The Complete Travel Guide to Mukdahan, Isan

As soon as you arrive in downtown Mukdahan, you’ll see a pair of eyes gazing down at you from the peak of a forested hilltop. This penetrating stare belongs to the giant, seated white Buddha statue that sits, cross-legged on the top of Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom.

Sitting above a hilly road a white seated Buddha looks down from a forested hilltop. A scooter can be seen riding along the road.

The temple is located a short 15 minutes drive (5 KM) south away from Mukdahan’s Indochina Market and is possibly the city's most famous attraction.

When you get to the temple’s car park (at the bottom of the hill) you’ll need to pay a 20 baht donation (per person) and hop onto one of the flat-bed pick-up trucks who will ferry you up the curvy road to the hillside temple.

Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom is split into two parts. To the left (as you face the Buddha), a huge, behemoth of a serpent, twists and turns across the rocky terrain, its blue, iridescent scales and red spikes shimmering in the light of the sun. The Naga is a striking statue, both in stance and size. It towers over you, poised and ready to attack as you wander under its coiled body.

An enormous shimmering blue naga coils and winds its way across a hillside. It's head is reared up exposing a golden belly.

Surrounding the Naga statue, the whole area is covered in strips of red fabric, tied to the green bushes and draped across trees. Left by pilgrims and devotees, these hanging ribbons of blood red cloth catch the wind and flutter gently with the warm breeze.

Hanging strips of red ribbon are strung across bushes and tied to trees.

From the Naga statue, head through the temple gardens, past a carved Buddha’s footprint, crossing shrines covered in incense and offerings, before walking walk up a small hill towards the giant circular, carved lotus temple building.

The lotus style temple creates the seat for the giant Buddha. To reach the Buddha, climb the staircase that circles its way up three floors. Whilst we were visiting, the lotus temple was still under construction with its three floors mid-way through renovation. Each floor had exposed concrete walls, a few mirrored columns and one lonely white Buddha. We can imagine once the renovation has been completed, these vast prayer halls will look spectacular!

At the top of the staircase you’ll emerge out onto a circular viewing platform, surrounded by flapping Buddhist and Thai flags. This massive platform is home to the giant Buddha statue which sits above an ornate gold and white shrine above a yin and yang sign. From the viewing platform you can really get an idea of the sheer scale of this statue - it’s humongous!

A giant seated white Buddha tower overs the viewer. The Buddha is seated crossed legged with it's palm facing upwards.

There is a set of stairs to climb to touch the outstretched pointed finger of the Buddha and plenty of spots to take in the phenomenal view. From the top you get a sweeping panorama over the Naga statue, city, Mekong River and out to Savannakhet and the gentle hills and countryside of Laos.

On-site there are lots of very clean toilets, a small cafe complete with Instagram chairs and selfie spots and plenty of viewpoints over the Mekong.

To get back down the hill, just wait at the octagon pagoda and viewing platform located here (where you got dropped off) for a pick-up truck to ferry you back down the mountain.

At the bottom, the car park is full of shops selling trinkets and souvenirs, snacks and drinks as well as toilets.

Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom is definitely up there with one of our favourite temples we’ve ever visited in Thailand and is definitely another hidden gem of Isan.

Entrance fee:

Free, but you’ll need to donate 20 baht per person at the donation point in the car park. This small fee is for the drivers who will ferry you up and down the hill to the temple.

Opening times:

Open everyday from 7 AM until 5 PM. During holidays and festivals, opening times may vary.

Temple Wear and Temple Etiquette

If you’re planning to visit Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom or any other temple in Mukdahan, please remember that these temples are active places of worship.

To visit, you will need to dress appropriately and be respectful. Wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees and remember to keep your noise down! We are just visitors to the temples, but a lot of the locals will be there to pray and give offerings.

A blue and gold naga coils and towers over the viewer. Behind a giant white seated Buddha stares out.

Get A Birdseye View At Ho Kaeo Mukdahan: City Observation Tower

Dominating the flat cityscape of Mukdahan, the Ho Kaeo Observation Tower rises up above the urban streets. Built on a nonegon base (a 9 sided shape - yes we did have to look up the name), the white tower is crowned with a circular viewing platform and glass golf ball style observatory at the top.

Tickets cost 100 baht per person to enter, and inside there are 7 floors to explore.

A white tower crowned with a a glass sphere rises up in front of the viewer. At the base, hedgerows, flower beds and a fountain can be seen.

On the ground floor, there are lots of glass boxed exhibits filled with archaeological finds collected in and around the city as well as local arts, crafts and dioramas of traditional ways of life. It’s an eclectic mix which includes some Buddhist relics, clay pots, looms and even some vintage fax machines! Our favourite exhibit was a huge, dried out snake skin. On all the walls hang photographs of Mukdahan over the years.

Once you’ve finished looking around the exhibits on the ground floor, you’ll need to take the lift up. The circular floor of the viewing platform has huge windows giving tourists a 360 degree view out over the city, across the Mekong to Savannakhet and beyond. From up high you can really see the gentle rolling hills of Isan.

On this level there are binoculars set up (10 baht to use) and small signs showing what to look out for. Displayed on the inner core of the tower, there’s lots of information about Mukdahan being an important trading post on the Indo-China trade route - the city of Mukdahan sits on the same latitude as Savannakhet in Laos and Hue in Vietnam, which meant traders had a direct line from Thailand, through Laos and Vietnam and out and into the South China Sea.

At the very top, in the glass needle of the tower on the 7th floor is a small shrine, crowned by a seated silver Buddha. All around, surrounding the shrine are lots of other golden Buddha statues, all sat in the various poses to represent the days of the week.

A view out over the Mekong River, the second Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge and the city of Mukdahan.

To get back down the tower, you’ll need to use the spiral staircase that curls its way down around the lift shaft. As you descend, you’ll pass by lots of black and white photos of Mukdahan city. After you’ve spiralled down many steps, you’ll come out onto floor 2 and 1, which are stuffed full of exhibits showing the history of the local people, including information about the different indigenous groups that make up Mukdahan province and how their local customs have shaped the city today. There are displays showing their traditional dress and information about their different languages.

Outside, surrounding the tower is a pretty garden filled with flowers, a fountain and a wall painted in the style of Van Gogh’s sunflowers.

You won’t need long at the tower, but it's definitely worth a visit. Plus the friendly staff are very enthusiastic to show you around and make sure you get the most out of your visit!

There are toilets on-site but no restaurant or cafe, but if you’re hungry there’s plenty of nearby eateries on the main road outside the tower gates.

Entrance fee:

100 baht per ticket.

Opening times:

Open everyday from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM.

Shop In The Indochina Market Of Mukdahan

Sitting above the steep banks of the Mekong River and running the length of Samrang Chai Khong Fang Tai Alley, Mukdahan’s Indochina Market is the soul and lifeblood of the city. Busy from early morning until late afternoon, the market is always abuzz with locals and tourists shopping and bartering for goods.

The Indochina Market is massive. On both sides of the roads, stalls and shopfronts spill their wares out onto the pavement. Inside, the shophouses are like a higgledy-piggledy, jumbled up, Aladdin’s Cave full of goods, stacked up from floor to ceiling in precarious piles.

A market stall is stuffed full of wooden spoons, pestle and mortars, panpipes, keyrings and temple offerings all piled high.

The market sells everything from temple offerings to Vietnamese sweets, knock-off sportswear and perfume, to dried fruit, silverware, utensils and toys. It’s a market that seems to sell anything and everything. If there was something specific you needed, we can make a sure bet you’d find it somewhere in the Indochina Market.

The Indochina Market is a great spot to head to if you’re after cheap souvenirs. It’s colourful, chaotic and charming!

Just behind the market, there’s a 2 layer walkway and promenade that clings to the riverfront and is a great spot to head to early evening when it’s full of locals walking and jogging alongside the Mekong.

Parked scooters line the side of the road, whilst market stalls spill their wares out over the pavements. In the distance the sun can be seen setting behind Mukdahan's clock tower.

Visit the Riverside Temples and Wats

Dotted all along the Mekong Riverfront, sitting next to and behind the shopfronts of the Indochina Market are a string of pretty Buddhist temples. We spent a whole afternoon temple-hopping our way along the Mekong, stopping for snacks and coffee along the way.

To visit the temples, we’d recommend you follow our lead, starting a little way south from the Indochina Market (towards the Observation Tower) at Wat Si Bun Rueang (location). This small temple, sits just over the road from the Mekong and is full of small shrines placed beneath trees, twisted naga statues and a beautiful red and gold, carved dharma wheel.

A short walk north (towards the Indochina Market) you’ll reach the golden temple gates of Wat Si Sumang Wanaram (location), its entrance protected by two, green yaksha statues. Inside the temple grounds, you’ll find a white and gold stupa and small prayer halls decorated with stories of the Buddha.

A mirrored stupa wrapped in green, red and yellow ribbons sits in front of white and gold stupas and a carved temple hall at Wat Yot Kaeo Siwichai in Mukdahan.

A golden seated Buddha statue sits with his right palm held up in a carved wooden shrine.

From Wat Si Sumang Wanaram, head north and walk to the Indochina Market. Sitting in the heart of the market you’ll find Wat Yot Kaeo Siwichai (location). This beautiful temple is an absolute treasure trove, with a pretty mirrored stupa wrapped in cloth, a huge seated golden Buddha and a red, gold and green carved prayer hall. Wat Yao Kaeo Siwichai is stunning, and if you only have time to fit one temple (other than Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom) into your Mukdahan stay, we’d recommend it be this one.

From Wat Yot Kaeo Siwichai, head up through the narrow street, lined on either side with market stalls until you get to Wat Si Mongkol Tai (location). Inside you’ll find a massive red and gold prayer hall housing a small Buddhist shrine.

Outside the temple gates, don’t miss the huge sacred tree (location) sitting opposite Wat Si Mongkol Tai. This enormous sacred tree with snake-like roots growing out of the soil, is wrapped in a swathe of rainbow coloured ribbons.

A big circular tree, with its roots exposed above the road is wrapped in colourful ribbons of cloth.

Continue down until you reach the car-park. At the very end of the riverfront, next to where the smaller River Muk joins the Mekong, you’ll see a white and gold stupa standing tall over the temple walls. This stupa belongs to Wat Si Mongkol Nua (location), another stunning riverside temple full of golden Buddha statues, shrines and prayer halls.

Again, just like Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom, if you’re planning to visit any of Mukdahan’s temples then please remember to dress appropriately (shoulders and knees must be covered) and be respectful during your visit. You’re there as a tourist, not a devotee!

Look At The Colourful Muk Street Art - ถนนศิลปะ(ซอยมูลนิธิมุกดาหาร)

Spiralling out from behind Wat Si Mongkol Tai, the streets of Mukdahan are a kaleidoscope of colour. The street art found in this part of town, is all part of Mukdahan’s ‘Muk Street Art’; a huge set of murals and motifs that can be found painted directly on to the walls of the streets and across the pavements.

A set of shutters have been spray painted to create a marble effect. On it are the words 'Mukdahan Street Art' spray painted in yellow paint.

The street art is really varied with every artwork showing a different style of painting. The art all seemed to focus on Mukdahan’s culture, with images showing traditional ways of life and aspects of Mukdahan’s history. There was a mural showing a life-sized songthaew sitting opposite a painting of a market scene. In another, a gaggle of Grannies can be seen cooking, whilst painted nearby, a grinning girl stands in her school uniform laughing at all those who pass her by.

There are lots of murals representing Mukdahan’s close links with Vietnam and China, with a mural of a Chinese junk ship painted on shutters next to multiple paintings of Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and Hanoi’s One Pillar Pagoda.

An image of a tuk tuk, blue naga, yellow flowers and pigeons is spray painted on a wall and across the pavement on a street in Mukdahan.

We love finding street art, and the Muk Street Art was up there with some of our favourites. We love the ‘find-and-seek’ nature of spotting street art, it’s always fun turning a corner or heading down an alley to see what painted treasures the walls may hide! There was so much street art to find in Mukdahan. On our first trip around the streets we only found a small handful of pieces, but on our second visit, we found so much more. We loved how varied the street art was in Mukdahan, every piece was different and every image had a story to tell. There were superheroes and cartoon characters sitting next to huge portraits of people, graffiti spray paint next to watercolour style images, black and white next to bold primary colour prints. It was a huge contrast of colour, style and composition.

Each mural had a small QR code to scan for more information about the artist and the imagery. There are also various street art events and festivals held throughout the year, check out the Muk Street Art Facebook page for more information.

Wherever you are in Thailand, there’s always street art to be found, just remember to look up. One of our favourite street art spots is Songkhla city in the very south of Thailand - read more about it here.

A photo collage featuring eight photos of Mukdahan's colourful street art including a crossword, a pixel heart, a junk ship and a young girl wearing school uniform. — *Just some of Mukdahan’s street art we spotted!*

Visit The Mukdahan Clock Tower Circle

You’ll almost certainly pass Mukdahan’s Clock Tower if you’re heading down to the Mekong Riverside / the Indochina Market. Crowning a small roundabout, at the junction of a big school, Mukhdahan’s post office and hospital, the square white clock tower is guarded on all sides by golden Buddha statues and bright green nagas.

Take A Look At The City Pillar Shrine (San Lak Mueang)

Located just off Songnang Satit road (where Mukdahan’s daily Night Market sets up), Mukdahan’s City Pillar Shrine sits inside a white, temple style building in the centre of a concrete park. Inside, the pillar is wrapped in ribbons of cloth and marigold garlands.

The City Pillar Shrine is a very popular spot for locals to make offerings and light incense.

Take A Wander Through The Mukdahan City Municipal Golden Jubilee Commemoration Public Park

If you’re looking to get a little bit of fresh air whilst in the city, Mukdahan’s park sits between the riverfront and the bus station and is a little green oasis away from the traffic filled streets. The park has lots of lawns, plenty of shade underneath swaying trees and a play area for children. The bottom of the park is dominated by a ‘U’ shaped lake with fountains, bridges and a walkway / running track around the outside.

The park gets very busy as the sun goes down with locals and families. If you’ve picked up food to go from the Night Market (see more details below), it’s a great spot to head to for an evening picnic.

Explore Mukdahan’s Produce Market

Sitting between Mukdahan’s Bus Station and the riverfront is Mukdahan’s Produce Market. This very busy, covered market is always full to the brim with Mukdahan-ians buying fresh fruit and vegetables, curry pastes, chunks of fish and legs of meat. It’s a chaotic market, with narrow alleyways stuffed full of sports tops in every shade of the rainbow, hanging above stalls selling large sacks of dried chilli and shallots.

We adore exploring a real Thai market and Mukdahan’s Produce Market was no different. We love getting lost amongst the tiny passageways, passing by each stall and seeing what’s on offer. There’ll be fruit you’ve never seen, vegetables you have absolutely no idea how you’d peel and dried goods that you’ll wonder what on earth they're used for. If you’ve never seen where the locals shop in Thailand you’re in for a real treat!

A man wearing an orange jumper, black trousers and a red helmet sits parked on a red scooter outside a market stall stuffed full of silver pots and pans. — *Wherever you are in the city, you’ll never be that far away from a market in Mukdahan!*

Delve Deeper Into Mukdahan Province - Phu Pha Thoep National Park and Phu Sa Dok Bua National Park

The city of Mukdahan is only a tiny part of the much larger Mukdahan province. Outside, the flat Isan countryside rolls away to gentle hills. If you have a motorbike or car, there’s plenty to see and do.

Just south of the city, behind Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom lies Phu Pha Thoep National Park (location). This small national park (according to Wikipedia it’s one of Thailand’s smallest) has lots of hiking trails, rock formations and hilltop views.

Further south lies Phu Sa Dok Bua National Park (location) which has more mountain hikes, a lake to kayak on and a campsite.

If you’re planning to visit any of the National Parks, you’ll need to pay a 200 baht entrance fee for adults and 100 baht entrance fee for children. If you’re a Thai national, it’s a lot cheaper!

Unfortunately as we were wheelless, we were stuck with the attractions within the city, but next time Mukdahan, next time!

Where To Eat And Drink In Mukdahan

The Best Food Spots In Mukdahan

Mukdahan is a busy city, with plenty of street food stalls, markets and restaurants to eat at. Here’s just some of our favourite dining spots we found.

Mukdahan’s Daily Night Market

Stretching away in an ‘L’ shape across multiple streets, Mukdahan’s daily Night Market is the place to be once the sun starts to go down.

As the evening draws in, Songnang Satit road is closed to traffic and market stalls open to trade their wares. Food stalls sat alongside clothing stalls, fresh fruit stalls next to phone accessories. There was even a stall selling very cute bunnies!

To the left of the image, shoppers buy food from a street food stall. To the right a stall is full of hanging clothes for sale. The sky is fading from blue to orange as the sun sets. Neon signs can be seen lit up.

The Night Market was full of street food to buy. There were stalls packed full of food, trays of curries like colourful mosaics, vats of steaming sweet, pork leg stew and fried chicken bubbling away in hot cauldrons of oil. Our only advice is to go there hungry and don’t hold back. There’s plenty of things to pick up and go and lots of stalls with seating to get full meals.

We loved Thai night markets and Mukdahan is one of our favourites. There was so much food on offer. We loved heading there as soon as the sun set as not only did the locals descend on the market, but hundreds and hundreds of birds would camp out calling out to each other on the telephone wires above!

A tray of colourful curries sit lined up in a row, each with a pink or blue handled spoon resting in them. To the front of the stall sit plastic bags filled with curry. — *You definitely won’t leave hungry after visiting Mukdahan’s Night Market!*

Streetside Evening Food Court

Set up just next door to a large 7-Eleven store on the main road leading to the riverside, this small food court was full of different stalls selling all the Thai street food favourites. From noodle soups to roti, chicken rice to stir-fries.

As we do in any food court, we wandered around the stalls checking out everything that was on offer, this time settling on the pad kra pao stall.

What was served to us was possibly one of the best pad kra pao’s we’ve ever eaten. This is high praise for Jellie as we’ve eaten a lot of pad kra pao’s during our Thai travels.

Sitting on a black and white chequered table cloth a white plate is filled with pork pad kra pao, white rice and a fried egg at a food court in Mukdahan.

The pad kra pao from this stall was 10/10 brilliant. Not too sweet and not too aniseed-y, it struck the perfect balance with flavour. We asked for our dishes to be spicy and somehow, the stall-holder got the spice spot-on. It wasn’t so hot we couldn’t finish the plate, but there was a fiery undertone in every bite. As always we asked for our pad kra pao to come with a fried egg which was super crispy and rich - the perfect counterpoint to the spicy kra pao.

Pad Kra Pao - Thailand’s Fast Food

Pad kra pao is a staple, stir-fry dish found for sale on almost every street corner all over Thailand. Pad kra pao (also known as pad krapow, pad gaprao or pad ka pao) is a dish made up of minced chicken, pork or beef (seafood, tofu, roast pork and vegetarian variations are all available as well) stir-fried with Thai holy basil and red chilli and garlic all cooked in a sauce of soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. The dish is then topped with a crispy, Thai style fried egg and served over rice.

If you haven’t tried it, pad kra pao is delicious. To order it less spicy, just ask for “mai ped” or for no chilli “mai sai prik”

Pad kra pao is Thailand’s version of the Big Mac - it’s cheap and hearty, pad kra pao is the Thai fast food with a spicy kick!

We finished our streetside feast with a banana roti from the roti stall. Always a firm favourite with us, the roti was super crisp and absolutely stuffed full of sweet banana and condensed milk - what’s not to love!

Nong Ju's Porridge Shop

Nong Ju’s Porridge Shop is the exact style of breakfast eatery we love to find in Thailand. A no-nonsense, no frills restaurant that’s full of metal tables and chairs and open to the street.

There’s no menu at Nong Ju’s, but instead, the walls are filled with photographs of everything they serve so just point at what you want.

We ordered two bowls of their pork congee with poached egg which were quickly delivered to our table.

A white bowl is filled with congee, poached egg, pork liver and intestines.

The savoury porridge was delicious. A lot more subtle than other offerings we’ve eaten elsewhere, but still very tasty. We especially loved the peppery pork balls and rich liver which gave the porridge a delicious meaty hit.

The porridge was also served with pork intestines, which we usually have no problem with, but these were a little too tough for us this time, so we left them to flavour the congee.

The restaurant also serves Chinese style dough sticks (youtiao), spring rolls and freshly squeezed orange juice. We tried all three and all were great - the youtiao were especially good at sucking up the porridge.

If savoury porridge isn’t for you, Nong Ju’s also serves pork soup and rice, pan eggs and pork floss baguettes.

Nong Ju’s is a breakfast only restaurant and is open from dawn until lunch.

Chicken Rice Restaurant Near Bus Station

We arrived in Mukdahan just in time for a late lunch. Laden down with our heavy backpacks, we were hungry and eager to find somewhere to stop. Luckily for us we didn’t have to walk far as this chicken rice restaurant was just over the road from the bus station.

A white plastic plate sits on a metal table and is filled with oily white rice, sllices of cucumber and chunks of boiled chicken topped with corriander leaves. Next to the plate are two small bowls of soup broth and spring onion and a brown sauce.

Chicken rice or ‘khao man gai’ in Thailand is always good, but the plates served at this roadside restaurant were particularly yummy and were a great introduction to Mukdahan. Strips of super moist, super flavourful chicken, sat on nutty oily rice next to a pile of sliced cucumbers. Alongside this plate we were served a delicate chicken broth and a potent garlicky, gingery and chilli sauce. It was hearty, full of flavour and exactly what we needed for lunch.

If you’re looking for a tasty meal before or after a bus trip, head here and you won’t be disappointed!

Let's Meet at the Mekong River Restaurant

Set a short walk, south out of town (about 20 minutes) along the Mekong promenade, Let’s Meet is a big and busy, sprawling, riverside restaurant. There is seating both inside and out, but if you’re looking for a table with a view, head to the wooden veranda which looks out over the Mekong and Savannakhet in Laos.

We ordered up a mini feast for the two of us - crispy fish and garlic, pork fried rice and stir-fried morning glory. The crispy fish was the star of the show. Instead of one big fish, four small river fish came out on a big plate, all fried to perfection. The fish were so crispy, that the deep fried fins that we usually leave were one of the best parts - a bit like tiny morsels of fishy, garlicky crisps! The fried rice was enough for a banquet and the morning glory was rich with oyster sauce, Chinese rice wine and super fiery chillies. We absolutely loved our meal and the view from Let’s Meet.

A platter of pork fried rice, cucumber and spring onion sit next to a white square plate topped with deep fried garlic fish. On the wooden table are also chilli dipping sauces, a phone, plastic plates and cutlery.

If you’re looking to base yourself for a whole evening of eating and drinking, this restaurant would be a good shout. As we were dining, there was a band playing upbeat tunes on guitars and traditional wooden flutes!

The Best Coffee Shops In Mukdahan

Coffee is a huge business in Thailand and even in the very north of Isan, there’s still fantastic coffee to be found. There’s so many coffeeshops in Mukdahan we’ve only just scratched the surface on what’s on offer.

Houseblend Coffeeshop

Sitting on the main road close to our accommodation the SC Residence, Houseblend Coffeeshop was a great little find. Run by two very friendly baristas, we were very enthusiastically welcomed in and ordered two iced lattes.

The baristas gave us a choice of beans; John went for a dark roast which was chocolatey and smokey and Ellie chose a medium roast which was nutty and smooth. Both lattes were fantastic!

