘bridge’, a curved archway carved into the rock by the ever changing tides. Below the bridge, the waves flow in and out of the opening. The bridge is a nice excuse to have a drive and explore the north of the island, it's not Durdle Door and is completely invisible at low tide but it is a cool thing to go and see.
Scootering About
We loved scootering around on Koh Libong, it has fantastic paved roads pretty much everywhere on the island and very little traffic.
We rented our scooter from the lovely lady at Star Coffee Bar and Restaurant (more on this later) for 200 baht rental for the whole day. When we asked for helmets she looked confused, then reassured us that there were no police on the island…. We eventually convinced her that we wanted helmets, not because we feared legal repercussions but because we feared other road users. Smiling but confused she found two helmets for us.
We scooted around most of the above attractions in a day, stopping wherever we felt like it, taking pictures, grabbing drinks and generally having a wonderful time. Being Londoners, it never ceases to amaze us that you can just park your bike anywhere and leave it unattended and there is no worry of it being pinched!
If you are happy riding a scooter we cannot recommend it enough on Libong. For those who do not want to ride their own scooter there are tuk tuk taxi services available from the southern beach, where you can get an individual ride or hire them for a day’s sightseeing.
Next time we’re on Libong we will hire a scooter again and spend a day exploring the beaches we didn’t manage to get to this time.
Beer on the Beach - Sunset in Koh Libong
If you are staying in any of the hotels on the south western beach then you are in for a treat come sundown. The beach faces out to the west and so gets a fantastic view of sunset.
The hotels are some of the only places on the island where alcohol is available. There are a few “bottle shops” where you can buy beers but they are few and far between.
The two facts of - perfect sunset spot and available beer led to the obvious conclusion that this would be a perfect place to enjoy a sundowner drink. So we made our camp at the tiny Le Dugong Bar and popped open our Leo’s. What followed was nothing short of magical. The sun sank slowly and lit up the entire sky with vibrant oranges, then purples, whilst hundreds of small swallows zipped around us.
We were sat on driftwood furniture with these little birds flitting past us no further than a couple of feet away. We’ve had some incredible sunsets in our time in Thailand, but the ones we spent sipping beer on a deserted beach in Koh Libong are some of our most memorable.
Best Places to Eat on Koh Libong
One of the only criticisms we have seen online of Koh Libong is that there is a limited choice of dining options. We can see this maybe being an issue if you stayed there for a couple of weeks but for a shorter stay there are plenty of options to keep you interestingly fed.
Fisherman’s Kitchen
(location)
For our first lunch on the island we had Thai chicken noodle soup at the Fisherman’s Kitchen. These noodles were cheap, hearty and delicious with rich broths and roasted shredded chicken that was full of flavour. We later returned here for a “healthy” banana roti breakfast (cough cough), which was excellently crispy and sweet, just what you want in a banana pancake!
Mao-Nom Cafe
(location)
Down the road from the Fisherman’s Kitchen, towards the sea, is a white wooden coffee shack. Busy with locals and tourists from the nearby hotels, this little shack puts out some great coffee and Thai teas.
These teas and coffees are all of the powdered variety so don’t go expecting some artisan small batch brew, but they were cheap and powerful and a great pick me up after a morning's lazing on the beach.
Star Coffee Bar and Restaurant
(location)
Further inland but still only a few minutes walk away from the beach hotels is the amazing Star Coffee Bar and Restaurant. Amazing not just for its food but also for the wonderful powerhouse of a lady running it. She cooks, she organises tours, she can arrange taxis, she runs a scooter rental and has a petrol pump! In short she is a one stop shop for all your touristy needs whilst on Koh Libong. Her scooter rental was significantly cheaper than our hotel's offer and the transfer she arranged to the mainland and onwards to the city of Trang was 400 baht cheaper than the nearest other offer we found! To add to all of this she was a funny and genuinely welcoming lady.
We ate at her restaurant twice whilst on Koh Libong . The first time we had crispy fried fish and little soft shell crabs and the second we had a gorgeous barbecued mackerel. Both times that we ate here, the food was fresh, delicious and surprisingly cheap. We absolutely loved this place. Please bear in mind it is all cooked by one person on a single wok / barbecue so, if it is busy, there may be a little wait. This is an island! Calm down, chill out and enjoy the laid back pace of it all!
Ja Nhai Seafood
(location)
This one was special. We had been jealousy craving crab since our friends had ordered an amazing looking platter of it on Koh Yao Noi . We had done our research and decided that Ja Nhai Seafood of Koh Libong would be the place we would treat ourselves to our crab fix.
We took our scooter and drove there for a luxurious late lunch. The restaurant is set within shaded wooden platforms looking out to sea. The menu is reassuringly short and the place reassuringly lively with Thai’s. Thai people really seem to know and respect a good seafood place so it is always a good sign when you find yourself dining alongside them!
We ordered a whole steamed fish with chilli and some yellow curry crab. To cut a long story short, it was one of the best meals of the trip so far! The fish was excellently balanced, super spicy whilst retaining the sweet perfectly cooked taste of the flesh. Steamed in a delicate ginger, lime and coriander sauce it was amazing, but when paired with the crab it was just next level. The crab was sweet and perfect, the rich sauce never overpowering the white meat. Pulling apart the crab shell and hunting out the delicious tender meat, we got super messy (is there any other way to eat crab?) but it was totally worth the yellow stained fingers. We now find ourselves daydreaming about this place and the wonderful meal we had there.
To top it all off, the meal was very reasonably priced. A whole steamed fish, crab for two and two soft drinks only set us back 535 baht (£12.57 or $15.74). If we were staying on the island for longer we would have come back here again and again.
The photo’s are making our mouths water with the memory of the crabby deliciousness!
Ban Ba Tu Pu Pe Village
If you’re after cheap eats and street food, there are a couple of vendors in the village of Ban Ba Tu Pu Pe offering roti, noodle soups etc.
How Long to Spend on Koh Libong?
This is always a tricky one with islands as it all depends on how many days you want to spend lounging on a beach and how long you have to play with! You can definitely see all the island's “attractions” within a day or two, but we would recommend spending more than the two nights we spent. We would have loved to have had another two nights here to really relax, explore some more beaches and just generally embrace the slow island life (also to eat some more crab!).
When to Visit Koh Libong?
The peak season for tourism in western Thailand runs from October to April. As there’s not a lot to do apart from beaches, make sure you head here then. As mentioned it was near deserted when we visited, but there is a limited amount of accommodation so if it did get busy it would fill up quickly. We’d recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.
Is Koh Libong Worth It?
Did you read the article? This island is phenomenal. The only time we could see it not being worth being included in your itinerary is if you’re strictly in Thailand for parties. It’s chilled out, beautiful, fun to drive around and all in all one of our favourite places we’ve been.
Can you tell we rather liked Koh Libong?
Final Thoughts
Koh Libong is amazing. Empty beaches, friendly locals, good food and some of the most amazing sunsets we have ever seen. Half of us doesn’t want to publish this article and keep Koh Libong to ourselves as a special Thai getaway but that would be unfair and dumb. There is a small amount of development already on the island, with a new hotel and bar coming to the main beach area as well as the infrastructure and improvement of the tourist attractions. Koh Libong cannot stay a secluded paradise forever so go out and enjoy it now!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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A Day Out On Koh Lanta, A 24 Hour Itinerary - What Can You Do When You’re Short On Time?
Koh Lanta is a large and popular island on Thailands west coast. There are many guides to what to do as a tourist on this island, but what if you only have limited time? Read our guide on how to spend one full day on the island of Koh Lanta.
Koh Lanta is a popular destination for backpackers and tourists island hopping along Thailand’s west coast. This large island boasts loads of beaches, masses of bars, restaurants and accommodation as well as all of the home comforts a traveller could ask for.
One of Thailand’s larger islands, Koh Lanta has everything from late night beach raves to a beautiful National Park, but what if you’re short on time? What if its just a one night stopover on this island? Read on for our 24 hour guide to Koh Lanta.
This itinerary will require you to hire a scooter or if you’re especially fancy, hire a driver for the day. It is easy to do either option on the island, with scooter rentals everywhere and costing around 250 baht per day. Tuk tuks and taxis are plentiful on the island and will be more than happy to negotiate for multiple trips, although it might not be that cheap!
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One Day in Koh Lanta
What To Do In The Morning On Koh Lanta
Wake up, grab yourself some fruit or a smoothie from one of the cafes or street vendors before heading to the beach. Take a leisurely morning beach walk or a dip in the sea but make sure you’re back in time to book a tour with the Lanta Animal Welfare Centre (location). Slots can be booked online.
Tours run everyday, with two slots available at either 10.30am or 1.30pm. The Centre asks for a small donation of 250 baht per adult or 150 baht per child. The tours are well worth a visit and support a great cause, taking you through the Centre, its work and introducing you to some of its cats and dogs. One word of a warning though, after an hour spent with the animals you might want to end up adopting one of these furry friends.
To find out more about the Lanta Wildlife Centre (or how to go about adopting a pet) click here.
Whose a good girl? Pink the dog was very happy to have head strokes!
After your animal adventure, hop back on the scooter and drive 2 minutes round the corner for a quick caffeine fix at Mems Coffee Corner (location). The lovely lady and her adorable daughter serve up a great cup of coffee. Caffeine fixed, it's time for lunch.
What To Do In The Afternoon On Koh Lanta
Jump on your scooter/taxi and head across the island enjoying the scenic views on your way to Lanta’s Old Town (location). Koh Lanta’s Old Town was possibly our favourite part of the island. The Old Town is spread along the waterfront on a pretty lantern lined street. Filled with bars, restaurants and cafes as well as quirky shops, tourist tat and art galleries. There’s plenty for you to see whilst you wander around working up an appetite. Head to one of the shore front restaurants and enjoy a lovely lunch with a view. We had an excellent meal at Rareview Coffee and Restaurant (location).
After you’ve eaten, head back out of town to the car park making sure you check out the extremely long pier, bright blue lobster statue and sunken ship (just to the right of the pier facing the sea). After pottering around, it’s time to move on.
Koh Lanta boasts several viewpoints, and one of which is a short detour on your way back to the beaches. Stop off at the Khao Yai Restaurant (location) for some phenomenal views over the bay in a very cool restaurant/cafe. It’s a little pricey but serves coffee, cakes and a full menu all with panoramic views and seating to take advantage of this. Parking is available at the bottom of the hill and is a short 2 minute walk to the restaurant.
Drop your scooter back, get your swimwear on and head to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Our favourite beach was Klong Dao Beach (location) but you can’t go wrong with any of the beaches on Lanta really. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon swimming, splashing, sunbathing and generally lounging about.
What To Do In The Evening On Koh Lanta
With its western facing beaches, Lanta is perfectly situated for sundowner drinks. Bars line the beachfront so take your pick. Just choose a chair with a good view of the sea and the setting sun. We can highly recommend the Majestic Bar (location) which had comfy seats, friendly service and chilled out vibes.
After the sun has gone down, head to the main strip close to your accommodation to enjoy an evening meal. We had a great Pad Krapow from the Risky Restaurant (location) and enjoyed some good Indian curries from the Heama Indian Restaurant (location). We also enjoyed some great barbecued chicken and som tam from a little street side vendor, just follow your nose to any open flames and roasting chickens.
There are so many restaurants on Koh Lanta serving every kind of food imaginable. From Thai favourites to Greek, to pizza and everything in between. If Koh Lanta is a part of a long backpacking trip, it's a good place to seek out some home comforts.
Once you’re fed, make your way back to one of the many, many bars for drinks and a fire show. If you’re up for it, Lanta also has a healthy clubbing and party scene, so go wild!
Getting To and From Koh Lanta
Koh Lanta is easily accessible from pretty much anywhere in southern Thailand. Being one of the largest western islands, you can arrange transport here from pretty much anywhere. Your guesthouse, hostel or travel agent will be able to help you with this or you can use 12Go to book your transport in advance.
If you’re on an island on the west coast already, then you’ll almost certainly be catching a speedboat here but the above will still apply.
Tips and Tricks
When renting a scooter on Koh Lanta, take photos of the scooter before you ride it away. This will prevent any disagreements as to the state you borrowed it in.
Koh Lanta’s scooter rentals are understandably cautious when renting vehicles to Farangs. You will need to leave your passport (not a copy) with the operator.
Wear a helmet! It doesn’t matter if none of the locals do, it is not worth the consequences!
All the usual warnings also apply - just don’t be an idiot!
Riding a scooter in Koh Lanta did not look fun at night - there are large unlit sections of road as well as potholes and other road users with varying degrees of skill and sobriety. Again use your best judgement.
With the Lanta Animal Welfare Centre you may see some distressing images of animals, this is optional and you don’t need to look, but do know that the ones they show you do have happy endings. It is remarkable to see the states that some of the animals arrive in versus the states that they get adopted in.
The Old Town is also great at night with charming bars and the street lit by Chinese lanterns. It makes a great choice for dinner if you don’t mind a longer ride back. For the reasons already stated above we recommend a taxi if you go out for dinner or drinks.
The northwestern beaches have very little shade outside of the resorts, so whack on the sunscreen and bring lots of water.
there is absolutely masses of different places to stay on Koh Lanta, each area will have a different feel and vibe. Check out our accommodation map below for all your choices:
Koh Lanta is a big island and 24 hours is definitely not enough to see everything or remotely do it justice. This itinerary mainly focuses on the islands north, and completely misses the southern National Park and other beaches. Koh Lanta is a very developed and popular tourist island. Where we stayed, in the Klong Dao area, was great for access to its beautiful beach, but there are tons of other beaches and areas to stay. If you’re looking for a quiet island getaway, Koh Lanta would not be our first choice, it is a busy tourist destination full of restaurants beach bars and holiday makers having a good time. If you are looking for a party you will find one on Koh Lanta very easily! If you are looking for some quieter Thai island escapes check out our guides to Koh Mook, Koh Jum and Koh Yao Noi all of which are easily accessible from Koh Lanta. We used Koh Lanta as a stopping off point for other islands, and only skimmed the surface. Let us know in the comments what else we should do next time!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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Koh Jum - An Island A World Away
Koh Jum island lies next to the tourist hotspots of Krabi, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi, but this small island couldnt feel more different! With chilled out vibes, quiet beaches, cheap accommodation and gorgeous food Koh Jum is a world away from its more popular neighbours. To Koh Jum to your island hopping itinerary, check out our complete guide.
Koh Jum is a beautiful island off of the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Filled with pristine beaches, friendly locals and a wealth of good, cheap accommodation and food, Koh Jum is a fantastic island getaway. The island is a perfect, relaxing, break from the more popular, busier Thai islands. You may not have heard of Koh Jum, but for anyone seeking a true Thai island escape, it is 100% worth the trip.
Koh Jum is surrounded by more famous neighbours but the island remains a haven for those willing to get off the “beaten track” and rewards whoever goes a little deeper in their Thai island hopping adventures!
This is our guide to the underrated island of Koh Jum.
In this guide to Koh Jum:
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Why Go To Koh Jum / Should I Go To Koh Jum?
Despite being surrounded by hyper-popular tourist destinations as well as having golden sanded beaches and turquoise clear water, Koh Jum remains an untapped paradise. We’re not saying it's “undiscovered” or that you’ll have the whole beach to yourself , but it's crazy how calm and secluded Koh Jum is, especially compared to some of its neighbours!
The island felt very local when we visited, it felt like the island operated its own economy first, with tourism taking a back seat to the ‘real lives’ of the inhabitants. Fishermen fished, boat builders worked and the island community continued, unphased by the presence of a few backpackers.
Koh Jum was a perfect “getaway” island with enough to do where you couldn’t be bored, but with such a chilled out and relaxed vibe that you could comfortably do nothing.
In case it's not clear from the above, Koh Jum is not a party island. There is a hostel on the island (check it out here) but we can’t comment on how sociable it is as we didn’t stay there. We were staying in a lovely bungalow (more on this later) and felt that the island was perfect for us as a couple. If you are a solo traveller looking to meet people, it may not be the best island for you. However, if you are a solo traveller looking for a relaxing, more “genuine” island experience, it would be perfect!
Koh Jum is the perfect island for those who want to slow down, watch a sunset, walk along empty beaches and maybe have a relaxed scooter drive around.
Should you go… yes! In our eyes, it's a wonderful island that's managed to escape the crowds/remote work/brunch/party scene found on other Thai islands.
The island is worth it for the sunsets alone!
How To Get To Koh Jum?
The island of Koh Jum lies south of Krabi town and north of Koh Lanta. Although not as popular a stop as Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi or Phuket, Koh Jum is still very easy to get to from either mainland or a any of the other western Thai islands.
The island is an island of two halves. The northern part of the island is known as Koh Pu and the southern as Koh Jum. When booking tickets, or accommodation the two name seem to be interchangeable.
Getting to Koh Jum from the Thai islands:
All of the major ferry companies that run up and down the western coast of Thailand will stop at Koh Jum if instructed to.
From Ao Nang, to Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket and everywhere else on the Western coast of Thailand, ferries run between all the islands. Just book your tickets online via 12Go or in person with an island travel agent or your accommodation.
In the high season boat transfers can sell out in advance so plan accordingly or book in advance!
Getting to Koh Jum from the mainland:
The easiest way to get to Koh Jum from the mainland is from Krabi town. There used to be a direct ferry from the main town pier so first check if this has resumed! If not, it shouldn’t be an expensive transfer to get on a Songtheaw or taxi from Krabi town to Laem Kruat pier.
From here, the public ferry departs every two or so hours and will bring you straight to Koh Jum within an hour. The public ferry is a large longtail boat which also serves as the island's cargo delivery service. When you board, expect to clamber over crates of cauliflowers, boxes of bike tyres and other island essentials!
Tickets for the local ferry cost 100 baht per ticket (£2.35 or $2.93).
For those feeling very thrifty, there is a Songtheaw that runs from Krabi town to the pier, but it is not very frequent, so plan ahead and have backups.
When booking transport to Koh Jum, please be aware that the island is also known as Koh Pu.
To book transport in advance, check out 12go:
The speedboat ferry can be caught from most of the western Thai islands.
When Should You Visit Koh Jum?
As with all of the islands on the west coast of Thailand the best time to visit is between December and April as this is the dry season so you have a better chance of hot, sunny days and clear blue seas for swimming.
On other islands this peak season may lead to more crowding on the beaches etc, however when we visited Koh Jum during the peak of the high season, we really didn’t feel it was busy, or that any prices were inflated!
Accommodation - Where To Stay On Koh Jum?
The majority of accommodation on Koh Jum stretches along the main road in the central village of Ban Ting Rai, in the heart of the island. Accommodation is available directly on the beach or along the main road itself. There is the usual variety of hostel, bungalow, beach shack all the way up to a fancy resort.
We stayed at the Garden Home Resort along the island's main road. We had a garden bungalow raised on stilts, which was frankly massive. With a fan, fridge and basic en-suite bathroom it had all the amenities we needed. As well as a great outside area with a chair and table we could relax on with a beer in the evenings.
All this cost us 500 baht per night (£11.74 or $14.66). For current prices or to book a bungalow, click here.
There is a huge choice of accommodation on Koh Jum: From the humblest backpacker hostel, to the most exclusive, luxurious resorts. For all of the resort, hostel, guesthouse and beach villa options on Koh Jum, check out our handy map below:
Zoom out for more choices!
The Beaches of Koh Jum
Koh Jum is definitely about relaxing! If we were to say what the top five things to do on the island were, we’d probably fill the first four entries with variations of lounging on a beach! We would certainly say that the number one thing you should do on Koh Jum is sit back and relax on one of its many beautiful beaches.
These are just some of our best beaches on Koh Jum:
Sunset Beach
(Location)
Nestled at the north western corner of the island is Sunset Beach. Sunset beach is so called because, guess what, you can watch the sunset from it! Sunset beach is a gorgeous ribbon of golden sands that was, at least when we visited, way quieter and more deserted than such a great beach deserved to be.
The beach has plenty of space to lay down your towel to soak the rays, as well as gorgeous blue waters for swimming and snorkelling. There are also a couple of resorts nearby with at least one offering food and drinks on the beach.
If you walk down Sunset Beach you can’t help but notice a fantastical structure sitting out in the surf. Perched atop a rock, and looking like the lovechild of a treehouse and a hurricane, sits a precarious, Ghibli-like house. Legend has it that this was built by a local eccentric, and we did hear that you could stay there overnight. But when we visited, there was no sign of the eccentric and, with its walls open to the waves, it didn’t look as though anyone had stayed there recently!
Howl’s swimming castle?
Getting to Sunset Beach
Arrange a tuk tuk to drop you off there or drive yourself up the island's main road and simply park where the road runs out and the beach begins (right next to Peace Bar and Restaurant).
Coconut Beach
(location)
Also set in the north west of the island, Coconut Beach is very secluded, a proper secret cove! Set a short walk from the main road down a dirt path, this small semi circular beach is surrounded by tall swaying coconut trees, and is a perfect secluded place to take a dip. Being off the main road, this beach is even quieter than its neighbours and so there is a good chance that you’ll get the beach to yourself.
Getting to Coconut Beach
On the main road towards Sunset Beach, there is a small turning onto a dirt track. We’d recommend parking your scooter here as the path becomes sandy/bumpy/nonexistent. As you approach the beach, the path splits into two, with the left hand path leading to the Mupa Resort and the right hand turning leading you through the palm trees out onto Coconut Beach.
Long Beach
(location) - see below for how to get there, Google splits this beach in three!
This beach, or rather these beaches, certainly earns the name Long Beach. Taking up a good portion of the western side of the island, this beach stretches out as far as the eye can see. The beach can be divided into smaller sections, as at lower tides, the rocky outcrops from the shore will cut off parts of the beach from one another. These partitions are listed on Google Maps as Magic Beach in the north, Ting Rai Beach in the middle and Golden Pearl Beach in the south.
We thought Magic Beach was the most picturesque of the beaches, with perfect waves lapping up on to golden sands. The beach is huge and has plenty of space to sunbathe and swim. Magic Beach is also perfect for front row seats to watch the sun set.
We recommend grabbing a cold beer from Roots Hill Cafe and Bar (location). Looking for all the world like a shipwreck got organised (and very into Bob Marley), the Roots Hill Bar spills out across the sands. The bar is packed full of driftwood furniture, rope swings, flag's and ramshackle improvised furniture. Chilled out vibes and a great spot for sunset, this is everything a beach bar should be!
The southern beach of Golden Pearl backs directly onto the main island road and has the most luxurious resort on the island. We didn’t spend too much time on this beach, but did enjoy an early morning walk along it and it looked like it would be great for a day of sunbathing and swimming. Like the other two beaches, this beach faces west and would make a great place to watch the sun go down.
Sandwiched between these two beaches are the rocky shores of Ting Rai Beach, although not as good for swimming or sunbathing, this beach was our favourite place to watch the sunset.
Hugging the rocks at the back of the beach is The Rock Bar (location). The Rock Bar is a driftwood bar, set on stilts and clad in the usual reggae colours of red, yellow and green. The bar is divided into several areas, with comfy cushions on the floor and a wooden ladder leading down to the beach.
Kitties are a massive bonus to the bar!
With great music and a chilled out vibe, this bar was the perfect place to watch the sunset over the Andaman Sea. The rocky outcrops, bunting and the beaches' cove-like shape lent extra drama to the silhouettes of the setting sun.
Getting to Long Beach
Long Beach can be accessed from the road at the southern end (closest to Golden Pearl Beach) or as you travel north, any left hand turning off the main road. Most of these roads will quickly become dirt tracks so it may be best to park your scooter on the main road and walk the short distance over the hill to the beach.
