Description

This trip is an island hopping experience on the Andaman Sea. Several of the islands we visit have small resorts as well as authentic villages providing us with comfortable places to stay without feeling too touristy. We will have several opportunities for snorkeling, taking long walks or just relaxing on the beach after kayaking. We will also have a chance to visit the spectacular Morakot Cave which can be accessed by boat only. The kayaking is on the open sea and along island shores. There are many small islands along the way providing ample opportunities for breaks.

Map

Itinerary

Day 1 Travel to Ko Lanta Noi, no kayaking
Ko Lanta is actually made up of two islands – Ko Lanta Noi (small Lanta island) and Ko Lanta Yai (big Lanta island) separated by a narrow canal. The west side of Ko Lanta Yai has nice beaches and many resorts but we stay in a homestay on the east coast of Ko Lanata Noi where we start our adventure.

Day 2 Ko Lanta Noi to Ko Bubu, 11kms kayaking
We set off in our kayaks for a chain of islands between Ko Lanta and the mainland. The first island, Ko Talabeng Yai, is 1km from our guesthouse. The views of the island's steep cliffs are spectacular. We stop at Ao Khua Bay beach for a break and continue along the 3.5km long island to its southern tip and beach at Talay Waek (wading sea). A narrow channel seperates Ka Talabeng Yai from Ko Talabeng Noi. We cross this channel and continue to Ao Bon - the most beautiful bay on these islands. If you are up to it we can explore the Tham Yai Prasat cave as well. Our longest crosssing of the day is 2km to the twin islands of Ko Kham Yai and Ko Kham Noi. Along the 3km long coastline of these islands there are beaches as well as a pier when we can stop to stretch our legs. The fifth island of the day is the small island of Ko Bubu where we spend the night at its solitary resort. There is an 800m long trail which takes you around the island and allows you to visit two other beaches.

Day 3 Ko Bubu to Ko Lanta Yai, 14kms kayaking
We have two 3km long sea crossings today. The first is from Ko Bubu where we stayed last night to Ko Por and the second from Ko Por to Ko Lanta Yai. Our first destination on Ko Por is the fishing village on its east side. We then kayak around to the pier on the west side of the island to take a look at the small resort on the island and the restaurant at the pier. On Ko Lanta Yai we arrive at the Ko Lanta Old Town Pier. The original settlers, Urak Lawoi (sea gypsies) came here centuries ago. They were followed by Muslims from further down the Malay peninsula and finally southern Chinese. The charming and photogenic Old Town has rows of old teak houses stretching far into the sea. It all has a fairly touristy feel to it with several of the houses having been converted into guesthouses, restaurants and souvenir shops. We then follow the coast south to the Urak Lawoi (sea gypsy) village of Sang Kha-U and the small island of Kho Glang before finally arriving at our destination Pirates Paradise Resort on Pirate Beach. In the afternoon you can paddle 1.5km to visit the monkeys at Mu Ko Lanta National Park and to take a look at the lighthouse there.

Day 4 Ko Lanta Yai to Ko Ngai, 14kms kayaking
We start the day with the longest uninterrupted crossing of the entire trip. It is 11.5km long and takes us to the northern tip of Ko Ngai. Ko Ngai is a small island with great beaches and dormant coral snorkeling options. It has several resorts. Almost all people on the island are either foreign guests or migrant workers who staff the resorts. We paddle 2.5km along the island's eastern shore to the Mayalay Beach Resort where we stay the night. There is snorkeling right in front of our resort but the reef here is degraded. A better reef is at the southern side of the island at Paradise Beach and the neighboring Mamuang Bay. These can be reached via a 20 minute trail. In the evening we walk 1km to the Light My Fire Society Bar which is the art and music venue of the island. The owner Don loves art and music and he along with other guests play and sing at the bar. It's a very friendly and laid back place with a good barbeque.