There’s seating both inside and out and they offer a small selection of cakes and desserts.

Lack Of Sleep

Lack Of Sleep was possibly our favourite coffee shop we found during our first trip around Isan. Not only did we love the name and its logo but Lack Of Sleep also served up some incredible coffee.

Inside, the coffee shop is super stylish with painted green walls, exposed concrete floor, green plants, wooden furniture and plenty of trinkets.

Lack Of Sleep also roasts its own beans (we smelt the coffee shop a good few streets away) and you can choose your own roast when you order.

We tried both their iced americanos and lattes, all with different roasts and every time they were phenomenal. Rich, nutty and super smooth, they were definitely some of the best coffees we drank in the whole of Isan.

Lack Of Sleep not only serves up great coffee, but it’s also home to a very cute dog that’s more head than legs. He was wearing an adorable jumper when we visited and was very eager for head strokes.

If we haven’t sold you on the coffee, Lack of Sleep also serves up some delicious smelling bagels. We were so tempted to get one, but thought two breakfasts in one day, may be pushing it a little too far, even for gluttons like us!

The coffee shop is only a short walk from the bus station, so is the perfect spot to pick up a coffee to go before a long trip.

Home Coffee - Slowbar and Speciality Coffee

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We stumbled upon this slowbar and coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon after a full day of Mukdahan sightseeing. Thirsty, tired and in need of a caffeinated refreshment, we dove in.

Home Coffee is another artisan coffee shop with a sleek modern interior, a menu of coffee beans and a selection of cakes on sale - the brownies and banana cake looked amazing!

We opted for two lattes and headed outside to the camp chairs on the street. The coffees were delicious and just what we needed to rejuvenate ourselves after a day of exploring.

Home Coffee was a super laid back and relaxed affair with the barista cracking out his acoustic guitar after he had delivered our coffees.

Unfortunately, Google now lists this coffee shop as permanently closed, which is very sad news. We’ve checked their Facebook page and it looks as though the owner is searching for another place to open up - let us know in the comments if / when he does!

Essential Mukdahan Information - Everything You Need To Know For Your Trip

Where Is Mukdahan

Mukdahan sprawls away from the banks of the Mekong River, in the Isan region of northeast Thailand. You can find Mukdahan city on Google Maps here.

The city of Mukdahan is the capital and also the name of the larger Mukdahan province, the 73rd province of Thailand. Mukdahan province was created in 1982.

The Mekong River marks the border between Thailand and Laos. With Mukdahan sitting on the western banks of the river and the Laotian city of Savannakhet sprawling away to the east.

The Second Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge is located 7 KM (15 minute drive) north from Mukdahan city centre, and is the border crossing point for travellers between Thailand and Laos.

Mukdahan is located 670 KM (10 hour drive) away from the Thai capital of Bangkok.

A white and gold stupa rises up to the sky in a walled temple. To the right, the Mekong River can be seen flowing away.

Where to Stay In Mukdahan - Hotels, Guesthouses And All Other Accommodation

During our stay in Mukdahan, we stayed in the SC Residence Hotel, a short walk from the Indochina Market. We had a very comfy stay here. We had a private double en-suite room with a balcony overlooking the city. The room was basic and the decor quite old, but the bed was super comfy, the room clean and the shower nice and hot. Whilst we were staying, they were in the middle of a huge renovation project downstairs, so it's possible they may be in the middle of modernising the interior of the rooms. The hotel is set in a quiet side street and we could easily walk to the riverfront and night market.

To book a stay at SC Residence Hotel, click here.

If you do choose to stay in SC Residence, just be aware that it's labelled as its Thai name on Google Maps, but you can find the hotel here.

There are plenty of other budget hotel options available including the popular chains of the B2 Mukdahan Boutique & Budget Hotel and Mukdahan’s Hop Inn.

If you’d prefer something a little more upmarket, then all along the Mekong riverfront are a few boutique hotels (some with pools) offering a little more luxury.

To book your accommodation in Mukdahan, click here or search using our map tool below.

Getting Around In Mukdahan

Mukdahan is a busy city with lots of traffic on the road, but it's still small enough to get around on foot. The city is well paved and you can easily walk from the bus station all the way to the riverside in around 40 minutes.

A man wearing a denim shirt and yellow waistcoat sits driving a motorbike tuk tuk down a busy road in Mukdahan.

There are lots of songthaews and tuk tuks parked up around the Indochina Market and at Mukdahan’s Bus Station. When we wanted to visit Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom and the Observation Tower, we found a driver waiting on a street and negotiated a price.

We paid 300 baht for him to take us to the temple, wait for us to explore, then drive us back to the observation tower and wait for us to climb up and down the tower before dropping us off back in town. We feel this was a fantastic deal.

If you’re looking for a car taxi rather than a songthaew, head to the bus station as there were a couple parked up waiting for fares there.

Grab is available in the city, but only to hail motorbike taxis and not cars. We didn’t use Grab ourselves as we walked everywhere, so can’t say if, or how quickly you would get a ride.

Our Complete Mukdahan Map - Everything We've Mentioned Marked

Check out everywhere we’ve spoken about in this article. The map shows what to see in the city, where to eat and drink and where to stay.

How To Get To Mukdahan

Mukdahan is very well connected with bus routes linking the city with the whole of Isan, Bangkok and even across the border into Laos. Mukdahan’s Bus Station is located to the northwest of the city (here) and is an easy 40 minute (2.6 KM) walk from the Indochina Market and riverfront.

If you’re planning to get to Mukdahan from Chiang Mai, you’ll need to get a bus to Nong Khai, Sakhon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom or Khon Kaen and then change to another bus to take you onto Mukdahan.

The nearest airports to the city are in Nakhon Phanom, Sakhon Nakhon and Roi-Et. From all three airports, you will need to arrange a taxi transfer or head to the bus station to get to Mukdahan. There is an airport in Savannakhet (just over the Mekong), but you’ll need to cross the Thai/Laos Friendship Bridge and get stamped out of Laos and stamped into Thailand.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to book transport in advance online, check out the 12Go widget below.

From Within Isan

Buses and minibuses connect Mukdahan with all the major towns and cities throughout Isan.

A white minivan with blue Thai scripture painted on the front parks in a bay at a bus station. Next to the bus, a colourful striped bag sits on the station floor.

The easiest way to book your bus tickets is to head to the bus station itself and ask there for times and prices.

We’ve found that everyone is always super helpful at the bus stations and we’ve always managed to get to where we have wanted to go - even if all the signs are in Thai!

From Bangkok

Buses depart from Bangkok’s Mo Chit Bus Terminal to Mukdahan Bus Station everyday.

Journeys can take anywhere between 10 to 16 hours to reach the city depending on the company you book with, traffic and the number of stops the bus makes. Most buses will leave the Thai capital in the early evening arriving in the early morning the next day. We’ve taken the overnight buses throughout all our travels in Thailand and have always had a comfy ride.

Book your Bangkok to Mukdahan bus tickets here.

From Laos - Crossing the Second Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge, Savannakhet to Mukdahan

The Second Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge marks the border point between Thailand and Laos. The border crossing is just 7 KM north upstream from the centre of Mukdahan connects Thailand with the city of Savannakhet in Laos.

To reach Mukdahan from Savannakhet, you’ll need to head to Savannakhet’s Bus Station (located here) and catch one of the 12 buses that depart for Mukdahan everyday.

At the border, you’ll need to get stamped out of Laos, cross the bridge and get stamped into Thailand.

If you have your own wheels, you can cross over the Second Thai / Laos Bridge yourself. Just be aware the border does close at night.

The border is open everyday from 6 AM until 10 PM at night.

A blue and gold naga rises up out of the forested hilltop. Next to its tail sits a small shrine covered in red ribbon. — *If you’re coming from Savannakhet, see if you can spot Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom from the Laotian banks of the Mekong!*

Where To Go Next?

From Mukdahan, there’s plenty of places to head to next.

For a deeper delve into Isan, you could head west into Thailand’s interior and visit the cities of Sakhon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Khon Kaen. All three cities are stuffed full of beautiful temples, great food and lively markets.

Or you could choose to follow the Mekong north and take our Isan route in reverse. We’d recommend stopping first in the riverside city of Nakhon Phanom with its giant golden Naga statue and lively riverfront promenade. After, follow the river around to the small market town of Bueng Kan where you could visit the geological wonder of the Three Whale Rock or choose to climb Wat Phu Tok rock temple. After Bueng Kan continue on the Mekong to Nong Khai, another border town sitting opposite the Laotian capital of Vientiane that’s home to an incredible Buddha Park of Sala Keo Kou and the Tha Sadet riverside market.

If you’ve come to the end of your Thai visa, you could easily head over the Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge and cross the border into Laos. From the border, it’s only 15 KM (10 to 15 minute drive) to downtown Savannakhet.

Savannakhet is a real hidden gem of southern Laos. With a bustling night market set in the ruins of an old cinema, lots of street art and great food. You can read all about visiting the city in our guide here.

Final Thoughts On Mukdahan

Why Go To Mukdahan?

Mukdahan is unlike anywhere else we’ve visited in Thailand. It had a charm all of its own, friendly locals and great food. Whether it’s because of its close links with Laos, or its position on the Indo-China trade route, Mukdahan felt completely different to every other Isan town and city we visited. We loved the laid-back vibe, its friendly locals and bustling markets. Mukdahan felt like a real city. A city not for tourists, but for locals. It felt like a true “off-the-beaten path” place, somewhere where we could feel like adventurers again. A city far from the tourist guidebooks.

We absolutely loved our time in Mukdahan and would return again. We spent our whole time in the city, but there’s so much more to do in the province.

If you have the time, Mukdahan is worth the trip alone just to visit Wat Roi Phra Phutthabat Phu Manorom. This temple is definitely up there as one of our favourites. It was a temple of two halves, but both sides were incredible!

If you’re looking for a true hidden gem, add Mukdahan to your Isan itinerary!

Thank you for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

Ellie smiles to the camera whilst touching the outstretched fingers of a giant white seated Buddha statue. She is wearing a black t-shirt, black trousers and grey trainers.

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Nakhon Phanom - Isan Riverside Magic

Nakhon Phanom is a Mekong side Isan town that has somehow managed to stay off of the Western tourist radar. Follow us as we explore this amazing little city, with its incredible mix of cultures and flavours. Our guide covers everything you could need to know, from the history of Nakhon Phanom to the best attractions, places to stay and what delicious delicacies there are to eat.

Nakhon Phanom, most people won't have heard of it and still fewer will have visited. They are all missing out! Nakhon Phanom is an amazing riverside town, popular with Thai travellers and Westerners in the know. The town boasts amazing Isan, Thai and Vietnamese food as well as a rich history and buckets of things to go see and explore. From bustling markets to riverside walking trails, Mekong cruises to historic sites - there is plenty to do in Nakhon Phanom.

We were working our way down the Isan banks of the Mekong. Starting at Nong Khai we had travelled down to Bueng Kan and then hopped on to Nakhon Phanom. This was the town we had actually heard of before our trip! No less than two of our favourite travel YouTubers had rated this little riverside city as one of their favourite towns in Thailand - we wanted to see why.

We were not disappointed, Nakhon Phanom is an amazing, fun, delicious and friendly Isan city and 100% worth the effort to visit. Read on to find out why!

In this Guide:

- History and cultures of Nakhon Phanom
- What to Do in Nakhon Phanom
  - Riverfront Walk
    Northern Walk
    Southern Walk
  - The Golden Naga - River-Spirit of Nakhon Phanom
  - Riverfront Temples
  - Sunset Cruises on the Mekong River
  - Weekend Walking Street
  - Daily Night Market
  - The Nakhon Phanom Morning Market
  - The Indochina Market
  - History and Architecture - The Governors Residence and Colonial Style Courthouse
  - St. Anne's Cathedral
  - Vietnam Town and the Memorial Clocktower
  - Ho Chi Minh's House and Museum
  - Exploring the Isan Countryside.
- Restaurants, Streetfood, Barbecues and Vietnamese Pho
- Bars and Riverside Restaurants
- Coffee shops and Cafes in Nakhon Phanom
- Where is the City?
- Getting to Nakhon Phanom From Within Thailand
- Sakhon Nakhon from Laos - The Border and the Third Thai - Lao Friendship Bridge
- Where to next
  - More Isan Adventures
  - Bangkok
  - Chiang Mai
  - Laos
- Final Thoughts

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

The sun sets across the Mekong River at Nakhon Phanom. The lights of the Laotian city of Thakhek are visable on the opposite bank.

The History - What is Nakhon Phanom and What Makes it Special?

Nakhon Phanom is a true Isan town, that is to say it is a delicious mix of Thai, Lao, Chinese and even Vietnamese cuisines and culture. The city had been a Khmer city back in antiquity before being part of the Lao Lan Xang kingdom. It was then absorbed (and relocated across the river) into the Ayutthayan Thai dynasty. Ho Chi Minh lived there and, on the polar opposite side of the coin, it played host to the USAF during the Vietnam / American War. Nakhon Phanom has had a lot of history pass through it, much of which can still be explored today.

The cities name, Nakhon Phanom, is a bit misleading; it translates (roughly) to: "The City of Mountains". Standing on the level streets, looking around at the incredibly flat landscape of the surrounding Isan countryside you may wonder why you would name a city after the thing it most conspicuously lacks. However, look across the river, into Laos and the cities original location and it becomes clear. The limestone karsts of Thakhek sprout and sprawl all around the Laotian town.

The limstone karsts and mountains of Laos line the horizon. In the foreground the Mekong river flows past the viewer. — *The Lao’s side of the Mekong is decidedly more mountain-y!*

With its rich history came a diverse influx of peoples, cultures and cuisines. During the Indo-Chinese wars, and following the French attempts at recapturing parts of Laos and Vietnam, large groups of Vietnamese settled in the town. They had fled from Vietnam into Laos then across the river and into Nakhon Phanom. With them came the broths and breakfasts of their home country. There is a fantastic "Vietnam Town" district in Nakhon Phanom, with dozens of enticing eateries, and Chinese style shrines sitting next to Buddhist temples and Laotian / Isan barbecues lining the riverfront. Nakhon Phanom mixes all of its neighbours, flavours and peoples whilst remaining 100% an Isan Thai city.

What to Do in Nakhon Phanom

It's all very well us waxing lyrical about how great the town is, but what is there to actually do with your day? Settle down, Nakhon Phaom has plenty to offer! This little city is a popular weekend break destination for Thai tourists and, in addition to having loads to see and do, is a fantastic town just to relax and wander through.

This is what we got up to in Nakhon Phanom:

Mekong Riverfront Walk

A view down the riverfront walkway and cycle path. The cycle path is green with road markings and the walkway sits out above the river.

The whole town is focused around the Mekong riverfront. There is a dedicated cycle path and walking route that runs all through the town and out either side. We wandered the route most days, getting some steps in and working off some of the mountains of delicious food we had munched on.

Walking North / West

Starting at the Giant Naga Statue (more on this later), we would walk north / west, keeping the river on our right. We would walk around 4km all the way to a great little cafe set inside the Thai Navy River Security unit - Cafe De Kong.

The walk took us past quite a few of Nakhon Phanom's historic attractions (most of which we will go cover in more detail later); we wandered past the Governor’s House, St. Annes Cathedral, a French colonial style courthouse and through the Naga Tunnel. We saw little riverside allotments, free swimmers and floating restaurants in and on the Mekong. It was a great way to explore the town and have a little exercise. Although, our little workout was nothing compared to the gaggle of men and women swimming in the fast flowing river!

The first part of the walk, through Nakhon Phanom town's riverfront, is where the famous weekend Walking Street Market sets up. It is dotted with trendy bars, craft beer sellers and waterfront restaurants. The bars and restaurants that line this section of the riverfront are all achingly cool, with custom graffiti and street art. At night this area lights up with neons and candle light; you can really see why Thai's come here for a weekend away! The walking path actually sticks out from the land and over the waters of the Mekong. It is a really cool addition to the town and really encourages you to go for a wander or cycle.

The Naga Tunnel (located here) is a green metal lattice than covers the cycle lane / walking path. It takes you right out over the Mekong on a tall raised walkway that curves away from the riverbank and over the water. Just after the tunnel is a sign and a small opening in a wall; this leads to Cafe De Kong, set just inside the Naval Unit base. The cafe has a fantastic terrace with views out over the river. The whole set up is run (we think, our Thai isn't the best!), by Navy wives. This would be the point on our river walk where we would stop, invalidate any benefit our exercise may have had with an iced latte, and head back south to town.

A gold and green naga is perched on top of the sem-circular lattice that surrounds the "naga tunnel" cycle lane and footpath. The path contiunes off on stilts into green trees

If you want to go further you can continue on after the cafe. The cycle lane and walking path follow the river nearly all the way to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. This route will take you further out from the town and bring you past more riverside restaurants and some famous temples. If you do venture out this far, let us know what we missed in the comments!

If a long walk isn't your cup of tea, nearly every hostel and guesthouse can rent you a bicycle! This would turn a couple of hours walk into a much shorter affair!

Walking South / East

Saffron clad monks sit and relax on riverside benches under trees. — *The riverbank is popular with everyone!*

Back at the Naga Statue in central Nakhon Phanom, the walking path and bike trail also heads south / east. Along this section you will find some incredible riverfront temples (we will go into more detail in a moment) as well as great coffee shops and a plethora of yummy riverside eateries. It is also along this stretch that street food and drink stalls will set up each night. This section of the river is almost like a park; wide and tree-lined with riverfront seating and separate cycle and walking lanes. When the food and coffee vendors arrive, they set up their kitchens in and around their roadside vans and their seating spills out onto the lawns and pathways. Its a really chilled out place in the evening and a lovely area to have a twilight stroll.

The Golden Naga - Phaya Si Satta Nakharat

You really cannot miss Nakhon Phanom's most famous monument. Towering over the riverfront, at the town's main crossroads sits a coiled golden Naga; its seven open-mouthed heads staring out across the Mekong. This enormous and beautiful brass statue venerates and celebrates the local Naga spirit that is believed to watch over the river. The name Phaya Si Satta Nakharat apparently translates to "Naga King" - at least according to Google Translate, others state it is "King of the Seven Headed Nagas". Every day jets will fire a fountain of water from the statues mouth and around its base and neck, locals burn incense and leave garlands of flowers.

A huge golden Naga sits on a large plinth. The statue is made of bronze, has seven heads and is garlanded with a thick rope of saffron.

What is a Naga?

Naga are mythical creatures popular in Buddhist folklore. The origin of the Naga can be found in Indian Hindu mythology, where it describes a half human half cobra. In South East Asian Buddhism the Naga has added significance. Usually depicted as having multiple heads, the Naga crops up a few times in Buddhist tales. In one story it shields the meditating Buddha from a storm, in another a Naga is converted by the Buddha and becomes the guardian of all temples. This is why you will see their statues at temple gates or running along the roof spines.

Just behind the Naga statue is a small park, its trellises and climbing plants groomed into the shape of the arching tail of the Naga, it is a nice addition to the riverfront and a good place to cool off in the shade. After dark the park and statue are illuminated and look amazing!

We were lucky and visited Nakhon Phanom just as renovation work on the Naga statue was being completed. There was a mini festival happening to commemorate the reopening and the riverfront next to the brass Naga was full of offerings, monks and people praying. Thailand's Buddhist celebrations are always so colourful, so full of flowers and saffron garlands. Every year in early July, there is a festival dedicated to celebrating the Naga river spirit.

A table is filled with offerings, plant displays and colourful flowers all laid on golden table cloths. Chairs are set up and people are praying and taking photos of the Naga Statue behind the table. — *The Naga offering table was amazing - Look at those flower displays!*

Underneath the Naga, down a flight of stairs, is a community space / arcade full of local craft stores, coffee and ice cream shops as well as a couple of food stalls, all with views out over the river.

Riverfront Temples

A gold, pink and blue naga statue stands guard outside the temple. It has 7 heads and is ornately and colourfully painted.

A short walk to the east / south of the Naga statue are a string of beautiful temples: Wat Pho Si Phra Thong is the first one we encountered with a beautiful ornate drum tower and shining white, red and gold buildings.

A little further along the river is Wat Mahathat, which houses a beautiful white-gold chedi surrounded by shining golden statues. It also has multi-coloured (nearly rainbow) Nagas in a garden around a jade Buddha.

A pointed white and gold chedi is surrounded by golden statues on white plinths. The statues are of various aspects of the Buddha as well as dharma wheels and gongs.

Lastly (at least on our walk, we are sure there are more!), was Wat Phra in Plaeng a stunning green and gold temple full of mythical statues. Serpent tailed people and the bird footed Kinnara guard the temple from evil spirits. All of the temples are unique and well worth a visit.

As with any temple dress appropriately and respect your surroundings.

A tree is bound with dozens of brightly coloured ribbons. Behind the tree a green Buddha is seated, all around is green foliage — *Temples in Thailand are endlessly varied but always offer a calm respite from the outside world.*

Sunset Cruises on the Mekong

(location) - There are lots of operators all along this stretch. Read on for our thoughts and reccomendations.

This sounds cheesy but was actually one of our favourite things we did in Nakhon Phanom. We liked it so much we actually did it twice! As the afternoon faded down we would make our way to the riverfront to the left (west / north) of the Naga statue and board a little white and blue ferry. For a couple of hours it would swan up and down the Mekong taking in the sunset whilst providing drinks and snacks.

A blue and white boat sits next to a floating pier in the Mekong

It was actually really fun, we were the only Westerners on board so were instantly adopted by friendly families out on a jolly. We would grab a couple of reasonably priced cans of Leo from the onboard bar and establish ourselves on one of the open air tables upstairs. The boat would then leisurely float away, past all the sights on the riverside, drift across to the Laotian side of the river before finally settling down to watch a fiery Mekong sunset. It was a brilliant way to see out a day. The boat sets off in daylight and comes back once the sun has completely gone. It is fantastic to float on the Mekong watching the sun burn down the day and then see the lights from the river cities (Thakhek on the Laotion side, Nakhon Phanom on the Thai) sparkle into life.

All this for the incredibly cheap price of 50 baht per person! Seriously you have no excuse not to give this a go, it is so cheap and such a nice way to start an evening.

The sun sets over the mekong. Golden clouds silhouette the towers of St Anne's Cathedral — *Sunsets on the Mekong - not a bad way to end a day!*

There are lots of different operators at wildly varying levels of luxury and price. You can spend a lot more then we did and enjoy live music and dinner aboard a boat but, honestly, we don't really think our cheap and cheerful cruise can be improved on. It was just the right length of time, not rushed but not long enough for us to get bored and the whole thing was utterly unpretentious. A few months later, we found ourselves on the other side of the river in Thakhek and were very happy to see our little blue and white ferry gliding past.

Nakhon Phanom's Weekend Walking Street Night Market

(location) - The map pin is a part of the Walking Street. It actually extends all the way up and down the riverfront promenade.

Open Friday - Sunday from 5pm onwards

Ok, honesty time: We did not go to the famous weekend Walking Street. Why? Because we didn't visit over a weekend! In hindsight this was a massive oversight and mistake for us. We didn't appreciate how big of a walking street, or how famous Nakhon Phanom's weekend night market was.

It is clearly huge; all along the riverfront we could see where the market would sprawl. There were booth markings hundreds of metres up and down the Mekong walking trail. Inside the town there were large market areas set up and waiting for food courts. The whole of the riverfront would come alive with stalls, sellers, sizzling food and crafts. It would burst into life...just after we left...