Once you’re on the beach you can walk between any of the three beaches at low tide. At high tide, you can still get between the beaches, just look for the white arrows leading you up, over and around the rocks.
What to do on Koh Jum (other than the beach!)
Hiring a Scooter to Explore the Island
Koh Jum is a small island that can easily be driven around within a few hours. Scooters can be rented everywhere, just ask at your accommodation. We cannot reccommend a day out exploring the island by bike enough. It is great fun and a brilliant way to get around such a laid back island!
Our scooter rental plus helmets cost us 200 baht per day (£4.69 or $5.89).
Tip: Check your scooter when you rent it! Some of the bikes on the island are … how should we phrase this … elderly.
Make sure your tires have tread and the breaks work before scooting off!
As always with scooter rental, insist on helmets and only ride if you are capable and confident!
Starting from the south of the island you’ll find yourself in the pierside village of Ban Koh Jum. This is where the majority of the speedboats and ferries arrive and depart from. This village has a few restaurants and cafes, with some sitting picturesquely out onto the water's edge. There are also some souvenir shops, craft shops and grocery stores including one which you can buy beer from.
Koh Jum is predominantly a Muslim island and therefore most restaurants don’t serve alcohol. It's available in bars and certain shops on the island.
Heading up north on the island's main road, you’ll pass resorts and restaurants as you lead into the main tourist hub of Ban Ting Rai. This village is stretched along both sides of the main road and is where most of the accommodation and restaurants are. The village also has the local mosque as well as fruit sellers and mini marts (no alcohol in these shops).
As you continue further on north, the housing thins out and you’ll find yourself scootering through rubber plantations and thick green foliage.
To the north the road splits in two, with the left hand road (western) leading to Sunset and Coconut Beach and the right hand turn leading to the final village on the island of Ban Ko Pu. This village felt to us like the island's “real” hub. Full of fishermen, their boats and houses, as well shops serving the local population.
There are a couple of restaurants in Ban Ko Pu, including a very well reviewed seafood joint, but when we were here it was closed for a private function :( next time!
The island has one major road that is fully paved, so there’s no danger of getting lost! However, the island is deceptively large and so getting around by scooter is a sensible choice. Koh Jum does have taxis but either you need to get lucky and flag a passing one down or arrange them in advance. Either way, the taxi costs would soon add up to be more than a scooter rental for the day.
Koh Jum Viewpoint
According to Maps.me there is a viewpoint you can hike to on Koh Jum, and during our stay we did see faded signs offering tours to take you up through the rubber plantations to the top. However the weather was perfect for beaching, so we thought better of a sweaty climb and decided to enjoy the beaches instead.
If you do climb to the viewpoint, let us know what it was like in the comments below.
Where to Eat on Koh Jum - Our Top Restaurant Recommendations
Koh Jum Seafood
(location)
Right next to the island's southern pier is the popular Koh Jum Seafood restaurant. We popped in here for lunch on the day we were exploring the island by scooter. Set right out over the water's edge, this seemed like the perfect place for us to indulge in some fresh seafood. We knew the seafood was fresh as, in addition to the live tank at the front of the restaurant, a boat had pulled up at the back of the dining room and was unloading still swimming produce!
We opted for a seat right at the back with views out to sea. We ordered fried fish with garlic and pepper as well as crab with spring onions along with some steamed rice to share.
When we're by the sea, fried fish is something we always order in Thailand. Unlike our whole fish in Koh Mook (read more about that here), this fish was served as two meaty steaks, seared until perfectly crisp on the outside and then coated in deep fried garlic. Through some kind of witchcraft the outside and skin was a crispy crunchy delight, but the inside was still perfectly juicy and flaky. You can't really go wrong with fried fish in Thailand but this was going so, so right!
The crab landed in a steaming pile on our table. Now you see, crab really makes you work for your food! There's no staying clean, there's no easy way and there's very little dignity when eating crab. However, the rewards are well worth it! Fingers covered in shell as well as coated in a soy and spring onion sauce, we ferreted out the sweet white meat and picked the crabs clean the crabs, it was delicious! The subtle, savoury spring onion sauce emphasised the sweetness of the crab and this, paired with the steamed rice and fried fish, made for a perfect lunch.
Despite crab and fried fish not really being a budget backpacker choice, this restaurant was really reasonable with our total bill including all food, two soft drinks and a bottle of water coming to 640 baht (£15.83 or $18.52).
Mama Halal Food (ร้านก๋วยเตี๋ยว)
(location)
Straight off the ferry, we decided, as we always do, to walk to our accommodation rather than pay the island taxi fare. On our sweaty journey, we happened to pass Mama Halal Food and stopped in for a quick lunch. The restaurant was unpretentious, unfussy and served us some excellent bowls of chicken noodle soup. Super friendly service and delicious peppery broth, quickly ingratiated Mama Halal Food to us, and served as a wonderful welcome to the island of Koh Jum.
They are very generous with the roast chicken!
Ban Ban Restaurant
(location)
This charming family run restaurant also doubles as a bakery. During our time on the island we ate two fantastic curries at Ban Ban. A mild and creamy chicken green curry and a zesty red duck curry, both were fantastic and packed full of fresh, perfectly cooked vegetables. The cauliflower in the green curry was especially lovely. The red curry even featured cubes of dragon fruit.
Bear with us now as we go on a small tangent here:
Dragon fruit is the most disappointing of fruits. You see it in the market and it almost looks like it comes from Mars. With a bright pink exterior and a dalmatian speckled interior, your expectations will be sky high. Yet when it comes to eating the dragon fruit, bland is the only word we can use. Barely any taste and a pleasant but boring texture. However….
In red curry, the dragon fruit finally sings! It seemed to take on the flavours of the surrounding curry without compromising its own texture. We don't know if dragon fruit in curry is a thing, or if it's unique to this restaurant, but damn, we're here for it!
Also on a side note, the oat cookies from Ban Ban make a fantastic take home dessert!
Pop Up Cafe & Shop
(location)
We're weak okay, we gave in… Ellie was hungover, John needed his cheese fix, we could make all the excuses in the world, but all we wanted was a sandwich.
Pop Up Cafe came up on our Google results and promised us a panini so off we set. A stylish little cafe, set a short walk off the main road, Pop Up Cafe was way better than the images on Google had led us to believe. We ordered a mozzarella, pesto and tomato panini and a serrano ham, cheddar cheese ciabatta roll and both were divine!
We’ve been away from Europe for a while now, and cheese is in short supply in South East Asia. The mozzarella, cheddar and olive oil were a delicious reminder of home and just what was needed when we were feeling a little fragile.
You know that looks good!
Other notable recommendations on the island are Tingrai restaurant and Krua Chan Ngam restaurant (ครัวจันทร์งาม) both of which served great curries, fried rices and all the usual Thai favourites. We have to give a special shout out to the soy steamed fish at Krua Chan Ngam - It was delicious!
How Long Should You Stay on Koh Jum?
Koh Jum is a small island, with less “to do” than some of the other western Thai islands. However, you could easily spend a good few days just lounging on its wonderful beaches, soaking up the chilled out atmosphere.
If you’re travelling with a group and bring the party with you, Koh Jum could be a fantastic island to spend a few days chilling out on beaches and making your own entertainment. The island bars were quiet, even when we visited in the “high” season, but if you had a group with you this wouldn’t matter as you could bring the vibe with you!
If you’re a solo traveller and are just looking to reset, a couple of nights on Koh Jum would be plenty to unwind and see the sights before hopping on to another island. Of course if you are looking to properly relax you could stay for a few more days!
As a couple travelling together, Koh Jum was a perfect romantic getaway for us. We spent three secluded, sun-soaked days and starry nights on the island. We could have easily spent longer!
Koh Jum is so close to the mainland and so well connected to other islands that it could easily be tagged onto any itinerary.
Final Thoughts
Koh Jum is a perfect getaway for those looking for a quieter island to relax on. Great beaches, chilled out bars, good, cheap accommodation and a fantastic choice of restaurants, make Koh Jum a brilliant addition to an island hopping itinerary. As time moves on there are less and less quiet islands off the coast of Thailand, do not miss out on your chance to experience this lesser-travelled beauty of an island!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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Koh Yao Noi - A Quiet Island Surprise Off The Coast Of Phuket
Khao Yao Noi is a world away from its busy neighbours of Phuket, Ao Nang and Railay. Khao Yao Noi is full of things to do, quiet beaches and good food. Read our guide for the best of what the island has to offer!
Laid back vibes, friendly locals, great beaches and gorgeous views Koh Yao Naoi is a lesser known gem in Southern Thailand. Set a short way off of the busy tourist island of Phuket, Koh Yao Noi couldn’t be further away in feel from its larger, more famous neighbour. Quiet and relaxed with far fewer visitors, Koh Yao Noi is the perfect getaway from the crowded roads and party beaches of Phuket.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
In this guide to Koh Yao Noi:
How to Get to Koh Yao Noi
From Phuket
From the island of Phuket, ferries leave for Koh Yao Noi (and Koh Yao Yai) from the Bang Rong Pier (location).
The journey to Koh Yao Noi takes about forty minutes to an hour in the longtail boat and about half and hour by speedboat.
The ferries run every 30 minutes or so and alternate between the speedboats and long tails.
Longtail boats cost 300 baht per ticket (£7.03 or $8.74)
Speedboats cost 400 baht per ticket (£9.37 or $11.66)
The pier fee cost 10 baht per person (£0.23 or $0.29)
There are options to arrange a private longtail boats to Noi, but these were very expensive and in own opinion not worth it for the short hop.
To get to the Bang Rong Pier in Phuket, your best bet is, unfortunately, the Grab app or other taxi service (unless you are a local). There is a songtheaw that runs to the pier but it is apparently not allowed to pick up foreigners as the local taxis need the custom...
As with a lot of transport on Phuket the taxis can be quite costly so attempt to get a group together to share the load! We found Grab worked well on Phuket and was simpler than haggling with taxi drivers a lot of the time.
Some of the options on 12Go will include a transfer from your hotel. To book the ferry in advance or see all your options have a look here.
From the Thai mainland
If you’re starting on mainland Thailand, there are several places you can get a ferry to Khao Yao Noi.
From Krabi town, you can take a ferry from the Chao Fah Pier. Tickets can be booked at the pier, through a travel agent in Krabi or online via 12Go.
When you arrive at the main pier, Manoh Pier, on Koh Yao Noi you will need to get to your accommodation. Tuk Tuks will be waiting to take you wherever you need to go on the island, just give the driver the name of your accommodation. When we visited it was 100 baht per person (£2.35 or $2.91) so if you’re staying closer than we were you could save some money and walk.
When Should I Visit Koh Yao Noi?
Like most of the western coast of Thailand, the best time to visit Koh Yao Noi is during the dry season between January and April. During this time, the weather will be dry and sunny and perfect for beach times. This is the peak season for tourists in Thailand so the prices will be higher, beaches more popular and accommodation busier.
We visited during February and we had great weather with only a couple of overcast days and the beaches were quiet. Although our accommodation was fully booked.
Accommodation on Koh Yao Noi
Once you are on the island you are going to need somewhere to rest your head. We opted for the “Koh Yao Beach Bungalows”, a comfy midrange option with nice beds and hot showers. Although more than we would typically spend, these bungalows were in a great location, literally opposite the beach. Each bungalow had a private bathroom as well as a nice outside space to sit and chill out on in the evenings. As we were with some friends at this point, it was definitely worth the extra money to have a nice comfy place in such a good location.
Our accommodation is now listed as Koh Yao Noi Beach Resort - check out their prices here.
The accommodation, as we are sure all others would as well, offered scooter rental and help with day trips and onward travel. The scooters cost 250 baht per day (£5.86 or $7.29) plus petrol when you needed it.
As with most of the Thai islands you can go as upmarket or budget with accommodation as you want. We would recommend staying on the south east of the island as this had a great combination of beaches, restaurants and bars all within walking distance.
For all the islands accommodation choices, have a look at our handy map below:
What to Do on Koh Yao No
So you’ve made the short hop to the island, now what? Koh Yao Noi has lots to offer, both on the island and in the surrounding seas.
These are our top recommendations for what to do on Koh Yao Noi. If we have missed anything, let us know in the comments!
The Beaches of Koh Yao Noi
Of course there are beaches! It is a Thai island! Lounging around and soaking up the South East Asian sun is practically mandatory island behaviour. Koh Yao Noi, whilst not having the massive white sand beaches of some of its neighbouring islands, has plenty of lovely spots to lay your towel down.
Our favourite beach was definitely Klong Jark (located here). The beach was eastward facing and, at least when we were there, pretty much deserted. We made camp under a tree and enjoyed the clear waters and shell strewn sands, whilst above us, hornbills flitted in and out of the trees.
Low tide at Klong Jark beach - just look at all those people!
On a day out with the scooters we also explored Long Beach (located here) and its diminutive neighbour; Little Long beach (location). These two beaches were a little off of the beaten path (no paved approach on the scooters) but were beautiful and wild. Due to their more remote location, there were only ever a handful of people there. We pretty much had both beaches to ourselves. There were signs that Long Beach used to have drinks stands and even a bar but it looks like these were victims of COVID and have not reopened yet so make sure you bring your own drinks and snacks.
Google Maps also shows another beach/ bay called Mankei Bay (here on Google Maps) at the far north of the island We would not recommend the scooter ride up there. The ride is on a mixture of dirt roads and raised concrete paths only a couple of feet wide. We eventually gave up after 20 minutes and an incident involving a ditch and our scooter….
The lovely Thai man who came to help retrive the scooter from the ditch told us that he sees lots of people come off on this road and he doesn’t understand what we are all trying to get to! According to mr lovely man, there is only a resort and a large tree at the end of the trail.
This all leads us to believe that the beach may be part of the resort but, due to our ditch based mission abort, we cannot confirm this!
The Island of Ko Nok
The island of Ko Nok requires no long-tail, speedboat or even kayak to reach it. At low tide you can just wander across a sandbar from the mainland to this tiny island. Park up your scooter (or just walk) next to the Stella restaurant (location) and just walk down the sand. The island is small but the short walk there is definitely worth doing. As we wandered down the sand, with the sea either side of us, we scared away armies of tiny crabs. As we walked, the crabs rippled and flowed away from us, ducking into their burrows. The Island itself is small and rocky but gives a nice view of the island and, as long as you don't mind scrambling over the sharp stones, a good view out to sea.
Sunrise on Koh Yao Noi
If you are staying on the eastern side of Koh Yao Noi, then you are in prime position to catch an astounding sunrise. We and our friends groggily rose one morning and crossed the road between our accommodation and the beach. We set up camp and watched as the sun rose directly over the sea.
Sometimes an early morning start is worth it!
The sky rolled from the darkness of night through velvet purples and pinks before the warm light of dawn crept over the horizon. This sunset was extra special to us as it was nearly time for us to say goodbye to our friends. We are not morning people but sunrise on a Thai island is always worth waking up for. It was magical!
Hornbill Viewpoint
(location)
In the eastern village of Tha Khao, on the east coast of the island sits a large gaudy statue of two hornbills. This statue marks the entrance to the Hornbill Viewpoint. A short sharp walk up a set of stairs lies a large viewing platform. We had read in reviews that the Hornbill Viewpoint had been optimistically named as it isn’t the best place on the island to see these bizarre birds so we were not too hopeful about our chances. Sure enough we looked out from the viewing platform and saw no yellow beaked avians. We did hear monkeys and the view was worth the short climb so we didn’t feel cheated, we also noticed a path down to the coast that ran under the viewpoint and decided to investigate.
Our curiosity was immediately rewarded, just under the viewing platform and only a few metres from where we all stood, perched a hornbill! They really are strange looking birds with their large curved yellow beaks topped with what looks a little like a jet engine! Not to undercut the excitement of the moment but we would later find that they are not exactly rare on Koh Yao Noi, after this initial encounter we saw them quite frequently, perched on trees next to the beach or just flying about.
The little path that we had followed, drops down to a picturesque little cove which was also definitely worth an explore. If you’re after a beach to yourself, then you’ve found it here!
There is no entrance fee to the viewpoint, just park up next to the pier and cross the small concrete bridge.
Boat trips and snorkelling on Koh Yao Noi
Like all the Thai islands, you can organise boat trips around the surrounding islands from Koh Yao Noi. Koh Yao Noi has an advantage over Phuket for this as it is closer to the day trip islands of James Bond Island, Koh Phi Phi etc so you will spend less time travelling and more time enjoying the sights. Having come from Phuket and having done a boat tour there already, we decided to book a private boat for us and our friends to explore the 4 Island tour. This turned out to be a fantastic decision!
We spent the day on our own long tail bouncing between different islands, climbing viewpoints, snorkelling around and lounging on beaches. The day included everything, from the snorkels, to water and lunch. You could have done it slightly cheaper as part of a boat but we and our friends felt like treating ourselves and got a private longtail boat.
Boat smiles - it was so nice to see our besties from home!
We negotiated with a travel agent in a shack on a beach (you’ve got to love Thailand) for a private longtail boat for four people and it cost 2500 baht in total (£58.58 or $72.86) for the day.
Exploring the Island by Scooter
Koh Yao Noi is not a large island compared to its neighbour Phuket, but it is not a tiny island like Koh Lipe either. Walking from the east to the west of the island would take the best part of an hour and north to south would take longer still. There are taxis available on Koh Yao Noi but you would have to pre book them or get someone to arrange one as they are not frequent or possible to flag down from the road reliably. Scooters therefore, are essential. They are also not expensive at 250 baht per day (£5.86 or $7.29) plus petrol, and are also great fun!
With a scooter you can go all the way around the island on paved roads, the island's main road (if you can call it that) circuits the centre of the island. As the road is circular you can ride all over the main parts of the island, below is a route starting in the south east but you could start it from wherever you rent your bike from.
Ride up to Klong Jark Beach and have a paddle, then ride the picturesque road over the hill and down to Tha Kao village. You can park here easily, in a carpark near the pier and go to visit the Hornbill Viewpoint, or check out the local shops and restaurants. You can also grab a coffee from our favourite stall (more on this later).
After Tha Kao village, leave the village going north, and ride up over some beautiful hills. Continue following the road until this (Location), follow this road keeping left at the fork in the road. Stay on this road north until you reach the junction of Tong Do Pier. The Tong Do pier is worth a walk up as it sticks out over mangrove forests and into the sea. If you visit at low tide you should see lots of hunting wading birds trying to snack on the crabs and also some mudskippers hopping their way from puddle to puddle. Time this stop right for a lunch break and treat yourself to some seafood at Pradu Seafood Restaurant (more on this later) From Tong Do Pier, you can either continue north up the island then double back or continue round as we did.
Drive south and follow the tree lined road until it finally curves left next to a public park. If you are not tired of piers you can park up here and go find another pier (Location) on the other side of the park. If not the road curves around and into the main town of the island. In town there are restaurants, street food vendors as well as souvenir, alcohol and clothes shops. This is a good place to stock up on snacks and supplies (the ubiquitous Honda Click scooters have a good sized storage space under the seat). There is even a 7/11 if you are craving a cheese toasty!
After the town the road continues down south before curving east and back up to the coast you started from.
If you don't mind a little dirt track riding then in the north of the island, just past Tha Khao Village you can explore Long Beach and Little Long Beach. We did push a little further to try and reach the very north of the island, but due to an aforementioned rendezvous with a ditch we did not get all the way and cannot really recommend it!
Scooter tips:
Insist on a helmet for every driver and passenger. We really don’t understand why you wouldn’t do this, but we see so many holiday makers riding without one. It’s such a simple thing to wear a helmet and you would feel disgustingly stupid if you chose not to and something bad happened.
Your bike may not have a great deal of fuel in it when you rent it! Always check the fuel gauge and top up if needed. Luckily fuel is very inexpensive on Koh Yao Noi, just pull up anywhere with a pump, pay for however much fuel you want and they will fill you up. You can also buy fuel by the bottle from most stores. Just look out for repurposed coke or liquor bottles filled with an orange liquid.
Cars and vans are not common on Koh Yao Noi but they are there and the roads are not massive, just be aware.
The roads vary in quality across the island, be wary of potholes and speed bumps as there are lots of both!
Other Things to Do on Koh Yao Noi - What We Missed!
The Island of Koh Yao Yai
Noi’s larger southern neighbour is much less popular with tourists (not that Noi is busy) and much more sparsely populated. You can catch the ferry several times a day to hop across from Noi to Yai, check with you accommodation for times, or head to Manoh Pier (Location). If you are coming from Phuket the ferry stops at Yai after Noi, and Koh Yao Yai does look (from the internet at least) beautiful. Next time we will split our time and stay on both islands
Kayaking
From the eastern beach, right outside Ciao Bella you can rent kayaks and set off around the coast of the island. We have done this before in Koh Mook so we were super excited to do this. The weather, however, apparently wasn’t. The lady on the stall said it was too windy to rent them out and we trust her island knowledge! Next time Noi, next time…
Where to Eat on Koh Yao Noi?
Dotted all over the island are lots of little restaurants, hawker stalls, cafe’s and roti stands. The price, like all Thai islands, is slightly more than the mainland but there is a wealth of lovely grub to be had whilst staying on the island. Below are our top picks from our time on Koh Yao Noi.
Leks Restaurant
(location)
Located on the ring road around the island and (not that we are lazy) within easy walking distance from our accommodation, Leks is a charming restaurant serving up all manner of Thai food classics from fried rice, to curries pad krapow and all the other favourites. We had a lovely meal including a great massaman curry. Rich, creamy and nutty, it was everything a massaman curry should be.
Rabianglay Resturant
(location)
The best things in life often aren’t always on Google Maps or TripAdvisor. We had set out to eat at the “Sea Gypsy'' restaurant but had found it closed. A little way down the beach road we found Rabianglay Resturant. Not being in the mood to prolong lunch any further we decided to sit down. The open dining room looks across the road and out to sea and afforded a peaceful background to our lunch. We all were seduced by the Yellow crab curry with noodles on the menu and this turned out to be an excellent decision! Loads of crab in a fragrant broth with slippy, almost tagliatelle style noodle, it was exactly the kind of dish you want to find beachside on a Thai island.
Paired with this was the most delicious coconut smoothie we’ve encountered so far. Made with coconut milk, water and ice cream, this was a tropical island in a glass.
Pradu Seafood
(location)
We are not a fan of lists; bucket lists, to-do lists, must-sees etc.Lists all tend to constrain you and lead people to have very copy-paste or at least similar, experiences. That said however, we had been wanting to go to a sea front Thai style seafood joint since entering the country. On Koh Yao Noi we finally broke the seal and went for it. Pradu Seafood certainly fitted the bill in what we wanted aesthetically, a sprawling wooden platform raised over the tidal flats with views out towards the sea, it was the perfect setting for some seafood!
We ordered the Thai style deep fried fish as it is something we adore. The fish combined with a spicy Som Tam salad should make for a perfect lunch! Our friends, who we would shortly be very jealous of, ordered a large amount of crab. Our meals arrived and our fish was fantastic, super crispy (to the point where even the spines were delicious) and deliciously garlicky, whilst also juicy and moist. The Som Tam salad was sour, sweet and spicy, everything it should be. Our friend's meal however was really something to behold. A mountain of crab cooked and coated in a yellow curry towered on a large sharing plate. They generously shared some with us (we weren’t looking at them like pleading puppies in a window, honest), and it was amazing!The crab was super sweet but tempered and enhanced by the mild yellow curry.
The restaurant was surprisingly affordable, this was obviously a bit of a treat meal but was not as dear as we worried it may be! Definitely worth a stop if you fancy treating yourself to an amazing seafood feast!
