Koh Mook Island: Southern Thailand’s Best Kept Secret (shhhh!)

I stepped onto a rickety old long-tail boat with my week’s worth of clothes stuffed into my backpack. The sun-weathered barefoot fishermen were yelling at each other in Thai, one starting the engine and the other releasing the anchor. We were the only passengers on the boat…let alone the only foreigners at Trang’s entire “port”, which actually consisted of a few floating wooden shacks and a handful of long-tail boats swaying in the wind. Our boatman,  Captain Ram revved up the (very loud) engine to full speed, and just like that, we were off! We parted from Thailand’s mainland and into the Andaman Sea we went.

Twenty minutes later, we arrived in Koh Mook: bamboo cabanas hiding behind palm leaves, tiny dirt roads “paved” through what was probably pure jungle not too long ago, locals scooting along on their motorbikes transporting freshly chopped coconuts, and rustic wooden signs that point to the beach. What does a girl do when she sees a sign pointing to the beach? She follows it! And this is what I found:

A pristine white sand beach with crystal clear waters, green mountains bordering each end, dotted with rustic little beach shacks… Heaven? Is that you?? SOMEBODY SLAP ME. Oh wait, that’s just paradise.

Here’s why I fell in love with this island.

Ok, besides the obvious reasons that there are jaw-droppingly gorgeous beaches that you almost have to yourself… The island is a true example of Thai island culture. So much of Southern Thailand is saturated with tourism, but Koh Mook is different. You won’t find jam-packed beaches, floating chip bags in the water, or flocks of wild sunburnt partiers. The tourists who have (skillfully) ended up in Koh Mook rather coexist with the local island life, as opposed to invading it. It’s a mutually respectful and beneficial relationship, and in my four years of travel I’ve never seen anything like it.

Local islanders help out the tourists by opening up their homes and turning them into part- restaurants with homemade recipes made by momma, letting tourists hop on their personal boat for an excursion, or renting out their kayaks from a beach shack for an hourly rate. The tourists hang out with the locals at the reggae-lovin’ beachside Mong Bar, crack open a Chang beer with the owner of the hotel, and kick it with the kayak dude who set up shop on the beach. People who come to Koh Mook don’t just stay here for the pretty beaches, but immerse themselves in the island lifestyle. And as if you needed me to tell you, it’s a pretttttyyyy damn good lifestyle to be immersed in.

But wait! Where the heck is this “Koh Mook”?

Great question! Koh Mook is a small island in the Trang province of southern Thailand. Most travelers in search of a tropical paradise head to Phuket, Phi Phi and Krabi, just two hours north of Trang province. Pretty amazing that Trang is literally right next to these tourist hotspots, and yet tourists don’t go there! Well, the cat’s outta the bag. If you ask me, Koh Mook is southern Thailand’s best-kept secret (so shhhhhhhhh!).

What can you do there?

You mean besides relax on a tropical beach all day?? There’s plenty to do! Here are my top three recommendations:

Emerald Cave –  Get there by either kayak (that’s what I did!), which is only a 20-minute kayak trip from Charlie beach, or you can take a boat excursion there. Once you enter the cave opening, you’ll leave your boat behind and swim through the cave to a beach oasis enclosed by cliffs. It’s pitch black in the cave, so don’t forget to bring a flashlight!

Koh Kradan – Ok, so it’s not technically Koh Mook. Koh Kradan is KM’s neighboring island, much smaller and less-inhabited… and even more pristine (I know, it’s hard to imagine!). The water is hands down the most gorgeous, clear, striking turquoise water I’ve ever seen in my life, with incredible snorkeling and a sandbar beach that stretches out for at least a 10-minute walk, depending on the tide. There’s not much of any local life on the island, just a few small resorts and pure jungly-nature, which makes it perfect for a half-day trip. Ask your hotel in Koh Mook to hook you up with a boat man! Our hotel just called their boat friend to scoop us up that same afternoon and bring us to all the best snorkeling spots. Ahhhh, island life.

Charlie Beach– The main beach where you’ll probably spend most of your time on the island. It’s got everything your little island heart could desire – an awesome reggae bar, a kayak rental dude, a few cheap restaurants and one incredible viewpoint restaurant (that’s even cheap!) on top of a cliff with breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea and surrounding islands – perfect to watch the sunset with a Chang beer.

Where should you stay?

Well, depends. If you want to really get into the beach lifestyle, stay in a beach cabana! Most of the “hotels” throughout the island are made up of independent little beach cabanas, with lots of island charm and little “luxury” – no hot water and often times no AC. But that’s part of the island charm! I stayed at Nurse House $20/night (weird name for a beach hotel, I know – the owner was a nurse before opening up his hotel) and would 100% recommend it! Adorable little cabanas, amazing staff, right on the beach, and they hook you up with everything from transportation to boat rides.

If you’re not on a budget and want more high-class digs, check out Sivalai Resort. You’ll still get the cabana vibes, but on a more luxurious scale.

And most importantly…where to eat and drink!?

Restaurants: I was a little out of my element for this one – all of the restaurants are good (literally didn’t have one bad meal), yet all of them are for tourists. You know my usual AWC mission – to find the best local eats. Well, there aren’t really “local “restaurants on the island, as islanders don’t eat in restaurants. However, ironically all of them are local, just little mom and pop restaurants opened up for tourists by locals. Most restaurants feature mom’s home Thai cookin’, just cooked for travelers. However, if you ask any local what the best restaurant is, they’ll tell you Hilltop. The cook has been cookin’ up her family recipes at Hilltop for 20 years, before any visitors came to the island. WARNING: This place is on island time. You will wait a very long time for your food, but it’s okay…you’ve got nowhere to be! Just order a few extra beers.  (No address, but it’s on the “hill top” up from Charlie Beach. Just ask any motor-taxi driver and they’ll take you right there.)

Bars: Mong Bar, owned, DJed and cocktailed by Mong himself, is the idyllic beach bar. Right on Charlie beach, Mong Bar is decked out with Bob Marley memorabilia, funky vintage art and overflowing with good vibes. Catch a night with live music, or go there any time to chill out on a beach chair and meet fellow travelers and locals alike.

How do you get there?

You can either fly into Trang airport and arrange transportation with your hotel from there – you’ll take a car from the airport, then a boat to the island. OR, hop on a ferry from well-connected Koh Lanta, which connects to all of the popular destinations in Krabi province. For your guy’s convenience, here’s a link to directly book your ferry from Koh Lanta to Koh Mook! :

Coconuts up and feet back! Who’s added Koh Mook to their Southern Thailand itinerary??