Don't be like us, plan ahead and visit over the weekend so you don't miss the market! If this is not possible, don't despair (ok despair a little), there are other markets and street-food to enjoy.

Daily Riverfront Night Market

(location) -No specific place; the stalls will spread out all along the riverfront either side of the Naga Statue.

Just because its not the weekend doesn't mean that there is no night-time food or stalls to visit! Every day there will be impromptu shops, portable restaurants and coffee vans parking up and unfolding along the Nakhon Phanom riverfront.

To the left (north / west) of the Naga Statue a small market unpacks its wares every evening. When we visited it was mainly selling clothes, bags and fashion accessories. Outside the 7-11 barbecue stands would fire up their grills and everywhere carts selling what we call "stuff-on-a-stick" cuisine, trundled up and down.

To the right (south / east) of the bronze serpent is the parkland riverfront. Along here small barbecue, hotpot and dessert vans will transform into little campsite restaurants. The walking paths and green spaces filling up with camp chairs, gas barbecues and families.

In the riverside twilight trucks have parked and chairs spill out onto the grass. Pop up restaurants and steet food are being served under the street lights. — *Nakhon Phanom’s riverfront is simultaneously buzzing and laid back.*

The Morning Market

a tuk-tuk waits in front of the Nakhon Phanom Market. Stalls are visable inside the green and yellow market building.

If you are looking for some proper breakfast or just (like us) love the hustle and bustle of a Thai market, then you should definitely head over to Nakhon Phanom's Municipal Food Market (catchy name isn't it!).

This is a proper local market, a huge covered hall selling everything an Isan household may want. In the mornings it is alive with fresh produce. Fruit and vegetables of every shape and colour spill out of baskets and roll from tables. Meat so fresh it was walking that morning is joined by every kind of fish imaginable. It is a great way of getting a feel for local ingredients.

It is also a great place to pick up some food! You will not get fresher than a market food stall!

Three images of the Nakhon Phanom market. From left to right: a pile of chilli's, cashew nuts and fried garlic, A man walking down an aisle of housewares. A stack of dried noodles and beans

Indochina Market

This small market specialised in imported goods from China and Laos. Much like its larger brother in Nong Khai, the Tha Sadet Market (read about it here), the Indochina market has an eclectic mix of fashion, nick-nacks, temple offerings, clothes and pretty much anything else you can imagine. It seems to cater to the Thai tourists rather than the locals but that is to be expected in Nakhon Phanom.

There is a small food court attached (just around the back), but it was never open when we visited. Let us know in the comments if this has changed!

Colonial Architecture - the Governor's Residence and the Courthouse

The yellow cream exterior of the Former Governor's Residence. A twin central staircase leads up to a colonial style frontage

(Governor's Residence location)

(Old Courthouse location)

Along the riverfront are a few decidedly Western looking buildings. The former governors residence and the old courthouse bear all the hallmarks of French colonial architecture. Thailand, famously, has never been colonised by any of the Western powers. Through clever diplomacy and shrewd manoeuvring, Thailand has remained free of Western colonialism.

It hasn't however, avoided the architecture. The influence of French building styles has seeped across the river from Thakhkek and into Nakhon Phanom. The building are, to be fair, very pretty and have now been turned into museums and displays. The courthouse is mainly empty but a great example of the mixing of architectural styles. The former Governor's Residence is a local museum with recreated period rooms and displays on the areas history.

The museum is open every day except Mondays and Tuesdays.

Opening hours are: 9:00 - 16:00

Ticket Price - Free when we visited

St. Anne's Cathedral

You cannot mention Western architecture or influence in Nakhon Phanom without talking about the massive cathedral that sits on the river banks!

Built in 1952 St Anne's is technically a "co-cathedral" as it shares its Bishops Seat with the Cathedral of St Micheal the Archangel nearby to Sakhon Nakhon. St Anne's towers over all the other buildings on the riverfront with two white towers pointing skywards.

We didn't go inside (it has school attached and both times we walked past it was flooded with children), but it is very striking from the outside, as much for its out-of-place-ness as for its actual features. The cathedral also looks lovely at sunset and, later on, when it is lit up after dark.

Vietnam Town and the Memorial Clocktower

(location) - This is where you will find the clocktower. Vietnam Town spreads away in the streets behind. There is a gateway welcoming you to Vietnam Town from the main road here.

A road-spanning gateway welcomes you to Vietnam Town Nakhon Phanom. The gate is lit up in neons and has the Thai and Vietnamese flasgs.

As we mentioned in the "History" section, Nakhon Phanom has a large Vietnamese population. We are happy to report that they brought their food! Vietnam Town is studded with fantastic eateries for those looking to branch out from the (delicious in its own right) Thai and Isan cuisines. You cannot really go wrong in little Vietnam / Vietnam Town, but for our food recommendations see the "What to Eat" section later. Also, it would be a crime not to grab a cup of Vietnamese coffee when you have a chance!

The Vietnamese Memorial Clock Tower is lit up at night. Each edge is picked out in neon lights and the tower has a large covered area at its base.

On the border of Vietnam Town, nearby to the riverfront is a large ornate clocktower, similar to the ones you can find in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi in Vietnam. This is the Vietnamese Memorial Clocktower. Built in the 1960's it is a memorial and thank you to the Thai people and King for welcoming the Vietnamese into Nakhon Phanom when they needed shelter. It is a nighttime hub now - the crossroads around it have some brilliant places to eat and it always seems busy after dark.

Ho Chi Minh House and Museum

Speaking of Vietnam, perhaps its most famous son once called Nakhon Phanom home. Ho Chi Minh lived in a modest house around 5km from central Nakhon Phanom for seven years of his life. You can visit today by walking (well over an hour through main roads and suburbia - we wouldn't recommend this for reasons that will soon become apparent), or by taking a short Grab Taxi.

A red iron gateway stands open. The path behind leads through the gardens to Ho Chi Minh's House.

We rolled up one sunny afternoon and really enjoyed the beautiful gardens and restored house. There are artifacts and histories from Ho Chi Minh's time in Thailand as well as old style farm and gardening equipment and kitchens. It is a very small museum / house but we really enjoyed our quick visit.

We had planned on walking the short way down the road to the proper Ho Chi Minh Museum of Nakhon Phanom (you can see it here), however, we quickly encountered a problem. The houses and nearby museum are in a residential area, a residential area that apparently enjoys keeping large packs of very territorial dogs around. Also, the gates to most of the houses are left open.

Our bravery does not extend to angry dog packs so we got another Grab back into town. We are a little annoyed at ourselves for not just being brave and trying it, but we also are dog-bite free, so ......

Learn from our mistakes and ask your Grab to hang around whilst you go to Ho Chi Minh's House, they can ferry you past the loud canines to the museum. If you have rented a scooter this would be no issue at all as you could just breeze past the barkers. Let us know in the comments what we missed!

Explore - Nakhon Phanom and the Surrounding Countryside

One of our favourite things to do is just to get out and wander. You never know what you might find. Thailand and its towns and cities are safe and endlessly entertaining to walk around. Nakhon Phanom is no different, we would just pick a direction and go, encountering street food, small shrines, temples and a multitude of other one-off experiences.

When we visited Nakhon Phanom the Chinese Opera was in town. A whole section outside of a temple had been turned into a theatre (around here). During the day flat bed trucks would drive around town with acrobats and contortionists in their pickups, advertising that night's performance. As the evening loomed we would see performers in their amazing costumes doing their make-up on the riverside. It is always worth having a walk and seeing what you find in Thailand.

A lady sits on an impromptu make up table backstage at the Chinese Opera. She is meticulously applying the traditional make-up. — *You never know what you might find in a Thai city - The Chinese Opera company was an unexpected treat.*

Phu Langka National Park

Outside of the city, about an hour to the north by car is the Phu Langka National Park. This is number one on our "Next Time" list as it looks stunning. The park has hiking trails, waterfalls and the famous Naga Cave. Some of the sites look like they require a guide to access, so check before you go! If you do go, make us jealous in the comments and tell us what it is like.

Isan as a whole is a treasure box of unique experiences, if you have transport it is well worth just going out and exploring. We have travelled all along the Isan banks of the Mekong (as well as all along the Laotian side), and followed the trainline into the heart of the region. There is so much to see and do that is not listed on Google or to be found in the Lonely Planet - get out and explore!

What to Eat in Sakhon Nakon - The Best Restaurants, Coffee Shops and Street Food

Ok enough foreplay, we have teased you throughout this article with how great the food in Nakhon Phanom is, now it is time to deliver! From authentic banh mi and pho from Vietnam Town to Isan som tam and Laotian laab there is so much deliciousness on offer in Nakhon Phanom. We are not only voracious foodies but also committed caffiene-holics. Luckily, there was plenty of coffee based brilliance to be found in town.

This is our recommendations for what to eat and drink in Nakhon Phanom. If we have missed your favourite, let us know in the comments!

ต้มเส้นหอนาฬิกา - Clocktower Pork Noodles

A good rule of thumb when deciding on dinner is to go wherever is busy with locals. That is exactly how we ended up here. After one of our sunset boat cruises we were looking for our supper and stumbled upon this small, but incredibly busy, noodle shop. There is a reason it is busy! We chowed down on two bowls of incredible noodles. The noodles were thin, floury and with the perfect chew and bite. The noodles swam in a peppery broth alongside a plethora of pork products. Meatballs, pork loaf and Viet style pork sausage all melded together with deep fried garlic and fresh herbs to produce a delicious bowl.

A bowl of noodles is topped with winter melon, pork balls, sausage and green herbs.

It was also very cheap at 50 baht per serving!

They also served all the usual Isan style thai salads (raw prawn, clams etc) as well as a choice of noodles and toppings.

ราชาบะหมี่กวางตุ้งนครพนม - Crispy Pork Noodles

Another bowl of porky paradise. This was your typical Thai noodle joint. They are everywhere and they are nearly always excellent!

We are weak people, we cannot resist moo krob - Thai crispy pork belly. Known in China as "7 layers of heaven", these little shards alternate between roasted pork meat and meltingly soft fat. Their (literal) crowning glory however is their crackling, bubbly, crunchy and completely addictive.

A white bowl is filled with yellow noodles, green chinese cabbage and shards of roast and crackling pork

With this in mind it is no surprise that we ordered and loved our bowls of mee (yellow egg noodles) with moo krob and moo daeng (red roast pork). They had every texture you could dream of in a bowl of noodles and the table-supplied chilli flakes and vinegar set off the dish perfectly.

Like our previous nights noodles, the crispy pork bowls were very reasonably priced at only 50 baht per bowl.

An Jao Egg Pan - Vietnamese Breakfast Noodles

We don't just eat noodle soups we promise! But, who could turn down another bowl of loveliness? Not us it turns out. An Jao specialises in Vietnamese food, it is right in the heart of Viet Town and is one of the most popular breakfast spots in the city.

We ordered two bowls of guay jap (rolled rice noodle soup), extra poached eggs and two Vietnamese coffees. The coffee was like sugary rocket fuel, just as it should be! The noodle soup was peppery and perfect, filling and flavourful. It was just what we needed to gear up and prepare us for a full days exploration. It was a breakfast feast and only cost us 90 baht per person.

An Jao also serves the Vietnamese favourite (although we have had it all over Asia) pan eggs. The dish is simple, start with a pan, roaring hot from the burners, and add eggs. After that it is up to you and the chef. Add Chinese or Viet sausage, soy or minced pork; anything can go into a pan eggs - We have had it in Laos with beef and potatoes! If you can resist noodle soups, pan eggs are a great breakfast.

อรุณข้าวมันไก่ & ร้านเฮียเปียว ก๋วยเตี๋ยว-ข้าวมันไก่ ถนนศรีเทพ - Chicken Rice

(location) Modern Style

(location) Street Style

We love chicken rice, from Singapore, through Malaysia to Vietnam and Thailand it is a dish we always seek out. If you haven't tried it, you are in for a treat. Chicken rice is cheap, delicious and sure to convert even the most fussy of travellers. Rice is cooked in chicken fat, stock, ginger and aromats until it is perfectly infused with flavour. The rice is then topped with chicken, either fried or boiled. Traditionally the boiled variety comes with a ginger sauce and the fried chicken will be paired with sweet chilli. Both the sauces are great so we would say, get a half-half plate and enjoy both!

Luckily, in Thailand and Nakhon Phanom chicken rice is everywhere. We had two fantastic plates in two different styles of restaurant.

Two images of chicken rice side by side. The left is crispy, fried and topped with deep fried garlic. The left hand image has poached / boiled chicken with a soup and sauce on the side.

The modern style restaurant is nearby to the riverfront and clocktower and may even be a chain. Nevertheless, it served up fantastic crispy fried chicken over incredibly tasty rice. It was good, cheap and the portions were decently sized.

Our second chicken rice escapade (we sometimes like it for breakfast, don't judge us!) was a much more traditional affair. A small street side eatery with metal tables near to the town's larger 7-11. This little hole in the wall had the friendliest ladies working and they put out some brilliant chicken rice. It was also very backpacker budget friendly; we spent 45 baht per plate here, which is unbeatable value! We ordered the boiled chicken and the sauce it came with was just mwah! - overdramatic chefs kiss.

Krua Ya Taen, ครัวย่าแตน - Riverside Rice and Curry

If you have read any of our other blogs, you will know how much we love rice and curry. Whether we at a warung in Indonesia, of a buffet in Sri Lanka, we love having a spread of curries to mix and match. Nakhon Phanom has a fantastic little rice and curry joint right opposite the Naga statue at the centre of the towns riverfront.

Three images side by side. The first shows a green bean curry, second is the counter at the curry shop and third is a spicy bamboo shoot curry.

Listed on Google as a Vietnamese restaurant, Krua Ya Taen has a mini-but-mighty selection of daily curries on display at the back of the restaurant. Available over rice or khanom jeen (fermented rice noodles), the curries change daily but are always spicy and delicious. Curry buffets are a great place to break away from the "standard" Thai food; just order something you know you will like (a mild, red pork curry for example) and pair it with a new dish you haven't tried yet (we always recommend bitter melon and egg as a gateway dish!), this way you will get to expand your taste horizons without putting all your eggs in one basket! For a real backpacker hack: if you are a travelling as a couple or a group, order differently from each other so you can try even more plates!

Krua Ya Taen is cheap, delicious and a genuine taste of the area.

The Banh Mi Man

(location) - No Google listing, his van is usually parked up between Krua Ya Taen and the immigration office

Another great example of Nakhon Phanom’s cultural mix parks its van next to the rice and curry buffet every day. For 50 baht you can grab a fresh, Laotian/Viet style banh mi sandwich, its bread toasted over hot coals right in front of you. These made a great 'grab and go' meal, just be warned, they are addictive!

Som Tam WiFi, ส้มตำ WiFi สาขานครพนม - A Perfect Isan Dinner

Isan would not be Isan with out barbecue. Everywhere you go you will see the rotating charcoal spits and smell the enticing aroma of the charing marinades. We wanted a proper Isan feast of a meal so did a little research. Both our research and our favourite YouTuber, agreed on Som Tam Wifi being the perfect choice.

It was.

You cannot go wrong with barbecue but this placed showed us just how right you could be! We went for what the menu called barbecued pork neck. Juicy and sweet with the perfect char and skin, it was everything you could want. We paired it with a sharp, spicy som tam (we went for corn - you have to try it!) and a Laotian style laab (minced meat and herb "salad"). The rich, fatty meat was balanced out by the spicy som tam and fresh herbs in the laab. The whole meal was perfect, just what we had set out to find. It was also very cheap, the whole feast only costing around 250 baht!

Two images of meals from Som Tam Wifi. A plate of Laab, full of herbs and minced meat and a yellow and red plate of sweetcorn som tam.

Generous Beef Pho

(location) - No Google listing but it was somewhere around here, just look out for the modest shopfront and the wafting smell of beef pho!

A bowl of pho is topped by near raw slices of fresh beef. Two bowls stand nearby one with chilli and one with herbs.

After a wander around the nearby market we were in need of a feed. We did what we always do and stopped in the first place that smelled nice and had locals sitting down. This lead us to two of the most generous bowls of beef pho we have had outside of Hanoi.

We arrived right at the end of the morning rush and the wonderful owner of the place kept coming back to give us more meat and other tid-bits to try.

The pho was fantastic, rich yet light, powerful yet still, somehow, delicate. The extra beef, beef curry and beef balls were just added yummy bonuses!

Street Stalls and Market Eating

(location) - Everywhere! As we have mentioned, even when it is not the weekend the riverfront is alive with pop up street food stalls.

On the Naga's left you will find hot pots, salad stalls, ice creams and coffee all served from vans parked along the riverfront park.

To the right of the statue you will find roving barbecue stalls, stuff on stick vendors and other more mobile offerings.

For morning market eating, aim to get to the morning market in the ... morning! It sounds obvious but we rocked up at 9:30 and found it was really quietening down!

Bars and Sit Down Restaurants

Colourfully lit bars line the street in downtown Nakhon Phanom. Scooters and bicycles are parkek outside

There are sooo many good places for food and drink in Nakhon Phanom. All along the riverfront are awesome bars which will also serve you your dinner. We had a couple of cheeky Leos at TioTemTok and this looked like it would have been a great night out if we were up on a wild one! Further down the riverfront are loads of bars with outsides facing the Mekong. We reckon that these would be electric at the weekend!

If you are looking for a quirky craft beer bar in Nakhon Phanom we recommend ร้านเธย์ คราฟเบียร์บาร์ (find it here). We cannot pronounce the name but the owner and bar staff were fantastic and it was a great night out.

A wall of different cans of craft beer. The lables are all wildly different from geometric shapes to medieval style paintings — *Lets just say they had quite a selection at the craft beer bar!*

Another good choice for beer and a river view is ชิวกะวิว@Rim Kong (find it here). We had a few beers here one evening; it was chilled and fun. The food also looked amazing and it does live music even when it is not the weekend!

Coffee in Nakhon Phanom

There is plenty of choice when it comes to bean-based-brews. Nakhon Phanom has a booming cafe and craft coffee scene. Everything from cutesy cafe's to rugged coffee vans can be found on the cities streets. These are just three of our favourites.

Pop Cafe

A very stylish and cute coffee shop in the middle of the town. We had some fantastic lattes and treated ourselves to a very naughty banoffee pie here. The lattes were properly good, bitter but not too much, milky but not to excess, just the right blend!

A speckled plate holds a plastic container full of banofee pie next to two brass coloured spoons. Two iced lattes stand behind — *Banoffee pie is never optional…*

กาแฟสดรถตู้ - Peace Coffee Van

(location) - He moves around and can be anywhere along the riverside park

Coffee from a van is nothing new for us, we had already enjoyed fantastic van created coffees from the Wizard in Nong Khai. The Peace Van (our name, again our Thai isn't up to pronouncing its proper name!), serves great, rocket fuel coffee. Ellie opted for her signature "orange and black": fresh squeezed orange juice and a shot of espresso over ice. It is possibly the most perfect drink on a hot day and the Peace Van made us a corker of a cup!

A battered and sticker covered campervan has been converted into a coffee shop. A peace flag flies from the roof and stools and chairs are dotted about

Cafe De Kong

If you have done the 4km walk or cycle along the banks of the Mekong, this cafe is the perfect pick-me-up. Set inside the Naval base it is staffed by wives and relatives of the enlisted men and serves up brilliant coffee with a view! The upstairs is a wooden veranda built over the roof and around a neighbouring tree. The veranda has a great view out onto the Mekong, perfect for cooling down with and iced latte!

A curved riverwall is topped by chairs and, further up still, a decking area. On the left you can see a raised walkway over the Mekong, on the left is the edge of a Navy themed mural

Where to Stay - Accommodation in Nakhon Phanom

The city is a popular tourist destination for Thai travellers and, as such, has loads of great accommodation on offer. From high end hotels to cheap and cheerful guesthouses there is a bed no matter your budget.

SP Residence

SP Residence was our choice for our stay in Nakhon Phanom. Centrally located with large comfortable rooms at a backpacker appropriate price - What more could we ask for!?!

SP has bikes to rent, parking for cars or scooters, free tea and coffee in the mornings and loads of information and maps for the local area.

Check out the rooms here.

Landmark Hotel

If you are not budget backpacking then you might want a little more luxury in your life. The Landmark Hotel is in the best possible location in Nakhon Phanom; facing the Naga statue and riverfront in the heart of the town.

We (obviously) didn't stay here but it was the only place we saw other Western tourists in the whole town, the bakery and restaurant downstairs looked great and the Parisian style cafe seating outside and balconies have great views.

Have a look for yourself here.

All Accommodation Choices in Nakhon Phanom

If you want to have a birds-eye overview of all of the cities hotels and guesthouses, check out our handy map below. You can zoom in or out and filter by your dates and needs:

Where is Nakhon Phanom and How Do You Get There and Where do you Go Afterwards?

Location - Where is Nakhon Phanom

Nakhon Phanom is the provincial capital of the Nakhon Phanom district. It is located in the far north-east of Isan, eastern Thailand. It is around 730km away from Bangkok and sits on the Mekong river opposite the Laotian city of Thakhek.

You can find Nakhon Phanom city on a map here.

Nakhon Phanom is well connected both within Thailand and to its neighbouring city of Thakhek in Laos.

A large, yellow and creme couble decker coach stands at the Nakhon Phanom Bus Station.at the

Getting there - From Thailand

If you are within Thailand there are loads of buses that can take you to Nakhon Phanom. Just head to your local bus station - every town has one. The bus station is always one of our first ports of call in a new city, just to see where and when we can go next! Even if the bus does not go directly to Nakhon Phanom they will be able to route you there.

If you are in Bangkok and looking for a bus to Nakhon Phanom, go to the enormous Mo Chit 2 Bus Station. If you are in Chiang Mai head to Bus terminal 3. The bus ride from Bangkok takes around 12 hours and the ride from Chiang Mai is a whopping 15 hours.

Alternatively, if you want to book in advance, check out 12Go for all the transport options:

12Go will not show all of the available buses, but is handy if you want to secure a seat in advance

Thai - Laos Friendship Bridge - Thakhek, Laos to Nakhon Phanom

The Third Thai / Lao border is only 14 km from the centre of Nakhon Phanom. The bridge is an official border crossing point between Laos and Thailand and will bring you out next to the Laotian city of Thakhek.

You can easily catch a bus that will take you all the way across the border; just head to Thakhek's International bus station, (located here). There are several buses a day (it looks like 4 at the moment) starting around 8am and running until around 5pm. You cannot, apparently, book these online so either head to the bus station yourself or ask your accommodation for help booking one. The bus should take you all the way to Nakhon Phanom's main bus station located here. You can also do this journey in reverse if you are looking to hop from Thailand into Laos.

You have to take a bus or drive across the border bridge, you can't just wander across! If you have made your way to the border point without a bus, then there should be a dedicated bus at the border to shuttle you across the bridge for a small fee. Once on the other side there will be plenty of tuk tuk's, taxi's and songthaew to ferry you into town.

The border opening times are listed as open everyday from 6am until 10pm. Like any border crossing leave plenty of time, you will need to be stamped out of Laos and then into Thailand.

If you are coming into Laos, please be aware: At the moment you cannot use the e-visa to enter Laos at the Third Thai-Laos Friendship bridge. Confusing, as you can at bridges one, two and four!