Our tip for next time would be to go with a group and order lots of dishes to share.
Western Options
Ciao Bella
(location)
It has happened before and will happen again, we wanted a pizza. Ciao Bella restautant is situated in a prime location right on the beach front overlooking the sea. We ordered a Diavolo and a Napoli pizza and both were fantastic with gooey stringy mozzarella and piquant salami and salty anchovies.
Eating a pizza whilst waves crashed next to us, might not be an authentic Thai experience but it was still amazing!
There are actually a couple of different restaurants on Koh Yao Noi boasting Italian pizzas but Ciao Bella’s location was unbeatable… It was also directly opposite our beach front bungalow.
Green House Coffee
(location)
This German style bakery and cafe serves up fresh baked breads and meals. We came here one morning and treated ourselves to the “Farmer’s Breakfast”. A plate full of fried potatoes, Onions, Bacon and Scrambled eggs was swiftly plonked down in front of us. Was it Thai? No. Was it delicious? Yes!
If you’re craving a hearty breakfast and roti is just not doing it for you, this is a great choice.
Sabai Corner Restaurant
(location)
The most scenic of the breakfast options, Sabai Corner serves all manner of breakfast choices including fresh baked goods, eggs in every way and a variety of fruit juice and cleansing shakes. With views over Klong Jark beach and out to the Andaman sea, it's a very picturesque way to start the day.
The Sabai Corner Restaurant is part of a hotel but you can just turn up here to eat.
Hello, World!
If you're in the mood for an upmarket coffee on Koh Yao Noi, then we would recommend visiting Cafe Kantary. Boasting an extensive coffee menu as well as quite a few food offerings, Cafe Kantary has a great garden and views out across the sea.
We can vouch that their Thai iced coffee is excellent, and if you’re feeling a little more exotic, the Vietnamese drip coffee is also great.
Coffee Stall Tha Ko
At the other end of the scale is a great local coffee shop. A wooden counter with a spray of syrups, concentrates and other brightly coloured liquids greets you as you pull up.
Serving cheap, Thai style coffee, drinks and sweet buns this is a little treasure to stumble across. There is no google listing but the stall is next door to the rock climbing shop and across from a dive centre.
Going for a Drink on Koh Yao Noi - Nightlife on the Island
Let’s state the obvious - Koh Yao Noi is not Phuket. If you are looking for massive parties, questionable buckets of drink and thousands of Westerners making poor decisions then Koh Yao Noi may not be for you. If, however, you are looking for a nice drink and maybe a game of pool then the island can happily provide.
Just note Koh Yao Noi is predominately Muslim and therefore alcohol is not as widely available across the island. Lots of the restaurants will not serve alcohol, so if you want a drink head to one of the bars.
O2 Beach Bar
(location)
Located a stone's throw from our accommodation this small wooden bar sits directly on the sands of the beach. Serving cocktails and beer this cosy little bar quickly became our go-to pre meal drinking spot.
Jellie beer price index - 1 x small bottle of Leo cost 80 baht (£1.88 or $2.33)
Extra Time Sports Bar
(location)
Ok the name doesn’t really sell it but trust us this bar is well worth a visit! Good atmosphere, live music on certain nights and (most importantly) a free pool table. This bar was the scene for several great nights with us and our friends. Even if John is terrible at pool. Also it is worth mentioning that the food here is not bad either!
Jellie beer price index - 1 x small bottle of Leo cost 85 baht (£1.99 or $2.48)
Charlies Bar
(location)
We always manage to find a bar like Charlies wherever we go - a laid back, old school beach bar. Cobbled together driftwood and lined with beachy trinkets, Charlies Bar had the proper relaxed vibe of an island bar. It also had a free pool table!
Jellie beer price index - unsure as we didn’t record it!
Sunset Bar
(location)
We only stopped in here briefly but we had to include it on the list, facing westward out to sea the sunset bar definitely lives up to its name. As the sun began to climb down for the day the raised platform of the bar, with its cushions and stools filled up. We had a non-alcoholic cocktail (responsible scootering!) and it was excellent.
360 Bar
(location)
There had been signs for the 360 bar all over the island but getting to it proved to be more interesting than the other island bars.
Come off of the main island ring road and down a dirt track and you will come to a house at the bottom of a very steep hill. Here a man will drive you 2 minutes up the hill to the 360 bar. The view is definitely worth it, a (nearly) 360 degree vista from the vantage point of one of the tallest hills on the island. We watched the sun sink down from the outwards facing bar seating with a cold beer and it was a great way to see out the day.
Jellie beer price index - 1 x small bottle of Leo cost 90 baht (£2.11 or $2.62)
Beer Shops on Koh Yao Noi
The true backpacker bar is the one you make yourself, or so we reckon!
Koh Yao Noi is nominally a Muslim island and beer/alcohol is not for sale at the 7/11. You can , however, buy alcohol at a number of shops around the island. We found the best value spots were all in the main town around the 7/11. Just respect the local customs, don't throw their concession to tourism in their faces and definitely don't be those a***h**le farangs drunkenly littering the beaches.
How Long Should I Spend on Koh Yao Noi?
Koh Yao Noi is the perfect place to relax and unwind after one of the busier islands or Ao Nang/Railay beach.
Depending on how long you want to spend chilling on a beach will determine how long you want to stay on the island. Most of the island's sites can be visited within a day if you rent your own scooter and get a wiggle on!
However, we would recommend slowing down, taking a boat trip or two and really relax into the slow paced island life.
So we would say four full days would be a good start, you can do it quicker or slower it all depends on your style of travel.
Next time we go, we will probably do two/three days on Noi and three days on Yai but this is because it would be a return trip and not our first time.
Is Koh Yao Noi Worth a Visit?
This is a dumb question, we’re mainly keeping it in as its one people seem to be searching for a lot on Google. In our opinion, Koh Yao Noi was absolutely worth it. The island was a perfect escape and contrast to its busy neighbours of Phuket, Ao Nang and Railay. The island had plenty to do, with quiet roads and beaches and enough bars and restaurants to keep you happily fed and watered for a good while. The only time we would say this island may not be for you, is if what you want is beach parties, raves and buckets of cheap alcohol. Koh Yao Noi is not a party island, and if you came expecting it because it was a “Thai Island” you would be disappointed.
If you’re on a short holiday (two weeks or so) and you were just going to Phuket/Ao Nang, then definitely carve a few days out to go to this quieter island.
If you’re on a longer trip, definitely add it to your Thai island hopping itinerary.
Final Thoughts
Koh Yao Noi was a breath of fresh air. After the crowded tourist stuffed island of Phuket, reaching Noi felt like we were back to the Thailand we know and love. Laid back with an unhurried pace of life, with a background of natural beauty, Koh Yao Noi was a perfect getaway for those looking for a chilled out Thai island. There is plenty to do and lots of food and drink options to keep you occupied. Next time we are there (and we’re sure there will be a next time), we will stay a little longer but split our time with the island of Koh Yao Yai.
Thank you for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
*Prices correct at time of visiting - February 2023
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A Chef’s Tour - Phuket Old Town
Phuket Old Town is a wonderful blend of cuisines from all over southern Thailand, China, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Indian subcontinent. Taking a food tour is always a great idea and we may have found our favourite! Follow us on a day of foodie adventures with A Chef’s Tour eating our way around Phuket Old Town.
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
We are what you might call foodies. There are other words for what we are; adventurous eaters, food fanatics, or just plain gluttons. From high end Michelin Star restaurants to the cheapest of street food, we are food obsessed. As culinary travellers, many of our choices of where to go and even what countries to visit have been made due to the food that would be on offer. It should come as no surprise then, that when in the food wonderland of Thailand, we wanted to dig a little deeper and learn a bit more about Thai cuisine than just green curry, mango sticky rice and Pad Thai. We wanted to go on a proper food tour.
Phuket Old Town is legendary for its food scene with Michelin recommended street food, colonial style shop house restaurants and an amazing blend of cuisines. We found ourselves visiting Phuket to meet up with some of our lovely friends from the UK. To get ourselves curated with the best Phuket could offer, we decided to book ourselves on “A Chef’s Tour - Southern Flavours Phuket Old Town” food tour.
We came across A Chef’s Tour as they have consistently been recommended to us from other travellers, Instagram as well as a bunch of YouTubers we follow.
The food tour started outside the entrance to the main market in Phuket’s Old Town. We met with our lovely guide Nam and the rest of our fellow foodie explorers for the day. Introductions completed, we set off down into the bowels of the market.
Our first stop was at a lady’s stall selling all manner of vegetables, aromatics and herbs. Nam explained to us what each herb was used for in Thai cooking, as well as treating us to have a little sniff and taste of everything.
Our taste buds primed, we moved across into a wall of fragrance, where we found ourselves next to a curry paste vendor. Bowls stacked high with pastes in every shade of ochre and saffron. A large vat of red paste was pulled aside and proudly showed off to us as the legendary massaman curry paste, a southern Thai favourite. We were given the run down of the 10 basic ingredients of the massaman, and as soon as we were told what was in it, our noses could instantly start to pick out the individual ingredients. As our food tour started mid morning, the market was winding down, but you could see from the empty bowls, and the tide mark on the vats, that these curry pastes are popular with the locals.
Our appetites suitably wetted, we moved on to the first course of the day.
Kuay Jab - Rolled Rice Noodles and Pork
At the back of the Central Market was a charming little counter with a smiling Auntie behind it. The Auntie was introduced as “mum” as our guide Nam was a childhood friend of the owner and had apparently spent a good portion of her youth sitting at this counter chowing down on steaming bowls of Kuay Jab.
Kuay Jab can look challenging to start with, a dark broth filled with all the bits of the pig that in the West would be at the bottom of the barrel. Ears, snout, heart, intestines, offal and all the rest. These more exotic parts (to the West at least) are slow braised along more regular cuts of pork. In eating, bravery is often rewarded. People don’t eat this because it's disgusting or weird, it's not a novelty, they eat it everyday because it's delicious!
There are two types of Kuay Jab, a light clear broth version called Kuay Jab Nam Sai made with a pork bone stock. The second version is what we ate on this tour, Kuay Jab Nam Son. Our broth was rich and dark in colour, with a distinctive aroma of star anise and cinnamon, mixed in with coriander, spring onions, garlic and three types of soy sauce.
Kuay Jab sets itself apart from other pork soups with its unique noodles. Small squares of rice flour noodles are dropped into boiling water and tapioca starch, where they curl up like little scrolls. These are then added to the soup, along with all the pork meats and give a wonderful texture as well as a perfect surface area for absorbing all of the delicious flavours.
The Kuay Jab was incredible. Unique in flavour and texture, and by the end of the meal there were a lot more converts to pig heart and ear around the table than there had been at the start.
Before we left, Nam challenged the group with a “century egg”. Century eggs, or hundred year eggs are not eggs that have been kept for 100 years! They are simply eggs that have been pickled and cured in brine, and then buried in ash giving them a unique texture and a very challenging look. A century egg is a strange mix of black and translucent, with the yolk clearly defined on the inside. Its taste however, is not so challenging. It just takes like a very eggy egg! Seriously, if you took all the tasty parts and the smell of the egg and just intensified it, you’d have the taste of a century egg. Like lots of the things we have eaten on this trip, the only difficulty is the visuals. Get past this and you’ll be in for a treat.
Rice Salad, Chicken Murtabak, Roti and Teh Tarik - Aroon Po Chana
We left the market, and wound our way through the colourful streets of Phuket Old Town ending up outside Aroon Po Chana restaurant. This southern Thai muslim restaurant gave us a clue before we even stepped in as to what we might be eating. Right at the entrance, on the street side was a large tawa grill. These flat circular grills are a tell-tale sign that roti is to come. The lady in charge of the tawa was skillfully stretching, spinning and draping translucent roti dough onto the sizzling hot surface. We made our way inside.
It turns out we weren’t entirely accurate with our predictions of what we would be eating, as the first thing that came out to us was a Khao Yum southern rice salad. We had never heard of this southern delicacy before, but Nam quickly showed us how to toss the rice, roasted coconut, carrots, cabbage, beansprouts, fried fish together with lime juice. The salad is eaten alongside a potent chilli dip and crunchy fresh green vegetables. This salad was unlike anything we had eaten before. The sweetness of the roasted coconut paired brilliantly with the salty fish, and the rice provided just enough body to make every bite super satisfying.
Next out of the kitchen came the crispy, oily and rich chicken murtabak. In its simplest terms, a murtabak is a stuffed savoury pancake that's then fried and grilled on both sides to crispify the exterior. Our murtabak was filled with a shredded chicken curry, rich with an almost sweet cinnamon flavour. To balance the decadent richness, a strong vinegar pickle of shallots, chilli and cucumber was served alongside. The corner pieces of the murtabak were especially delicious when dipped in this vinegar, as the extra crunch was amplified by the near raw vegetables in the tangy vinegar.
After our two starters, the savoury roti arrived. Roti can be translated literally to bread. However in southern Thailand, roti usually refers to “Thai pancake”. A thin dough, stretched out until it's like a huge translucent pizza which is then folded and cooked on a piping hot tawa. After being cooked on the tawa, the roti is “clapped” to give it extra surface area. By clapped, it is literally placed on a board and roughly smashed between two hands, breaking the uniform disk of the roti into crispy, chewy shards, perfect for absorbing anything they are dipped into. Our roti came with a massaman curry. We had seen the paste in the market earlier, and all the aromats we had smelled in the market were here tenfold. The cooked curry smelt amazing. Dipping the crispy roti in the massaman made it all the better. The curry coated and stuck to the roti beautifully and the whole bite was a symphony of spices.
We thought we had finished our roti experience, but we were very wrong. Out came two new colours of roti, bright green and jet black. This was the pandan roti and the charcoal roti and this was now the sweet course. Drizzled with sweet condensed milk, this was a great example of the versatility of roti. Sweet, crispy and morish, it's no surprise that a version of this, is the namesake of the SE Asian ‘Banana Pancake Backpacker Trail’.
To round off the meal was the famous teh tarik. Tarik is Malaysian for pull, and teh is unsurprisingly Malaysian for tea. So teh tarik is pulled tea and is widely popular in Malaysia and southern Thailand. The tea is poured from increasingly impressive heights from one cup to another, which aerates the tea and gives a smoother texture. Our teas came out towering with foam and tooth achingly sweet from the condensed milk. This black tea and condensed milk combo gave a much needed energy boost after such a heavy meal.
Hokkien Food Court - Spring Rolls and Satay - Lock Tien Food Court
We left the roti shop slightly disbelieving that we were less than halfway through our food tour, and made our way to the Lock Tien food court. This compact little food court had stores all around, many of them specialising in Hokkien cuisine. Hokkien cuisine originates in the Chinese province of Fujian and is spread all over South East Asia.
We went to a stall specialising in hokkien spring rolls where we watched the stall owner expertly roll up our soft shelled spring rolls. The texture of the spring rolls was not at all like the crispy exterior familiar to take away goers in the UK.
These rolls were wrapped in a soft wheat flour pancake. The chewy, slightly spongy exterior gave way to a crunchy filling of salad, beansprouts, yam roots, boiled yam and char siu pork. Served alongside was a fermented soybean sauce mixed with sour tamarind, sugar and chilli. The group were split as to whether these were better than the more familiar fried version, or just not for them. However, these were a unique try and certainly not like any spring rolls we had tried before.
Alongside the spring rolls, another stall had supplied us with satay. Marinated meat, with a sweet savoury peanut dip and a tart pickle, you really can’t go wrong with a good satay!
Ahpom Coconut Pancakes - Pong Mae Sunee - Michelin Recommended Street Food
At the corner of an unassuming street lies possibly the cheapest Michelin recommended food we’ve ever seen. A small cart, topped with six charcoal braziers, was manned by a charming couple churning out delectable crispy coconut pancakes.
A thin batter of rice flour, eggs, coconut milk and sugar was spread evenly across the tiny metal woks set over the coals. A lid went on top, so that the bottom of the batter crisps up against the pan, whilst the top steams into fluffiness. We were reminded of the Sri Lankan hoppers we had eaten during our time in that amazing country and our guide Nam said this may well be because the dish originates on the Indian subcontinent.
Once the pancakes reached the perfect level of crispy goodness, they were removed from the pans with a palette knife and an expert flip, and quickly rolled into loose cylinders. Presented with these fat crunchy cigars, we bit in. The pancakes were incredible, light as a feather yet full of the rich sweet flavour of toasted coconut. The textures were perfect, the cylinder shape meant you had many layers of snappy crunchy batter, but with a softer underside. As we bit into the middle of the pancake, the coconut flavour intensified. Due to the bowl shape of the cooking vessel, the batter is slightly thicker in the centre, lending an almost spongy coconut chew to the middle. They were fantastic!
Everything was included in the price of the food tour, but these were so good we had to buy another portion to takeaway. This did not exactly break the bank as each pancake was 3 baht (£0.07 or $0.09).
Despite their Indian origins, you can’t help but feel that this is the perfect expression of sunny Thai desserts. Light, sweet and full of that quintessential coconut flavour, we’d love them for breakfast with a coffee, although this might not be the healthiest start of the day. Word of warning, the stall sells out extremely quickly, so get there early in the morning!
Ahpom are also popular in Malaysia, but under the name Apom. Definitely seek out the peanut version of this if you’re ever in a Malaysian food court.
Burmese Naan & Curry - Mingalar Coffee Shop
After pancakes, we headed back towards the market and walked around the busy shop lined back streets to “Little Myanmar” - A collection of Burmese shops and restaurants clustered together in Phuket Old Town. We’ve always wanted to visit Myanmar, so we were very excited to have the opportunity to try the food.
The streets around Phuket Old Town market are always bustling!
Standing outside the Mingalar Coffee Shop (mingalar is part of a Burmese greeting) we were blasted by the hot air from the tandoor oven sitting at the entrance to the restaurant. Nam quickly roped us all into an impromptu naan making class (try saying that quickly) with one of our group kneading and forming the Indian bread before it was slapped into the furnace-like opening of the tandoor oven. Whilst the bread cooked we took our seats.
We were quickly presented with an array of colourful Burmese dishes. Along with our naan bread. We had crispy spiced samosas, a chicken curry, chickpea dahl, crispy fried chickpeas and most excitingly to us, a fermented tea leaf salad. We had heard of this dish via one of our many YouTube sessions, and had been eager to try it as it sounded so unique. We were not disappointed.
The fermented tea leaf salad was made up of shredded white cabbage, shallots, garlic, beansprouts, chilli, dried shrimp, peanuts and the fermented tea leaves. The fermented tea leaves were sour and tart, yet complex. The salad had a layered tasty flavour unlike anything we had eaten before. As a contrast to the curries, deep fried samosas and hearty naan bread, this tangy salad was a perfect accompaniment.
The curries we ate here were completely different to the Thai curries we had eaten so far. These curries showcased the Indian influence in Burmese cooking, and unlike their Thai counterparts were not cooked with coconut milk. They were stronger in dry spiced favour, whilst being lighter and less creamy than the coconut based Thai curries.
One dish that split the group was the pickled roselle leaf. This deeply sour pickle had a slight funky taste to it, from the pickling/fermenting process. We enjoyed its salty, sour, umami taste but the others in the group found this a little too much and we can see why.
We were really happy at our opportunity to try some Burmese food, like we say we’ve always wanted to go but circumstances are making that quite difficult and Burmese food doesn’t yet have the international representation of other cuisines.
Hokkien Noodles and Roselle Juice - Ko Yoon Noodles
By now we must have looked like a group of hippopotamuses (we’ve just learnt that a group of hippopotamuses are called a bloat, and we can’t help but feel that this is perfectly apt for this situation)! We were five locations in, and at least ten courses down but there was still more to come.
The penultimate stop was a beautiful Hokkien noodle shop. Walking into this restaurant was like walking into someone's front room. The walls were crowded with nik-naks, family photographs, children's toys and other nostalgia. Nam explained that until recently, the family that ran the restaurant lived in the building and the restaurant dining room would have to transform into their living and sleeping area after service hours. Sat at a cosy nook table, we were presented with a bowl of the famous hokkien mee.
This hearty bowl of noodles was piled high with dumplings, thick noodles, fish balls, prawns, fried garlic and shallot, chilli and crushed peanuts. Using our chopsticks we mixed this all together with the rich, dark sauce from the bottom of the bowl. The taste was deep and savoury, balanced with tart lime and the sweetness of the prawns. We were very full at this stage and shared a bowl, but it was so good we still managed to wolf it down.
You can get hokkien mee two ways, in soup (nam in Thai) or dry with a soup on the side (haeng in Thai). Ours came with soup on the side and the light broth was a perfect palette cleanser in between mouthfuls of the savoury sweet seafoody noodles.
Whilst in the restaurant, we were brought strange fruit that looked like purple flower buds. This was the roselle flower. Eaten raw, they were extremely sour, but in a fun way almost like the sour sweets you ate as a child. Next they brought out the roselle juice. It was totally different whilst at the same time obviously made from the same fruit. Like the flower buds, the juice was a vibrant purple served cold with ice. Sweet, but not cloying, this was a deliciously refreshing drink. Later on in our Thai adventures we would frequently seek out roselle juice when dining at markets. This with the soup and the noodles was a perfect end to the savoury portion of our food tour.
O-Aew - Iced Lychee and Jelly Desert - A Phuket Speciality
The final stop at the food tour was for desert. We walked into a Momentary Coffee, a stunning cafe, art gallery and hostel. We were here for the Phuket specialty desert of O-Aew.
O-Aew is shaved ice in a flavoured syrup with jelly made from the seed of the o-aew plant. The only issue was, we physically couldn’t fit any more food in. We tried a couple of spoonfuls of this desert and it was refreshing and light, yet sweet enough for those looking for a sugary fix. Our o-aew came with a lychee and ginger syrup topped with sprigs of mint. We really enjoyed our taste, and can imagine it would make the perfect desert, or a tasty way to cool down from the Phuket sun.
Final Thoughts
The tour is extremely well organised, and Nam did tell us right at the start that restaurants had been pre-warned so that if we were full or wanted to ration ourselves then it wouldn’t be rude or awkward to leave anything. Members of the group who were more or less adventurous were catered too, with Nam being more than happy to ask for alternatives where needed. All in all, it was exactly how a food tour should work.
“A Chef’s Tour - Phuket Old Town” is our favourite food tour we’ve been on so far. Maybe it's because we went with our friends, maybe it was Nam’s excellent direction, personality and knowledge, or maybe it was Phuket’s diversity of culture and cuisines, we don’t know. We hadn’t realised just how diverse the southern cuisine of Thailand and Phuket was. In a single day, we had eaten from Indian influences with the ahpom and the Burmese cuisine, through to Chinese and Hokkien dishes, all the while, every bite permeated with the unmistakable Thai flavour and charm.
If this article has whetted your appetite and you now want to book your own foodie experience click the button below.
If you’re in Phuket, do check out taking a food tour. It was definitely one of our favourite days on this touristy island.
Thank you for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
A Chef’s Tour offers amazing, unique food experiences in many countries and cities (we also had an amazing time in Delhi). From Bangkok to Bogota, Chiang Mai to Kolkata they offer amazing food tours across the globe. Check out the link below and look around their website to see where they can take you.
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The Best Sunset Spot in Ao Nang, Krabi
Ao Nang and Noppharat beach are perfectly situated to enjoy the amazing sunsets over the Andaman Sea. We have found what we think is the BEST sunset bar in Ao Nang. We tested many bars for sunset drinks in Ao Nang, and have found the perfect place to have a drink whilst watching the sun set in Krabi!