Day 5 Ko Ngai to Ko Kradan, 16kms kayaking
We visit several islands today. We start with a 1.5km crossing to Ko Maa (Horse Island). We stop here to do some snorkeling. A large variety of colorful fish can be seen at the corals here. We then proceed to Ko Chueak (String Island) and Ko Waen (Ring Island) each of which provides snorkeling options. The distance from Ko Maa to Ko Chueak is 1.2km andd from Ko Chueak to Ko Waen is 2.7km. Our final crossing of the day to Ko Kradan is 5km long. Ko Kradan boasts coral-sand beaches with low tide sand bars ideal for long walks on the beach. It was voted as one of the top ten beaches in the world by Guardian in 2016. Ninenty percent of the island's area is part of the Hat Chao Mai National Park. There are several resorts on the island and no villages. We will paddle down the east side of the island past several resorts and the National Park camp ground to the Ao-Niang Beach Resort at the south tip of the island where we spend the night.

Day 6 Rest day with motorboat trip to Ko Rok
We have an optional longtail boat trip to the Ko Rok Nai and Ko Rok Nok islands which are 22km from Ko Kradan. These islands are two of the most beautiful in the Andaman sea and contain a very good snorkeling reef in the channel between them. They are the islands furthest out from the mainland so normally have great visibility for snorkeling. They are a popular stop for tourists on package tours from Ko Lanta but as Ko Kradan is the nearest island to the Ko Rok group we can get a head start on others.

Once we return to Ko Kradan you can relax or go snorkeling a few hundred meters from our accommodation.

Day 7 Ko Kradan to Ko Muk, 11kms kayaking
We start off by paddling 5km back to the north tip of Ko Kradan along the west side of the island. Along the way we stop to take a look at 3 secluded beaches with no developments on the west side. The first one is Sunset beach followed by Ewu beach and North beach. We then have a 6km crossing over to Ko Muk (Pearl Island). Ko Muk is a medium sized island with a spectacular cave. It strikes a good balance accommodating some travelers along with 3000 local residents scattered in fishing villages around the island. Much of the western side of the island is covered by a dense jungle along with Farang Beach where we land and stay for the next 2 nights.

Day 8 Exploring Ko Muk island, 4km kayaking (optional extra 11km)
This morning we paddle along the western side of the island up to Morakot (Emerald) Cave which is 2km from our hotel. The cave is accessed by kayaking 50m through a cavern. The roof is several meters high at low tide but is under water at high tide so we have to time it right. We emerge at a sinkhole with a coral sand beach rimmed by vertical cliffs. Vines, birds and the occasional monkeys can be found here giving the area a feel of a lost world. After taking a swim here we will explore the rest of the island. You can decide whether you wish to do this by kayak or on foot. If you decide to do it on foot you will kayak back to our hotel, park the kayak and walk or catch a sidecar motorbike taxi to the main village. If you would rather keep kayaking then the full loop around Ko Muk is 15km long. Exploring by kayak allows you to visit some wild beaches such as Haad Sabai and Haad Lo Dung which are difficult to access on foot but you will need to do so during high tide as the eastern side of the island turns into long mud flats at low tide. Exploring by foot allows you to visit the fishing villages and beaches regardless of tide.

Day 9 Ko Muk to Ko Had Yao, 14kms kayaking
We paddle 7.5km around the southern tip of Ko Muk to the mainland. We then paddle along the coast stopping at several beaches and mangroves along the way until we reach Haad Yao (Long Beach). On the way we also stop to take a look at the Yongling sea cave. Keep your eyes open for dugongs which can often be spotted in this area. We check into a hotel at Haad Yao and celebrate the end of the trip.

Day 10 Travel to Trang and onwards, no kayaking
A car will take us and the kayaks to Trang after breakfast. This drive takes about 1 hour. The most convenient way to travel to Bangkok or Hidden Holiday House is by the comfortable sleeper train. Alternatively you can take a bus to Hat Yai (3 hours) and fly from there.