Where Should you Go After Nakhon Phanom

More Isan Adventures

We are really trying to show you the lesser known regions of Thailand. Isan is a beautiful, massive and, at the moment, a less travelled area of the country. Isan is absolutely stuffed full of fantastic things to discover and see.

You could continue your Isan exploration from Nakhon Phanom by going:

North to Bueng Kan with its incredible Three Whale Rock and the spiderweb walkways of Wat Phu Tok. Or, further on, there is the riverside border town of Nong Khai, with its viewpoints and the bizarrely beautiful Buddha Park.

South to Mukdahan, another relatively unknown (to the West at least), Isan gem. A fantastic city with a phenomenal hilltop temple and bustling local markets.
Into the interior of Isan: Sakhon Nakhon, Udon Thani or Khon Kaen. All of which are treasure troves of fantastic sights, foods and amazing people - more on these to come, when we have written it!

Three images side by side. 1: a view out over one of the Rock Whales of 3 Whale Rock. 2: a dramatic high up view from the top of Wat Phu Tok. 3: John looking out from a high up walkway clinging to the side of Wat Phu Tok — *You really should check out our articles of what you can see around Bueng Kan!*

Bangkok

There are daily buses back to the Thai capital. The bus journey will take around 12 hours, so we would recommend travelling overnight if possible.

If a 12 hour bus ride just isn't your scene then, for not a huge amount more money, you can catch a flight from Nakhon Phanom's local airport. The flight to Bangkok only takes around an hour and there a few flights daily (depending on the season).

You can check both options here.

Chiang Mai

If you are looking to head north to Chiang Mai there are a couple of overnight buses available from Nakhon Phanom. The journey is a long one at 15 hours. For us this isn't a problem, Thai buses are nearly always comfy, clean and give you food and blankets.

You can fly from Nakhon Phanoms airport to Chaing Mai but it does cost quite a bit more than the bus and requires you to change planes in Bangkok! That being said it does save you a lot of time; it takes the travel day from 15ish hours down to around 4.

To check out flights and buses to Chiang Mai click here.

Laos

If you are looking at Laos then you can head over to Thakhek or challenge yourself to the beautiful Thakhek Loop. Honestly, we cannot recommend the Loop, or its sister adventure - the Bolaven / Pakse Loop enough; they are some of the most amazing things we have done so far! From the north to the south, Laos is stunningly beautiful; make sure you check out all our guides here.

If you are entering Laos from Nakhon Phanom over the Friendship bridge border, remember that you cannot use the Laotian E-Visa at this crossing. It is the only friendship bridge that doesn't use the E-Visa so do not get caught out. You can still get a Visa on Arrival (depending on your home country) at the border.

Check out our guides for what you can see and do in Laos!

Wat Phou and Champasak - The Ancient Khmer Ruins of Laos

Pakse City - The Gateway to Southern Laos

The Bolaven Plateau - A Guide to Riding the Pakse Loop

What To Do In Savannakhet - A Complete Guide

Thakhek Town - The Complete Guide

Riding The Thakhek Loop - The Ultimate Guide

24 Hours in Vientiane, Laos - A Quick Guide to the Capital

Floating Above Laos - A Hot Air Balloon Ride in Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng - The Best Places to Eat and Drink

The Complete Guide To Vang Vieng, Laos

Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars

Vieng Xai - Adventures in Lesser Travelled Laos

Nong Khiaw to Sam Neua - A Road Less Travelled

Muang Ngoi - A Hidden Riverside Treasure In Northern Laos

Tad Mok Falls - Waterfall Hunting in Northern Laos

The 100 Waterfalls Trek - A Day Out Hiking From Nong Khiaw

The Secret Shrine of Luang Prabang - A Jungle Walk

Sundown in Luang Prabang - The Best Sunset Spots

Kuang Si Falls - A Natural Wonder in Northern Laos

A Guide To The Best Coffee In Luang Prabang

Food in Luang Prabang - A Guide to the Best Places to Eat

The Complete Luang Prabang Travel Guide

Laotian BBQ - Eating Like A Local In Laos

Thailand to Laos - The Bangkok to Vientiane Express Train

Laotian Luxury in Luang Prabang

Nong Khiaw - The Complete Guide

Pakbeng - What To Do If You’ve Missed Your Slow Boat?

The Slow Boats of Laos, Budget Versus Bougie

Conclusion - Is Nakhon Phanom worth your time?

... seriously... you're going to ask that? Ok, well it is our website so technically we asked "that" but all the same - YES Nakhon Phanom is worth visiting, we cannot wait to go back!

We had high hopes when we booked our bus to Nakhon Phanom but they were all blown out of the water by reality; it is just endlessly charming! From the craft coffee shops to the river cruises, the history to the food, Nakhon Phanom is simply a fantastic town. It made an ideal "rest town" amongst our other Isan explorations; most of the things to see are only a walk or bike ride away from the main town. We really relaxed into its riverfront, holiday vibes and easy-going restaurants, bars and cafes. The food was varied and delicious, the multiple culinary influences transmuted into something deliciously new and yet definitely Thai.

There is no stand out "must see attraction", no popular Insta spot or dramatic viewpoint to pull tourists to Nakhon Phanom, it is an undercover delight!

Those in the know go, so should you.

Thanks for reading.

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

John and Ellie sit smiling for a GoPro selfie onboard the Mekong River Cruise boat at Nakhon Phanom - Ellie is adorable!

Check out our other Isan Guides here:

The Complete Travel Guide to Mukdahan, Isan

Nakhon Phanom - Isan Riverside Magic

Treasures of Isan - The Temple Mountain of Wat Phu Tok

Wat Phu Tok is not on the traditional Thailand tourist trail; the region it is in, isn’t even well know amongst travellers. We are here to show you why you should venture out to Bueng Kan, Isan and explore the incredible Lonely Mountain Temple. Our guide covers everything from what to expect to how to get there and all the other essential information you will need to visit one of Thailand’s true hidden gems.

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Treasures of Isan - The Temple Mountain of Wat Phu Tok

Deep in the north of Isan, in Thailand's far east is a secret. A huge, sprawling spiderweb of walkways, caves, steps and stupas cling to the edge of a mountain - Wat Phu Tok, the temple of the Lonely Mountain. Climbing their way up the precarious cliff faces, the paths of Wat Phu Tok spiral upwards and around the mountain.

The way is not for the faint of heart, the wooden plank walkways and stairs hang right over the cliffs, the gaps between floorboards giving glimpses of the ground far below. Monasteries, prayer halls, statues and meditation spaces are carved into or perched on top of the vertical cliff faces.

Wat Phu Tok is, like lots of Isan's treasures: unexpected, beautiful and utterly unique.

Wat Phu Tok - What is it?

Phu Tok translates to "Isolated Mountain" from one of Isan's local languages (at least it does according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand). Phu Tok Mountain is visible for miles and miles around, rising up from the flat plains like a Thai Sigiriya. It looks ancient, primordial, like a monolith from another era....

However...

The mountain may be pre-historic but the temple certainly is not. The temple's construction started in 1969 and was ordered and overseen by a famous master of meditation - Phra Achan Chuan Kunlachettho. The monk had found the lonely mountain and seen that its tranquility, isolation and beauty were perfect for a spiritual mediation retreat. Over the next five years monks and locals built the winding stairs and pathways that now climb and criss-cross the mountain.

The temple is referred to by a few names: Wat Phu Tok literally means "temple of the isolated mountain" but it can also be called Wat Chetiya Khiri Wihan or Wat Jetiyakhiri. The temples name in Thai is วัดภูทอก.

Two chedis stand opposite one another as seen from high above. One (white and gold) stands on a man made island in a lake, the other rises from lawns. — *The temple grounds around Wat Phu Tok’s base are impressive enough!*

The temple complex starts on the ground; temples halls, gardens and a new museum chedi / Buddhist art display - The Atthaborikhan Museum Chedi Phra Ajarn Juan Kulchetto. Even if you just wanted to stay at ground level, the ornamental lake, gardens, carvings and sculptures of the Museum Chedi are beautiful and well worth a look.

From here on out it is onwards and upwards! A steep wooden staircase climbs the near-vertical rock-face. The stairs rise up through seven levels of cliff-side prayer halls, seated Buddhas, meditation retreats and walkways. On each level there will be paths around the mountain and staircases leading up to the next stage.

A wooden staircase climbs steeply upwards. Cliffs can be seen on one side and on the other, green forests. — *This was one of the nicer staircases, it had handrails and everything!*

On the lower levels, the path is usually carved into the mountain, a rock walkway snaking between caves, buildings and devotional sites. As the altitude rises the way becomes a wooden plank platform, wedged into the side of the vertical cliffs, hugging the curving side of the mountain. On the fifth level the way snakes off over a bridge to a promontory rock jutting out the side of the lonely mountain. On this isolated rock is another temple with amazing views. The final levels at the top brings you out onto the summit and through forests to viewpoints and incredible panoramic vistas.

The whole site is beautiful, the paths constantly give breathtaking views and not just because of the drop! Everywhere there are intricate and amazing carvings and statues. It is a very, very special place and one that seems to have completely escaped the attention of Western tourists.

Ellie stands smiling on the edge of a sweeping vista. Very high up, the rivers and forests of the Isan countryside spread away. Behind ellie another rocky outcrop can be seen in the middle distance. — *To say Wat Phu Tok is amazing is a massive understatement!*

Visiting Wat Phu Tok - Our Experience

We did not know what to expect when we set off that morning. The previous day had been amazing, we had set off by scooter to the incredible Three Whale Rock (we always think it should be "Whales" but apparently not!).

After having been blown away by its beauty we then promptly broke down; our bike leaking petrol all over the car park. After some help from park rangers we had limped back to town on our wounded scooter.

A blue and yellow taxi stands parked under trees. — *Our transport for the day - Not usually the backpackers choice, but sometimes you have to pony up to see the sights!*

We had tried to arrange another bike for the day but with no luck. We were in the town of Bueng Kan (read all about it here), a day or so away from the Loy Krathong celebrations and there were just no more bikes to rent!Luckily for us, we had found a lovely taxi driver who spoke English and negotiated a price for a day's ride out from Bueng Kan to the temple mountain of Wat Phu Tok.

We had heard the temple was spectacular. It had been on our radar for years, ever since a mid pandemic YouTube binge had brought us to one of Mark Wiens videos. We were in Isan and wanted to explore, so we paid our taxi driver 1500 baht and hopped in the car.

The ride was about 45 minutes and wound through the Isan (or Issan, Isaan, Esarn or Isarn depending on your preference) countryside. The way was mainly flat, going past red and white temples, small towns and roadside restaurants. We passed the turning to the Three Whale Rock that we had scooted up the previous day and continued on into the heartlands of Bueng Kan province.

A man made island rises from a green lake. A many tiered chedi sits with a white and gold crown. Each of the layers are man made caves with stalatites and green plants

We arrived at a large car park and were instantly confronted by the huge, new looking, golden topped chedi that dominates the base of the mountain. Sitting in an ornamental lake festooned with hanging green plants all around, it looked a little like a Thai version of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon! There is another enormous Chedi, almost a mirror image, on the land to the south - this is the Atthaborikhan Museum Chedi - Phra Ajarn Juan Kulchetto.

We knew we had a climb ahead of us and, not wanting to delay the inevitable, set off for the stairs. The sun was unforgiving and our temple appropriate trousers were not the most cooling of outfits, but we found that we really couldn't complain when we were joined on the steps by a dozen, white clad, elderly pilgrims. The little old ladies shuffled and hauled themselves up the steps in great humour, laughing and prodding each other with their walking sticks. They were incredibly friendly to us, the two random foreigners suddenly in their midst, our Thai wasn’t good enough to understand what they were saying to us, but it was, apparently, hilarious!

It is always lovely in Thailand when you come to the hilltop shrines, temples and mountain retreats. They are clearly loved, respected and revered by the locals but, and we think this is important, they are used by them. They are not a distant object for detached veneration, they are a solid, holy part of the landscape to be enjoyed and appreciated.

We climbed on and upwards passing through the gaggle of grannies.

We like to get all of the hard work over with at the start so we decided to climb all the way to the top layer first, then work our way back down the 7 levels of the mountain temple. It was steep, it was tiring, it was, above all, HOT. It was mid November in Isan and the temperature was well above 35 (over 95 for any of our American friends.). It was not, therefore, ideal weather to be climbing nearly 400 meters up a Thai mountainside.

John clambers up a narrow, steep path criss crossed with tree roots. All around are green ferns and plants. — *The top of Wat Phu Tok is mainly forested, this just gives the final reveal much more impact!*

Up on the final, seventh level of the mountain, the wooden steps gave way to a forested path as we approached the summit. We scrambled up the last few sections, using tree roots as ladder rungs. Drenched in sweat and out of breath (too much congee can weigh a man down), we continued up a tree covered path.

It was worth it, worth the taxi fare, worth the climb, worth the heat, it was even worth the horrible feeling of boxer shorts clinging in uncomfortable bunches (not much else is worth that). The view from the top of Phu Tok is incredible. The path at the summit goes all around the flat(ish) top of the mountain and opens up again and again into jaw dropping vistas. The way is a little precarious up at the top, there are no handholds and very few safety measures, but it feels incredible when you emerge from the forest into the clear air, breeze and hundred-mile views.

A sweeping birds-eye view of the green forests of isan. Lakes sparkle and clouds cast vast shadows over the landscape — *You don’t realise how high you have climbed until you get a view like this.*

Being a "Lonely Mountain" means the Phu Tok commands a view over everything else. It stands proud over the whole landscape, giving birds eye views over Bueng Kan and Isan. It is really very special. You can see another, lower rock formation nearby and, on a clear day, see in the distance the mountains and formations that hide the Three Whales Rock, but Phu Tok absolutely dominates the local landscape.

We orbited the top of the mountain taking in viewpoints and wandering through picturesque forests. Our guide had warned us about monkeys at the top, but we didn't even catch a glimpse of them. He had also warned us about snakes but had been laughing at the time...we did not see any slitherers. Let us know if he was pulling our leg or not in the comments!

A rock formation rises from the isan forests. It is seen from the vantage point above - the summit of Wat Phu Tok

We started to make our way down the stairs to the lower levels, each was an adventure in their own right. The top two layers below the summit (5 & 6) were actually our favourites. They had the most amazing views. Somehow the massive vistas are even more incredible when framed by a cliff wall and a walkway that would make Indiana Jones think twice!

The pathways and hanging wooden walkways are what make this temple famous (or infamous if overly dramatic YouTubers are to be believed - which they aren't!). They are a test of resolve and really feel like something from a bygone era; they are like the old bridges you see in the Himalayas, or deep in the jungle. The walkways are half the fun and most of the adventure at Wat Phu Tok.

Ellie stands of a narrow plank walkway overlooking a massive drop and sweeping vista. behind her another smaller rock rises from the forests. — *We did say that the walkway could be a little narrow!*

On the fifth level was another surprise, a road led us off away from the main mountain and onto a promontory rock. Improbably perched on top of this satellite stone was a small shrine. This mini temple had sweeping views of its own but also really served to highlight the massivity (is that a word? Our spell checker doesn't think so!) of Wat Phu Tok itself.

Dotted everywhere are reminders that this is a holy place. Symbols carved into the walls at auspicious junctions. Seated Buddhas and statues of venerated monks gaze out over the incredible views. Flowers and incense sticks add pops of colour and fragrance to the whole temple. It is a very well used and maintained site - we passed groups of monks and nuns who actually live up on the mountain, their monastic homes drilled into the rock.

Rows of bronze statues line a cave. Each is of a different monk in a meditative pose. Each monk holds a glass sphere. — *There were halls full of the most intricate statues - Each monk was unique.*

We wound downwards, passing halls of seated statues - immortalised monks sitting forever in the lee of the mountain, beatifically smiling Buddhas and incredible carvings. By the time we reached the blissful air conditioning of our taxi; we were both certain;

This was one of the most unique, beautiful and amazing temples we have ever visited, not just in Thailand, but anywhere in the world!

The Mountain rock of Wat Phu Tok rises against a blue sky. On its face are the timy walkways and paths, carved into the rock. — *There really is nothing like Wat Phu Tok.*

Essential Information - What to Know Before You Go to Wat Phu Tok

If the above has whetted your appetite for adventure and you fancy exploring Wat Phu Tok, make sure you arm yourself with everything you need to know:

Where is Wat Phu Tok

Short answer: here

Long, more helpful, answer: Wat Phu Tok is in the Bueng Kan Province of Isan, deep in the east of Thailand. It is over 700km from the Thai capital of Bangkok, the nearest towns and cities are:

Bueng Kan Town (sometimes spelled Bung Kan) - 43km or around an hour on a scooter or by car (this was where we stayed, more on this later).
Sakhon Nakhon - 135km. 2.5-3. hours by car or motorbike
Nakhon Phanom - 150 km. 2.5-3 hours travel
Nong Khai - 150km, again 2.5 to 3 hours travel time.

Getting to the Lonely Mountain Temple

You will be able to arrange a driver or tour from any of the above places to get to Wat Phu Tok or, if you have your own wheels you can drive yourself. If you are in Bueng Kan, ask at your accommodation for scooter hire, hopefully our bad luck won’t transfer to you (see later 😝).

Driving Route to Wat Phu Tok

The temple sits just off of Road 3012.

From either Nakhon Phanom or Bueng Kan you would take the main road 212, then come off onto the 3009 and then finally the 3012. From Nong Khai you would just drive to Bueng Kan then follow the above. The way to the temple is well signposted and down good roads.

You could easily drive a scooter or bike from Bueng Kan / Bung Kan, the only reason we didn't was because the only scooter for hire in the town had broken down on us the previous day!

Taxi’s and Tours

We paid 1500 baht for a taxi driver from Bueng Kan town. He picked us up at our hotel (the cheap and lovely Wisdom Residence), drove us all the way to the temple and waited for us in the car park. It was a good 4+ hours so we feel this was a very good deal.

If you are in any of the towns or cities we have listed, there will be private tours and taxi’s available, just ask at your hostel / hotel / guesthouse.

We recommend heading to the bus terminal and asking the local taxi’s If you are starting your journey in Buen Kan or any of the smaller Isan towns, there is often not much English spoken, or passing taxis!

Is Wat Phu Tok Dangerous to Climb?

A quick Google of Wat Phu Tok will reveal a flurry of sensational headlines, usually from slack-jawed, shocked-faced YouTube thumbnails. The titles proclaim Wat Phu Tok to be, "Thailand's deadliest temple!" or brag at surviving the "most dangerous temple in Thailand!". Take these dramaticisms with a fistful of salt, they are clickbait. Wat Phu Tok is dramatic, it is precarious, the walkways do creak and you can occasionally see through the floors; however, we never felt unsafe - it is a temple and pilgrimage site, not an extreme sports challenge!

John walks down a wooden plank path over a humongous drip. On one side is a red cliff face, the other is green forests hundreds of metres below. — *The path is narrow but well maintained. It creaks a bit but we never felt unsafe*

That all being said, Wat Phu Tok may be a little much for vertigo sufferers or those not a fan of heights.

A precarious path, made of a jumble of wooden plaks curves around a rocky corner of the mountain. The drop below is immense — *You have been warned!*

The views are spectacular, they are also very high up with little to no safety rails at the top! The paths wrap around the sides of the cliffs with very narrow portions and blind corners out over the void.

We don't have an issue with heights and cannot say if it is beyond your personal limits, just be aware, it is high up and the path can be less than reassuring! However, if you can handle it, the rewards are amazing.

Opening Times and Entrance Fees for Wat Phu Tok

Firstly some good news: There is no entrance fee for Wat Phu Tok. Donations are appreciated but, as a holy pilgrimage site, there is no cost to climb the Lonely Mountain.

Wat Phu Tok is open daily between 6:30am and 5pm. This may change on religious holidays. We do not recommend climbing the rock in the dark, so in the shorter daylight months, plan accordingly. We arrived around 11am on a weekday and there were barely any people and the summit was completely deserted. It was, however, hot, next time we would aim to climb in the cooler morning air. We would advise to aim for a balance, too early and the views may be obscured by morning mists, too late and you may (like us ) roast! We also imagine the stairs could get busy on Thai holidays, weekends and festivals.

What to Wear - Temple Etiquette

Wat Phu Tok is a temple, it is in the name! You will have to dress appropriately. This means shoulders, knees and midriff covered. It is a hot and sweaty climb but it is a hot and sweaty climb through a holy site and should be respected as such.

We wore loose fitting athletic clothes (it was the only athletic thing about us). Not going to sugar coat it, it was boiling! Sometimes you need to sweat to get to the rewards!

A wooden sign asks passers by to dress properly and not to make loud noises.

When you are on the mountain (or in Thailand as a whole), monks and nuns have the right of way. Stand aside as they pass and do not touch them! It is very bad form for a woman to touch a male monk and visa-versa. Interaction varies from monk to monk; some are super friendly and want to take photos with you, some just want to be left to meditate in peace.

There will be pilgrims and visitors praying at the temples and shrines all over the holy mountain. These people have priority access to anything they may want to - you are here for photos they are here for the temple. Again, we encountered nothing but friendly and funny people but remember, they are just that; people, not props for your photos!

There will also be areas where you need to remove your shoes, obey the signs and don't act like an idiot and you will be fine.

Conclusion - Is it Worth Visiting Wat Phu Tok

We hope it is fairly damn clear what we think! Wat Phu Tok is one of the most impressive religious sites in Thailand and a proper Isan adventure! The views and walkways are beautiful and the whole site is like nothing else we have seen. The only thing we can think of that is even remotely similar is Sigiriya in Sri Lanka - that is a pretty flattering comparison! Wat Phu Tok was an unexpected delight, we had seen and read about it, but nothing could prepare or compete with the actual experience. The Lonely Mountain Temple is bigger, more beautiful and more impressive than we had ever imagined.

A cast gopro shot vista sweeps away from a cliffside viewpoint. Blue skies are dotted with clouds and all around are green forests. In the centre is a small hilltop shrine, connected to the main temple by a bridge.

Whether Wat Phu Tok is "worth it" will depend on you. Where are you? If you are already in Isan, then of course it is worth it. It is worth travelling the 6 hours round trip from Nong Khai in our opinion, especially if you can combine it with a visit to the Three Whale Rock! If you are in Koh Samui....then the journey may be a little long for a day trip! If you are looking for a real adventure, away from the crowds of holidaymakers and toastie wielding backpackers, Isan awaits!

We would say that this corner of Isan holds so much bounty: Just north of Phu Tok is the amazing Three Whales Rock, there are national parks, waterfalls and the mighty Mekong River. The town of Bueng Kan is great, with a weekend riverside night market, fresh spicy som tam salads and amazing grilled meats; Bueng Kan is a great base to explore this region.

We are attempting throughout this new series of posts to show you what a trip though Isan can bring. We hope that this article shows how amazing just this one temple is, there is so much more out there to see.

Wat Phu Tok is a jewel in this treasure box of a region. Do not miss out.

Thanks for reading,

John and Ellie x

#adventures of Jellie

Jellie take a smiling selfie from the top of Wat Phu Tok. The red cliff edge gives way to a view of forests, towns, lakes and fields. — *Is Wat Phu Tok worth a visit? What do you think!*

Make sure to check out our articles on the nearby Three Whale Rock and the Town of Bueng Kan

Bueng Kan Province

Treasures Of Isan - The Three Whale Rock

One of Thailand’s unknown treasures, the Three Whale Rock bursts out of an Isan mountaintop in the lesser travelled Bueng Kan province of Thailand. An adventure for those in the know, the Three Whale Rock is an incredible place with unmatched views, jaw-dropping scenery and very few other Western travellers. Read our guide for everything you need to know about visiting this less travelled corner of Thailand.