Thailand is legendary for its sunsets and the popular resort town of Ao Nang is perfectly situated to enjoy the very best sunset shows the Andaman Sea can deliver.
With two beaches Ao Nang and Hat Noppharat Thara that face directly into the setting sun and with countless bars and restaurants lining the sea front, you’re spoilt for choice for sundowner drinks.
However we feel there is one clear winner in the sunset sweepstakes!
The Frog Beach Bar - Location
Ignore the lacklustre Google listing for this place, this no nonsense beach bar serves up beer and cocktails with a prime view over Noppharat beach and its extraordinary sunsets. There are posher options surrounding the bar, but nothing really beats sitting on a plastic chair, sipping a mojito that is 90% alcohol whilst watching the sun burn down to the horizon.
It's not luxurious, the tables are made from driftwood and the seats plastic, but it is set right on the beach wall, and has an unpretentious laid back feel. Exactly what we want as backpackers. Some of the more well-heeled bars also have great views, but tend to be more expensive.
The prices at the bar are not super cheap, but not bad considering the location and perfect fiery sunset show:
A small beer costs 90 baht.
Cocktails start from 180 baht.
Soft drinks cost 50 baht
There's something magical about watching the sun set, and there's something even more magical about watching it set in Thailand.
The Frog Beach Bar provides the perfect sunset experience. Plastic stools, cold beer and front row seats to watch the sky catch fire. The view from the bar changes with the fading light. As the last of the day's sunlight traces down the limestone cliffs surrounding the beach, before the fading glow sinks below the horizon, leaving behind the bobbing silhouettes of longtail boats in the bay. As we said… magical!
Little tip - just when you think that the sunset is over, wait just a little more. After the sun has gone down fully below the horizon and fallen under the curve of the Earth, you’ll have one final display as the sun illuminates the underside of the clouds.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Chok Dee Thailand!
Accommodation in Ao Nang - Where to Stay?
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If your looking for somewhere to stay in Ao Nang we can highly recommend Ao Nang Colors Hotel. We treated ourselves over Christmas and it was great! Ao Nang has countless other hotels, hostels and resorts to chose from check out the map below for where to stay:
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The Sleepy Paradise of Koh Mook
The island of Koh Mook is not as famous as its nearby Thai islands of Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi or Phuket. However, it is a must stop on any island hopping itinerary. Find out where to stay, what to eat and what to do on this gorgeous, sleepy, paradise island.
Set in the crystal clear waters off the coast of Trang in Southern Thailand, Koh Mook is a hidden gem of an island. Beautiful beaches, great accommodation and plenty of tasty food to eat, Koh Mook is the island you wished you had heard of earlier. Thailand is full of “Paradise Islands” but the little island of Koh Mook (sometimes called Ko Muk) is a world away from the busy beaches of Koh Lanta, Samui or Phuket. We have been to this gorgeous island twice and this is our complete guide to Thailand’s sleepy island paradise - Koh Mook.
Often in Thailand you have to share your paradise, share it with many, many other people. There is a fantasy when backpacking that you’re going to find “The Beach”, an unspoilt and deserted strip of white sand and paradisiacal blue water. Then you remember that Thailand is a well known, well connected and a fantastically popular tourist destination. Thailand welcomed 28 million tourists alone in 2023. That beach you’re looking for is not going to be deserted! This isn’t meant to be a downer, the beaches, even the busiest ones are phenomenal, but if you want to find a quiet cove, you will have to look a little harder.
Koh Mook felt like we had arrived before the mass tourism wave. We’re not old enough to say for sure, but we feel that Koh Mook must have been what it felt like to backpack Thailand in the Seventies and Eighties, before mass tourism and resorts came. It's not often in Thailand that you can find a place full of staggering beauty without the crowds, but whilst we were on Koh Mook it seemed like we had.
Koh Mook has not yet succumbed to the mass tourism or exclusionary, exclusive resorts of its neighbours. The island exudes a genuine laid-back sleepy charm.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Okay backup, there is one resort on Koh Mook, the Sivalai Beach Resort, so it hasn’t completely escaped the notice of developers. However, we have visited twice, both times in the high season and the island was very quiet, laid back and didn’t feel anywhere near as busy as our previous destinations of Koh Lipe and Koh Lanta.
In this Koh Mook travel guide:
Where is Koh Mook?
Koh Mook or Ko Muk as it is often spelt, is a small island just off the coast of Trang province in southern Thailand. North of Koh Libong, and next to the smaller islands of Koh Kradan and Koh Ngai, Koh Mook sits in perfect clear-blue waters and is surrounded by natural beauty, corals and amazing wildlife. Koh Mook island is easily walkable from one end to the other in 30 to 45 minutes and although you can rent a scooter, you really don't need to. Just slow down, relax and take in the beautiful laid back surroundings.
Getting to Koh Mook - How to get to the island?
The obligatory Thai ferry stickers.
Ferry / speedboats from the other Thai islands.
Whilst on Koh Lipe (another fantastic Thai island, check out our article here), we had been nosing around the travel agents trying to suss out our next move. Koh Mook grabbed our interest as it seemed to be a small stop on the way north to more popular islands. Koh Mook seemed to be a far less popular option than Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi where most other travellers seemed to be heading. We booked ourselves on the speedboat from Koh Lipe. One ticket from Koh Lipe to Koh Mook on the speedboat cost us 1250 baht. We booked our tickets in person on the island of Koh Lipe, but if you wanted to book in advance and online, you could use 12Go. If you are travelling in the high season, we would highly recommend booking in advance as the ferry tickets sell out quickly!
After a quick stop at Koh Libong (yet another beautiful island, check out our article here), our speedboat headed across the water and docked at the end of Koh Mook’s very long pier. There are taxis available to take you from the speedboat to your accommodation (100 baht - same price for anywhere across the island), but as we were backpacking it was time for us to walk.
If you’re not coming from Koh Lipe, Koh Mook is accessible from most of the other big islands, sometimes it's a stop along elsewhere and sometimes as a direct speedboat.
Getting to Koh Mook from the Thai mainland
There are connections to the mainland via the city of Trang. Trang bus station is well connected and has links to the main towns of the south as well as Bangkok and further afield.
If you’re looking to make your own way there, the pier from the mainland is called Khaun Tung Ku Pier (ท่าเรือ ควนตุ้งกู) - Location and public ferries run daily from here to Koh Mook.
Booking travel tickets to Koh Mook
As we have mentioned you can get to Koh Mook from any of the western Thai islands as well as from the mainland.
Have a look below for some booking options below:
Accommodation on Koh Mook
The island of Koh Mook has a decent array of accommodation choices, ranging from basic bamboo huts and hostels to a resort and a small selection of luxury boutique hotels.
We opted to stay at the Smile Resort. A private room with en-suite bathroom and air conditioning cost £17.50 a night. This is at the upper end of our backpacker accommodation budget. However, for a private room on a Thai island it was really a pretty good price, especially as breakfast was also included!
Smile Resort was great. The room was comfortable, clean and surprisingly large. The staff were super friendly and helpful. The included breakfast (fresh fruit, eggs, toast and mini sausages) was tasty and always good. In high season, when the hotel is busy, the breakfast is a buffet set up. If it is quiet in the hotel, breakfast will be cooked to order. There was also free water, tea and coffee.
The location was 5 minutes outside of the main strip of the island, and a half hour walk to our favourite beach.
If you’re looking for other options on the island either budget or bougie, check out the map below:
What to do on the island of Koh Mook
Pearl Beach (หาดไข่มุก)
This white sand beach stretches around the triangular peninsula from the main jetty, and is the closest beach for those staying at the big resort hotel of Silalai Beach.
Lined with palm trees, and beachside restaurants and cafes, this beach was extremely popular with families. There are also kayak rentals on offer.
As you walk further away from the resort, the beach turns into an almost sandy harbour, with local fishing boats anchored up.
We were told, but never managed to see, that during low tides, armies of tiny crabs swarm back and forth across the beach.
Charlie Beach
Charlie Beach is confusingly known by any of three names. Charlie Beach, Garnet Beach or simply Sunset Beach. We’ll be calling it Charlie Beach as this was how it was introduced to us.
If you’re staying in town, Charlie Beach is about as far away from you as you can get. Luckily this is Koh Mook so as far away as you can get isn’t very far! A 30 odd minute walk from the main town, the route to Charlie Beach is a great example of why we love Koh Mook. The town's tourist heart quickly gives way to green foliage and local village life. Wooden stilted houses line the road with intriguing side roads leading down to the local village. Impromptu barber shops, watermelon sellers and all manner of vendors are dotted along until even these peter out and give way to the jungle.
A small hill and a little forest walk later and you emerge from the jungle to tall coconut palms framing a picture-perfect bay. The beach spreads out in an ivory arc between limestone cliffs backed by the green jungle.
The first time we arrived we couldn’t believe our eyes. We thought that beaches like this only existed in postcards. Its golden sands and blue waters stretched out in front of us, Charlie Beach was jaw dropping.
The beach never got too busy on any of the times we visited. There is a line of market stall vendors selling drinks as well as hot food. These stalls would loan you their deckchairs or recliners, either in exchange for your custom or for a 200 baht fee for the day. We bought some Thai style chicken wings and a Som Tam salad from the market stall ladies and both were excellent.
Another bonus to Charlie Beach will come as no surprise to those who have read our Koh Lipe article - the beach dogs!
Charlie Beach was home to two of our favourite beach dogs we have met on our adventure so far. A brother and sister pair of cheeky troublemakers, we dubbed Snowflake and Santa (it was nearly Christmas). They were super friendly and very cute.
Each time we ordered food on the beach, we would be treated to the pantomime of the food vendor attempting, unsuccessfully, to distract the dogs from our meal. This resulted one time in two bartenders lifting Snowflake up (one took her front paws, the other took her back) and manually removing her a good few hundred metres. Snowflake who was clearly used to this treatment and was loving every minute of the attention, promptly ran back to us and hid under our seats. She never stole any food but she did give us very soulful eyes whenever we took a bite.
Look at the cute little rascal!
When you feel like a change of beach location, you can head to the left of the beach where the two beach bars sprawl out across the sand.
The first bar (the one closest to the ocean) is called the Fanta bar and in addition to serving cold beer and good food, is the perfect place to lounge around watching the sunset.
The Fanta Bar
The Mong Bar
The bar behind, Mong bar, is your usual reggae style beach bar and makes for a very fun laid back evening once the sun has gone down. When you walk up to the bars, you will likely encounter the lively young man from the Mong bar who will attempt to get you straight into one of his bar's seats. Our advice is if you’re just looking for drinks, just sit in the nicest looking chair in the best location - we recommend the front row seats for sunset!
It’s also worth pointing out that the Fanta bar doesn’t have an inside space so for after dark drinks on the beach you’ll need the Mong bar. Both bars have toilets on site, the Mong bars inside and to the left of the bar and the Fanta bar’s up a very steep stone staircase to the right of the bar (left at the top of the steps).
Both bars are around the same price point:
Jellie beer price index: 1 x large bottle of Chang beer - 100 baht - thoroughly reasonable for a large beachside beer.
On the cliffs overlooking the beach there is also a great restaurant, Ko Yao (วิวพอย์ โกยาววิวพอย์). This is another great place to watch the sun set and we will talk about it more in the best places to eat and drink on Koh Mook later in the article.
Ellie giving off some cyberpunk vibes!
After dark, tuk tuk taxis queue behind the market stands to ferry you back to town, again this will cost you 100 baht per journey, like all taxis on the island.
This was pretty much the only situation we used the tuk tuks for whilst on Koh Mook. It was easily walkable back to the main strip of the island, just make sure to bring a good torch with you.
The Emerald Cave
As soon as you step off the pier on Koh Mook, you will see billboards and vendors offering trips to the “Emerald Cave”. This intrigued us but, wherever possible, we like to do things by ourselves rather than with a tour. Luckily for us, there is an easy way to do a DIY tour to the Emerald Cave.
From Charlie Beach, it's a short fifteen to twenty minute kayak (around 2km) out to sea and around the coast to the Emerald Cave. Kayak rentals seem to be pretty uniform across the island at 100 baht per hour.
To find the Emerald Cave from Charlie Beach, set off to the right. The kayak journey takes you around some dramatic coastline, under rocky overhangs and past some staggeringly tall cliff faces. The entrance to the Emerald Cave is quite small and easy to miss, however there are usually a small throng of tour boats clustered around making it a bit easier to spot.
A small opening in the rock, with a rope dangling in front of it marks the underwhelming entrance to the Emerald Cave. At this point there was an advantage to going with a tour group. Everyone coming out of the cave had head torches, we only had our phones…
We had been briefly briefed to paddle into the cave and the only direction we needed to remember was to go right when there was a fork. Armed with this comprehensive knowledge we set off into the mouth of the cave.
As soon as we were past the caves' ragged entrance, you could see why it was called the Emerald Cave. The light shining through the water bathed the whole cave in a turquoise green light. This light however faded fast as we paddled our way further into the cave. Ellie was performing a sterling service as our headlights, but our phone torches meant we could only see about a foot in front of the nose of our kayak. We bumped into walls, narrowly escaped stalactites (we didn’t even see the fork in the cave) but eventually we rounded a corner, and saw light in the distance. We exited the cave and found ourselves in a lost world.
The cove of the Emerald Cave is magic, a circle of beach and jungle, seemingly cut out from the towering rock all around. Our kayak pulled up to the tiny beach and we spent a good fifteen minutes wandering around, taking photos and staring up at the vertical rock walls. The water on the beach of the cove seemed even more vibrant than that of the cave. The beach was fairly busy with a couple of other tour groups there but this didn’t distract from the beauty of the place.
On our way out, the cave was filled with a bellowing moaning sound. The group in front of us thought it sounded like a dragon, we thought it sounded more like John’s stomach when he is hungry. Apparently the sound is caused by water rushing in and out of distant caves and openings in the cliffs, not a overly hungry dragon.
For those who want to do an organised tour of the cove, any of the islands many tour operators will be happy to help, but just remember to check around and negotiate. We saw a staggering variety of prices offered for this small trip. It may be worth seeing if there is another longer trip (e.g. a day out snorkelling) that would also include the Emerald Cave.
Tips for visiting the Emerald Cave:
Bring a torch - don’t be us and attempt a budget remake of The Descent!
The best time to visit the cave will be medium to low tide as this allows the most light in before the tide gets too low. Do not attempt to enter at high tide as the cave will pretty much disappear under water.
To get in and out of the cave - going in stick to the right hand wall and you can’t go wrong and on the way out stick to the left.
When paddling through the cave be wary of swimmers as some of the tours swim through the caves rather than kayak.
If you want to swim through the cave, you can tie up your kayak onto some nearby rocks but this is at your own risk.
Outside of the cave there are ‘helpers’ who will guide you/drag your kayak through the cave for a fee. We didn’t find this necessary, however if you are claustrophobic or worried about going through the cave, this would be a good option.
The Koh Mook Viewpoint
The spine of Koh Mook is a series of hills and towering limestone mountains. The majority of the island is clad in thick jungle or (mostly overgrown) rubber plantations. In the past, Koh Mook had a walking trail that looped from the north of the island, up to a viewpoint, round to two secret beaches and back to town. At the time of visiting only the trail to the viewpoint was accessible, COVID having worked its magic and the jungle having reclaimed the rest. We love a good wander so we decided to hike up to the viewpoint.
The trail starts at the Nurses House hostel (we loved the look of this place and may look into it if we find ourselves back on the island), and quickly leaves the town behind. The sleepy streets and guesthouses are replaced with rubber plantations. The path starts flat but quickly curves up a steep slope and begins ascending the mountain. The rubber plantations become increasingly overgrown with the quick growing foliage taking back the spaces between the trees. The path is steep and, thanks to the Thai sunshine, very hot - make sure to bring plenty of water! The steepest portions of the trail have ropes attached to trees to help haul yourself up. The trail is well marked with red arrows showing you the way and the path is decently maintained.
As you near the top, the plantations give up and the jungle fully takes over. As the peak comes into sight, the jungle opens up and you will see the remnants of the camping station and cafe. We hope these come back as they are in an incredible location. The abandoned/disused cafe was interesting to have a nose around, with photos of previous expeditions pinned to the wall and old empty bottles lining the creaking wooden walls.
Just above and behind the camping station is the viewpoint. A window cut through out of the jungle. Framed by limestone cliffs and green trees, the view spills across the island and out to the blue of the Andaman sea. Sitting nearly perfectly in the centre, Koh Waen completes this impossibly picturesque view.
From the viewpoint there are still signs of the continuing trail, Koh Mook seems to be doing a lot of renovation whilst we were there and we hope that these paths reopen soon as it would be great fun to continue on the jungle trail.
The walk up to the viewpoint took around half an hour and although sweaty and steep in places was not a difficult hike.
Tips for visiting the Koh Mook Viewpoint:
Set off earlier in the morning or late afternoon if you want to avoid the worst of the sun's heat.
It gets very hot and humid, remember to bring lots of water.
As you’re walking through the jungle make sure you remember your bug spray.
We have now heard that the walking trail has been reopened, please let us know in the comments how you find it!
The Dugongs of Koh Mook
Here Dugong, Dugong, Dugong… No such luck!
We tried, every night we tried. Walking up the lamp lit pier and staring into the dark waters to try and spot a Dugong.
For those who don’t know what a Dugong is, imagine something between a sea lion and a cow but much cuter (seriously Google them). Dugongs feed exclusively on sea grass and have been known in the quiet of the night to graze their way right up to Koh Mook pier. We would love to show off some National Geographic grade photos of the sweet ocean grazers, but unfortunately we never saw one.
For those more determined than we were, you can arrange a Dugong watching tour through many of the island's operators. These will take you further out to different sea grass patches and massively increase your chance of spotting these lovely creatures.
Snorkelling and island hopping
Much like most of the other western Thai islands there are ample snorkelling opportunities. Throughout town tour operators offer a variety of different excursions. We had just done an excellent snorkelling trip from Koh Lipe so didn’t opt for this on our visit, but if we’re back, we definitely will next time.
Koh Mook is surrounded by the islands of Koh Kradang, Koh Libong , Koh Ngai and the tiny Koh Waen, again there are multiple tours offering to island hop you between these places.
If you’d like to book a private excursion that includes snorkelling, the Emerald Cave and some island hopping. Have a look here on Get Your Guide.
Best places to eat and drink on Koh Mook
Koh Yao Viewpoint Restaurant (วิวพอย์ โกยาววิวพอย์)
Situated in a perfect location overlooking Charlie Beach with a view across the bay and over the ocean, Ko Yao restaurant serves up all the Thai classics. We have eaten here many times on our visits to the island and it has always been fantastic. If you’re on the beach for sunset, this restaurant has the perfect vantage point from which to watch the sun go down. To get to the restaurant just walk to the far left on Charlie Beach and up the stone steps - you really can’t miss it.
Whenever we visited we would order the whole fried fish with a side of vegetables in oyster sauce. The fish is crunchy and covered in garlic chips on the outside, but flaky and perfect on the inside. The vegetables provide a perfect crunchy sweet accompaniment. If you do order this, make sure you ask for the chillies in fish sauce as they really made the dish pop!
The meal cost us 470 baht including rice - this was by far the cheapest whole fried fish we had found in southern Thailand so far.
Team Restaurant
Just off the crossroads of the main strip in town, the Team restaurant provided us with some excellent dinners. Team serves cheap, no nonsense Thai goodness.
We dined on green curries, pad krapow and the backpacker favourites of fried rice and noodles. Each time they were flawless, and all for a very reasonable price too.
Dinner for two (not including drinks) was around 200 baht.
Boon Chu Cuisine (ครัวบุญชู)
Right at the start of the main strip (as you approach from the pier) was the always busy and always welcoming Boon Chu Cuisine. We had an excellent penang curry and a seriously spicy chilli chicken and can heartily recommend both. The prices were similar to Team restaurant with mains being around 100 baht per dish.
Another advantage of Boon Chu Cuisine is the roti lady whose stall sits at the front of the restaurant. Open late, her sugar filled banana rotis made for the perfect constellation prize as we walked back from another Dugong free pier expedition.
A banana roti cost 40 baht.
Koh Mook Seaview Restaurant
Set amongst the fisherman’s houses and stilt supported wharfs, this little restaurant served up fantastic meals from a variety of set menus. These 3-course menus were a great way to enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner. The set menus came in two categories. The “Cheap Cheap sets” or the slightly more expensive premium menu. The premium menu included more fish options and ran at 250 baht per person, whereas the cheaper options were 150 baht.
The restaurant sits right on the water's edge with views across the fisherman’s bay. It’s a great place to dine and watch the locals go about their day.
We ordered from one of the cheap menus and chose the chicken satay, papaya and prawn salad and mango sticky rice. The satay was excellent, the papaya salad fresh and delicious and the mango sticky rice, well it was mango sticky rice so therefore fantastic!
An à la carte menu and barbecue options are also available.
Noodle Lady
Location - no Google Maps listing
On the walk from town to Charlie Beach, in the local village just past the boutique hotel, you’ll pass a small wooden shop selling steaming bowls of noodley goodness. We’ve eaten at this unassuming little gem twice and weren’t disappointed either time. Rich, yet light bowls of chicken noodle soup served unpretentiously amongst cackling Thai grandma’s and their raucous grandchildren. It was lovely to find and eat in a place not solely catered towards tourists.
It was also very budget friendly with a bowl of chicken noodle soup costing 50 baht.
Exhale Bar and Cafe
For those chasing their caffeine fix, Exhale Bar and Cafe is a great option. Set on the harbour's edge, this artfully decorated cafe serves up fantastic coffee. We stopped here twice and on the second time, the owner treated us to a bonus shot of his local whisky to go along with our coffee. It was an unexpectedly good combination at 10 in the morning!
One iced craft coffee cost 90 baht.
Miss Island Bakery Koh Mook -ร้านมาดาม
Another slightly cheaper coffee option is the Miss Island Bakery. This has the advantage of also selling muffins and sweet treats alongside perfectly good coffee.
One iced coffee cost 65 baht.
The bakery is open at night and serves pizza and other mains in the evening.
Oy Oy Reggae Bar
If beachside drinking isn’t your thing, the Oy Oy Reggae Bar will sort you out with comfy seats and cold beers. There was always a good crowd of both travellers and locals making for a fun and lively night here.
For those after a more chemically induced night, the bar also had an ample cannabis selection.
Jellie beer price index: 1 x small bottle of Chang beer - 90 baht. A little pricey, but you're on a Thai island so what do you expect?
Leaving Koh Mook - Where to go next?
You can’t stay here forever (no matter how much you might want to), when the time comes to go there are speed boats available to all the major Thai islands as well as transfers to the city of Trang and further afield.
We got the public ferry to the mainland pier of Khaun Tung Ku. Followed by a minivan to Trang bus station where we could make our onward connection to Krabi town.
Tickets can be booked through the island agents, on the boat or online via 12Go.
Other Thai Islands
If you are looking for more inspiration of what islands to visit in Southern Thailand, check out our other articles here:
Final thoughts
Koh Mook was just what we were looking for in a Thai island after Koh Lipe. Peaceful, relaxed and achingly beautiful, the island was a perfect oasis. With quiet beaches, good food and lovely locals, Koh Mook was fantastic. The Island is not as well known as some of the other islands of Thailand, and we don’t want it to be overrun, but it should definitely go on your itinerary for Thai island hopping!
Koh Mook, along with Koh Jum and Koh Libong, make up our three “lesser known” Thai island paradises. If you are looking for some island fun in Thailand, away from the crowds of holiday makers, do not miss Koh Mook!