Bueng Kan - A Complete Guide To The Isan Town

Bueng Kan is a small market town in Isan, northeast Thailand. The town is a great spot to base yourself in to see some of the most famous sights of the region. With a bustling weekend Walking Street, a traditional local market and plenty of delicious Isan food on offer, there’s lots to keep you occupied. Read our full guide to find out what there is to see and do in the town and why you should add Bueng Kan to your Isan itinerary!

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Treasures Of Isan - The Three Whale Rock

Far in the northeast of Thailand is a very unusual sight. Three stone whales surf out of a forest hilltop, their enormous bodies shaped from red-brown rock. Visitors from all over Thailand come to climb the mountain and see this petrified pod of whale shaped stone. With gorgeous views out over the Isan countryside and incredible rock formations, the Three Whale Rock is a completely unique experience.

The Three Whale Rock is found in the Bueng Kan province of Isan in northeast Thailand. This area is traditionally overlooked by Western tourists, but is full of unexpected treasures to find. Come with us as we explore the Three Whale Rock and hopefully convince you to come off the tourist trail and explore a piece of Isan.

What Is The Three Whale Rock?

The Three Whales Rock (AKA The Three Whale Rock - although this sounds odd to us) is a geological feature found in the Bueng Kan province in Isan, deep in the northeastern corner of Thailand.

As the name suggests, the Three Whale Rock gets its name from its uncanny resemblance to a family pod of whales. There are, as you might guess, three stone whales; the largest is known as the “father”, with the “mother” next to him and the smaller “child” in tow next to her. The rocky whales burst out of the thick jungle as if they are crashing out of the breaking green surf.

A view of two of the "Three Whales". The red and brown stone standing in contast to the green forests all around.

The Three Whale Rock is part of the Him Sam Wan Recreation Forest Park. It’s name literally translates to Rock (Him), Three (Sam), Whale (Wan) - it’s Thai spelling is หินสามวาฬ. The park is more than just the Three Whales Rock, there are other caves, viewpoints and rock formations to visit in the park.

The above may explain what the Three Whale Rock is, but it really can’t convey the sheer scale of the geological wonder. Read on for our day out at Him Sam Wan Recreation Forest Park.

Ellie stands with her hands outstretched at the edge of a huge cliff. Behind her green forests and fields spread away into the distance.

Our Day Visiting The Three Whale Rock

We had a complicated start to our day. We were staying in the small but charming town of Bueng Kan (read all about it here). It was a day away from the Thai festival of Loy Krathong and we just couldn’t find a scooter to rent anywhere in town. We had tried dealerships, asked in cafes, repair shops and anywhere else we could think of. Western tourists aren’t too common in Bueng Kan and all the Thai tourists had their own cars. We were running out of options.

Luckily for us, we were talking about our issues with the lovely staff at the Wisdom Residence Hotel where we were staying. The lady at reception knew a man who knew a man, who turned out to have the last scooter for rent in town!

We soon had our wheels, a Honda Click that looked older than us, but it fired up on the first try and the brakes worked just fine. We had our transport.

The road to the Three Whales Rock was an easy drive. Most of the way was down the main road linking the Mekong-side towns and cities of Isan. It took us around half an hour to reach the car-park of the Three Whale Rock. See later on for more detailed directions.

We had read about the Three Whales Rock online and we had watched it on YouTube. What we hadn’t seen or read about was the huge car-park and entrance area. Just because it's relatively unknown to Western tourists, doesn’t mean it’s not famous amongst the Thai’s. We had arrived around 11am and the car-park was filling up fast.

It’s technically possible to walk to the top of the Three Whale Rock, however when we arrived, we were strongly advised not to do this. A 6KM hike up a mountain road in the 35+ degree Thai heat didn’t sound fun! We opted for the lazy, jeep option.

We grabbed our tickets and hopped in the flat-bed back of a pick-up-truck and headed up. As soon as we left the car-park we could see why they had advised us from walking. A narrow road rose nearly vertically up, winding around sharp bends into the forests of the mountain.

A white flat-bed pick-up truck turns a dusty corner under green trees at the Three Whale Rock.

The entrance ticket included stops at more than just the Three Whale Rock. Our “mini tour” would take us past the Elephants Rock, the Hermit’s Cave, the Dharma Courtyard as well as multiple viewpoints.

First stop though was the Dharma Courtyard. We hopped out of the pick-up and found ourselves looking at a golden seated Buddha sitting next to an enormous cliff of rock, shaped uncannily like a cat in mid-stretch. This shrine is where Buddhist visitors come to leave offerings, pray and burn incense. We were shown around the side, where another tiny shrine sat in a natural hollow in the rock, looking out over the green trees and view below. It was our first glimpse of the vistas on offer and even though we were less than half way up the mountain, we could see it was going to be an impressive day.

A seated golden Buddha is pictured next to a large rock formation. The rock looks a little like a cat sitting down on its haunches. — *Once your eyes adjust, the rock on the right really does look like a sitting cat!*

Back in the pick-up we resumed our bouncy roller coaster up the mountain, our driver hanging out the window to point out more rocks that apparently looked like other animals, some of these were obvious but some of them required leaps of imagination that our eyeballs weren’t prepared to make. It was now time for our rocky animal safari to be taken to the next level - as we pulled up to the crest of the mountain, it was time to see some whales!

Once more on foot, we headed through an avenue of trees, bamboo and fern, their branches and leaves knotting overhead to create an arch. The dirt turned to stone underfoot, the trees dropped away and suddenly we were walking on the spine of a whale.

A long finger of rock sticks out over an incredible view over the Isan landscape. At the end of a rock a Thai flag and a group of tourists can be seen.

It’s so hard to describe this place, it really is like a family of whales poking out through the Thai forest. We were standing on “Daddy Whale’s” back, with “Mummy” and the “Baby” whale off to one side. The rocky whales are three jutting cliffs that reach out like stone fingers out of the side of the mountain. On three sides, sheer drops greeted us and in front and all around was the view.

Ellie stands posing for the photo on the back of one of the stone whales. Huge sweeping views unfold behind her.

Isan spread out in front of us like a patchwork carpet unrolling to the horizon. Bueng Kan is mostly flat (except for Wat Phu Tok - read more about that here), so standing on the top of the Three Whales felt like standing at the tip of a lonely skyscraper. The land spread out all around us, jade forests and fields stretching out and the mountains in the horizon fading to blue..

We headed right to the tip of Daddy whale’s nose, taking the obligatory selfies and just drinking in the incredible landscape. We moved over to Mummy whale and looked back at the sheer bulk of the rock formation. Whale is an appropriate name not just in shape but in sheer scale!

John stands posing for a photograph from the tip of a stone whale. Behind him the flat Isan countryside stretches out in all directions.

As we’ve said before, the rock formations are relatively unknown to Western tourists, but they are very popular with Thai tourists. The air was filled with the sound of drones and Ellie was constantly being pulled in to take photos or pose for selfies (John can’t understand why he wasn’t invited). It’s always great fun to meet Thai’s on holiday, it feels like they’re living life to the fullest, no matter what age they are, they always seem like they’re having a great time.

Speaking of which …

We didn’t expect Harry Potter brooms on the top of the Three Whale Rock but this is Thailand and you really can’t predict anything! To the left of the Three Whale Rock car-park is another flat rock with a stunning view. It also has the perfect curve whereby a photographer can crouch down and a (often incredibly enthusiastic) subject can jump on a broomstick and have a “flying” photo. We don’t know why it tickled us so much but large groups of grannies bunny hopping with broomsticks wasn’t how we pictured our day!

Ellie appears to fly above the fields of Isan on a bromstick - she looks very happy about this! — *We never said we were above some broom-based buffoonery!*

The views from this rock (even without the brooms) were amazing and definitely worth investigating even if you don’t fancy a broomstick ride.

Back in the pick-up truck we sped down the mountain, careening through towering corridors of stone and rock. We pulled over at more incredible rock formations - the well-named Elephant Rock as well as a sweeping viewpoint, pot marked with rain created craters that looked like stony Swiss cheese. A particularly amazing scenic spot was a narrow boulder and platform sandwiched between two enormous cliff-faces, in a day full of amazing viewpoints, this was yet another highlight!

A stone elephant rises out from the trees. The natural rock formation has the trunk and head of an elephant. — *The ‘Elephant Rock’ could equally be the ‘Armadillo Rock’ in our opinion!*

Our driver barrelled down the last of the mountain and delivered safely back to the car-park. It had been an incredible experience.

Unfortunately for us, when we got back to our scooter, we found it sitting in a spreading puddle of petrol. Like an elderly dog, it looked ashamed of the mess it had made. It was going to be a long way home!

One of the joys of Thailand are its people. After our bike came over all incontinent and wee’d out all its petrol in the car-park, a group of Park Rangers descended like superheroes to help us out. Within moments our bike had been stripped down, impromptu fuel lined fashioned and scraps of wire secured in place - our bike had been fixed enough to limp home! We just wanted to say thanks to the amazing staff and Park Rangers of the Him Sam Wan Recreation Forest Park! It would have been a long walk home without them.

Essential Information For Visiting The Three Whale Rock

Where Is The Three Whale Rock

The Three Whale Rock can be found here on Google Maps. The car and motorbike parking as well as the ticket counter, coffee shops, restaurants and toilets can be found here.

The Three Whale Rock sits in the Bueng Kan province of Isan in northeast Thailand around 720 KM away from Bangkok. The nearest towns and cities to the Three Whale Rock are:

Bueng Kan town (24 KM away) - 30 minutes drive - this is where we stayed, check out our guide here.
Sakhon Nakhon (160 KM away) 2.5 hours to 3 hours drive.
Nong Khai (160 KM away) just over 2 hours drive
Nakhon Phanom (170 KM away) just over 2 hours drive on the main road.

Green forests and fields spawl away into the distance from a high vantage point view. — *Isan is a very flat region so when you get a viewpoint like the Three Whales it’s really something special!*

How To Get To The Three Whale Rock

The easiest way to get to the Three Whale Rock is from Bueng Kan town. If you come from Nong Khai you have to drive through Bueng Kan to get here anyway.

Bueng Kan is a great little town and a fantastic jumping off point for some of the lesser known treasures of the region. Make sure you read our guide to the town here.

We’d highly recommend seeking out your own set of wheels, it should be possible to rent through your accommodation and hopefully you won’t get a bike like ours. In their defence we had got the last bike in town as it was the Loy Krathong Festival!

If you cannot ride a motorbike and want to arrange a taxi to take you, speak to your accommodation or head to Bueng Kan’s Bus Station and speak with the tuk tuk and taxi drivers there.

As soon as we got off our bus at Bueng Kan a lovely man introduced himself to us and gave us his number. We actually took him up on his offer the day after the Three Whales as our bike couldn’t be fixed and we wanted to visit Wat Phu Tok. We paid 1500 baht for a full day's air-conditioned taxi which we feel, despite the circumstances, was a good deal.

If you’re organising a taxi you could even try and fit both the Three Whale Rock and Wat Phu Tock into a single action packed day.

For those driving themselves, it’s easy to get to the Three Whale Rock. You need to get to road 3007 which is just off of the main route 212 that goes along the Mekong from Nong Khai to Bueng Kan and onwards all the way to Nakhon Phanom. If you’re coming from inland, then you’ll still need road 3007, but you might be able to get to it from route 222. All the roads are paved and in good condition.

It was free to park our scooter in the Three Whale Rock car-park.

Opening Times And Entrance Fees

The Three Whale Rock is open everyday from 5AM until 5PM. It can get very busy during holidays, festivals and weekends.

A 10 headed stone naga sits with red tongues out in front of some ceramic tulips. — *Everywhere there are hidden secrets and shrines!*

Entry to the Him Sam Wan Recreation Forest Park costs 100 baht per person. You will also need to pay 500 baht to rent a jeep and driver to take you to the top of the mountain. The jeep is plenty big enough for a family.

If you’re going by yourself it's possible to join another group in a jeep and split the cost.

Vertigo And Safety

The whales and viewpoints are very very high up. The drops are massive and there are no handrails. That being said, the platforms (whales backs) are huge and you do not have to go near any of the cliff edges. There are marked out “Safety Zones” on the whales to keep you from going too close to the edge.

A view of the side of one of the Three Whales. Two people stand on the edge of a cliff. The drop is hundreds of metres to the forests below. — *The Three Whale Rock is* ***very*** *high up!*

Facilities At The Three Whales Rock

There are toilets at the base of the rock as well as at the top near the Three Whale Rock viewpoint.

If you want food or drink, there’s plenty of street food stalls and sit down eateries around the car-park at the base. There is also a gloriously air-conditioned coffee shop on site!

Two large brown rock formations come out the green Thai jungle. One is much smaller than the other and both are in the shape of whales. — *On the left is the “baby” of the family - he’s a little too small to walk on though!*

Conclusion - An Unknown Isan Treasure

Thailand never ceases to amaze us. The landscapes are phenomenal and endlessly varied. This little known corner of Isan is an undisputed jewel. Right now, very few Westerners are making the journey to Bueng Kan and the Three Whale Rock, we can’t imagine this will be the case forever as it is simply too beautiful. If you’re in the area don’t miss it. If you’re not in the area, hopefully this will inspire you to head northeast and explore some of Isan’s hidden treasures!

Thanks for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

John and Ellie stand on top of one of the "three whale's" with huge views over the Isan countryside behind.

Check Our Our Other Bueng Kan Guides Below:

Thailand

Treasures of Isan - The Temple Mountain of Wat Phu Tok

Bueng Kan - A Complete Guide To The Isan Town

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Bueng Kan - A Complete Guide To The Isan Town

Sitting in the corner of northeastern Thailand, in the very northern fringes of Isan lies the sleepy, market town of Bueng Kan. Clinging to the banks of the mighty Mekong River and overlooking Laos, Bueng Kan is a small but charming town with a bustling market, lots of street-side eateries and a lively weekend Walking Street. Further afield the town and province are home to the famous Three Whale Rock, Wat Phu Tok as well as national parks, waterfalls and caves.

The town and province of Bueng Kan rarely feature on any travellers itinerary of Thailand, but if you’re looking to delve deeper, explore some untrodden paths, get a taste for Isan food and see a different side to Thailand, then this guide is for you!

Read on to find out everything you’ll need to know about visiting Bueng Kan.

A red motorbike with two passengers zooms past a brown and green house and shop front on the streets of Bueng Kan.

What’s in Our Bueng Kan Guide?

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

What To Do In Bueng Kan

Bueng Kan Walking Street Market

Open every Friday and Saturday, Bueng Kan’s Walking Street Market opens up to locals and travellers from late afternoon until mid-evening.

The night market is huge, sprawling all along the banks of the Mekong River. As with all weekend markets in Thailand, it is a mix of stalls; some selling vintage clothing others mobile phone accessories, local crafts and street food.

A busy night market is full of Thai locals shopping for food. On either side of the line of people are colourful market stalls selling trays of shellfish, bags of mussels and other street food goodies.

We love a Walking Street Market - we love wandering between the stalls, browsing through the wares and munching down on sticks of moo ping (grilled pork), sets of sushi (our guilty pleasure), fried chicken and mango sticky rice. A Walking Street Market is a place where you can eat as much or as little as you want!

In Bueng Kan it was rammed with families, it felt like the whole of Bueng Kan province had descended on the night market! Come the weekend, it’s definitely the busiest spot in town.

If you haven’t experienced a Thai Walking Street Market you haven’t travelled Thailand!

Opening times: Friday and Saturday from 16:00 until 20:30pm.

A lady wearing a pink t-shirt and a chequered apron can be seen putting a box of sushi into a clear plastic bag. In front trays of sushi sit on red wooden boards on the market stall.

A lady wearing a red t-shirt and a black apron can be seen shaking an orange seive behind a market stall piled high with food.

We were lucky to visit the town during the annual Loy Krathong festivities. A huge Buddhist festival that takes place during the 12th lunar month (based on the Buddhist calendar) where Buddhists pay homage to the spirits of the water and place offerings (krathongs) into rivers and lakes to wash away bad luck and ensure good fortune.

In Bueng Kan during Loy Krathong, the whole town was abuzz. There was a huge stage set up with live music and the market was full of families buying flowers, incense and krathongs to release into the nearby Mekong.

Bueng Kan Market

As with any small Thai town, Bueng Kan’s Market is the beating heart of the community. The main market sits inside a covered building, stuffed full of rows upon rows of stalls selling everything from fresh fruit to curry pastes, lingerie to children’s toys. A Thai market is always a great place to have a wander!

Bueng Kan’s Market is a wet market in every sense, with stalls dripping in melted ice, selling live fish and big haunches of meat.

Our favourite thing to do in any Thai town (Bueng Kan was no different) is to head to the market for breakfast. It’s always great fun seeing the markets in full swing and just wandering around snooping at what’s for sale - you’ll never know what you’ll find! When you’re hungry, just head to any of the food stalls that take your fancy, attempt in very broken Thai (if you’re us) to order whatever their selling and we can guarantee you’ll get one of the freshest, tastiest meals you’ll ever have eaten - we promise you won’t get fresher than the ingredients from a market food stall!

We’d recommend heading to the market in the early morning to see it at its best as by lunchtime, the majority of the market is winding down.

Surrounding the market on all sides are plenty of sit-down eateries, so even if you don’t want to dine inside there’s plenty of places to get some munch.

A white tiled market stall is full of colourful foam krathongs. The krathongs feature a variety of different anomals and characters including a fox, bee, duck and giraffe. — When we visited, a lot of the local market was taken up with ‘krathong’s’ for sale ready for the upcoming Loy Krathong festival. There were lots of stalls selling the traditional floral krathongs as well as these newer, very cute modern takes on krathongs!

City Pillar Shrine - San Chao Mae Song Nang San Lak Mueang Bueng Kan

Sitting in the middle of a busy roundabout, a short walk south of the main market, sits Bueng Kan’s City Pillar Shrine. Guarded by two stone elephants and swathed in yellow and orange marigold garlands, the small red and gold shrine was always busy with locals leaving offerings and lighting incense. If you can, pass by the shrine at night as it’s lit up in red Chinese lanterns and is very pretty!

Walk Along The Banks Of The Mekong River

Bueng Kan town stretches away from the banks of the Mekong. Where the town meets the river, there’s a long walking path and road running alongside it which is stuffed full of small parks, cafes, restaurants and bars.

Whilst we were visiting, the whole area was undergoing a huge renovation project, with what looks like a new park being built and a huge curving walking path that will eventually lead out into the middle of the Mekong.

We’d recommend picking up a coffee from the White House Cafe (more on this later) and walking along the riverfront.

There’s a couple of temples to visit along the way, including the red and gold Wat Bupparat Samoson, Wat Pummibal Wattana with its golden Buddha statue seated outside, as well as the colourful Grandfather Shrine of Ya Bueng Kan. You’ll know you’ve reached the Grandfather's shrine when you see the ornate, Chinese style, stepped roof gateway covered in naga’s at the top.

If you’re heading into one of the temples, just remember to dress respectfully with shoulders and knees covered!

Along the walk, don’t miss the big sign which is watched over by two enormous, shimmering green, coiled Naga statues. The sign translated says “The northern border of Isan” and when we visited, was draped in lots of colourful offerings.

A sign with Thai scipture translates to "The northern border of Isan". Next to the sign sit two green and gold nagas guarding the sign. Offerings have been draped on their necks and in a small shrine. — *“The northern border of Isan” sign guarded by two nagas. It’s called the northern border as if you went any further north you’d be in Laos!*

It is also along this road and riverbank where the Friday and Saturday Walking Street Market opens up.

If you’re looking for a beer and a meal, we’d recommend heading to this street in the evening. There were lots of restaurants and bars dotted along this strip.

Visit The Three Whale Rock

Perhaps the province's most famous tourist attraction, the Three Whale Rock are just a 30 minute drive away from Bueng Kan.

Looking like a pod of rocky red whales beached on top of a hill in the middle of a Thai jungle, the Three Whale Rock are super impressive. From the top you can get an incredible panoramic view over the flat landscape below!

Check out our full guide to visiting below:

Thailand

Treasures Of Isan - The Three Whale Rock

Visit Wat Phu Tok Rock Temple

Wat Phu Tok lies around 50 minutes away from Bueng Kan. Clinging to a massive rock that dominates the flat landscape, Wat Phu Tok is a fascinating temple with wooden plank walkways and precarious lookouts sprouting from the rock face.

To read more about our visiting the temple and what to expect when you’re there, check out our full blog below:

Thailand

Treasures of Isan - The Temple Mountain of Wat Phu Tok

Explore Bueng Kan Province - National Parks, Waterfalls and Caves

Bueng Kan town is only a tiny part of the much larger Bueng Kan province. Outside the small market town, there’s plenty to see and do.

The most popular spot for travellers to head to is the Phu Langka National Park which runs along the border of both Bueng Kan and Nakhon Phanom provinces. In the park there’s lots of hiking trails, the famous Naga Cave and plenty of waterfalls.

As it was the dry season we decided not to visit the national park as it’s best visited during Bueng Kan’s Wet Season (May to November) when the waterfalls are at their peak flow. Let us know in the comment what we missed!

We will be back in Isan and next time it’ll hopefully be the right time to explore the national park properly.

A view over green forests, lakes and blue mountains in Bueng Kan Province. Photo taken from the top of Wat Phu Tok.

The easiest way to explore more of the province would be by motorbike or car. The province is very remote and rural and there’s very little (if any) public transport to the attractions themselves. Although you can easily hop between major towns by local bus - just ask at the bus station for more information.

Entrance fees to Phu Langka National Park are 200 baht per adult and 100 baht per child.

Where To Eat And Drink In Bueng Kan - Our Food and Coffee Recommendations

Dining in Bueng Kan is a very local affair, with lots of brilliant Isan cuisine on offer, if you’re an adventurous eater like us, you’re in for a treat! However, if you’re a fussy eater (please don’t be, you’re in Thailand and the food is amazing) then you might find your dining choices are limited to cafes and 7-Eleven. If you’re ever unsure of where to head to for food in a Thai town we’d always recommend heading to the weekend Walking Street Market or the local markets in town - there always stuffed full of great local eats.

We only dipped our toes in to the local food scene, there’s so much more to offer, but here’s just some of our favourite eats in the town.

Fried Eggs at Banpu Porridge

This super popular breakfast eatery became our go-to almost every morning we were in Bueng Kan. Serving pan eggs, congee, pork rib noodle soup and pork floss baguettes, this small street side restaurant was packed with locals munching down their breakfast every time we visited.

We always ordered the pan fried eggs which never failed to be delicious and set us up for a full day of exploring.

Two fried eggs sit in a metal dish topped with strips of Vietnamese sausage, sliced spring onion and Chinese sausage.

Served on a scalding hot metal pan, two fried eggs were cooked to perfection and topped with slices of sweet Chinese sausage, minced pork, chunks of Vietnamese style pork sausage and slithers of spring onion. You can eat it just as it comes like we did, or you can ask for a crispy baguette to dip in the eggs. Coming in at 30 baht a plate, the fried eggs from here were some of the cheapest and tastiest breakfasts we’ve had in the whole of Thailand!

Isan Style BBQ Chicken, Sticky Rice and Som Tam Salad

Book your Bangkok to Bueng Kan tickets in advance here.

It should be a law in Thailand, that if you’re exploring Isaan, there’s no way you can leave without trying some of its incredible barbecued chicken, sticky rice and spicy som tam salad.

There’s no proper Google listing for this restaurant, but it’s located just next door to the PTT garage. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the huge spatchcocked chickens spread out over smoking BBQ grills.

We ordered half a chicken, a spicy som tam salad and two portions of sticky rice and out came an Isan feast!

The som tam was delicious. The plate was piled high with snappy papaya, sweet tomatoes and plenty of crunchy peanuts all sitting in a zingy, sharp and spicy sauce. The star of the show was definitely the chicken. As we pulled it apart, the meat was so moist, the juice would literally soak into every grain of the sticky rice.

If you’re after a good Isan feast, we cannot recommend this restaurant enough!

A white plate is full of shredded papaya, green beans, sliced tomatoes, chilli and peanuts all sitting in the juice of a som tam salad. Next to the plate is a silver cup.

Sitting on a white plate is half a grilled BBQ chicken. Next to the plate is a small blue plastic ramekin full of brown dipping sauce and a basket of steaming sticky rice.

Streetside Wonton Soup

As evening draws in, almost every village, town and city in Thailand will have a wonton and noodle soup stand pop up on the street.

Bueng Kan’s streetside wonton soup stand was always set up on the main road heading into town. It was so good, we ended up dining here twice!

Two big bowls of plump, juicy pork and prawn wontons sat plunged in a delicate porky broth all topped with crispy shards of pork belly and slices of red pork. It was a huge steaming bowl of porky goodness. The stall also sells noodle soup dishes and wonton and noodle plates with soup on the side.

If you’re unsure what to eat but want to dabble at street-side eating in Thailand, just look out for the yellow signs hung above the street carts with the words ‘Chaixi noodles’ written on it in red. We’ve never had a bad meal at any of these stalls.

Stir Fry Street Food Stall - Pad Kra Pao With Preserved Egg

This small stir fry food stall served up plate after plate of Thai favourites. From pad thai to fried rice, pad kra pao to fried morning glory and pork, whatever Thai style stir fry you fancied, you’d be able to order it at this street-side restaurant.

We headed in and decided we would order two plates of pad kra pao. As we were ordering, both of us completely forgot the Thai word for fried egg. We gingerly pointed towards the neon pink shelled eggs and hoped the server would understand what we wanted. He nodded and quickly got to work stir-frying.

What came out was a plate of pad kra pao, but our egg was definitely not the fried variety!

A pink plastic plate is topped with white rice and pork pad kra pao. Next to the plate is a bowl filled with soup. — *The slithers of black amongst the pork are the preserved egg!*

The pink shelled eggs were in fact preserved eggs. On our plate amongst the steaming pork sat half an egg, its yellow interior surrounded in a thick, black jellied coat. Being adventurous eaters we had no choice but to dive in. At first we were a little unsure. The egg was super strong, almost pungent to the taste, but mixed with the spicy pad kra pao and rice, it all came together in a perfect balance of flavours - sometimes when travelling it pays to make mistakes!

P.S. If you’re after a fried egg with your pad kra pao, the word you need is kai daao!

Roo-seuk-dee Cafe & Studio

Our first mission in almost any new town or city on our travels is to find good coffee. Luckily, we found Roo-seuk-dee Cafe and Studio soon after checking into our accommodation.

The interior of the cafe is super stylish with painted white brick walls, modern furniture and lots of trinkets scattered around.

Two plastic cups of iced latte are placed on wooden coasters. In front is a plate with a fork and spoon sitting next to a apple crumble muffin. The muffin is topped with a slice of apple.

The cafe itself served up phenomenal coffee - our two lattes were delicious. The best bit about this cafe though is their cakes! We ordered an apple crumble muffin and it was some of the best cake we’ve eaten in Thailand. Sweet, crumbly and stuffed full of almonds it was a naughty but necessary purchase!

25 July Coffee

This is another super modern coffee shop in Bueng Kan set amongst a pretty garden. Inside, the cafe is painted white with a sleek concrete bar, a leather sofa and lots of antique style wooden furniture.

We ordered two lattes and they were delicious. Nutty, milky and not too sweet, they were everything we wanted them to be for a post breakfast beverage! If you’ve eaten your breakfast at Banpu Porridge (like we did most days) it's only a short walk to this cafe.

Also the staff are super friendly and helpful!

The whire and red wood exterior of 25 July Coffee shop sits in a pretty plant filled garden. To the right of the photo are white metal tables and chairs.

White House Cafe

This tiny, welcoming coffee shop serves up tasty coffee alongside slices of layered cake, cheesecake and other sweet treats.

Two plastic cups are filled with iced americano. The cups have white writing printed on the outside saying "White House Coffee Space". Both drinks are topped with a navy blue straw.

We picked up a couple of iced americanos to walk with as we explored the Mekong Riverfront and they hit the spot perfectly.

The cafe is also open till late during the Walking Street Market so if you’re in need of a caffeinated brew before your market munching, head here!

Why Go To Bueng Kan? Essential Information For Visiting The Town

Where Is Bueng Kan?

Bueng Kan is part of Thailand’s largest region - Isan and sits clinging to the banks of the Mekong in the very north east corner of Thailand. You can find Bueng Kan on a map here.

Bueng Kan is sometimes referred to as Bung Kan.

The town of Bueng Kan is also the provincial capital of the Bueng Kan district; Thailand’s newest province created in 2011. Bueng Kan sits between Nong Khai in the south west, Sakhon Nakhon to the south and Nakhon Phanom to the south east. To the north of Bueng Kan, across the Mekong, lies the province of Bolikhamsai in Laos.

Bueng Kan lies 768 KM (around a 10.5 hour drive) away from the Thai capital in Bangkok.

How To Get To Bueng Kan?

For most travellers, Bueng Kan will be part of a larger Isan trip. In fact it was our second stop on our very own Isan Mekong discovery trail, where we would follow the Mekong and stop in the Isaan towns and cities along the way!

For those spelling geeks out there, you’ll probably have spotted that we’ve been spelling Isan in two different ways: 'Isan’ or ‘Isaan’. The northeast district of Thailand can be spelt in a variety of ways with Isan being the most popular. Some other variations of its spelling are Isaan, Esan or Isarn.

Isan is the name given to the northeast region of Thailand. The region consists of over 20 different provinces including Bueng Kan.

Almost all travellers heading to Bueng Kan (unless you’ve hired a car or motorbike) will arrive at Bueng Kan’s Bus Station, located 2KM away from the Mekong River. The bus station sits just off the main road that connects Nong Khai to Bueng Khan and onto Nakhon Phanom. You can find the bus terminal on a map here.

Bueng Kan’s bus station is very quiet, clean and has plenty of seating whilst you wait for your bus. There are toilets on-site and, just over the main road, opposite the bus terminal is a good sized 7-Eleven - perfect to stock up on snacks and supplies for wherever you’re heading to next - if you’re lucky and catching the bus late afternoon the roti man may also be there!

Rows of empty metal chairs line the Bueng Kan's bus terminal. Outside a blue and white coach is parked up ready for passengers. — *Bueng Kan’s bus station is very quiet!*

When you arrive, there’ll be a couple of tuk tuk drivers and taxis eagerly waiting to see if they can offer you a lift into town. We declined their offers as we were staying at the Wisdom Residence Hotel only a short walk from the bus terminal.

Getting to Bueng Kan From Within Isan

Wherever you are in Isan, you’ll have no problem catching a bus or minivan to get to Bueng Kan. All the major towns and cities will have a bus station and there’ll be plenty of buses criss-crossing the region.

To get to Bueng Kan ourselves, we caught a minivan from Nong Khai Bus Station in the morning and arrived in Bueng Kan by lunchtime - our bus tickets cost 250 baht per person.

A white sign displays the bus departure times from Bueng Kan to Nakhon Phanom. The words are written in Thai lettering. — *Make sure to have Google Translate on your phone - a lot of the time the bus timetables are written in Thai!*

There’s very little information online for the smaller bus routes in Thailand so wherever you’re starting your journey from within Isan, we’d recommend heading to the nearest bus station and asking there for up to date times and ticket prices.

The nearest train station to Bueng Kan is either in Nong Khai or Udon Thani. Both cities have direct trains to Bangkok. From there you’ll need to catch a bus or minivan to Bueng Kan itself.

Getting to Bueng Kan From Bangkok

The easiest way to get to Bueng Kan from Bangkok is to catch a bus. Buses depart every day from Bangkok’s Mochit Bus Station, with around 6 departures per day. Most buses will travel overnight, leaving Bangkok early evening and arriving early the next morning. Journeys will take anything from 11 to 13 hours depending on traffic / number of stops along the way.

We have used the overnight buses in Thailand extensively and have always had a comfy ride. With your bus ticket, you’ll almost certainly be given a pillow, blanket, water and snacks. There is usually a toilet on board and the bus will stop halfway for a food / toilet break.

Getting To Bueng Kan From Chiang Mai

Overnight buses depart from Chiang Mai’s Bus Terminal 3 everyday leaving at 17:00 pm and arriving at Bueng Kan at 08:25 am the next morning.

Book your Chiang Mai to Bueng Kan tickets in advance here.

Getting To Bueng Kan From Laos - Crossing the Thai/Laos Friendship Bridges

If you’ve come to the end of your Laotian visa and are looking to explore northeastern Thailand, you can easily cross into Thailand from one of the Thai/Laos Friendship border crossing points. From Vientiane you can enter Thailand at Nong Khai or if you’re in southern Laos, you can cross the border at Thakhek and arrive at the riverside city of Nakhon Phanom.

From both Nong Khai and Nakhon Phanom you will need to head to the bus station to catch an onwards bus to take you all the way to Bueng Kan.

Where To Stay - Hotels And Guesthouses In Bueng Kan

During our trip to Bueng Kan, we stayed at the very comfy Wisdom Residence Hotel about a 1KM walk from the banks of the Mekong. Our room was very comfortable, with a big double bed, balcony, en-suite bathroom with hot shower, air-conditioning and a small table and chair set - perfect for munching down any treats we had picked up from the Walking Street Market! The room was cleaned everyday and despite a little difficulty with communication (our Thai is appalling) the reception staff helped us with all our questions about the town and helped to find a scooter to rent for the day.

To book a stay at the Wisdom Residence Hotel, click here.

Despite its small size, there’s still plenty of accommodation to choose from in Bueng Kan. From a 4-star hotel to local guesthouses, whatever your budget there’ll be a bed for you. To check out all the accommodation available during your stay in Bueng Kan, click here.

If you’re planning to visit on a Friday or Saturday or during a Thai festival or holiday, make sure to book your accommodation well in advance. The town does get busy and you don’t want to be left stranded without a bed!

A line of people can be seen walking through the middle of a busy market. On either side are market stalls lining the street selling fresh fruit and vegetables. — *It can get very busy in Bueng Kan at weekends!*

How To Get Around In Bueng Kan?

The easiest way to explore Bueng Kan is by foot. The town is very small and is easily walkable. From Bueng Kan’s Bus Station to the banks of the Mekong, it’s only a 2KM walk. There’s plenty of pavements and even after dark, the town is well lit and as with the whole of Thailand, we never felt unsafe!

If you’re planning to head out to explore the countryside, the Three Whale Rock or Wat Phu Tok you’ll need a set of wheels.

Scooter / Motorbike Rental in Bueng Kan

Bueng Kan is very much finding its feet with tourists and at the moment, there isn’t actually a rental shop in town where you can rent a scooter or motorbike. Our advice would be to speak to your accommodation to see if they can help.

On our first day we stopped in almost every shop or garage that looked as though it dealt in motorbikes, but couldn’t find anywhere to rent a scooter. In the end we headed back to our accommodation, the Wisdom Residence and asked the receptionist there if they could help. Luckily for us, she knew a person she could ask and a scooter was delivered to the hotel's car-park for us to rent the next day.

We rented the scooter for 250 baht per day.

Unfortunately on the way back from the Three Whale Rock the bike broke down, with some help we managed to get it to limp home, but we couldn’t rent it the next day, which meant we had to find another way to reach Wat Phu Tok. This brings us nicely on to …

Taxi / Tuk Tuks in Bueng Kan

The easiest place to hail a taxi / find a tuk tuk driver is at Bueng Kan’s Bus Terminal located just off the main road here. In town we rarely saw a taxi and Grab definitely doesn’t work in Bueng Kan.

This is the taxi driver we used!

As soon as we arrived at the bus station a man appeared offering his services. We explained we wanted to get to Wat Phu Tok and negotiated a pick up time / price.

The total cost to pay for a driver to take us to Wat Phu Tok, wait for us to explore and then drive us back to town cost us 1500 baht, an awful lot more than what we would have paid if we had a scooter for a day! But still, for a driver, an air conditioned taxi and an all day exploration it's hardly a rip off! If you can find a scooter rental, it’s definitely the cheaper option, but as we’ve said above it’s not the easiest find. Bueng Kan is definitely not on the usual tourist trail!

Where To Go Next?

From Bueng Kan the next logical step would be to delve deeper into Isan. After our stay, we did just that. We caught the 2.5 hour bus southeast to the riverside city of Nakhon Phanom and after that, continued travelling down the Mekong to Mukdahan before turning inland to visit the Isan cities of Sakhon Nakhon, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani.

If you had already come up through Isan, you could continue north and visit Nong Khai and its mysterious Buddha Park before heading further into Northern Thailand to visit Loei or Phitsanulok.

If you’re at the end of your Thailand trip you could always catch an overnight bus all the way back to the international airports at Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Alternatively, you could head to the Thai / Laos Friendship Border Crossing bridges at Nong Khai or Nakhon Phanom and cross over into Laos. From Nong Khai the closest city in Laos is Vientiane (read our guide to Vientiane here) and at Nakhon Phanom you will cross into the town of Thakhek. From Thakhek you can explore the town or hire a motorbike and ride the epic Thakhek Loop - find out everything you need to know here.

Final Thoughts - Why Go To Bueng Kan?

Bueng Kan is definitely far from the normal, well-trodden tourist trail in Thailand. It’s a small town boasting endless Isan charm with great food, a bustling market and plenty of things to see and do.

Bueng Kan is never going to be at the top of anyone’s Thailand itinerary. In fact if you asked most people to find it on a map, they’re going to struggle - Bueng Kan is a town that definitely feels undiscovered!

We only scratched the surface on what there is to see and do in the province, but we really enjoyed our time in this charming Isan town.

If you’re looking to head far from the well-trodden tourist trail and see a completely different side to Thailand, then yes you should definitely go to Bueng Kan!

Thanks for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

A busy street is filled with market stalls and gazebos. The market stalls are selling vintage clothing, soft drinks and Thai tea.

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The Complete Guide to Nong Khai - More Than Just A Border Town

Sitting on the banks of the Mekong and stuffed full of delicious food, the city of Nong Khai is often overlooked by travellers. Frequently relegated to a border hopping town the city deserves so much more love than it gets from most backpackers. Come with us as we show you what you have been missing. From an incredible Buddha Park to the cities phenomenal food, there is so much more to Nong Khai than just a border between Thailand and Laos.

Straddling the eastern banks of the Mekong River, the town of Nong Khai acts as the border point between Thailand and Laos. With its thriving riverfront, bustling markets and amazing food, Nong Khai deserves more of your time than just a glance from the bus window as you cross the border. We spent several days in this charming little Thai town and this is our complete guide to Nong Khai, the gateway to Isan.

In this Guide:

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

A bright red, gold and green chinese shrine stands in a courtyard. — *Nong Khai is full of beautiful and unexpected sights.*

Where is Nong Khai - Getting to the Border Town

A multicolored Naga bares its teeth. It appears to be being swalled by a lizard/fish creature which is equally colourful.

Nong Khai sits right on Thailand's north-eastern border with Laos, one side facing the Mekong River the other into Thailand's Isan region. The name Nong Khai refers to both the province and the provincial capital, as is the case with many Thai towns and cities.

The town is around 613 km north-east of Bangkok and 35 km south of the Laotian capital of Vientiane.

You can find Nong Khai on Google Maps here.

Getting to Nong Khai from within Thailand

Nong Khai is a major border crossing, as such it has plenty of transport linking it to the rest of Thailand. Buses and trains are by far the easiest and most affordable way to get to Nong Khai from within Thailand.

If you wanted to fly, (backpacking budget meant we didn’t even consider this), you could catch a plane to Udon Thani Airport and then take a bus for an hour to Nong Khai.

Nong Khai by Bus

As with nearly every major town in Thailand, you can catch a bus from anywhere to everywhere. The local bus and minivan services are one of the amazing things about Thailand, they make it so easy to travel around. If you are outside of the Thai capital, head to the local bus station and ask, or check online with 12Go.

If you are travelling from Bangkok to Nong Khai the buses will depart from the Mo Chit Bus Terminal (sometimes called Mochit or Mochit II) near Chatuchak Park. You can find the bus station on a map here. You can book tickets online in advance with 12Go or directly at the bus station.

The bus can take between 9 and 14 hours to reach Nong Khai. The bus station in Nong Khai is located here, an easy walk into the centre of town.

A busy local bus in Nong Khai. The interior is beige and slightly worn.

Nong Khai by Train

Nong Khai Railway Station serves Bangkok, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima as well as a cross border service to Vientiane (more on this later).

You can find the Nong Khai Railway Station on a map here, it is a little way out of the main town but you can easily grab a tuk-tuk or songthaew into town from the train station.

The most common train route for travellers is Bangkok to Nong Khai. The trains leave Bang Sue Grand Station (also known as Krung Thep Aphiwat) up to four times daily, twice in the morning and twice in the evening, and takes around 9-10 hours to reach Nong Khai. There is another train that will take you all the way from Bangkok to Vientiane in Laos - see the next section for more details.

You can book tickets online here.

Getting to Nong Khai from Laos - Vientiane and the Thanaleng Border Crossing

From within Laos you will first need to get to Vientiane, once there you can catch a bus from the Central Bus Station here. There are buses that take you all the way to the Nong Khai Bus Station that leave every few hours. If you miss the direct bus to Nong Khai, then just catch a bus to the border itself - these buses leave much more frequently. The journey time from Vientiane Central Bus Station to the border will take around 35 - 40 minutes and will cost 18,000 kip for a ticket. The border buses are marked in English as "Friendship Bridge".

If you want to reserve a seat from Vientiane to Nong Khai in advance, you can book them online via 12Go. Check the options out as you can get a hotel pickup included this way.

Another way you may want to cross the border is via the newly opened train route. Two trains run per day between Vientiane (Khamsavath Station) and Bangkok Bang Sue Grand Station. If you are getting off at Nong Khai, the journey is really short, you’ll spend more time at the Immigration desk than on the train.

In the worst case scenario you could get a taxi to the border point. If you are making your own way to the Friendship Bridge / border, it is located here.

A tree is reflected in the green waters of a lake. Taken in a park in Nong Khai

Crossing the Thanaleng Border

Once at the border you will have to show your exit card (don't worry if you lost it you can just fill in another), and get stamped out of Laos. You will then need to get a bus across the Friendship Bridge between the two countries. The bus costs 20 Thai baht. You can also pay in Laotian kip.

On the other side of the bridge pass through Thai customs and "voila" you are in Thailand. The border point is a little way outside of town (you can find it here), but it is a cheap tuk-tuk ride back into town.

The Thanaleng Border is listed as being open between 6am and 10pm every day.

Crossing the Thanaleng Border - by Train

If you are taking the short railway journey from Vientiane to Nong Khai you will get stamped out of Laos at Vientiane (Khamsavath Station) before you get on your train, and get stamped into Thailand at the Nong Khai Railway station when you get off.

If you are interested in crossing between Thailand and Laos by train, or want to know more about this route make sure you check out our article on the overnight train from Bangkok to Vientiane:

Taking the Train from Bangkok to Vientiane

Thailand to Laos - The Bangkok to Vientiane Express Train

Come with us as we travel between Bangkok Thailand and Luang Prabang Laos. We catch the budget friendly, overnight express train from Bangkok to Vientiane before transferring to the Laos China high speed railway to Luang Prabang. Read our guide to find out which ticket to buy, ticket prices, train facilities and what to expect at the Nong Khai border.

What To Do In Nong Khai

Nong Khai is hardly massive, but it still has plenty to do. We explored the town on foot and rented a scooter to get out into the surrounding Isan countryside and were surprised and delighted by what we found. There is so much to this region! Here are just a few of the highlights within easy reach of Nong Khai:

Nong Khai Riverfront - Bars, Temples and Statues

Nong Khai runs parallel to the Mekong and the town has taken great advantage of this. A massive promenade runs down the river's edge, with markets, temples, bars and street food spilling out down its length.

During the day the promenade is empty, except for a few people taking a stroll. It is a great way to get out and see some of the beautiful temples that line the river. Don't miss Wat Lamduan with its huge golden stupa and seated Buddha overlooking the Mekong. A little further east and you will find Wat Sri Sumang, with its prayer hall covered in painted scenes. At the far eastern end of the promenade is the gorgeous, white sided stupa of Wat Phrathat Lanong, or rather a replica of the wat…

A ferry approaches the gold and orange robe clad Phra That Klang Nam. Only the tip of the stupa breaks the rivers surface — *You can see the tip of Phra That Klang Nam here, in droughts much more of the temple comes above the surface.*

Out in the middle of the Mekong river is a curious shape wrapped in gold and saffron robes. The original Wat Phrathat Lanong (sometimes called Phra That Klang Nam) is a 15th century stupa that long ago tumbled into the Mekong. Said to house foot bones of the Buddha it is a holy site and you can catch boats from the shore to take a closer look, touch or leave offerings at the sunken temple. On shore the beautiful new Wat was constructed to honor the 72nd birthday of Queen Sirikit of Thailand.

The white and gold pointed stupa of Wat Phrathat Lanong, rises against a blue sky. it the top of a naga lined staircase is a golden buddha.

Another famous feature of the riverside promenade are the enormous twin Naga Statues of Nong Khai. These monstrous mythical snake creatures tower over the river walk shining in green and gold occasionally shooting water out of their mouths! You cannot miss them if you are walking along the riverfront.

Ellie stands in between two enormous, green and gold Naga statues on the nong Khai riverfront promenade — *We did say the Naga were big!*

Come sundown, Nong Khai's riverfront really comes alive. Dance and aerobic classes set up shop facing the river, whilst behind them, the bars open and spill tables onto the promenade. Street food stalls and shops open up all along the river and a few floating restaurants can be found on the water itself. On Saturdays the riverfront becomes the bustling heart of Nong Khai's Walking Street Market.

Tha Sadet Market

Nong Khai is a border town and that means markets! The Tha Sadet Market sprawls along the riverfront, its restaurants opening up onto the promenade outside. You can see the Tha Sadet Market here on Google Maps.

Inside the market you can find handicrafts, clothes and restaurants as well as a famous Vietnamese coffee shop and restaurant - Cafe Viet. The market stocks a bit of everything, from Thai souvenirs and Chinese temple offerings to outdoor activity equipment and lingerie!