Koh Mook - Essential Tips
The island of Koh Mook is car free, with only tuk tuks and scooters buzzing around. There are scooter rentals in town, but the island is so easily walkable that this seemed a little unnecessary.
Tuk tuks have a fixed price no matter the length of the journey. All rides cost 100 baht.
There is one ATM on the island, it's located on the main street on the left hand side.
Koh Mook is a rarity in Thailand and has no 7/11’s, however there are plenty of shops selling everything you could need from swimwear to suncream, mosquito repellant to shampoo.
The plumbing on the island was in our experience predominantly manual flush (a bucket you pour in) for the toilets. This really isn’t an issue but is worth knowing so it doesn’t come as a shock.
Half of Koh Mook is part of the Hat Chao Mai National Park. This national park extends onto the mainland and next time we visit we’re sure to explore more of this beautiful national park. The view of it from the ferry back was stunning, and it looks like a great place to visit.
Koh Mook can also be spelt as Ko Muk, this can get confusing!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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Budget Backpacking on Koh Lipe - How to Live Cheaply in Paradise
Budget backpacking on the Thai island of Koh Lipe. Our guide to cheap eats, accommodation and activities on this beautiful tropical island.
The islands of Thailand are not as cheap as once they were, yet they are still a firm favourite of the budget conscious backpacker. With their ‘island economies’ these beautiful destinations can easily empty the wallet of the unwary backpacker. We spent 10 days on the island paradise of Koh Lipe and these are our hints and tips of maximising your budget whilst staying on this tropical Thai island.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Accommodation on Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe has quite a few hostels and guesthouses dotted throughout the island, with a mixture of private and dorm rooms available. If you’re solo travelling, check which dorm is best for your budget/needs as there are a variety of levels of luxury to choose from across the island.
For couples or those who don’t mind sharing a bed, then look into private rooms as these are frequently cheaper than buying two beds in a dorm room. When we stayed, two dorm beds in the Bloom Cafe and Hostel were more expensive than a double private room with en-suite bathroom next door in the Sang Chan Hostel.
A general tip here, which you probably already know, is that the prices will nearly always be better in person than booking online. There is lots of accommodation to choose from so you shouldn’t be left bedless for the night.
During our stay, we stayed at the Sang Chan Hostel, extending multiple times, which allowed us to get a slightly better rate, but at the expense of one night having to switch rooms to a couple of dorm beds as all the private rooms had sold out.
The Sang Chan Hostel private rooms were small but extremely comfortable, with a fan to keep cool. The dorm rooms had AC, fans, plug sockets above the beds and good sized storage lockers.
The private double room cost us 700 baht per night (£17.28 or $21.29). One dorm bed cost 300 baht per night (£7.40 or $9.12). You could have gone more budget friendly than we did, but Sang Chan was centrally located and just what we were looking for. You can book your stay at Sang Chan hostel here.
If you want to book your accommodation in advance (a very good idea during peak season), check out the handy map below:
Eating and drinking cheaply on Koh Lipe
Again, the island economy of Koh Lipe means that eating out costs more than on mainland Thailand. However, Koh Lipe has plenty of great budget options for those looking to reign in the spending.
Breakfast on Koh Lipe
Banana Roti
It’s not called the ‘banana pancake’ trail for nothing! This backpacker staple is available across the island from street carts to sit down restaurants. More expensive than on the mainland, expect to pay between 60 to 80 baht (£1.49/$1.79 or £1.98/$2.39).
Fried Chicken from Sippeenong (สิบพี่น้อง) - Map Link
In the Western eyes, this maybe a slightly unconventional breakfast, but Hat Yai had turned us onto fried chicken in the mornings.
On Walking Street near to the Pattaya Beach entrance, the Sippeenong restaurant serves an excellent fried chicken with sticky rice, sweet chilli sauce and deep fried shallots. It is an extremely filling breakfast and costs only 60 baht per plate (£1.49 or $1.79).
The Bakery
The Bakery caters for the sweet doughy fix that befalls all those who leave Europe after a while.
Sweet cinnamon whirls were our (very healthy) breakfast choice on more than one occasion. If you get a fresh batch they are chewy, sweet and delicious! One cinnamon whirl costs 35 baht (£0.87 or $1.04).
The bakery doesn’t have a Google Maps listing, but can be found on Walking Street close to the Pattaya Beach entrance.
Lunch and dinner on Koh Lipe
There is no shortage of restaurants on Koh Lipe and those not on a budget can indulge themselves with fresh lobsters and barbecued fish. As budget backpackers however, you’re not instantly relegated to the realms of pot noodles as the island has plenty to offer for those with tighter purse strings.
Wonton soup stall - outside Patt market (แพท มาร์เก็ต)
Outside the Patt Market and opposite the A Plus Centrale shopping centre, is a humble little stall selling wonton noodles. Served as either wonton noodle soup with char siu pork, or dry with the soup on the side, the wontons were silky, meaty and super satisfying.
The noodles were great with the perfect amount of bite and the soup was clear and light whilst still delivering depth and complexity.
This was one of the best value options on the island and we had dinner here several times. One plate of wonton noodles with pork and soup cost 80 baht (£1.98 or $2.39).
Noodle soup from Wangcha-Aon & Thai food (วังชะโอน แอนด์ ไทยฟู้ด)
Surprising no-one, a good budget option is a simple bowl of Thai noodle soup.
As we mentioned in our article on Koh Lipe, we found the best noodle soup to be from Wangcha-Aon. A steaming bowl of noodles comes with sliced beef, beef balls as well as meltingly tender braised beef. Topped with crunchy bean sprouts, coriander and white pepper, you can’t go wrong with choosing this noodle soup. Just make sure to fine tune the bowl to your individual tastes by adding sugar/vinegar/chilli from the table.
A bowl of beef noodle soup will cost 100 baht (£2.46 or $3.05).
Pad Thai, Pad Krapow and Fried Rice
Almost all the restaurants on the island will have a “fast food” or “one plate” menu. This is no McDonalds fare, but the familiar backpacking menu of Pad Thai, Pad Krapow and Fried Rice.
These one plate meals are usually much cheaper than ordering a plate and rice separately.
The island's economy seems to have dictated that these dishes all cost around the same at 70 to 80 baht a plate.(£1.73/$2.09 or £1.98/$2.38).
Streets eats - grilled meat and other delicacies
Served from grills at the front of the Walking Street restaurants and from little stalls to either side of the 7/11 (the one furthest away from Pattaya Beach), come sizzling meats and crunchy spring rolls. This is some of the cheapest food on the island and you could easily graze yourself happy here munching your way along. You can get juicy skewers of pork, barbecued chicken, imitation crab legs as well as coconut pancakes and spring rolls, Ranging from 10 to 50 baht (£0.25/$0.30 or £1.24/$1.49) these are a great budget option.
These grilled meat skewers are excellent portable snacks!
7/11 supermarkets
As a backpacker you will not need to be told this, but we’ll say it anyway. 7/11 does halfway decent cheap coffee, as well as the backpacker staple of super cheap toasties. We are not normally one to support the massive chains but sometimes a cheese toastie is a must! There are two 7/11 supermarkets on the island both located along Walking Street.
What to do on Koh Lipe on a budget
The beaches of Koh Lipe
You really don’t need to be told this, you’ve come all the way to Koh Lipe for a reason. The beaches are free and beautiful. A day spent soaking up the suns rays whilst listening to the gentle waves lap against the shoreline is the perfect, budget friendly way to spend a day.
The three main beaches you need to seek out are Pattaya Beach in the south, Sunrise Beach to the east and Sunset Beach on the west coast of the island. All these beaches have areas to swim in and plenty of areas to lounge around in the sand. Just bring a towel, swimwear and relax!
If you get peckish during your beach day, there are plenty of cafes, beach bars and restaurants all along the beach fronts, however to keep it cheap, we’d recommend packing a picnic from 7/11 or from one of the other street food stalls along Walking Street.
Read more about the beaches of Koh Lipe here.
Our favourite beach to relax on for the day was Sunrise Beach. Big enough so that you always had space to yourself with perfect clear water and designated swimming zones. As the day goes on, the palm trees further down the beach provide shade. Another unexpected bonus of this beach are its amazing doggy denizens. The dogs of Sunrise Beach are super laid back and very friendly. They’re also extremely happy to wear sunglasses and pose for photos!
Say cheese!
Sunset on Koh Lipe
Sunsets in Thailand can be absolutely spectacular, and Koh Lipe is no exception. Head to Sunset Beach and sit with the other travellers on the floating pier. Watching the sun dip down, with your feet in the water is a beautiful way to start an evening. We recommend picking up some beers to add to the chilled atmosphere.
Kayaking on Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is a small island that can be circumnavigated by kayak without too much trouble. Kayak rentals are available on both Sunrise and Pattaya Beaches and cost 200 baht per hour for a two person kayak (£4.94 or $5.96). There are several beaches only accessible this way, and we recommend just heading out and having a lazy paddle around. For more information read our main Koh Lipe article here.
Snorkelling trips from Koh Lipe
Snorkelling off of Koh Lipe is an absolute must. Koh Lipe is set in the Tarutao National Park which is home to spectacular corals and a great variety of colourful fish.
There are loads of tour operators all along Walking Street offering different snorkelling itineraries. Make sure to shop around to get the best deal.
We booked ourselves onto a full day snorkelling trip with lunch, water, fruit and beach breaks all for 500 baht per person (£12.36 or $14.89). We booked our trip from Koh Lipe Star Travel which was located opposite the Pooh Bar.
Walking around the island
Another free things to do is just to walk around the island. Koh Lipe is not a large island and you could easily spend a day exploring the island by foot. Just head out in any direction and see what you find. As soon as you leave the busy alleys of Walking Street behind you’ll feel as though you have the island all to yourself.
We took a walk around the island almost daily and enjoyed just heading to one of the beaches and taking a random road to see where it would take us. During our time wandering the island we found a hidden temple, several abandoned resorts and even a route through the trees that led us to one of Koh Lipe’s “secret beaches”.
If you do not want to do a large walk of the island, then we’d recommend heading to Walking Street and walking the length of it as this is a great place to go window shopping. With lots of souvenirs, clothes and jewellery shops there’s plenty to browse. Just remember not to take the first price and negotiate with the shop keepers!
Drinking on Koh Lipe - nightlife on the island
As you may have seen on our article on our favourite bars of Koh Lipe most of the beer prices are very similar to each other at around 100 baht per small bottle (£2.46 or $3.05).
The cheapest bars we found were Pattaya Song on Pattaya Beach and the excellent Forget Me Not Bar off of Walking Street.
If bars are too pricey, then the true backpacking way to have a bevvie on the island is to buy bottles or cans from the street vendors (these were always cheaper) and make your way to a beach to chill out on!
Travelling to and from Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is extremely well connected to the rest of Thailand. You can book a few different ways, but being a Thai island the costs are higher and the options more limited than you would get on the mainland.
Almost every other shop on the Walking Street can arrange speedboat transfers to pretty much any of the islands on the western coast of Thailand. Transfers are also available through to mainland cities, and even to Langkawi, Malaysia. Our advise would be to shop around and try and negotiate prices (this is easier if you’re booking for more than one person).
If you’re planning your trip in advance, or just like having everything arranged simply you can just use 12Go to book your tickets online.
Another option is to take the public ferry across to the Pak Bara pier on the mainland and arrange/hail onward transport from there. Mini buses run from here to Hat Yai and there will be plenty of opportunities to arrange onward travel from there. We can’t tell if this will be any cheaper than doing it through an agent on the island, but if you’re an expert negotiator it may be worth a try.
Final thoughts
Koh Lipe is a beautiful island and not as well known as Koh Samui, Koh Lanta or Koh Phi Phi. You can easily live thriftily without missing out here. It’s a tiny island that is totally walkable with loads to do, and lots of budget friendly options. If we’ve missed any good deals let us know in the comments!
We hope you enjoy your budget friendly trip to Koh Lipe!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Our other Koh Lipe articles:
If you want a guide to the island of Koh Lipe as a whole click here!
If you’re interested in having a drink on Koh Lipe, click here to read all about the bars on the island.
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The Bars of Koh Lipe - Where to Drink in Tropical Paradise?
Thailand’s southernmost island of Koh Lipe is a tropical paradise full of white sand beaches, colourful coral and turquoise waters. But as night falls, where should you go for a drink on the island of Koh Lipe? Read our guide to find our which are the best bars on the island. From beach bars to sports bars Koh Lipe has it all. Read on to find out where to wet your whistle!
Tropical paradise islands tend to breed a certain kind of bar, if you're unlucky then it'll be the “resorty” kind of bar. Soulless, copy pastable and feeling as though you've not left the airport lounge. However, if you're lucky, you'll get the ramshackle, the lean to, the thrown together… the quintessential beach bar!
Luckily for Koh Lipe we found several of the latter. Here's our guide to our favourite bars whilst drinking on this beautiful Thai island.
Let's just put it straight out there, that not all of these bars are on the beach, however this is Koh Lipe and the beaches are never that far away. Also this list is entirely subjective to the taste of Jellie (maybe you really like airport bars?)!
It is also worth pointing out that you won’t see a massive difference in prices for beer here. We predominantly drink beer and the price seemed to be pretty much standard across the island. There are a couple of exceptions, but you’ll have to read on to find out more!
We spent over a week on this beautiful island. To find out what we got up to (that wasn’t bar based) read our guide here.
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
The Beach Bars
Zodiac Bar - Map Link
Set at the end of a white sand peninsula, the Zodiac bar appears to be the premier beach bar of Koh Lipe.
Sitting at the end of Sunrise Beach and facing Koh Lipe's mountainous neighbour Koh Adang, Zodiac sprawls across the sands. A central bar feeds out to bean bags, driftwood furniture, fire pits and other cosy lounging spots. There's a laid back vibe during the day and a party scene at night (the island's Full Moon parties are usually held here). You could easily spend a full day here using this bar as a base for swimming, sun lounging and even (despite its location on Sunrise beach) watching the sunset!
Jellie beer price index 1 x small bottle of Chang cost 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70)
Pro tip - for a slightly more cost efficient beverage, head into the restaurant on the left (still part of Zodiac) where you can buy large bottles of Chang for 160 baht (£3.48 or $4.32)
This bar is expensive, but given the location and beach vibes you can see why!
If you’re looking for a luxurious stay, Zodiac also has a lovely looking high-end resort the Zodiac Seesun. Located just behind the bar, you could easily roll back to your room after a night on the sand!
Sea La Vie Bar - Map Link
Also located on Sunrise Beach, is the much smaller Sea La Vie bar.
The bar is set on a raised wooden platform and at high tide, the sea practically brushes against it. With driftwood furniture, pallet tables and comfy cushions scattered around, this place is a relaxed bar just begging for you to come in for a sundowner drink.
There is a happy hour in the early evening where you can buy 5 beers (standard Thai selection - Chang, Leo or Singha) and get 1 free bottle.
It's worth pointing out that if you go here and stay for high tide, the view is lovely with the bar ending and the sea beginning almost immediately. However it does mean that when it is time to leave you will get your feet wet.
Jellie beer price index - 100 baht for a small bottle of Chang (£2.17 or $2.70) or 500 baht for six bottles during happy hour (£10.86 or $13.51).
Again standard price for a beer on the island, but the happy hour is a good saving!
Pattaya Song - Map Link
Located at the very end of Pattaya Beach, this resort has a sprawling bar next to the cliffs and beach. Not only does this bar have the cheapest beer we found on the island but also boasts very nice iced coffees.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 60 baht (£1.30 or $1.62) and a large bottle of Chang cost 120 baht (£2.61 or $3.24).
A good deal, but a little walk up the beach. Also worth bearing in mind that as the bar is at the base of a cliff, the bar itself can be quite well shaded.
Lipe Bar - Map Link
If you’re looking for after dark beach drinks, the Lipe Bar serves you well. For the complete nighttime Thailand beach experience, this bar has beanbags, fire shows and music. Serving all manner of drinks, cocktails and non alcoholic bevvies, this bar is located on Pattaya Beach conveniently near to the entrance of Walking Street.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70).
Again standard island price, but you do get a show with your drink (although you should probably tip the fire guy).
Happy Mojito - Map Link
The only bar serving Sunset Beach, Happy Mojito sits against the cliffside on wooden stilts with a view across the beach and out to sea.
The bar is attached to the nearby Bayview Sunset Resort and is one of the more luxurious on this list. During low tides it has sun loungers and deck chairs on the beach and during the high tide you can retreat to the high platform.
Its namesake, the Happy Mojito is on special offer in the late afternoon/early evening for 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70). This may have been our only non beer alcoholic beverage on Koh Lipe and so we can’t compare and contrast to other cocktails in other bars, but it was very tasty!
The bar is beautiful during the day, but for the best of sunset you will have to leave it and go a little way up the beach.
The bar also serves food and other soft drinks. One of the days we had a very tasty banana smoothie, we would highly recommend it!
Jellie beer price index - 70 baht for a small can of Chang (£1.52 or $1.89).
Not the cheapest, but totally worth it for the beachside ambiance.
The Bars of Walking Street and Beyond
Time to Chill Bar - Map Link
Located in the very heart of Walking Street, the Time to Chill bar is a little garden oasis set off the busy street.
With seating sprawled in a square around an open central garden, Time to Chill lives up to its name. With comfy lounging cushions, and laidback live music most nights, this softly lit bar drew us in time after time.
Decorated in the usual beach/reggae vibes, this bar became a firm favourite for when we wanted a chilled out quiet drink. Every night we visited in the evening there was an acoustic singer covering songs from all eras and genres.
Jellie beer price index - 100 baht for a small bottle of Chang (£2.17 or $2.70).
Corner Bar - Map Link
The ever popular Corner Bar sits at guess what, a corner of Walking Street.
A small bar with low seating, this friendly place provides a good stopping point for weary Walking Street wanderers. This is certainly helped by its prices being slightly less than its nearest neighbours.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 80 baht (£1.74 or $2.16).
Hallidej Bar - no Google map listing
Another good option for slightly cheaper Walking Street beers, is the Hallidej bar. Set in between restaurants, it is one of the first bars you’ll encounter if you walk up Walking Street from Pattaya Beach.
We visited during happy hour (which runs till 9pm) where beers and cocktails were reduced.
Jellie beer price index - during happy hour one small bottle of Chang cost 80 baht (£1.74 or $2.16).
Passion Gastro Bar - Map Link
A stylish bar set in the middle of Walking Street, Passion Gastro bar serves small plates and cold beers.
Again like a lot of the bars on the island, there is a happy hour running until 8pm with reduced beer costs and buy one get one free on selected cocktails. Being thrifty backpackers we only visited during the happy hour, but loved the ambiance. Our favourite seats were the bar stools looking directly out onto Walking Street where you could watch the ever changing tide of backpackers, tourists and locals flow by.
Jellie beer price index - during happy hour one small bottle of Chang cost 70 baht (£1.52 or $1.89).
OMG Sports Bar - Map Link
Set a little way away from the busiest areas of Walking Street, this large bar was clearly a backpacker favourite.
Run by a friendly couple, the large bar has a pool table, a good drinks selection and tasty bar snacks. The bar is also home to two extremely pampered pooches. The dogs couldn’t be more different with one being a tiny scuttling Chihuahua and the other being a massive friendly English Bull Terrier.
We made a beeline to this bar during the World Cup to watch England lose at football again. Despite the extremely late kick off, the bar was packed and there was a great atmosphere with the football shown on multiple screens.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70).
Forget Me Not Bar - Map Link
How on earth do we go about describing this bar, or the chaotic brilliant nights within. You enter through what looks like the ruins of a bar, to be greeted by ramshackled decor of driftwood, couches, pillows and even a massive bed/chair made out of mattresses.
This bar was everything we had hoped to find on a Thai island. Super friendly and instantly welcoming, as soon as you enter the bar you’ll always be dragged into the conversations or otherwise involved with what's going on in the bar. If we didn’t have to pay at the end of the night, you’d think you had just stumbled into your friend's house party.
We spent more than a few nights here and loved the great music, hilarious bar owners and altogether fun vibe.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 80 baht (£1.74 or $2.16).
Koh Lipe has so many bars there's no way our livers would have allowed us to review them all. The ones listed above are just some of our favourites.
From the above list, these are the ones we recommend depending on the vibe you're searching for.
Best all rounder - Forget Me Not Bar
Best to relax - Time to Chill Bar
Best for watching sports or playing pool - OMG Sports Bar
Best beach bar - Sea La Vie
Best blow out/party bar - Zodiac Beach Bar
Chok dee all!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Our other Koh Lipe guides:
To read more about what we got up to on Koh Lipe when we weren’t drinking click here!
If you’re looking to make the most out of a backpacking budget, check out our guide to living cheaply on Koh Lipe here!
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Koh Lipe - The Tropical Island Paradise of Southern Thailand
In the deep south of Thailand, just north of the Malaysian border lies the paradise island of Koh Lipe. With crystal clear turquoise waters, white powder sand beaches and a plethora of activities to enjoy. Koh Lipe is Thailand’s less well known tropical paradise. Read our guide for the best things to do on Koh Lipe, where to eat and drink on Walking Street, how to find the secret beach and why Koh Lipe should definitely be on your Thai island hopping itinerary!
So southern that it’s almost in Malaysia, Koh Lipe sits off the western coast of Thailand. Located within the beautiful national park of Tarutao and walkable from one side to the other in well under half an hour, this pint sized little island boasts beautiful white sand beaches, turquoise waters as well as plenty of hostels, bars, restaurants and other island activities!
Koh Lipe is not as famous as its more northern brethren of Koh Samui, Koh Lanta or Koh Phi Phi. Its southerly position and small size lend it a more sleepy, laid back atmosphere, and whilst it doesn’t attract quite the crowds of the more famous Thai islands, Koh Lipe has a charm all of its own.
We originally booked for three nights but when we spoke to fellow travellers on our first day they warned us that Koh Lipe is a vortex. A whirlpool that traps you in and makes it very hard to leave. Still we thought, what harm could it do, so we extended our stay for just one more night… Anyway, 11 days later we managed to tear ourselves away from this gorgeous little island.
What kept us there, why did we like it so much? As it’s such a small island what is there to do? Read on to find out why Koh Lipe should be high on your list of Thai islands to visit!
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Contents:
The best beaches on Koh Lipe
What to do on Koh Lipe?
Eating and drinking on Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe - the essential information
Should we leave? …. Nah!
How to get to Koh Lipe?
As we’ve previously mentioned, Koh Lipe is in the south of Thailand, like really south, like so south that one of its closest neighbours is the Malaysian tax free haven of Langkawi.
We were travelling in from south Thailand’s largest city, Hat Yai . We had arranged a transfer through our accommodation. A minibus would pick us up from our hostel, take us to Pak Bara pier in the province of Satun, and there we would transfer to a speedboat that would take us across the Andaman Sea to Koh Lipe. If you didn’t book through your accommodation or wanted to make your own way there, you could buy the ferry ticket directly from Pak Bara pier. Our package including the mini bus to the pier and the speedboat transfer cost us 800 baht each (£17.45 or $21.59).
If you want to book directly you could use 12GO, we have done this for other crossings and it is a handy way to combine buses and ferries. Click here to book your tickets!
Upon arrival at Pak Bara pier there is the usual South East Asian rigmarole of changing paper tickets for stickers, exchanging more stickers for plastic boarding cards and finding out that we needed to buy the entrance fee for the national park and also a separate pier fee - more on this later in the tips section!
Inside the ferry terminal, rows of nearly identical check in desks stretch along the back wall next to an extremely overpriced cafe. After check in, it was a smooth transfer onto the speedboat. Our luggage was taken by the crew and stowed on board before we were called one ticket at a time onto the boat.
Once underway the boat sped off across the ridiculously blue water. It stopped for twenty minutes on Koh Tarutao, an island within the national park, where we could either get off the boat or stay on for the short stop. After another brief stop while we waited for the pier to become free we arrived on the white sanded shores of Koh Lipe. Jumping off the boat onto a blue floating pier, our bags were unloaded and we headed off into the island. All in all, our trip from our hostel in Hat Yai to Pattaya beach in Koh Lipe had taken about 4 hours.
So blue!
You can get to Koh Lipe from any of the West Thai islands such as Phuket, Koh Lanta, Koh Mook by speed boat transfer. You can book tickets on the islands through a tour operator or in advance via 12Go.
If you’re travelling to Koh Lipe from Bangkok, the quickest way to get to Koh Lipe would be to book an internal flight to either Trang or Hat Yai airports. From there you will need to book a transfer to the ferry port. Again if you want to book in advance you can use 12Go.
Being so close to Malaysia you can actually get the ferry directly across from Langkawi island and it only takes an hour and a half. Book tickets here. If you’re coming from Malaysia from land, check out our articles on crossing the Thai / Malaysian border and staying in the southern city of Hat Yai.
When to visit Koh Lipe?
Koh Lipe’s high season runs from mid to late October through to the end of April. During this time you should be able to enjoy warm sunny days (without being too scorching) with minimal rainfall.
During the low season accommodation will be much cheaper and although it will rain, it should be confined to a few hours a day. Just be aware that Walking Street may not be as busy and some businesses may close for the season. Also the powerboats between the western islands will sometimes shut down in the low season, and the sea will be rougher with less visibility for snorkelling and diving.
Where did we stay on Koh Lipe?
We had booked ourselves into Sang Chan hostel, a small hostel just off of Koh Lipe’s main road - Walking Street.
We bought a basic private fan room (posh packers, we know) with en-suite but no air conditioning. Our private room was what an estate agent would call cosy, maybe even bijou. It was comfy, and the size was perfect for our needs.
Sang Chan hostel had free tea, coffee and water as well as a little communal space and two extremely cute cats!
We also managed to test out one of the downstairs dormitories, as for one of the nights where we tried to extend our stay, our private room had already been booked. The dorm rooms at Sang Chan hostel were very comfy, with good lockers, personal lights and power sockets and a privacy curtain. The room we stayed in had 8 beds (4 bunk beds).
We paid 700 baht per night for the private room (£15.27 or $18.89) and 300 baht each (£6.54 or $8.10) for a bed in the dorm.
There are lots of hostels and low cost guesthouses on offer all over the island as well as beachfront bamboo huts or more luxurious resorts.
Our advice would be to look for accommodation within the Walking Street or Sunrise beach areas of the island as these are right in the midst of all of the restaurants and bars. Check out the map below for all your accommodation choices:
The best beaches on Koh Lipe
This is probably why you’re here, it was certainly why we were. The beaches of Koh Lipe are simply stunning, literal island paradises. When you think of Thai islands there’s a specific image that comes to mind. Crystal clear, near impossibly turquoise waters, lapping up against a white sanded beach under palm trees beneath the blazing sun. Maybe there’s a long tail boat? Koh Lipe fulfilled all these stereotypes, honestly in any direction you looked it could have been a postcard.
Koh Lipe is not a large island but has three main beaches as well as a smattering of “secret” beaches. Here’s our guide to which beaches to go to and when to go to them.
Pattaya Beach
This is the main beach of Koh Lipe and by far the most popular.
Odds on chance, that if you’re on Koh Lipe already, you would have arrived via this beach. Lined with resorts, beach bars, scuba diving shops and restaurants, Pattaya beach is busy whatever time of the day. During the day the beach is popular with sunbathers, snorkellers and those enjoying a beachside beer. Come evening time, the beach bars light up with fire-shows and bonfires and the resort restaurants spill out onto the sand.
Sunset Beach
The furthest beach from Walking Street and the heart of the island, Sunset beach is so called because guess what… it gets the best view of sunset! When we say it’s the furthest away, it’s still only a fifteen to twenty minute walk away. The walk is quite interesting as it winds up and around the greener central part of the island and passes by several abandoned and decaying resorts (as we’ve mentioned before in our Sri Lanka articles, we both like a ruin).
All that’s left are the concrete foundations
Walking through woodland, dodging many millipedes and winding past the Hantalay Buddhist temple - สำนักสงฆ์หาญทะเล you’ll eventually reach the Marine Fishery Management buildings. Head through the gates and walk down past the buildings and you’ll find yourself on the beach.
The instant advantage of this beach being slightly further away is that it remains quieter for most of the day, so it’s always easy to find a spot to throw down your towel. Come sunset the beach population swells with everyone sitting down on the small floating jetty to watch the sun go down. The beach lives up to its name and sharing a sunset here, floating in the ocean, surrounded by your fellow travellers is a memory we will cherish. Be sure to pack a beer for sunset!
There is also a restaurant and bar at the end of the beach.
If you want to know the best bars for a drink on Koh Lipe, check out our article here.
Sunrise Beach
Unsurprisingly Sunrise Beach faces the rising sun in the morning. We braved an early morning alarm call to watch the sun rise and it really didn’t disappoint.
Sunrise Beach itself is much longer than Sunset Beach and curves up and around a peninsula that overlooks the much larger island of Koh Adang. Like the other beaches of Koh Lipe, Sunrise Beach is blessed with powder white sand and clear waters teeming with small fish. Sunrise Beach is popular at all times of day and quickly became our go to beach. Its size meant it was never too crowded and there were designated swimming areas where the long tail boats didn’t intrude. As the day wore on, there were places where you could find shade under the palm trees without having to buy a drink from one of the local beach bars. Also if you head around the peninsula you can still catch a great sunset even if it’s a little more obscured than that from Sunset Beach.
Sunrise Beach is also home to lots of restaurants and beach bars including Zodiac, perhaps Koh Lipe’s largest and most popular beach bar.
What To Do on Koh Lipe?
In case you hadn’t guessed from the above paragraph, the number one thing to do in Koh Lipe is to stretch out in the sand and enjoy its glorious beaches. Once you’ve absorbed all the vitamin D you could want, there are also many other things you can do on this beautiful island.
Kayaking on Koh Lipe
Kayaks are available to rent from every beach on the island. We recommend hiring kayaks from Pattaya Beach. We hired kayaks from a wooden shack next to a dive school near the far end of the beach (walking away from the main jetty/Walking Street). 200 baht (£4.36 or $5.40) got us a two person kayak (John thinks this is called a Kiwi) and life jackets for an hour. The man running the rental assured us that he wouldn’t be too bothered if we returned the kayak a little late so we could relax and enjoy our sea exploration. The kayak rental price seemed to be fixed, as many things were, across the island.
It’s possible to circumnavigate the island in a kayak in a couple of hours, but we however had our sights set a little lower. We set off from Pattaya Beach and kayaked to the right. Around the first peninsula is a lovely beach that appears to be owned by a resort. It didn’t seem to be accessible other than via the sea or through the resort. We paddled past and continued around the headland. All along the rocky outcrops are excellent snorkelling spots and we passed by many a flipper clad frogman. We were very tempted to join them but could not see how we would re-enter the canoe without an embarrassing capsizing incident.
As we continued further round the island, the first of the “secret” beaches came into view. The beach was so “secret” that there were already kayaks on shore and a good size group taking selfies. We came onto shore and joined in with the selfie shooting, before pushing back off to sea.
We continued round and the next cove held what we had been looking for. A tiny deserted beach, surrounded by high cliffs and rocks. Accessible only by sea, this was what we had hoped to find. We dragged our canoe onto the tiny beach and ran back into the crystal clear sea. Small fish swarmed around our feet seemingly unbothered by our presence. This was the kind of island experience we had pictured when backpacking the Thai islands. We can’t recommend kayaking here enough.
Snorkelling on Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is, as mentioned, located within the boundaries of Tarutao national marine park. This means that the waters off of the island are teaming with marine life and coral. Snorkelling in Koh Lipe is an absolute must!
All the way along Walking Street are tour operators offering a menu of different snorkelling trips. The snorkelling trips differ from each other in length, snorkelling spots and islands visited. There are also options of doing sunset trips, or longer distance trips via a speedboat.
We, being the cheapskate backpackers that we are, went up and down the strip to find the best deal. We booked a trip with Koh Lipe Star Travel, located on the Walking Street opposite the Pooh bar. We chose option ‘A’ from the snorkelling menu as it seemed to have less travel time and more time snorkelling. The trip cost us 500 baht per person (£10.91 or $13.50) and would visit 4 snorkelling spots and 2 beaches. This price would also include our lunch as well as fruit and water on board the longtail boat.
Our snorkelling trip was everything we could have wanted it to be.
We found Nemo (many Nemo’s actually) as well as seeing corals, an octopus, brightly coloured parrot fish, a well camouflaged stone fish and a kaleidoscope of other tropical fish. We made a stop on the rocky black stone beach of Ko Hin Ngam and had our lunch on the white sands of Ko Ra Wi. The lunch was a very tasty Pad Krapow with an extra hard-boiled egg.
This trip was far more than we were expecting, and no trip to the island of Koh Lipe should be without a snorkelling expedition.
It's worth pointing out that despite the variety of tour operators, the actual trips all seem to follow the same itineraries. We recommend scouting out the best price as there’s not going to be a great deal of difference between trip ‘A’ from two different shops. There were people doing the same trip as us who had paid more than double what we did.
Also worth mentioning that before you depart on your snorkelling trip, please ensure you have a valid ticket to enter Tarutao National Park - again see our tips section later.
If you’re planning a holiday and want to book a snorkelling trip in advance, check out these trips on Get Your Guide:
Ko Ra Wi wasn’t a bad place for a picnic lunch!
Koh Lipe - What We Didn’t Do
Diving on Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is famous for its incredible dive sites. We are not divers ourselves, so take all of our information here with a pinch of salt but we met some absolute lovely dive instructors who were so passionate about it and were extremely convincing as to the delights of diving off the island of Koh Lipe.
There are dive shops all along Walking Street and Pattaya Beach, serving all skill levels from absolute beginners to fully qualified PADI divers.
Koh Adang
Visible from most of the northern side of the island, Koh Adang rises like a green volcano from the Adaman sea. Koh Adang dwarfs little Koh Lipe in size, but is much more sparsely populated with only one resort and a couple of campsites on the island. There is a hike to a viewpoint as well as the promise of white sandy beaches all to yourself. We didn’t take the boat taxi across as we were on a budget and on the days we were tempted by it, the weather was quite hazy.
A longtail boat to Koh Adang runs at 200 baht per person per journey (£4.36 or $5.40). This is worth thinking about as it would mean for two people to go there and back would cost 800 baht (£17.45 or $21.59) which is nearly as much as a whole day's snorkelling! We’re sure the views would have been incredible but as we were on a budget we opted out this time.
This list might not seem that long for 11 days, but the simple loop of getting up, swimming, reading on a beach, finding a bar, getting stuck in said bar and stumbling to bed kept us happily occupied for quite some time on this picture perfect island. There’s definitely more to the island than we found, if you’ve got any recommendations please leave a comment as we’re sure to return to Koh Lipe in the future!
To have a look or prebook some other island activities check out Get Your Guide here.
Eating and Drinking on Koh Lipe
Walking Street
At the heart of the island of Koh Lipe lies Walking Street. This is the main tourist hub for the whole island. You can’t avoid it and you shouldn’t! Home to most of the bars, restaurants, cafes and shops of the island, Walking Street will cater for any of your needs.
There are a wealth of shops to satiate your inner Carrie. Ellie bought a lovely dress that has (so far) not fallen apart. There are also tattoo parlours, diving shops and the increasingly common cannabis emporiums. Also there are plenty of pharmacies and two 7-11’s, although why an island this small needs 2 is beyond us.
In terms of food you are well catered for on Walking Street; pasta to tapas, Indian naan to Pad Thai there is a restaurant on this street for everyone's taste. Dining on Thai islands is always more expensive than its mainland counterparts, and can often pander too heavily to the perceived tastes of the Western palate. With this in mind, we can recommend the following places to eat:
Papaya Mom - ปาปาย่ามัม เกาะหลีเป๊ะ
This large, primely located restaurant is popular with both Western and Thai tourists (always a good sign). Serving all manner of Thai noodles, fried rice and curries alongside an impressive selection of fresh fish and shellfish ready for the grill. Being backpackers we can’t comment on the quality of the lobster, but the seafood Pad Kee Mao and Yellow Curry fried rice were delicious. The seafood Pad Kee Mao was generously portioned and overflowing with the ocean's bounty. Crab meat jostled for space with prawns, cuttlefish and octopus amongst fragrant and delicately flavoured noodles. The Yellow curry rice was rich and satisfying with tender chicken and a deep curried flavour providing counterpoint to the delicate seafood dish. The two together cost us 220 baht (£4.80 or $5.94).
Wonton Soup Stall - outside Patt market (แพท มาร์เก็ต)
Outside the Patt supermarket and opposite the A Central shopping plaza lies our top budget recommendation. This stall served wonton noodles with red pork and was cheap, filling and absolutely delicious. This is one of our top cheap eats on the island. For more budget tips, click here.
Dinner for two cost us 160 baht (£3.49 or $4.32).
Wangcha-Aon & Thai food (วังชะโอน แอนด์ ไทยฟู้ด)
A lunchtime staple, this unassuming restaurant served what we came to believe to be the best beef noodle soup on the island (we tried quite a few). The bowl of noodles was topped with tender beef, delightfully textured beef balls as well as crunchy bean sprouts, spring onions, aromatic herbs and deep fried shallots. The broth itself was deep, complex and comforting, all the things a bowl of beef noodles should be. The table came complete with the usual Thai cruet to allow you to adjust the salty, sweet or sour flavours to your preference. A bowl of this excellent beef noodle soup will set you back 100 baht (£2.18 or $2.70).
We also ate quite a few dinners at this restaurant. We can heartily recommend their Pad Krapow. Often in Thailand when asked if you would like it spicy, your answer is effectively ignored and the dish will be prepared in a Farang friendly manner. This was not the case here. The Pad Krapow was spicy, heavily seasoned and utterly delicious. With crunchy snake beans and near caramelised minced chicken, just make sure to ask for the gloriously runny fried egg on top. One plate of Pad Krapow (including a 10 baht egg) cost 90 baht (£1.96 or $2.43).
Bombay Indian (ร้านอาหารอินเดียบอมเบย์)
It seems strange to recommend an Indian restaurant when in Thailand, but what can we say, we’re British, and the curry cravings can often get too much. Happily for us, Koh Lipe has the excellent Bombay Indian to quench our curry cravings.
We ate lunch and dinner here and were blown away both times. For the lunch we had naan breads and a Makhani Dal and for dinner we had the same but accompanied by a Butter Chicken. The Makhani Dal was the stand out both times. A massive copper coloured goblet appeared on our table with a swirl of yoghurt crowning the deep, dark colour of the lentil stew. Spicy, yet supremely comforting, this dal was the perfect saucy dipper for the crispy delicious tandoor baked naan bread. The butter chicken was also superb, with none of the artificial sweetness or greasy overload often found in this dish elsewhere.
The two curries together were the perfect synergy of hot and rich, creamy and fragrant and with the naan bread (one garlic, one plain) made for the perfect meal. Despite the incongruity of ordering an Indian curry in Thailand, this was one of our favourite meals on Koh Lipe.
Two curries, two naan breads, two large beers and a large water cost us 590 baht (£12.87 or $15.92).
Bloom Cafe
For those after a sophisticated caffeine fix in pretty surroundings, you can’t go wrong with a coffee from Bloom Cafe. Located in the heart of Walking Street and sitting under the hostel of the same name, Bloom cafe serves up every variety of hot and cold coffee you can ask for, along with a selection of toasties and other Western comfort foods. The coffee here was fantastic (although a little pricey, but you are paying for the location).
One iced latte cost 110 baht (£2.40 or $2.97).
As you can maybe tell if you’ve read our other articles, Koh Lipe is quite pricey for food and drink. This is a common theme across the Thai islands where ingredients have to arrive by boat. We have some budget recommendations on where to eat to maximise your money to read all about our cheaper choices, click here.
Leaving Koh Lipe - where to go next?
Leaving Koh Lipe is hard. Breaking the comforting cycle of beaches, blissful sunsets and sublime snorkelling is very difficult. But, as with any island story, there comes a time to leave.
Booking onward travel from Koh Lipe is super simple. There are countless travel agents up and down Walking Street offering transfers to pretty much anywhere in Thailand or if you want to book in advance, you could just use 12Go . There are speed boats that will get you north to Koh Lanta, Phi Phi, Phuket or any of the western islands as well as transfers across the mainland to Hat Yai, Krabi, Surat Thani and beyond.
We elected for a speedboat to Koh Mook but that is another story.
Koh Lipe - the essential information
National Park fee
Tarutao Marine National Park Fee costs 200 baht per person and lasts for 5 days. You will need to pay this entrance fee to get to Koh Lipe (in addition to any ferry and pier costs). This is worth remembering as you will also need the permit to go snorkelling and as we have said, the island is a vortex and you will probably wind up staying longer than you initially expected.
Pak Bara Pier fee
Pak Bara Pier Fee costs 20 baht per person and is payable upon arrival at the pier. This cost is also in addition to your ferry ticket and marine national park fee. We’re only pointing this out as it was very confusing at the pier where we started getting asked for more money.
Taxis and island prices
Taxis and the island economy - the taxi price across Koh Lipe is fixed at 100 baht per journey. It doesn’t matter how short or how long (on an island so small there is a limit as to how long they can be) the cost is the same. The taxis on Koh Lipe are of the motorbike with sidecar variety and can be hailed just off Walking Street and behind the main arrival pier.
You will find across the island that certain prices are pretty much fixed, small beers at a 100 baht are a good example of this. There are certain places that are a little cheaper, read more about places to drink on Koh Lipe here.
Arriving on Koh Lipe
Arrival tip - you will be dropped off at the arrival pier of Pattaya beach. You will immediately be inundated with taxi offers all for 100 baht. If you’re staying on or near Walking Street, you really don’t need this. There’s a little trick/illusion as the road behind the arrival pier is frequently flooded which encourages you to use a taxi. You do not need to go this way, just turn back on to the beach and walk a short way up to come to the entrance of Walking Street.
Other tips for Koh Lipe
Maps.me - as is becoming a theme in Thailand, Maps.me is frequently much more detailed and useful than Google maps. We recommend downloading the area for offline use as we found many more paths and trails on Maps.me than are shown on Google maps.
ATMS - there are ATMS on the island but they do frequently run out of cash and will charge you the standard fees for withdrawals like the rest of Thailand.
There are pharmacies and a clinic on the island, we hope you don’t need either!
Koh Lipe - final thoughts
Koh Lipe is beautiful. A tiny, walkable tropical retreat with every amenity and comfort a traveller could need. Its position so far south means it's not quite as popular or well known as Thailand’s other more northerly islands and this is to its advantage. The island at the moment has not been entirely sold off to resorts, but this may be changing in the future. There is a large construction site on Sunrise beach and there were signs saying large parcels of land had been given over to developers. At the moment Koh Lipe is still a charming island full of independent shops and businesses, with most beaches open to all. Go now before its private and a mimicry of other resort filled islands!
Thank you for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
If you want to know how to live cheaply on Koh Lipe, check out our budget backpacking guide to the island here!
For our guide to the bars of Koh Lipe click here!
More Thai Island Inspiration:
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The £5 market munching challenge - Florida Night Market in Hat Yai, Thailand
The southern Thai city of Hat Yai is full of night markets. Following inspiration from YouTube we set ourselves the food challenge - The £5 market munching feast! What Thai foods can we get for £5? Can two people really get dinner for £5 in Thailand? How much chilli can one Som Tam contain? Is Hat Yai Fried Chicken really worth the hype? Read on to find out!
When you're travelling long term (we can say that now, it's been a whole 6 months :P) you sometimes need a bit of structure to a day, a challenge or just a goal to achieve. We came up with the £5 market challenge (okay us and a few thousand YouTubers before us).
Armed with 210 baht (just under £5 sterling) we headed off to the Florida Night Market in Hat Yai - Map Link.
We wanted dinner and so far we'd unfussily eaten extremely well and for very little in Thailand's southern city of Hat Yai.
Would we be able to eat and drink a full dinner for two for under £5?
Challenge set we headed into the colourful market.
We'd come to the Florida Night Market as it was a stone's throw away from our hostel Silla House in Hat Yai. From the balcony of the hostel we could see the lit up tents and throngs of customers coming and going, and decided this would be the perfect place to attempt our first market munch challenge!
Thai Style Barbecue Skewers
First things first, our bouches needed amusing. We were led by our nostrils to a charcoal barbecue. It was time for some skewers. Marinated and grilled to perfection, we quickly devoured two chicken skewers.
20 baht down (£0.47 / $0.58) - 200 baht remaining.
Deep Fried Quail Eggs
Walking around a Thai market as an outsider you'll always find something you haven't tried before. Today we found eggs. Okay we have had eggs before… but these weren't just any eggs (no they weren't M&S eggs - a very British reference) they were deep fried quail eggs on a skewer. Dipped in soy sauce and coated in a generous sprinkling of white pepper they were delicious! We don't know what sort of deep fried dark arts were employed in their construction but the yolks were still gloriously gooey!
One skewer of quail eggs set us back 15 baht (£0.35 / $0.43) - 185 baht remaining!
Hat Yai Fried Chicken
Hat Yai is famous throughout Thailand. Its fame is not only due to its spectacular mosque, cable car or floating market; the largest city in southern Thailand is famous for its fried chicken. Throughout Thailand all the way to the very north, you can find stalls selling "Hat Yai Fried Chicken''. As KFC aficionados there was no way we were going to miss trying this legendary chicken! Wandering up to a stall, we brought two thigh pieces. The chicken came with the traditional accompaniments of rice, sweet chilli sauce and best of all, crispy fried shallots. It's really hard to quantify quite why Hat Yai fried chicken is so good, but we can happily report that it deserves its fame. The thinnest layer of crispy batter, covers almost impossibly juicy chicken. Seriously, when we pulled the chicken apart we quickly had a lake of chicken juice form at the bottom of the container! The perfect chicken, laced with the deceptively spicy sweet chilli sauce, set atop of yellow biryani rice (also can be served with sticky rice) and spiked through with crispy, crunchy onion bits. The legend was true, it was fantastic. Hat Yai fried chicken really puts the Colonel to shame!
Two thighs with accompaniments cost 45 baht (£1.06 / $1.30) - 140 baht remaining!
Som Tam (Spicy Papaya Salad)
To accompany fried chicken we needed some fresh veggies.
This came in the form of a devilishly spicy Som Tam or papaya salad. Tomatoes, papaya, baby shrimp and a lot of chilli's smashed and bruised together with lime juice, peanuts and other wonderful things make the perfect salad. The portion was big enough for this to have been a main course all on its own, but what can I say, we are greedy and have big appetites! Mouths burning from chilli but with big smiles we finished the lot.
This salad set us back 40 baht (£0.94 / $1.15).
The then totally necessary bottle of water cost us another 10 baht (£0.24 / $0.29) - 90 baht remaining!
Banana Roti
We were now entering the sweet phase of our dining extravaganza. We had just come from Malaysia and we were already missing roti.