Tha Sadet sprawls away from the viewer. Brightly coloured clothes are stacked and displayed nect to bags, jewelery and snacks. The market is covered by a curved metal roof. — *You can find pretty much anything in a Thai market.*

Tha Sadet Market is open all day and is well worth a nose around. Make sure you find the fish statues outside on the promenade - each one representing a species that can be found in the Mekong.

Nong Khai Central Market

If Tha Sadet Market is the border market, Central is the local one. Full of the fresh fruit, hustle and bustle and vibrant colours found in all Thai markets, the Central Market is the town’s local hub and heart. If you are looking for good cheap local Thai street food, this is a great place to start. We had a fantastic bowl of noodles and (on another occasion, we aren’t that greedy) a delicious bowl of congee, from stalls in the market. Both were generous, tasty and very cheap.

A pink plate is topped with rice and sliced, fried chicken. Two bowls join the plate, one with sweet chilli sauce and one with chicken broth — *Chicken Rice or “Khao Man Gai” is everywhere and always delicious.*

A bowl of rice soup or congee is crowned with pork balls, sliced ginger and crunchy pastry, an egg yolk and sliced ginger. — *A bow of congee or “Jok” is always a great choice - try it, you wont be disappointed!*

We were visiting Nong Khai just before Loi Krathong and the whole market was gearing up for the festival. Everywhere we looked, rainbows of flowers and complex, woven krathong looked back. If you have a chance to travel Thailand in or around Loi Kratong do - it is beautiful!

Loi Krathong

The festival of Loi Krathong happens every year on the 1st full moon during the 12th Lunar month. Loi Krathong translates (roughly, pardon our Thai) to “Floating Joy”. The festival honors Buddha and the Watergoddess. People come down to bodies of water to offer penance for sins and wash away bad luck. Traditionally this would be done by making a small raft from banana leaves, setting alight three incense sticks and letting the river take it away; these floating offerings are called krathongs. Over the years the krathongs have become more elaborate and now often feature woven naga, bouquets of flowers and sometimes even dolls and figurines. The offerings have changed but the sentiment of the festival stays the same. It is a beautiful thing to see if you have the chance, the Thai waterways light up with floating candles as the offerings drift downstream.

Wat Pho Chai

The chaos of the market stills and calms as it laps up against the neighbouring Wat Pho Chai, a gorgeous Thai temple with some of the most amazing temple artwork we have seen.

Outside the temple is grand, red gold and white, but inside it is a riot of color and artwork. Every wall is covered in intricate retellings of the life of the Buddha, as well as local legends and myths. It is well worth a little stop inside, just remember to dress appropriately!

Sala Keo Kou - Nong Khai Buddha Park

Bizarre and beautiful, that is how we would describe this unexpected treat. A lifetime's labour of love by the same spiritual artist that collected and built Vientiane's Buddha Park (Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat if you're curious), Sala Keo Kou is even more gigantic and strange than its Laotian brother.

Many armed, many headed statues sit on grass at the Nong Khai Buddha Park. there are stone tunnels, concrete funeral pyres and many seated buddha — *There is a incredible mix of styles, influences and artistic license on display at the Buddha park.*

After walking the whole length of the river promenade, we wandered a further half an hour down the backstreets of Nong Khai until we found ourselves in the surreal garden of statues. Firstly, these statues are HUGE! Massive multi-storey images of the Buddha towered over us. At ground level grand dioramas featuring multi-faced statues and many limbed (Hindu influenced) figures sit all around.

Enormous brick statues stand over the car park of the Nong Khai Buddha park. — *Look at the stalls for a sense these statues scale!*

We wandered around for an hour taking in the intricate carvings, gargantuan scale statues and amazing stone storytelling. We caused a feeding frenzy of catfish when we bought some bread for the fish in the ponds and generally just had a great time.

There is a centre dedicated to Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat in the park - it even features his mummified remains, but there were a few families worshiping there and we didn't want to intrude.

Sala Keo Kou is much less famous than the Buddha Park in Vientiane and it was much less busy than when we visited the Laotian site. We mostly had the park to ourselves to explore without bothering anyone.

Entrance times and Ticket Prices.

Sala Keo Kou is open between 8am and 6pm everyday. Festivals may affect the opening hours.

Tickets for Nong Khai's Buddha park cost 40 baht per person for foreigners.

Naga Buddha Statue - Nong Khai Buddha Park

Exploring the Isan Countryside - The Sky Bridge of Wat Pha Tak Suea

Nong Khai is a gateway to the beautiful and lesser travelled, Isan region of Thailand. If you are looking for an excuse to get out of town and explore, then the Sky Bridge at Wat Pha Tak Suea is a great reason to investigate the countryside around Nong Khai. Just rent a scooter in town (our accommodation sorted this for us but there are places all over Nong Khai) and head out onto the roads of Isaan.

The Sky Bridge and temple are an hour and a half to two hours scooter ride west of Nong Khai.

On our way to the temple we stopped off in the market town of Tha Bo. This bustling town was really cool, full of busy markets and amazing food. We stopped off for a coffee at a super cute cafe down one of the town's side streets. Baan-Phee Coffee was the perfect pick me up for our drive to the temple.

The road to the temple mainly follows the Mekong river and takes you through towns, villages, farms and countryside. It is great fun exploring on the open road in Thailand, there is such a sense of freedom and it really feels like you have stepped away from the hostels and banana pancakes of the tourist hotspots. Eventually the road wiggled up the side of a mountain and we pulled into Wat Pha Tak Suea.

Massive golden and pink Naga's lank the entrance to the red and gold spire of Wat Pha Tak Suea

The temple itself is very impressive. Wat Pha Tak Suea sits high on top of a hill and is full of colourful statues and beautiful golden ornaments. Two enormous seven headed Naga’s guard the entrance, one emerald green and gold the other pink and gold. Golden clams hold glass jewels and ornamental treasures - the temple is seriously impressive!

A glass and concrete walkway is cordoned off due to construction. A worker walks out towards the glass floor. — *Under construction…whoops!*

We, however, had failed to do some pretty basic research before coming to the temple. The Sky Bridge, which allows you to walk off of the hill's crest, was closed. It was having some fairly major reconstruction work done.

This wasn't the massive let down you may think though, the view was still incredible! From the hilltop we could see right out over the hills and plains of Isan, the Mekong snaked away in front of us and, on the other side of the river, Laos stretched away to the horizon.

A huge sweeping view of the countryside, Mekong river and, in the distance, Laos. Forest and farms dot the landscape and distant mountains are faded blue by the haze — *The view more than made up for our mistake.*

After the temple we drove back towards Nong Khai, stopping for an amazing Isan lunch of grilled chicken and a seriously spicy som tam salad. The restaurant was fantastic, overlooking the Mekong. No English was spoken but with a little google translate there was no problem ordering. You can find the restaurant here on Google Maps.

Even without the Sky Walk, the drive, lunch and view had made it a great day out.

A plate of rice sits next to a papaya salad, piled high with chilli's. On the other side a juicy grilled chicken has been cut into pieces. — *Som Tam - Papaya Salad, Gai Yan - Grilled Chicken. Very handy phrases to know if you are hungry!*

We cannot tell if the Skywalk has reopened as of now. The Goggle reviews are all quite old except for one that seems to be talking about it pre-renovation. Check with a local in town when you visit Nong Khai and let us know in the comments!

There is plenty more to do in the area around Nong Khai, there are waterfalls, beautiful lakes and all manner of other attractions to see and do in the area. We were only in Nong Khai for a few days and it was during the dry season so we couldn't visit everything. Let us know what we missed in the comments!

Accommodation - The Best Places to Stay in Nong Khai

There are plenty of accommodation choices in Nong Khai. No matter your budget there will be a hotel, hostel or guesthouse to suit your style.

A blue motorbike tuktuk sits unnder a riot of climbing flowers — *If you give Pikul some advance notice, they can come pick you up from the station or the border!*

We are budget backpackers and found a perfect little hideaway at the Pikul Apartment Hotel. It looked like it has been trapped in time since the 1990's but we kind of loved that! Everything was clean, efficient and comfy and our room was huge with a good shower and a little balcony room.

The Pikul Apartments are located in the heart of town, but off on a side street so they are quiet and relaxed.

There are tons more accommodation options to choose from in Nong Khai, check out our handy map below for all your hotel and hostel options:

Eating and Drinking - The Best Food and Coffee in Nong Khai

It is hard to eat badly in Thailand, you have to really try to find a disappointing meal! Nong Khai is no exception, with hundreds of shophouse restaurants, street stalls and sit down bistros all serving fantastic food. We ate really well in our few days in Nong Khai and these are some of the stand out restaurants and street food we would recommend:

Golden Spoon - YouTube Recommended Congee

This one came on the recommendation of one of our favourite "food tubers" - Gary Butler AKA 'The Roaming Cook'. We had run into him a few days before in Vang Vieng (read more about that amazing town here) and he advised us that, if we like congee, which we do very much, we couldn't miss out on this place!

Congee is an odd meal, it is binary - there are those that have not had it, they think, "savoury pork porridge? Errr...nah...sounds grim". Then there are those that have had it and are now addicted. We have never met anyone who has had congee and not liked it!

Golden Spoon was very busy whatever time of day we passed it. On our first night in town we grabbed a couple of seats to see what the fuss was all about. It was fan-tas-tic! Some of the best pork congee we have ever had, their house made special jaew or chilli sauce set off everything amazingly. We ordered our pork congee with deep fried Chinese sausage which was excellent but, honestly, you could order anything here and have a delicious meal.

Cheers Gary!

Dee Dee Pochana - A Thai Chinese Feast

White flourescent light shines over green plastic chairs, metal tables and slabs of hanging roasted pork belly at Dee Dee Pochana

Once the sun has set over Nong Khai, the chairs come out and crowd the pavements at this Chinese style shophouse eatery. Crowds of people gather, sitting at the metal tables and eating delicious dishes of roasted meats, fried fish and Thai Chinese classics.

We had an amazing dinner here: fried catfish salad (not in any way at all a salad, more an uber crispy crunchy deep fried delight), morning glory in oyster sauce, fried rice and an amazing pork and mushrooms in a cashew nut sauce.

We are aware that we are quite greedy!

A metal table is crowded with plates of thai-chinese food. Crispy catfish, cashew chicken, pork fried rice and green strands of morning glory all glisten deliciously. — *Greedy or not, who could resist!*

Nong Khai Night Market

Around the crossroads and up the streets around Dee Dee Pochana is the everyday night market. Full of roti, grills, stir fries and curries there is something here for you no matter what you are craving. We had some fantastic Hat Yai style fried chicken (check out our article on Hat Yai here) at this market for an early dinner and have been thinking about it ever since!

If you are looking for some classic Isan food, there are barbeques roasting up chicken and plenty of som tam stalls to choose from.

Glass milk bottles are filled with exotic fish, blue fantails swim next to ruby red fish at a market stall. — You never know what you are going to find at a night market.

Wizard Coffee - Scrolls and Breakfast

Another recommendation from Mr Butler, the BB Wizard Coffee Truck can be found parked along the riverfront promenade. Open only in the mornings the Wizard serves breakfasts and fantastic coffees.

A coffee truck has its side open displaying old magazines and coffee beans. In the front a bearded man sits. — *The wizard himself!*

We loved the vibe and the aesthetic of the coffee shop truck, with its scrolls for menus and camp chair seating. The coffee is also seriously good and at a reasonable price.

Cake at Toeys

Sometimes you just need a sweet treat. Cake at Toeys was a little reward we gave ourselves for a long day out on the bike. The cakes are fantastic and the coffee brilliant. After a day out in the hot Thai sun the air conditioning was also a very welcome bonus!

Everywhere else - This is Thailand after all!

There are so many good restaurants, stalls and street food to try in Nong Khai. We couldn't possibly hope to cover all of them.

A white bowl is full of yellow egg noodles, pork balls and slices of liver and pork — *If your eating badly in Thailand - The problem is you!*

From delicious chicken rice to flaky roti's there are loads of great dining options not on this list (or Google Maps for that matter!), just head out into the town and you will stumble on something delicious. As we mentioned in the “What to Do” section, there is some fantastic cheap food to be found in the central market.

Let us know in the comments if we have missed an especially good place to eat!

Where to Go After Nong Khai? Laos and Isan Await!

Being a border town Nong Khai is the gateway to Laos, it is an obvious pausing place between countries and makes a great final or first stop when coming from or going to Laos. The Laotian capital of Vientiane (check out our guide here), with its high speed rail and bus links, is only a short bus ride away from the border. If Laos is your next destination, Nong Khai is a good start.

A less travelled, but to us massively exciting route after Nong Khai is Isan. This huge region of Eastern Thailand hugs the Mekong and the border with Laos. Full of relatively unknown, but stunningly beautiful destinations we decided that an Isan exploration was what we would do after Nong Khai. From Nong Khai we would work away along the Mekong to Bueng Kan then Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan before heading inland to more incredible places. We cannot recommend Isan enough. If, like us, you love getting off the well trodden tourist trails, eating delicious spicy food and going to some lesser known Thai gems, Isan is for you!

A traditional Isan restaurant sits on the banks of the Mekong. A row of raised wooden huts give provate dining rooms for families whilst flags flutter overhead. — *Isaan restaurants are worth the trip alone!*

Conclusion - Is Nong Khai Worth Visiting?

Of course it is! Nong Khai is an interesting town, full of fantastic sights and amazing food!

Nong Khai is far more than just a border town to change buses in. The markets are vibrant and fun, the Buddha Park is unlike anything we have ever seen (including its brother across the water in Vientiane), and the food was phenomenal. We only wished we could have been in town for the weekend Walking Street and market ... next time we will time it right!

Nong Khai makes a fantastic first stop on a Laotian or Isan adventure. The town deserves your time and rewards your exploration.

Thanks for reading,

John & Ellie x

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Adventures Of Jellie 19/07/2025 Adventures Of Jellie 19/07/2025

Koh Mak - The Thai Island Happily Frozen in Time

The little Thai island of Koh Mak is an underappreciated jewel in the Gulf of Thailand. With fantastic, old-school, Thai island vibes and incredible people, this little island has (so far) avoided the modernisation and mass tourism of other beach destinations. Read our guide to Koh Mak and find out, what to do, where to stay, what to eat and most importantly - why you should go!

The moment we stepped off the boat and onto the island of Koh Mak we could sense the difference. The usual hubbub of an arrival pier was simplynot there; quieter even than Koh Kood, there was no throng of taxis, just a couple of songthaews waiting patiently. A faded sign welcomed us to Koh Mak, palm trees waved and only a couple of buildings were visible. This was going to be a seriously laid back Thai island.

Koh Mak is a stunning little island in the Gulf of Thailand with so much to offer. From beautiful beaches to amazing seafood, snorkelling and great bars, the island has something for everyone. Backpackers looking for a quiet escape or holiday makers searching for an island break away from the popular beaches, will find Koh Mak has loads to offer. Budget or luxury, explorer or beach bum, Koh Mak has a little something for any traveller.

The beauty of Thai islands is no longer a secret, the word is out and the beaches are swelling with tourists, but not here on Koh Mak, or at least, not yet. You know you are not on a normal tourist island when there isn't a 7-11 to be found! Koh Mak seems untouched and untroubled by the large waves of tourism that have modernised and popularised some of the other Thai islands. Koh Mak is comfortable and happy as it is, with chilled beaches, bars, small resorts and local restaurants - the island doesn't seem to be in any hurry to change.

We took a gamble and betted on Koh Mak for our Christmas Day, the gamble more than paid off. Koh Mak is completely amazing, now let us tell you why!

In this Guide to Koh Mak:

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

An old fashioned fishing ship is moored to a pier off of Koh Mak. The ship is painted white and grey and sits in the perfect blue waters under a near cloudless sky.

The Beaches of Koh Mak

Number one on anyone's list for visiting a Thai island are the beaches. Thai islands are legendary for their sandy stretches and with good reason, they are stunning! Luckily, despite its small size, Koh Mak is overflowing with beautiful places to lay down your towel.

Ao Kao / Ao Baan Yai Beach

This is the most popular beach on the island. The long beautiful beach is lined with hotels, beach bars and resorts and backs onto the busiest strip of restaurants, cafes and accommodation on the island. However, "busiest" on Koh Mak is hardly overcrowded! We visited at the peak of high season (December) and it was never uncomfortably mobbed.

The beach itself is a great spot for a day’s lazing around. The waters are clear and warm and the sand soft. Ao Kao / Ao Baan Yai (really not sure what it was called so we are using both the names from Google), has great views of Rayang Nai island and its proximity to beach bars and restaurants make it a top contender for an all day beach session.

Ao Khao Beach streches its golden sands away from the viewer. A beach bar with red flags is visable to the left and in the distance a speedboat has pulled up to a small pier. — *You really cannot beat a Thai island beach - bars, clear water and blue skies, Ao Kao had it all.*

Just remember that, in places, a large part of the sand will disappear with the tides. It is usually worth claiming a spot at one of the beach bars and commandeering a deck chair or recliner for the day.

We always headed to Sips Bar, check out, the “Where to Eat” section later for more deets.

Hidden Beach

This might be cheating as the beach is part of a resort, but it also might be one of our favourite beaches on the island!

Head over to the amazing Hidden Beach Bar (check out more about that in the "Where to Eat" section), grab a beer, smoothie or even some tacos and enjoy the amazing sands, individual private coves and incredible views. Plus it has a pirate ship!

Ao Soun Yai Beach

Another glorious curve of golden sands and sparkling seas. Ao Soun Yai beach lies a little further out than Ao Kao and is a little quieter with fewer beach bars (don't worry there are still plenty!). The beach is palm fringed and perfect for a swim. There is also a long pier that serves the Koh Mak Resort; when we visited the pier was mainly used as a diving platform for local and holidaying kids.

The clear turquoise sea laps against the palm lined sands of Ao Soung Yai beach — *Yep, that’s another perfect Thai island beach right there. - Note the crowds of people, or rather the lack of them!*

There are a few smoothie shops, bars and restaurants dotted about as well as a mini mart / convenience store. Most of the places to eat and shop seemed to be affiliated with the nearby resort. The resort also has a booking office for private boat tours as well as all the usual ferry services.

Ao Soun Yai is also where you can charter a boat to Koh Kham, make sure you read about this and why you shouldn't be like us (and miss it), in our "What to Do" section.

Ao Tan Beach and the Cinnamon Boardwalk

This is an odd one but 100% worth seeking out. At the end of a long road sits what definitely looks and feels like an abandoned resort. There are closed restaurants, old deserted receptions and staircases of very questionable structural stability. We wandered through all this before coming out to a small counter where we paid a 50 baht entrance fee to access Ao Tan Beach.

A palm tree bursts out of the yellow sands of Ao Tan beach. In the background a couple sit and watch the sea on a bench made from a log.

The beach stretched away on our right, gold sands, clear water, all as usual for a Thai island, but it was absolutely dominated by the long pier / boardwalk that juts out into the ocean. It is a strange but cool place. The beach is lined by the resort, in all its decaying splendor but our eyes were always dragged back to the enormous pier.

Whether it was due to the entrance cost or being put off by the abandoned vibes, Ao Tan Beach was one of the quietest we encountered on the island. You can rent fishing rods and get drinks or a meal from the ticket counter.

In a final twist to the tale, it looks like the resort may now be open! There are recent Google reviews about staying there and everything! Let us know what it is like in the comments as we cannot picture it!

Laem Son Beach

Only for the adventurous! This beach is accessed via either a long and windy path through a forest. Or by parking at the end of a road and walking thought a semi-secret path - around here we think! The beach access to Laem Son has been massively restricted by a large private property being built nearby and is now a (fun to be honest) challenge to find.

We fired up our scooters and went to search for the beach. We drove down this road until we saw signs to Laem Son Beach and turned off. The road promptly became a broken stone path, some forgotten entryway into a long abandoned resort. Soon even this road ran out and we continued down a dry dirt path winding under the trees. Eventually we came to a little car park, a clearing and an amazing beach!

A long and deserted beach stretches away. The palms give way to gravel, give way to sand, give way to sea. Overhead white clouds streak across the blue sky

Laem Son Beach is large with palm trees dotted about giving shade. There are chairs, swings and plenty of spots to sunbathe. There is also a really lovely beachside restaurant serving delicious looking Thai food as well as beers and other drinks.

Laem Son Beach is also one of the places where you can charter a boat to go and explore Koh Kradat, read more about that later in our 'What to Do' section.

Things to Do on Koh Mak - What is There on the Island?

Koh Mak is a laid back, chilled out island but that doesn't mean there is nothing to do except crispify on the beaches! Koh Mak actually has a surprising amount to do and see for such a small island. From hidden viewpoints in rubber plantations, to secret beaches, diving and tie-dying classes, there is loads to get up to on the island.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, just our favourites, things we missed and what we found when exploring Koh Mak:

Cape Tukata Viewpoint and Pebble Beach

It wouldn't be an Adventures of Jellie guide without viewpoints! Nearly as far west as it is possible to go on Koh Mak, just past an very exclusive looking resort the road runs out in a small parking area. A short way up a signposted path got us to a cross roads where one track led steeply down and the other steeply up.

The path up was a short, sharp scramble on a slightly overgrown forest path. At the top are two tiny viewpoints. You really cannot fit more than a couple of people in either one. Despite their small size the viewpoints give massive views. They are not for those afraid of heights - the path literally pops out from the forest onto a tiny cliff top plateau. You are surrounded by huge drops and monumental views!

John and Ellie stand smiling for a selfie on a tiny patch of flat cliffside. Far below is the sea and in the distance islands mound up from the waters. — *Again, Cape Tukata may not be for you if you have vertigo. Forget swinging a cat, there wasn’t enough room to swing an ant!*

The downwards way leads to a tiny cove. Sheltered on all sides by towering rocks, it is a pretty place with secret, secluded vibes. Sitting in the surf, balanced on the jagged rocks below is a huge pillar of stone. Visitors have made little cairns all over the rock, some of them in places that even spiderman would have a hard time getting to! Trees all around the sheltered cove are decorated with rocks and fishing floats hanging from their branches.

Another clifftop view from Capr Tukata, Koh Mak. A peninsula of tree covered rock sticks out into the sea.

Another different view from Cape Tukata, the cliffside is studded with stones and waving grasses.

Unfortunately, through the action of the tides, lots of rubbish winds up trapped in this little cove. There looks like there have been efforts to tidy up and there were clear mounds where the plastic and fishing jetsam had been collected but there is no easy way to get it out of the secluded cove. There are several rubbish clearing efforts run by various cafes and organisations on the island, consider pitching in if you have the time.

Entrance to the viewpoint and beach is free

Explore the Island

This seems like such an obvious thing to say but you would be amazed how many people do not stray away from their home beach when on a Thai island! Koh Mak is just the perfect size for a few days of unhurried exploration, either by scooter, private tour, or by using the island’s incredibly useful songthaew system (more on all of these in the 'Getting Around' section).

A street on Koh Mak is lined with restaurants and shops. The road is paved but narrow, overhead trees loom and electrical wires stretch across the street.

Just pick a new area or two, head off and see what you can find, we explored most of the beaches we spoke about earlier this way, as well as discovering all the things to do we are talking about now.

Koh Mak is a beautiful, 'real' island. It hasn't paved all its roads, its rubber farmers haven't been bought out by resorts (yet!) and the fishermen still push their boats off of the sands and piers. Getting out and exploring by yourself is the best way to really experience the laid back, real world of Koh Mak.

Boat Trips to Koh Kham

From the booking office at Ao Soun Yai you can charter a boat for the short hop across to Koh Kham island.