Luckily the very first stall in the Florida Night Market was a roti stand, and a popular one at that. We took our place in the queue behind an army of Grab drivers and ordered a sweet banana roti. We knew it was going to be good as the Grab driver in front of us was picking up at least 10 rotis for whoever he was delivering for. When it was finally our turn we were not disappointed. Tissue thin, crispy roti covered a pancake layer of egg and sliced sweet banana. There's something about the texture of a well cooked roti. It has a perfect balance of crispy exterior and chewy centre. This with the cooked banana and caramelised sugar topping made for a supremely satisfying desert.
This sweet treat set us back 25 baht (£0.59 / $0.72) - 65 baht remaining.
Thai Style Ice Coffee
To aid our digestion of this delicious Thai feast we thought we'd cap it all off with a coffee. The temperature was hovering around the 30 degree mark even at night so we opted for two iced lattes. Like others we've had in Thailand, they were extremely sweet but certainly hit the spot.
Two iced coffees cost 38 baht (£0.90 / $1.10).
Caffeinated, full and under budget our £5 challenge was a success!
Total Cost of Hat Yai Night Market Dinner
193 baht (£4.55)
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
If want to see what else we got up to in Hat Yai click here!
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Hat Yai - Thailand’s Southern City
Hat Yai is Thailand’s largest southern city and is chock full of excellent markets, famous fried chicken and gorgeous street art. Read on to see our guide to Hat Yai and why this city should be on your southern Thailand travel itinerary.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Hat Yai, the largest city in southern Thailand, is often the first or last stop of land travel between Thailand and Malaysia. A large sprawling city, Hat Yai has a mixture of cultures. As it sits close to the Malaysian border there is a strong Malay influence in its cooking and culture as well as a significant Chinese presence. Full of markets, food and temples, Hat Yai capitalises on its cultures and has an interesting feel all of its own. We had passed through Hat Yai on our way to Songkhla but this time we were going to stay for a couple of days.
The colourful exterior of the Chao Por Suea Shrine
Hat Yai Guide Contents Page:
Where to stay in Hat Yai?
What to do in Hat Yai?
Where to eat and drink in Hat Yai?
Getting to and from Hat Yai
Where to stay? Accommodation in Hat Yai
Silla House : ศิลลา เฮ้าส์ โฮเทล - Map Link
We stayed in the Silla House hostel in the centre of Hat Yai. Within walking distance of both Hat Yai's bus and train stations, Silla House, was convenient, quiet and comfortable and for a private room (shared bathroom) pretty cheap! We can't compare it to other hostels in Hat Yai but the beds were comfy, the WiFi good and the location perfect for us. We stayed 3 nights and paid around £11 ($14) per night for the two of us. Book your stay here!
Silla House hostel had the advantage of being a stone's throw away from the Florida Night Market - read more about this excellent night market below.
Other hotels and hostels within Hat Yai
For other places to stay check out the map below:
What to do in Hat Yai?
Lee Garden Plaza Market - Map Link
Hat Yai seems to have an abundance of great markets. On our second evening we explored the Lee Garden night market. Set on the streets around the Lee Garden Plaza hotel, this night market boasted a great selection of treats. From huge rolls of crispy pork belly to sweet coconut pancakes, there was a tasty treat for anyone's appetite. Alongside the market stalls were large seafood restaurants sitting next to jewellery sellers and printed t-shirt vendors.
Dotted in amongst the stalls are a wide variety of stir fry chefs.
We opted for two plates of Pad Krapow which we hungrily devoured on plastic stools on the roadside. Spicy, hearty and yummy, the pork Pad Krapow was everything we wanted it to be. In Thailand, Pad Krapow is one of our favourite staples. Don’t know what to have? Just go for a Pad Krapow. Stir fried meat of choice (we recommend pork), with holy basil, onion and green vegetables depending on region. All stir fried up and served with rice. We recommend being indulgent and asking for the fried egg on top, it will always be an option!
Street Art Hat Yai ถนน ศุภสารรังสรรค์ - Map Link
A few streets away from the Lee Garden night market are a couple of streets that are filled with colourful murals and artworks. Street art seems to be a theme in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia from the alleyways of Ipoh and George town all the way to north to Songkhla and now Hat Yai, each town and city has its own unique street art.
The artists of Hat Yai seem to have focussed on the local wildlife and culture of southern Thailand, with depictions of Malay tea sellers, Chinese dragon dancers sitting alongside paintings of Thai noodle vendors.
If you’re in the area definitely check it out and even if you’re not it serves as a good excuse for a wander!
Wat Chue Chang วัดฉื่อฉาง หาดใหญ่ - Map Link
Close to Hat Yai’s street art towers the Buddhist temple of Wat Chue Chang.
This multi storey Chinese style temple dominates the surrounding area. Set over several storeys, its white and orange tiled exterior is intricately decorated with a colourful dragon and phoenix mural crowning the top.
We randomly encountered this temple when we were wandering around looking for street art. We were too late to visit the inside, but the exterior is extremely impressive and is definitely a place we need to explore more fully on our next visit!
Khlong Hae Floating Market - Map Link
Hat Yai also boasts a weekend floating market. The floating market of Khlong Hae runs from Friday to Sunday and opens in the late afternoon around 4pm. The floating market is around 6km away from central Hat Yai. We attempted to walk to the market, but after walking 40 minutes from our hostel we decided to take a Grab. The market itself was a curious mix of semi-permanent covered structures on the river bank and a row of longtail boats moored in a line to the riverside. Each boat sells something different, from spring rolls to coconut ice cream or even drinks served in sticks of bamboo. They deliver their wares and take their payment via long poles with baskets attached; these baskets are swung out from their boats across to the riverbank. It was a charming place, full of families enjoying an evening out, live music and karaoke performances. We arrived when it opened and had some chicken wings, a basket of quail eggs and some coconut pancakes all for under 100 baht! (£2.40 or $2.89)
The food was good and cheap but not quite up to the excellent fare we had eaten elsewhere in Hat Yai.
The Khlong Hae floating market was definitely touristy. Most of the people there aside from us appeared to be Malaysian families and all of the signs were in Thai, Malaysian and English. We're not criticising it by saying it's touristy as we are tourists ourselves, but if you came expecting a "authentic"* off the beaten track experience you might be a little bit disappointed.
Greenway Night Market - Map Link
On every night of the week (except Mondays) the Greenway night market opens it’s doors. Selling vintage clothes, crafts and other more traditional Thai market wares (endless mobile phone accessories for example) the Greenway Night Market has a little something for all comers. What it also has is a large food court, covered against the elements and selling every kind of food imaginable, ok maybe not caviar but you get our meaning!
ASEAN Night Bazaar - Map Link
Open from 4.30pm everyday (except Monday), this sprawling, covered night market is set over two floors. The ground floor is chock full of market stalls selling clothes, souvenirs and electronics, whilst upstairs there is a small food court offering everything from fruit smoothies to fried noodles. It’s a great place to head too if you’re looking to pick up some trinkets, suspect perfumes or elephant printed pants!
Florida Night Market (Jiranakorn Night Market) - Map Link
Just over the road from our hostel, Silla House is the daily Florida (Jiranakorn) Night Market. Open everyday from 4pm, we ended up eating our dinner here on two out of our three nights in Hat Yai. Three long rows of market stalls are joined by more informal street carts all of which open in the evening and seem to stay open late into the night. Serving all manner of goodies, from fried insects to grilled cheese, the night market was perfect for tapas style grazing. Read all about here - in brief, we loved it!
Songkhla Old Town - Map Link
Located 45 minutes north east of Hat Yai lies the historic coastal town of Songkhla. Full of street art, Buddhist temples, museums, a viewpoint to climb and beaches, theres plenty to keep you occupied. The Old Town of Songkhla is still to this day one of our favourite Thai towns.
Getting to Songkhla is extremely easy from Hat Yai with local buses departing every hour.
You could easily visit Songkhla as a day trip from Hat Yai, however if you do have time, we do feel that Songkhla deserves at least an overnight stay as there’s plenty to see and do.
Read more about visiting here.
Other things to do in Hat Yai
There is plenty of things we didn’t manage to visit in Hat Yai. Unfortunately when we were in Hat Yai the weather wasn’t playing ball with us and rained torrentially leaving us with only brief sunny spells to cram in as many attractions as possible.
Next time we’d love to visit Wat Hat Yai Nai (Mahattamangkalaram Temple), a beautiful Buddhist temple famous for its large reclining Buddha.
If the weather is better we’d like to pack a picnic and take a walk around the Hat Yai Municipal City Park or climb up to the Kho Hong Mountain viewpoint which overlooks the city. Further a field we’d love to escape the city and head to the forest trails and waterfalls of Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary.
If you’re unlucky like us and you’re faced with heavy rain, then the Central Shopping Mall is a great place to refresh your travel wardrobe or to get your Western food fix.
What to eat and drink in Hat Yai?
Hat Yai Fried Chicken
Kai-Tod Decha (Chee Uthit Branch) ไก่ทอดเดชา (สาขาชีอุทิศ) - Map Link
No visit to Hat Yai would be complete without sampling its famous fried chicken. We go into more detail about this amazing food here on our £5 market challenge. But for a more formal sit down meal, we followed Gary Butler’s recommendation from his YouTube video and headed to Kai-Tod Decha.
We ordered two meal sets consisting of fried chicken drumsticks, sticky rice and sweet chilli sauce all washed down with their signature iced Thai tea. The chicken was crunchy yet juicy and made for a fantastic breakfast brunch! Two plates plus two teas cost us 200 baht (£4.91 or $5.91).
Pork Tom Yum noodle soup with intestines
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรืออนุสาวรีย์พี่ฝน - Map Link
Over the course of our recent travels we have found our way of getting over choice paralysis when it comes to food. There are always too many tasty looking places with menus we can’t translate. It’s so easy just to keep walking and say we’ll just have a look at the next one. This indecision can last for hours so our new tactic is that the third time we see somewhere and think to move on, we pivot and enter the restaurant. This leads us to trying some unexpectedly great things!
This time we sat down in a lovely shop house restaurant. As the menu was entirely in Thai we ordered by pointing at a bowl another patron was devouring. A delicious Tom Yum style noodle soup quickly appeared with the unexpected additions of heart, tongue and intestines. We’ve never had tongue or intestines before and can report that although the textures are odd (not in a bad way just different) the flavours were amazing!
The soup was spicy and rich, having taken on the flavours of the offal from the stock. The tongue and heart were hearty (excuse the pun) and not at all tough or gamey. The intestines were the most unique texture, snappy like a hot dog skin on the outside and almost creamy on the inside. The whole bowl sat together excellently with the ground pork and lime rounding out the flavours. Two bowls and a large bottle of water set us back 150 baht (£3.68 or $4.43).
Wanton Mee noodles with pork and crab - บะหมี่หงส์ทอง(ดั้งเดิม) - Map Link
This was one of those little food gems you find yourself eating at completely by accident. After checking in to our hostel, we picked up our dirty washing and headed to the nearest Otteri.
If you’re in Thailand, Otteri launderettes can be found all over the country.
Look out for their cute otter logo!
Just look for the cute Otter logo and head on in. Sometimes there will be ladies to help you, other times you’re left to your own devices. Although not the cheapest, they’re great places to chill out in and wait for your washing as they all usually have wifi, fans, tables and chairs.
Hungry and waiting for our washing to finish its spin dry, we headed to the nearest restaurant and weren’t disappointed. Presented to us were two large steaming bowls of Wonton Mee topped with char siu pork, sweet crab meat and greens. It was delicious. Sweet and salty, the crab paired perfectly with the soft char siu pork. The dumplings were expertly cooked with perfectly thin wrappers and delicious fillings.
A trip here is worth it even if you’re not heading to the nearby launderette!
Coffee
Lorem Ipsum Space - Map Link
There comes a point in any day’s exploring where you begin to run out of power. If you’ve already eaten two out of the three meals of the day and it’s only 2pm, you can’t really justify another snack stop. This is where coffee comes in.
Lorem Ipsum is an achingly cool modern coffee shop located inside a historic shop house. Its modern minimalist interior of brushed concrete, green plants and eclectic furniture signalled its true hipster credentials. We ordered two hot lattes and they were the best coffees we’ve had in months. The two coffees set us back 130 baht (£3.19 or $3.84).
Thai favourites - street eats in Hat Yai
Wherever you are in Hat Yai and at whatever time of day, you’ll never be far from the sound of a wok firing up. Serving all the popular Thai dishes of Pad Krapao, Pad Thai and fried rice, there are plenty of street side stalls to choose from. If you’re hungry, we’d recommend heading up to explore the streets east of Hat Yai’s railway station right next to the Lee Plaza market.
We had an excellent spicy pork Pad Krapao at a stall located on a crossroad junction of Thanon Niphathuthit 3. Piping hot, slightly charred and topped with a perfectly cooked still runny fried egg, it was the perfect dish to devour as we sheltered underneath canvas from the rain.
Getting to and from Hat Yai
Being the largest city in southern Thailand, Hat Yai is extremely well connected.
By train - Hat Yai Railway Station:
Hat Yai’s railway station sits on Thailand’s southern railway line and connects the city all the way to Bangkok in the north as well as south to the border of Malaysia at Padang Besar.
If you’re heading to one of the Thai islands on either the west or eastern coast of Thailand, the train station can connect you to the station at Surat Thani.
To book tickets, either head to the railway station or book them online in advance via 12Go.
Getting to Koh Lipe from Hat Yai:
Hat Yai is the most logical stop on the mainland to get to the tiny paradise island of Koh Lipe. If you haven’t heard of this lush little island check out our article (actually check out our article anyway!). Transport to the island is easy to arrange and most guesthouses will have options available. We arranged transport through our hostel and the journey took us around 4 hours and cost us 800 baht per person.
Going to Malaysia from Hat Yai:
Hat Yai is the last major town before the Thai/Malaysian border and makes an ideal jumping off point into Thailands southern neighbour. We have actually done this crossing both ways, from Malaysia into Thailand and visa versa. The most logical stop on the Malaysian side is the amazing city of Georgetown Penang, which we cannot recommend enough, but you can get transport all the way down to Kuala Lumpur or even right through to Singapore!
Both times we crossed the border we had arranged our transport in advance via 12Go. The border crossing at Sadao Checkpoint itself was painless and efficient, with our minivan/bus waiting for us at either side whilst we checked out of and into both countries. As with all land crossings you will need to take your own baggage (physical and emotional) across the border with you. There are many pick up points in town for the border crossing busses, so check when you book!
You can check out our full article on the border crossing here!
If you’re crossing in or out of Malaysia from Thailand, make sure to check your departure times.
Thailand (GMT +7) is an hour behind Malaysia (GMT +8).
Hat Yai to be continued….
Hat Yai is a city we just have to return to. The poor weather meant that there were a lot of things we didn’t get to see and do. The city had such a different feel to other Thai towns and cities we’ve visited and we absolutely love its laid back atmosphere and incredible food.
The city, (at least when we visited), seemed to be more popular with tourists from Malaysia rather than the West and luckily for us, the Malaysians are just as food obsessed as their Thai counterparts. Unlike the Thai islands, and areas of Thailand that are more popular with tourists from the West, the food we ate in Hat Yai wasn’t watered down for the ‘Farang palette’.
Hat Yai is one of those cities we will visit again. Not only because it's a convenient border stop between Thailand and Malaysia or because we’re still dreaming of breakfast fried chicken, but because it was a genuine, laid back, little gem of a city.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie
#adventuresofjellie x
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The Bars of Songkhla - Drinking in the Old Town
Songkhla’s historic Old Town has a great choice of bars, cafes and drinking holes. Read our guide on where to drink, how much it will cost you and where to have a sunset beer in the historic harbour town of Songkhla.
It's a terrible thing to admit, but one of the things we were very much looking forward to when crossing the Malaysian border into Thailand, was the bars! Georgetown had been fun, with Love Lane (more to come on this in another article later) being great, but we were looking forward to a bottle of Chang in a chilled out Thai bar. Luckily for us, Songkhla would provide the perfect re-introduction to the Thai bar scene.
We’d missed this!
Songkhla is not a major place on the Western tourist trail but is a popular destination on the Thai travel scene. With its street art, historic significance and old shop houses drawing in domestic tourists from all over the country. To cater to the tourists as well as the local crowd, a crop of quirky little bars have sprung up serving craft beers, liquor and food. Here are some of our favourite bars we visited during our brief stay in Songkhla.
Cafe Der See Nakornnok - Location
This cafe/restaurant serves Western and Thai plates with a beautiful veranda stretching out onto Songkhla lake.
We ducked in here for some iced coffees soon after we arrived in Songkhla, but were very tempted by their ice cold beer selection! This would make a great place to watch a sunset, however we saw the sun go down from…
Jellie beer price index: 1 x bottle of small Chang beer cost 75 Baht (£1.76 or $2.16).
Songkhla Lagoon Bar - Location
This small neon laced shop front doubles as an activity centre for canoeing and boat trips on the lake.
We however, were not here for a kayak, but instead for sunset beers. They have a large selection of craft beers as well as the standard Chang/Singha/Leo Thailand favourites. We enjoyed our first Chang of Thailand, lounging on their comfy bean bags watching the sun set behind fishing boats across Songkhla lagoon.
For those interested in a sunset boat trip around the lake, the bar was offering trips for 650 baht. We planned to do a boat trip the next evening, but the weather had other ideas. We’d definitely recommend looking at a sunset cruise as the sun goes down directly over the lagoon.
Jellie beer price index: 1x small bottle of Chang beer cost 60 Baht (£1.41 or $1.73). Not the cheapest, but thoroughly reasonable given the view.
Word of caution, if you are planning on sunset beers apply lots of insect repellent as you’re sitting directly on the lagoon itself and there were quite a few mosquitoes!
Grandpa Never Drunk Alone - Location
Top prize for the name! Grandpa Never Drunk Alone would fit right in amongst the trendiest of bars in London or New York. A tiny one room bar with all of its liquors spread out on the bar top, Grandpa Never Drunk Alone (now GNDA as its name is too long for us to keep typing) served cocktails, craft beer and an impressive gin selection. There is pretty much no room to stand, with all the seats wrapping around the central bottle strewn bar, whilst a projector silently plays old cartoons onto the wall. Neon lights, arty posters and an eclectic mix of decor had us feeling as though we had stepped into an Izakaya in Tokyo.
Jellie beer price index: 1 x bottle of the Muay Thai Chok Dee Pilsner cost 180 Baht (£4.21 or $5.19) per bottle.
This was an expensive bar for craft beer, but if we had been smart it was basically the same price for a handmade cocktail as it was for a bottle of craft beer. We can recommend the Muay Thai Chok Dee Pilsner as it was delicious!
Cafe’ De Roo - Location
Hidden down a low alleyway and never looking (at least from one side) open, we missed out on this hidden gem until our last day.
Depending on which side you enter, you’ll either duck through a low alleyway, or pick your way past a nondescript hotel entrance until you come to a courtyard garden that is half junkyard, half art installation. Seats made out of anything and everything dot around the garden and old Thai signs, disused televisions and painted murals decorate the courtyard walls. The cafe sign itself is mounted on a large disused radar dish in the centre of the garden. The cafe/bar sits on a metal mezzanine level overlooking the garden and its ponds. The cafe serves hot and cold drinks as well as the standard Thai beer selection. They also serve food, but we did not have any so can’t comment on that.
Jellie beer price index: 1 x small bottle of Chang beer cost 60 Baht (£1.41 or $1.73 USD).
Again seems to be standard Songkhla price. Definitely worth it for the ambience plus we got some free snacks to eat alongside our beer!
Harbour at Hub Hoe Hin - Location
Sometimes (okay not very often) it pays to be lured down a dark alleyway.
Following a green and white exit neon sign saying ‘Harbour - Food, Drink & Friends’ we made our way down a narrow, gutter lined alleyway which quickly opened out to what would become our favourite bar in Songkhla. Set in an old, corrugated metal harbour warehouse, on the side of the historic Songkhla Hub Hoe Hin Red Rice Mill, the bar backs directly onto the waters edge. When we visited there was live music every night and even in the rain, this water front bar was a warm and welcoming hub full of friendly people, cheap Chang and delicious food.
Decorated in an eclectic mix of old fishing trinkets, fairy lights and modern art, the Harbour bar was super friendly, relaxed and a great place to spend the evening.
We visited every night we were in Songkhla and had a great time every time. The owners were extremely welcoming, if a little curious as to how we found out about the town of Songkhla.
The locals and other visitors were all great company and extremely accommodating of our terrible Thai! We ate a delicious Pad Krapow and some Thai chicken wings. We were also given a taster of some tuna sashimi and a plate of spicy peanuts for free!
Jellie beer price index: 1 x large bottle of Chang beer cost 80 Baht (£1.87 or $2.31).
The best beer price we found in Songkhla, also our favourite bar. Definitely worth a visit or three!
The view from the Harbour bar - it certainly lives up to its name!
You may notice that all of these recommendations are located within the old town of Songkhla. Our hostel was located slap bang in the middle of the Old Town, and as the weather was raining heavily we didn’t feel like venturing too far in the evenings.
Songkhla is actually quite a large town, and has a couple of other “bar hubs”. Running alongside Songkhla park and stadium and opposite Songkhla’s east coast (next to the Chalatat beach) are a string of party bars/restaurants. We passed these in the day when they were just setting up but we were told they become a very lively party scene after dark. Also between the stadium and the main town along and off the Sai Ngam road are a lot of smaller bars serving the local hotels. Again we didn’t go to these, but passing them in the day they looked fun and all sold the standard Thai beer selection.
Of course there’s more to Songkhla than just its bars, read here to see what else we got up to!
Cheers Songkhla!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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If you want to know what else we got up to other than drinking in Songkhla click the image below for our complete guide to the town!
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Songkhla - What to do, what to eat and what to see in this historic art filled town in southern Thailand!
The historic town of Songkhla lies in Southern Thailand. With its beaches, wealth of history, street art and fantastic food. It is long been a draw for Thai tourists. Read our guide on why the town of Songkhla should be added to your Thailand travel itinerary!
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
Located northeast of Southern Thailand’s largest city of Hat Yai, the historic town of Songkhla sits between the Gulf of Thailand and the large Songkhla lagoon. With its historic significance, pretty old town and funky street art, Songkhla has become a popular destination for Thai tourists. We had found out about Songkhla from one of our favourite YouTubers, Paddy Doyle and as we had just crossed the border from Malaysia it seemed the perfect first stop on our Southern Thai adventure.
Contents:
How to get to Songkhla?
Where to stay in Songkhla?
What to do in Songkhla?
What to eat in Songkhla?
How to get to Songkhla?
By bus
As you may have read in our previous article we got a local bus from Hat Yai central bus station to Songkhla which cost us 34 baht each (£0.80 or $0.98). Hat Yai’s bus station was full of super helpful people but even if it hadn’t been, it was very easy to navigate with each bay being labelled in English as to where the minivans went. From what we could see there were links to the majority of the south of Thailand and further afield to Bangkok and other larger cities.
By Songthaew
It is also possible to take a local Songthaew to Songkhla. Just flag down one of the ubiquitous flatbed taxis and check it is going in the right direction. Just ask the driver to drop you off in the centre of Songkhla.
If you’re heading back to Hat Yai from Songkhla there are plenty of Songthaew’s waiting nearby the Lee Subsin market area.
By Grab (taxi or ride-hailing app)
Another more pricey option is to book a taxi or use Grab which will set you back around 250 to 300 baht depending on the pick up/drop off points. When we left Songkhla it was bucketing with rain, and as we didn’t fancy a soggy shuffle we treated ourselves to a Grab to take us back to Hat Yai. If you do decide to use Grab there may be a bit of a wait for a driver. Once in Hat Yai (as it is the biggest city in southern Thailand) there are transport links (bus and trains) to Bangkok and further afield to Malaysia and Singapore.
By air
The nearest airport to Songkhla is Hat Yai international airport which has internal flights within Thailand as well as international flights. From the airport you will need to get a bus or taxi to get you to Songkhla itself.
Booking tickets in advance
To book your tickets to Songkhla (or anywhere in South East Asia really), you can use 12Go. We have booked tickets through them loads as they serve so many useful routes. Book your tickets here!
Where to stay in Songkhla?
After doing some research we decided to stay in the heart of the Old Town itself. There was a plethora of good cheap restaurants and a few nice looking bars in the area, as well as being within walking distance of all the main attractions on offer.
Yu Cafe Hostel - Map Link
We stayed at Yu Cafe Hostel and opted for a private room with a shared bathroom.
Our private room had an odd but useful setup. A single bed was set 6 feet under a large double bed. We used the single bed as a sofa and slept above. The room set us back 542.56 baht (£12.73 or $15.62) a night. You can book your stay here.
The hostel was great. Seemingly run by teenagers and set in a beautiful, historic shophouse, there was a nice social area (although very quiet when we visited), a large work space and a fantastic kitchen. The facilities were really good with plenty of showers, toilets and even a rooftop garden. There were also two very cute and very fluffy hostel cats, which is always a bonus! There was a cafe on site, but it was not open while we were there. We’re not sure but we think the cafe might have migrated down the road and become Lyn’s Shanghai cafe.
Other accommodation in Songkhla
There is plenty of accommodation in the Old Town and surrounding Songkhla. Including some much luxurious offerings for those not looking for a hostel! To book your stay or check out your options, have a look at the map below:
What to do in Songkhla?
Songkhla Old Town
North of the university but south of the museum sits the Old Town gate. This gate and a small section of wall near to the museum are all that remain of the old fortifications of the town. Nowadays the gate marks the entrance to the historic Old Town of Songkhla. Through the gate, the old town spreads out across three parallel roads, its eastern side bleeding into the modern town with its west bordering the lagoon.
The shop houses of the old town are in varying states of decay and restoration and are an interesting mix of Thai and Chinese architectural styles. Temples and shrines hide amongst the streets and alleyways and just wandering around the town guarantees you to find something unexpected and beautiful.
Speaking of the unexpected and beautiful. Songklah Old Town boasts some fantastic street art. Some of the art is hidden away down the small streets, and some is plastered large across the face of buildings along the main roads. The street art is of a similar style to that of George Town and Ipoh of Malaysia, where street scenes are painted on walls where they can almost fool the eye into mistaking them as real. In one mural, a man reclines in a chair whilst his soup cools on a table under a window. The window is real, but the man, soup and chair are all painted. These illusionary art pieces are joined by more abstract works including a beautiful black and white one with flowing lines and shapes that bears the message of “no plastic bags”. We are not arty enough to see the link between the work and its message, but it was definitely pretty!
There is so much to see and even though we had quite a few thorough wanders around the old town, we are sure there are still loads of things we missed; it wasn't until our final day when we looked up and spotted an enormous pair of sculpted eyes set into the top floor windows of a house, staring down on us!
To fuel our street art hunt, we required caffeine and luckily the old town of Songkhla has coffee shops in abundance. With a mixture of traditional old school coffee shops, and modern independent artisans cafes there’s a choice of coffee whatever your mood. We very much enjoyed two lattes from the Bike Camps Caff’e in the heart of the old town.
At the northern end of Nakkhon Nok Road, lies the 100 year old Hub Ho Hin Rice Mill. Painted bright red and with an old brick chimney, the red rice mill has come to emblemise Songkhla old town. Inside the mill is a heritage centre where you can read up on a little of Songkhla’s history as well as walking out onto the dock of an active fishing harbour. When we visited we were treated to a spirited karaoke and dance performance by a group of local old ladies. We’re pretty sure this wasn’t part of any exhibition, but rather we’d just wandered into their Friday afternoon dance club.
Songkhla National Museum - Map Link
A short walk north of the old town is the Songkhla National Museum. As we had just rocked into town without knowing the slightest thing about the history of Songkhla we thought we owed it a visit. Set in a beautiful white building, the museum is surrounded on two sides by a well tended garden and a lily pond. Crossing the arched bridge we entered into a large courtyard. Purchasing two tickets costing a total of 300 baht (£7.05 or $8.65 - foreigner price) we started exploring the museum. The museum was really informative without being overwhelming and gave a good history of the town and all the many ancient archaeological sites in the surrounding province. We learnt about the birth of the coffee industry here as well the influences of Malay and Chinese culture and also Songkhla’s role in the European Age of Exploration. The museum is just big enough to feel like an education without ever becoming dull. The exhibits are written in both Thai and English. We spent about an hour in the museum and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Immediately to the south of the museum on Chana Road lies the only remaining section of the old city wall. The majority of the wall has now been demolished to make way for necessary roads and other infrastructure but this remaining structure gives a glimpse as to how impressive the wall would have been in its prime.
The beaches of Songkhla - Samila and Chatalat Beach
Right at the top of the town and all along the east of Songkhla are the two beaches of Samila and Chatalat. Samila beach seems to be the more popular one, with its famous statues, horse riding and rows of beachfront restaurants. We walked here from the old town during the day and it took around half an hour. The walk was pleasant, but isn’t a must do in terms of sightseeing. The route takes you from the old town, past the bustling market, alongside the national museum and around the base of Tangkuan Hill, before reaching the beachfront. The northernmost tip of the beach seems to be less cared for than the rest, but as we made our way down past some very nice looking seafood restaurants, the white sands became cleaner and cleaner and the Instagram swings started to make more sense.
There are a few market stalls set up which sell the traditional beachfront ice-creams, toys and obligatory elephant pants. When we visited it was an overcast day with a sky threatening a storm so there were very few swimmers, but lots of people out enjoying the beach.
Also on the beachfront (Samila beach) are two famous statues.
The more famous statue is of a golden mermaid sitting on top of rocks along the shore. Legend has it that the mermaid came up from the sea one day to brush her hair when she was spotted by a fisherman. The fisherman was instantly smitten by her beauty but when he approached her, he startled her and she fled into the sea. The fisherman returned everyday to look for her but she was never seen again.
Moral of the story is don't be a sneaky creepy guy!
The other and less famous statue is much larger. A towering cat sits staring at a mouse balanced on his tail, the mouse holding an orb in its mouth. Again a helpful plaque gave us the story behind this statue. There’s a local fable about a dog, a cat and a mouse who wished to escape a ship and return back to dry land and to their home of Songkhla.
See the video below for our extremely bad re-telling of the full fable. Welcome to Songkhla story time!
If you follow Samila beach south (back towards town) it will become Chatalat beach. Chatalat beach is lined on the shoreside with lots of large late night bars and studded with the occasional coffee shop and restaurant. The weather was closing in so we didn’t spend much time on Chatalat beach, but the bars looked like they would be great fun after dark! These bars are located close to the Tinsulanonda Stadium so would make a great pre/post game hang out!
Tangkuan Hill viewpoint
Located north of Songkhla Old Town, and visible from all around the town is Tangkuan Hill. The hill is topped by a Royal Pavilion as well as a royally appointed Buddhist stupa. The top of Tangkuan Hill is a popular viewpoint as it gives panoramic views over Songkhla town, the lagoon, the beaches and out to the Gulf of Thailand.
There are two ways to climb this hill. The active and the lazy way. We opted for the worst of both worlds. By climbing up the hill and then taking the lift back down. The route to the top of the hill starts on its west hand side. The staircase to the top is guarded and bordered by two large Naga statues. As you climb higher, you pass ornamental ponds and go through the Khao Tang Kuan Royal Pavilion. Catching our breath we couldn’t help but remark that it reminded us of St Pancras station or maybe London’s Victoria and Albert museum. A helpful plague let us know that we weren’t going mad, and that the King had instructed the pavilion to be built in a European style. The views from the pavilion were fantastic and gave a small glimpse into what awaited us at the top.
One final Naga lined staircase and we had reached the top. The crown of the hill is marked by a Buddhist temple, with a large white stupa and several statues. Viewing platforms on each end of the hilltop temple look out over the town of Songkhla and its coastline. It’s not a long or hard climb to the top, but even on an overcast day the view over Songkhla is well worth it. If you do decide to take the lift both up and down, we would recommend taking the short walk down the staircase to see Khao Tang Kuan Royal Pavilion as it’s very pretty.
We decided to take the lift back down. There was a small wait at the top whilst the cart trundled back up the hill, but the journey down was smooth and air conditioned! Which we were very thankful for after our sweaty ascent in the humid pre-storm heat. The lift itself was sort of a cross between a funicular and a lift. Covered from the elements, the cart was pulled up a slope rather than a vertical shaft. Tickets for the lift cost 45 baht for a round trip (£1.06 or $1.30).
Tips for visiting:
As there is a Buddhist temple at the top of the mountain, please be respectful in what you choose to wear. Knees and shoulders need to be covered.
There are a lot of monkeys, and we mean a lot! There are feeding stations for the monkeys and a monkey play area complete with water slide and climbing frame (we’re not joking) at the base of the hill. When we visited, the monkeys didn’t seem bothered by us, but that's possibly as we had no food for them. Please be cautious especially if you have food on you.
There is a shop at the entrance to the lift and several stalls selling ice-creams, fruit and water outside. You’re also a very short walk to Samila beach and all of its restaurants.
There are toilets located at the entrance to the lift. We can’t comment on what they were like but they were certainly there.
Lee Subsin Market Precinct
Just to the north of Songkhla Old Town and before you reach the museum is the Lee Subsin market. As with any town in Thailand you’re never too far from a market. This market sold a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and other raw ingredients as well as the usual electronics, colourfully printed clothes and possibly a newer development, face masks in all colours of the rainbow.
As it is a Thai market it also has lots of food carts and stalls. These change depending on what time of day it is. We stopped at one stall for an iced coffee (super cheap at 25 baht each which is 59p or $0.72) and planned to cross the road and pick up a bao from another stall. But unfortunately we were too slow with our coffees and had to watch as our breakfast cycled off in the opposite direction.
Songkhla Lake - เทศบาลนครสงขลา
Songkhla lagoon borders the town on its western edge. From the town there are many pictureque viewpoints where you can see the lake and watch the fishing boats come and go. The lagoon also provides the option to take a boat trip or a fishing expeditions on the lake itself. In the old town there are quite a few cafes, restaurants and bars with seating on the waters edge.
What to eat in Songkhla?
Rice and curry - located on Yaring Alley (no Google Map listing)
An honourable mention as our first meal in Thailand. Super spicy, super cheap and delicious! It was a great welcome back to the country. We had two curries, one a spicy and sour prawn and water spinach curry and another equally spicy, creamy pork and long bean curry. The two together were a powerhouse combo and we devoured it all (even the shells on the prawns) within minutes. The whole meal cost us 98 baht (£2.30 or $2.82).
Beef noodle soup - ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเนื้อนครใน - Map Link
This restaurant (please don’t ask us to pronounce the name as our abilities in Thai are non-existent) served some of the best beef noodle soups we’ve ever had.
We loved the beef noodles in Kuala Lumpur, but the bowls here were by far our favourite. Steaming hot and served with your choice of noodles (we always went with flat Chinese egg noodles) the bowls came with melt in your mouth braised beef, crunchy bean sprouts and thin slices of beef cooked then and there in the broth. Speaking of the broth is hard, there are no words. It was light as pho but so densely packed with flavour, it was unreal. Forget flavour bombs, this was a flavour nuke! The bowls cost 45 baht each (£1.06 or $1.29).
Roast pork noodle soup - ร้านเจ๊นิ สาขาโรงสีแดง - Map Link
Set in a traditional wooden shophouse, we were tempted in by the hanging slab of ridiculously crispy pork belly dangling in the shop front.
The shop serves lots of stir fries and noodles but we ordered two bowls of the noodle soup with the crispy pork we had seen in the shop front. The bowls came quickly, full of firm thin noodles, coriander, bean sprouts, spinach and of course the incredible crispy pork belly, sliced thin into bite size slithers. The broth was fantastic, almost totally clear, but extremely rich and satisfying. This was a brilliant start to our day as we had decided that crispy pork noodles would make the perfect breakfast. The bowls cost 85 baht each (£1.99 or $2.44). This seems more expensive but it was in a historic building and recommended by the local tourism guide. Also please don’t count £1.99 as expensive, as the same bowl in London would easily have been over five times the price!
Dim sum - Songkhla Dim Sum 2 ร้านสงขลาติ่มซำ สาขา2 (โกมีน) - Map Link
After our morning excursion up and down Tangkuan hill (and after our previous attempt at breakfast had cycled away from us), we were in sore need of nourishment. On our previous day's exploration we had passed this restaurant and seen its plethora of colourful dim sum.
Choices, choices, choices!
Ducking in, we were quickly ushered to a cooler full of tiny plates of dim sum ready to be steamed. Feeling like kids in a candy shop, we set about choosing our dim sum. We ate 9 plates (they were very small) and a side of dumplings all washed down with iced green tea and honey. We went our traditional route as we always do in dim sum restaurants and chose 1 plate of the har gau (crystal prawn dumplings) and 1 plate of siu mai (open topped pork dumplings, this time with prawn as well). The other 7 tiny plates we had chosen were all new to us and selected as we hadn’t seen them before. There were tiny enoki mushrooms wrapped in pork and bacon, steamed pork and quail egg, tofu skin and even two soy soaked garlic buns. The dim sum was great and it was exciting to try so many different flavours.
The whole meal set us back 260 baht (£6.10 or $7.47).
Thai favourites (Pad Thai, Pad Kra Pao etc) - market stalls at night
In the evening, on the main road next to the market, and on a green strip of land leading to the fishing wharf, lots of food carts and stalls spring up serving all manner of Thai goodies.
On our first night we sat down at a random stall on plastic chairs and ordered two of whatever he was making. This turned out to be a great decision. Two plates of Pad Thai and a side of crispy spring rolls quickly appeared. The man was doing a roaring trade with Grab drivers and was cooking up 6 or 7 portions at a time in an enormous wok. As we dug into our noodles, we could see why he was so popular. Peanutty, a little spicy and with a zing of fresh lime it was quite possibly our favourite Pad Thai we’ve eaten so far. The table came complete with all the normal Thai customisation condiments so we could add more chillies, peanuts or whatever we wanted to tweak the flavour. Two plates of Pad Thai and a side of spring rolls set us back 105 baht (£2.46 or $3.01). Although ours was lovely, I don’t think you could have picked wrong from these street vendors. All were busy and, as our next stop proved all delicious.
Our second night eating at these roadside stalls was much more dramatic. After ordering a pork fried rice, the heavens opened. First we and another family huddled together under a tarpaulin, but the rain started falling so heavily that either end of the table had to be abandoned with John and the father of the family standing up awkwardly eating under the umbrella that covered the wok. The food was delicious and warming in all the right ways and set us back only 120 baht (£2.82 or $3.45). After the hurried meal the wonderful family we were eating next to offered to drive us back to our hostel, which we gladly accepted as the rain was now coming down horizontally!
Whatever time of day, there are lots of carts/stalls up and down the main road in Songkhla selling drinks, savoury snacks, deserts and full meals. We recommend turning up hungry and just picking at random. The menus are usually written in Thai but the owners are super friendly and even if they don’t speak any English they will help you out.
What to do at night in Songkhla?
Unsurprisingly we managed to find ourselves in an assortment of bars during our time in Songkhla. Read our guide to our favourite old town drinking holes here.
Final thoughts
Songkhla was a great first stop on our Thailand adventure. The town was walkable and pretty. With extremely friendly people, great food and plenty to see and do. We spent two full days (3 nights) here but there was definitely enough to do that we could have extended by another day or so. If the weather had been better the beach, restaurants and bars could have held us there longer still. We also didn’t get around to any of the lagoon based activities. We had wanted to take a boat trip across the lake for sunset but due to the heavy rain decided better of it. If we had stayed longer we would have also gone to investigate the island of Ko Yo (set on the lagoon itself) as well as Songkhla Zoo and a few other nearby attractions.
As it is, we had a wonderful time in Songkhla and highly recommend a stop here to anybody. It's not very popular or well known by Western tourists and it's definitely not on the traditional Banana Pancake Backpacking Trail, and as such the food is spicely authentic and the people genuinely lovely.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Sweaty Jellie selfie!
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Crossing the Border Between Malaysia and Thailand - The Road to Songkhla
After 6 weeks backpacking in Malaysia it was finally time for us to move on. Follow us as we travel from George Town in Malaysia to the historic old town of Songkhla in Southern Thailand. Read our blog for information on how we got to southern Thailand and the easy border crossing at the Sadao Malaysia Thailand border.
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Our time in Malaysia was finally at an end. We had arrived in Kuala Lumpur in the middle of October and had spent 6 weeks exploring the country. Our final destination of George Town had been fantastic, a fiesta of food, street art and late night drinks. On the horizon now though was our return to one of our favourite countries on the face of Planet Earth - Thailand!
We had booked a bus through the Easybook app which would pick us up in George Town, cross the border and drop us off in the centre of Hat Yai, the biggest city in Southern Thailand. From there we would immediately attempt to make our own way north east to the historic coastal town of Songkhla.
The bus tickets cost us 100 RM for the two of us (£18.80 or $22.90). When we booked the tickets on Easybook, there were options to catch the bus from the Greenlane McDonald’s (in town) or from the main bus terminal slightly south of George Town. We opted for the slightly cheaper tickets, with the pick up point from the Greenlane McDonald’s, which was only a short 15 minute Grab taxi ride away from our hostel in central George Town. Tickets booked we received both email and WhatsApp confirmation, along with detailed instructions and photographs of where we needed to wait for our 8.15am pickup.
The day didn’t start fantastically. We had originally planned to get some breakfast Dim Sum before making our way over to the pickup point, but the only restaurant that looked open and serving was still setting up and couldn’t give us a takeaway. A McDonalds breakfast it would have to be (sacrilege but John was secretly looking forward to a hash brown).
A quick Grab and a cheap forgettable breakfast later, John’s phone rang. It was still twenty minutes before the pickup time and we were waiting in the car park as per our received instructions. The phone call from the bus driver asking where we were, therefore took us by complete surprise. The bus driver seemed to be saying we needed to immediately make our way to a different pickup point somewhere else in George Town entirely. With us speaking no more than extremely basic Malaysian (terima kasih, sedap and nasi lemak ayam were about our limit) and the bus driver equally not fluent in English, we eventually gave up on trying to understand where he wanted us to be and forwarded the WhatsApp conversation between us and the ticket office showing where we had been told to be and where we were now standing.
The bus driver to his credit immediately apologised for the mix up and told us to wait exactly where we were. 5 minutes later the mini bus arrived and we clambered in and set off for the border. The first hour or so, we appeared to be just circling around Penang picking up other travellers. Eventually, we crossed the water back onto mainland Malaysia and headed north to the Sadao border crossing.
We stopped about twenty minutes before the border in a (very nice) service station for the driver to arrange our TM6 immigration forms. A fee of 10 RM each (£1.87 or $2.29) was asked for by the bus driver and when asked, he said that this was for the Thai government insurance. We’re not sure whether this was to get the immigration forms completed by the service station, or if it is the new tourist tax, but either way we were at a service station in the middle of nowhere and did want to cross the border that day, so we paid. Our driver took the money and our passports and returned with completed TM6 immigrations forms, all we needed to do was to sign them (or so we thought).
A short drive later and we arrived at the Malaysian side of the Sadao border crossing. We decamped from the minibus and picked up our luggage as we needed to scan it through the Malaysian border. Bags scanned and our passports stamped to exit Malaysia, we got back onto the mini bus and crossed no man's land to the Thai immigration border. At time of writing, Thailand was being very generous to UK citizens and had temporarily (from October 2022 to March 2023) allowed a 45 day visa on arrival. All we needed to provide at immigration was the full address of our Songkhla hostel (the TM6 immigration form printed at the service station just said Hat Yai) and specify the number of days we wanted to be in Thailand. The Thai immigration was friendly and efficient, and very soon our passports were stamped with our 45 day visas. We headed out back into the blazing sun, and for the first time in five very long years we were back on Thai soil. We were ecstatic!
Back on the bus we were joined by a friendly energetic Thai lady who quickly asked everyone on the mini bus where they needed to be dropped off in the large city of Hat Yai. As we weren’t quite sure of how we were going to make our way to Songkhla we asked to be dropped at the main bus station.
At the main bus station we were passed from helpful person to helpful person like a baton in a relay race all the way down the line of buses to a half-full minivan to Songkhla. The tickets for the 29 km journey would cost us 34 Thai baht each (£0.80 or $0.98). We may be looking at this whole episode through rose tinted specs, but the instant jovial friendliness of the Thai’s was immediately apparent and very welcoming. Our little minivan quickly filled up and started the drive to Songkhla. Partway through the journey a plastic basket was passed through the bus for everyone to place their fare in and sort out their own change. Again this was a little reminder that we were very far away from South London as we can’t imagine what would happen if you tried this on the 159 bus to Marble Arch!
As we approached Songkhla the driver would stop wherever he was asked to, dropping passengers off on the side of the road. We stayed on until the end where we pulled up in a petrol station near the clock tower in central Songkhla. Hoisting our packs onto our back, we started the short walk to our hostel in the heart of the old town. As so frequently happens to us, we were waylaid by our stomachs and the call of curry. We stopped at a small joint serving rice and a selection of curries and tucked into our first Thai meal.
Sitting on plastic chairs and eating deliciously spicy curries, we knew we had arrived. We were finally back!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Booking bus and train tickets between Malaysia and Thailand
When we made this journey, as we mentioned above, we booked our tickets through Easybook. However since writing this article, we have made this journey again, and this time we booked our tickets through 12Go.
12Go is a great option if you want to book your tickets ahead of time, with plenty of departure times and locations. For those who would like a private transfer, you can even book your own taxi!
Book your tickets here.
You can also cross the Thailand / Malaysia border via train. To do this you will need to book a train ticket to Padang Besar. Once you’ve arrived at the station you will need to get stamped out / stamped into whichever country you’re heading to and then board a train to your next destination. There is currently one train a day running between Padang Besar to Bangkok and five trains a day running from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur. If you’re heading to Singapore you will need to change trains in Kuala Lumpur. Again you can book train tickets in advance via 12Go.
Useful information for crossing the border between Malaysia and Thailand
By road you will need to cross the border at the Sadao border point.
Time difference between Malaysia and Thailand
Thailand and Malaysia are in different time zones with Malaysia being GMT +8 and Thailand being GMT +7. Be aware of this time difference if you’re booking onward travel / when approaching the border checkpoint.
Malaysia - Sadao Border Opening Times
On the Malaysian side, the Sadao border checkpoint is open from 6am to 12am.
Thailand - Sadao Border Opening Times
If you’re leaving from Thailand and entering into Malaysia the border is open from 5am to 11pm.
How to cross the border
Crossing the border on either side is a very similar process. On either side of the border checkpoint, you will need to make sure you have received your exit and entry stamp from both countries in your passport.
You will also need to have your luggage scanned through so will need to decamp from your bus and cross the border on foot with your luggage. Your driver will be waiting the other side for you to cross.
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Read all about our day with Chiang Mai’s “Best Thai Cooking Class”. From Pad Thai to Penang curry, Som Tam Salad to Mango Sticky Rice we have a go at cooking a bit of everything. Check out our guide to a great afternoon cooking on a gorgeous organic farm outside of Chiang Mai’s Old Town.