This might be our biggest Koh Mak regret but .. we didn't do this. It was a combination of it being Christmas, the cost and simply not knowing better, but we did not visit Koh Kham. Now looking at the satellite images on Google Maps, we are kicking ourselves. Private white sand beaches, abandoned resorts, it looks like a near perfect tropical island.

Boats to the island cost 350 baht. This includes the 200 baht island entrance fee and a free drink on the island. You can get a boat any time from Ao Soun Yai and the last boat comes back from Koh Kham at 4pm. The return journey should be included but double check to avoid a nasty surprise!

Another way you can get to Koh Kham, if you are confident with a paddle, is kayak. All the resorts offer kayaks to rent, the only downside is that they are usually charged by the hour, so the cost can rack up fast if you want to lounge on a deserted beach.

Don't be like us, go to Koh Kham, then make us jealous in the comments by telling us all about it!

Cape Kradun and the Koh Mak Cat Shrine

(location) - Take a scooter ride through the rubber plantation until the road runs out and walk the rest of the way. Best done in proper shoes rather than flip flops as the way is rocky. It is not a long walk from where you leave the scooter to the shrine / viewpoint.

A simple wooden shrine on golden grasses is stuffed full and overflowing with cat statues. Dozens and dozens are lined up on every surface. — *So many different kitties!*

Cape Kradun gives a sweeping view out over the bay towards Ao Nid and, in the distance, Koh Kood. It is a quiet and very pretty place. After parking our scooter we took the short walk up though a rubber plantation and onto the rocky promontory. As we made our way along the clifftop path we were spied on by several wary felines, this was very appropriate as we were approaching the Cat Shrine of Koh Mak.

Perched on top of the cliff and commanding fantastic views, are small wooden shrines stuffed full of miniature cat statues. Moggies of every shape, size, colour and construction spill out from the shrines and crowd the rock faces. Recently burned incense and freshly opened red Fanta bottles show that these shrines are still revered and used. It is well worth a little wander to.

Spirit Shrines and Red Fanta

In many Thai shrines and spirit houses you will see bottles of red Fanta left. Liquid offerings are common at all shrines and red happens to be a lucky colour. The exact reason for the red Fanta varies depending on who you ask. Wikipedia states it was because it had been endorsed by the Thai King, we were told that red is lucky and that the child spirit "Kumantong" especially enjoys the drink, and an internet expert on the subject (Spirit House Connection), stated that the red Fanta origin can be traced back to blood offerings! We are far from experts but love the Thai tradition of spirit houses and the reverence they have for even the most out of the way shrines.

If you do go to this viewpoint and the Cat Shrines, please make sure to take away any rubbish you bring with you, there are a few spots on Koh Mak where, unfortunately, a lot of rubbish is starting to build up. It is a lovely island but doesn't have the infrastructure to send out loads of garbage patrols to take care of the waste left strewn around by careless (John wanted a lot stronger word than 'careless' here) travellers. Several of the cafes and beach clubs hold regular beach cleaning days, if you have the time and want to give back to the island, consider going on one of these!

A slope of dark rocks, punctuated with yellow grasses, leads down and away to a sweeping sea view. In the far distance, turned blue with the haze, is another island.

Ao Pra Pier - Premium Island Sunsets

If you are chasing a serious sunset and don't mind paying a little for the privilege, Ao Pra Pier offers an amazing view of the setting sun ... we imagine....

We are budget backpackers so baulked at the 200 baht per person entry fee, however, if we were on holiday and wanted to treat ourselves to a drink with a fantastic sunset view, the Ao Pra Pier and its Blue Pearl Bar would be a great choice. The pier sticks out well into the sea in the north west of the island and has just enough of a peninsula view to really frame a sunset view.

Another great place for a sunset and drink would be the Ta-Lay Resort and Bar - see later in this section for more details on this viewpoint.

For those looking for a cheaper sunset spot Ao Son Yai Beach is free to park on and wander over! If you are looking for a sunset dinner and pizza based treat, make sure you read all about Banana Sunset Bar in our "Where to Eat" section. The island doesn't have many totally west facing beaches but we never felt cheated out of a good sunset. The island is beautiful in the evening no matter where you are.

Wedged between two cloudbanks, the sun climbs down towards its reflection in the sea. The horizon is starting to glow red and gold. — *The sunsets from Banana Sunset bar are simply stunning.*

A bright orange sun is reflected in the sea off of Koh Mak. The rocks and stones of the shore are stained black in the dying light. — *You will not get many better sunsets.*

If you are an early bird after a truly incredible sunrise, consider staying on the east of Koh Mak at the wonderful Ao Pong Resort (have a look here). We stayed over Christmas and our raised beach house had one of the best sunrise views imaginable!

A stunning golden sunrise climbs above the water. The golden light is reflected all the way to the empty beach and lights up the waves. — *Can you imagine a better way to wake up? - Seriously make sure you read about Ao Pong resort in the Accommodation section, there are not many places like it.*

Somchai's Love Garden

Wow...just...wow... We certainly did not expect to find this at the end of a little forest path! This is not one for: families, the easily offended, prudish or those who aren't prepared to see a lot of genitalia, some of it in very unusual positions!

The official name for this open air (open forest really) gallery is “The Kingdom of Somchai's Affection”. The artist Somchai created dozens of concrete sculptures, mainly of women, with a strong emphasis on sexuality and the act of lovemaking. Seriously, as we write this we are wondering which, if any, pictures we can use without getting in trouble.

Somchai was prolific in his sculpture work and women, men, monkeys, cranes and dogs are scattered around his forest gallery. The style is very unique, the figures bodies are exaggerated to an almost comical degree but they share a theme and have obvious intent beyond the exhibitionism. We are no art critics (clearly) but it was certainly interesting and definitely not something we expected to see in a Thai forest!

Statues of women lie, bend or wrap themselves around each other. All are naked and in improbable poses. One on her back but supporting a table with her head, two in the front acting as a table for a gymnastic third. All around are stange statues. — *Finally found a photo that won’t get this blog censored! Somchai’s Love Garden is well worth a visit, just be aware of what you are getting into!*

Once you have seen Somchai's work in the forest you will start to see it all over the island, just usually with some extra clothing on! Two colourfully clad ladies greet you to the island near the pier, and the Cat Shrine has a couple of his large eared creations.

Entrance fee for Somchai’s Love Gardent - Free

Take a Boat to Koh Kradad

The second in our saga of “island trips we did not make”. Koh Kradad is one of the larger islands (still tiny) off of Koh Mak. You can take a boat across from a few places on the island - we saw it offered at 400 baht from Laem Son Beach (see more about it back in the “Beaches' section”).

Once on the island you will be treated to a tour around the whole thing by one of Koh Kradad's few inhabitants. You can then laze around on deserted beaches until you feel like coming back to Koh Mak. We didn't have the time to do this but the reviews are very positive. If you make it to Koh Kradad, let us know how it was in the comments.

Ta-Lay Time Restaurant and Viewpoint

Palm and other trees line a clifftop view out to sea. Islands pop out of the ocean and the peninsula curves greenly round the frame.

This viewpoint is actually as far south as it is possible to go on Koh Mak. A well maintained dirt road rises up the hillsides of the peninsula until it reaches the Ta-Lay Resort. We parked our scooter in the resort's restaurant's car park and instantly were greeted by a wide angle view of the sun, sea and surrounding islands of Koh Mak. It is free to get in an nobody seemed to mind when we parked our scooter, but if you have the time and money, the bar seats facing out across the view would have made an amazing place to watch the sun set from!

You can also stay at the resort here, it has very good reviews but beyond that we cannot comment!

Koh Mak Museum

This tiny museum sits above Koh Mak Seafood's cafe. It was free to get in and had displays on the history and people of Koh Mak. It won’t take long to have a wander through but is an interesting little diversion whilst on the island.

The cafe that the museum sits on top of is also really good with great coffee and cakes! The museum is listed as being open from 10:30am until 8:00pm every day but we didn't find that to be the case when we visited! Check for a little notice board outside of the Koh Mak Seafood Cafe for the actual opening times.

Take a Class in Tie Dyeing!

If you are looking to flex your creative muscles on your Thai island adventure, you could do a natural tie-dying workshop. We didn't actually do the workshop but we had a nose around the shop and saw the process whereby the naturally occurring ingredients are turned into colourful dyes!

The workshop costs 1000 baht per person and runs for an hour and half, at 2pm every Tuesday and Thursday. The shop is open everyday so pop on by and have a look if you are interested!

Snorkelling and Scuba Diving off of Koh Mak

There are plenty of opportunities to get underwater on Koh Mak. Nearly every beach bar and ocean-side resort can loan or rent you a snorkel! The waters around Koh Mak are crystal clear (well most of the time!) and there are several famous snorkelling islands nearby. Similarly if you have, or are looking to get your PADI scuba license, there are amazing dive sites near to the island.

The open door and price list for Koh Mak Divers.

On the island there is the Koh Mak Divers, who will help arrange snorkelling or diving trips for you. As it was literally Christmas when we were on Koh Mak and we had a spell of windy weather, it wasn't the ideal time for a snorkelling trip. If you go let us and everyone else know how it was in the comments below!

To do a snorkelling trip or scuba-diving expedition you will need to pay the Koh Rang Marine Park fee. This costs 200 baht per person for snorkelling and 400 baht for scuba-diving. This fee is not usually included in the trip costs - so check before you book!

Where to Eat - the Best Food, Drink and Nightlife on Koh Mak

Koh Mak has plenty of great restaurants, bars and local Thai food to try whilst you are on the island. Even though the island is small you can still enjoy Western comforts, cheap Thai food, cold beers, coffee and cocktails.

These are some of our top picks for where to eat and drink on Koh Mak:

Sweet Cake - Cafe and Bakery

As soon as we hopped off our ferry we spotted Sweet Cake. Sitting on top of a small hill overlooking the pier and sea, this cute little cafe serves great coffee and baked treats. If you are craving a proper muffin or a sandwich on home-baked bread, this is for you.

As it was so near our accommodation (Ao Pong Resort make sure you read about it in our "Where to Stay" section) this became our go-to for breakfast coffees and pastries.

a banana and nut muffin sits on a white plate next to a cup of coffee. — *Sometimes a man just needs a muffin, what can I say!*

Dum Noodles

No matter where you are in Thailand, you will find noodles.

A red bordering orange bowl of tom yum noodles is stuffed full of sliced pork, winter mellon and coriander. Noodles are balanced on top of the bowl and a soup spoon sticks out of the broth.

Dum Noodle is a popular and friendly little restaurant in a small arcade of shops near to the Ao Nid Pier. We had perfectly good bowls of bright red Tom Yum Soup here a couple of times. It is more expensive and less spicy than the mainland but that was probably because we didn't ask for any chilli (rookie error).

Dum Noodles are definitely used to catering for passing holiday makers and obviously don't want to blow the heads of any unsuspecting tourist! Remember, if you like spicy food ask for "phed"!

They also serve stir-fry noodles, fried rice and all the usual Thai food favourites.

Koh Mak Seafood - A Real Island Treat

This is the place for a 'treat yourself' dinner. Set out and above the sea, Koh Mak Seafood is the premier place for a seafood feast. If you are on a Thai island and not sampling the sea's bounty, what are you doing?!

We actually treated ourselves to our Christmas dinner here. Our festive meal was delicious crabs, succulent scallops, seafood fried rice as well as fried morning glory and, of course, a couple of Leo's. Everything was fresh, fantastic and it was definitely a Christmas meal we will always remember.

Plates of fresh seafood sit on a wooden table. 8 scallops arranged in a circle are joined by mounts of fried rice, a plate of green morning glory and a whole crab in yellow curry. — *In answer to the unspoken question: No, it was not as good as it looks, it was far, far better.*

Koh Mak Seafood is a treat but it is not overpriced at all in fact, for our 'blowout' crab and scallop Christmas extravaganza, we only spent around 1300 baht! We would say to make sure you book a table if it is a busy period, as the restaurant can fill up.

Do not cheat yourself out of this experience, treat yourselves on Koh Mak and get some great food!

Food Art Hut

Hands down, no contest and by far and away, the most popular place to eat on Koh Mak. Food Art Hut is the number one brunch, lunch and (slightly less so) dinner spot on the island. It is easy to see why, once you have a look at their menu. They do everything you might be missing from brunch at home. Avocado on toast? There are 11 (eleven!) variations on it. They serve a full breakfast menu as well as Thai food, small plates, smoothies and alcohol. We ate here twice and both times the locally baked bread and fresh ingredients were exactly what we wanted.

Bright green avocado toasts are topped with perfectly poached eggs, pesto and tomatoes. — *We know it is cliché but we do love an avo on toast occasionally!*

Food Art Hut is a little more pricey, but you are getting premium imported ingredients. Also, when we say a bit more pricey, we mean for a Thai island, it is an absolute bargain compared to brunch in England!

As it is so popular, Food Art Hut can get seriously busy, so you need to get there early to snag one of the coveted outside tables. Also, as the avocados have to come by ship if you arrive too late, you might find they've sold out!

Mong Kitchen - No Nonsense Thai Food

If you are looking for a delicious lunch or dinner near Ao Baan Beach, Mong Kitchen has you covered.

A black bowl of mussaman curry sits next to thin roti, sliced into triangles. In the curry pork, onions and a rich orange / brown sauce are topped by a delicious oily layer.

Serving all things Thai you can get yourselves pretty much any of the Thai food staples.

Their curries are fantastic with their beef mussaman curry with roti being especially yummy. Again, the fare is all slightly tailored more towards the holiday maker than the local, but it is still delicious Thai food.

River Retreat - Late Nights and Backpacker Fun

This was the most fun night out we had on Koh Mak. The River Retreat is a guesthouse / hostel with a fantastic little bar that is open until late. With cold drinks, live music and great vibes, River Retreat was the busiest place on the Ao Baan strip. They serve food until late and there is a pool table to play on. It really felt like the backpacker hub of the island when we were there. They frequently hold events and theme nights so check out what’s on whilst you are there!

a wooden sign proclaims "River Retreat". Underneath the sign lightbulbs are strung between the trees. — *Sorry we do not have a more interesting picture, every time we came here it was well after dark!*

Make sure you check out our accommodation section for more information as you can stay here as well - It would have been our choice had it not been Christmas!

Sips Bar - Pure Island Beach Bar Vibes

You cannot (by law) visit a Thai island without flopping down on a deckchair at a beach bar. Sips Bar is exactly what we were looking for when we fancied having a beachside beer. Wooden tables, chairs and sun loungers spill out onto the sand and you can just plop down and chill out. They also have a good set of parasols if you want to lounge in the shade.

Johns legs stretch away from the camera. He is lounging on a beach chair with other deck chairs and the sea visable in the background. — *Beach bar lounging is a governmentally mandated requirement of a Thai island break!*

The bar’s location on Ao Baan Yai / Ao Kao Beach means it is a perfect choice if you are looking for a base for an all day beach session.

After dark, the bar switches on its party lights and ignites the fire dancers (hopefully not literally). Check when you are there for scheduled parties and beachside BBQ's.

Banana Sunset Bar - Pizza with a View

Don't judge a book by its cover and don't judge a bar by its name! Banana Sunset Bar was our go to for a treat meal and a beer with a view. Banana Bar serves up thin-based pizza's as well as small bar snacks, beers and cocktails, it also serves up what may be one of the best sunset views on the island.

It is one of our favourite memories of Koh Mak; sitting out over the rocks, watching the sun boil down towards the sea whilst sipping on a cold beer. We've done many a sunset like this in Thailand but for some reason, Banana Sunset stands out in our memories.

A rocky shoreline gives way to gentle sea. In the sky the sun is a distant orange orb streaking its reflection towards the viewer.

The bar is hidden away behind a small (empty when we visited) resort / co-living space, it is a little out of the way but well worth the walk / drive / taxi ride to get there. For how to get around Koh Mak on a night out, check out our “Getting Around” section later.

Little Red Oven

If you can't make it to the Banana Sunset Bar but are still craving pizza, the Little Red Oven restaurant is the partner pizzeria to the sunset spot. We didn't eat here ourselves but as it's run by the same people as the Banana Sunset we'll go out on a limb and guess it's great!

Hidden Beach Bar and Restaurant

Another unexpected delight is Koh Mak’s Hidden Beach.

A jam jar smoothie is held above the gold sands of Hidden Beach

Did you know that Koh Mak has a secret pirate ship? On a secret bay? With perfect sands? And tacos?!

The beach bar at Hidden Beach was a great little find on a random scooter expedition. Ok so the pirate ship would never have sailed the seven seas and may well have seen better days, but this little beach bar was an amazing and delicious discovery.

The lovely staff were great, smoothies fresh (and enormous) and the beachside setting just perfect.

Hidden Beach is also part of a resort and do some amazing rooms - as you can see here.

Driftwood and rope have been fashioned together into a large, pirate ship shaped, bar. — *We told you! A pirate ship!*

Koh Mak Art House

A local hub for islanders, holidaymakers and backpackers, the Koh Mak Art House provides arty experiences during the day and laid back cocktails, beers and soft drinks at night - all served with lashings of hippy vibes.

When we visited it was doing a food partnership with some of the nearby restaurants so you could order a meal and have it delivered to the bar! There are loads of events held at the Art House as well as live music, so it is always worth checking out what is going on there.

We ordered some especially yummy burgers (authentic Thai we know) from the nearby Mono's Terrace Food & Drinks - if you wanted actual Thai food you could order from Khun Mam's Kitchen.

Terraria Cafe and Slow Bar

If you are looking for posh things on toast (and can't get into / have had enough of the Food Art Hut), Terraria Cafe has you sorted. It is a little pricy for the portion size but the food we had there was good. If you're after a sweet treat, we can hands down recommend their cinnamon buns.

The cafe is also the partner to the Terraria Bar in the middle of the island and sometimes gives promotions and discounts for drinks there. As an extra bonus the owner also has an adorable bearded dragon!

A tall curved glass of iced latte site on a wooden table at Terraria Slow Bar. The drink is layerd with coffee, ice and milk at the bottom.

Where to Stay on Koh Mak - Hostels, Resorts and Hotels

Whatever kind of visitor you are to Koh Mak: backpacker, family holiday or luxury jet-setter, there will be a place for your budget and preference. The island may be small but it has plenty of different accommodation choices; from the most basic budget hostels to the bougiest of boutique resorts, whatever your comfort level, you will be able to find it on Koh Mak.

Ao Pong Resort - Our Beachfront Choice

Ao Pong may be one of our favourite accommodations we have ever stayed in! Set a short walk from the main ferry pier, you have your own private beach and beautiful old school beach house accommodation. Seriously, this is the one if you are looking for beach life island vibes. We stayed in one of the old fashioned beach houses over Christmas and it was magical.

A view across Ao Pong's beach. Trees frame the sea and sands. Two blue boats sit propped up against a tree. — *This was our room’s view - Not too bad :P*

Ao Pong is a resort in name only. The accommodation is no frills, basic but comfortable and comes with unbeatable beach and sea views. The accommodation faces out to the east so you get out of this world sunrises and, as it does not face the sunset, it stays a pleasant temperature. We had air conditioning in our room (we were treating ourselves for Christmas after all), but we never needed anything other than the fan.

The rocky beach is small, intimate and feels really private. You can borrow snorkels or even rent a kayak. It was amazing to get a beach bungalow, private beach and views like this for the price we paid - honestly we thought this era of Thailand's tourism was well in the past and we're so happy we found it.

Sands and pebbles curve away from the viewer and trees frame the view of Ao Pong Resorts beach. The sea is bright blue and greenery and jungle spill out all around — *This was our little private beach. The short path to Ao Pong, leads to the resort, beach and no where else, so it is effectively completely private!*

There are traditional wooden beach houses and now some new fancy looking concrete rooms. We stayed in a wooden stilted bungalow and absolutely loved it. There is a small restaurant on site and the lovely owners rent bicycles and scooters out.

Ao Pong is a good distance away from the main "hub" of the island but is nearby to a large shop (handy for essentials and beer), Dum Noodles, Sweet Cake and the excellent Koh Mak Seafood. Check out the above section for all our food reviews.

There is also an easy island-wide taxi service to get you around for a night out - see later on for more details.

We cannot sing the praises of Ao Pong enough, if you're interested, have a look at rooms here.

The River Retreat Koh Mak

This would have been our choice if it had not been Christmas and we could not get into Ao Pong Resort. The River Retreat seems to be the backpacker heart of Koh Mak. Its bar / restaurant was thriving even when others were quiet and the rooms looked great. We had a couple of fantastic nights out chatting to travellers and listening to live music in their hostel bar.

The River Retreat is also in a fantastic location, slap bang in the middle of Koh Mak's busiest hub and a very short walk from the most popular beach - Ao Kao. The rooms cost more than a hostel on the mainland would, but they are fantastic looking and in such a great location. Also if you are on a really tight budget, and don't mind being mildly boiled, they offer tents as well!

Check out the rooms here.

Hostels in Ao Kao

There are a few other hostel and budget choices in the Ao Kao Beach area. They were a little quiet when we visited (Christmas time) but were in a great area. We did not stay at these but they are well reviewed and could be an option for budget travellers like us:

Hotels and Luxury Resorts

Koh Mak has no shortage of exclusive and luxurious places to stay. If you have a larger budget than us and feel like treating yourself to a proper island escape, check out these options:

Seavana Resort

This is currently the highest rated by reviews and looks completely, decadently fantastic. The suites with a roof lounge and hot tub look especially bougie...

Have an ogle yourself here.

Hidden Beach Resort

We stumbled across this gorgeous resort when we visited its amazing Beach Bar (see above). The staff were lovely and the food was amazing so we had a nose around the rooms. The accommodation looks fantastic and the location is incredible, take a look here.

Small waves break on the sands of Ao Koa beach. Boats sit offshore and islands can be seen.

All Accommodation Choices on Koh Mak

There are literally dozens of other choices for any level of luxury or budget, have a look at our handy map for all of Koh Mak's accommodation choices:

Zoom in or out to see all the different choices!

Where is Koh Mak?

You can find Koh Mak on a map here.

Koh Mak is the smallest of a string of three islands on the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand - okay, there are lot more islands than three but they are tiny! Koh Mak is a little island, only 10km from one side to the other. Its sister islands of Koh Chang and Koh Mak are both within 20km of Koh Mak shores.

The island chain is part of the province of Trat and the nearest city is Trat City. Koh Mak is around 300km South East of Thailand's capital of Bangkok.

Koh Mak island sits in the clear blue waters 30km off of the Thai mainland. The more famous islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao sit on the opposite side of the Gulf of Thailand over 360km away.

Getting to and from Koh Mak

Koh Mak is only accessible by ferry - there is no commercial airport on the island. To get to Koh Mak you either need to be on one of the neighbouring islands of Koh Chang or Koh Kood or, be coming from the pier in Trat on the mainland.

Depending where you are starting from or hoping to get to, you have several options for getting to Koh Mak:

Getting to Koh Mak from the Mainland - Ferries & Speedboats from Trat

The easiest way from mainland Thailand to Koh Mak is the ferries that run multiple times a day from a few piers in the province of Trat on the mainland.

Boonsiri run ferries from the Hat Lek Pier and Laem Sok Pier. They also run transfer services from Trat Airport and even all the way from Bangkok!

A sticker for the Koh Kood Express is stuck to John. It is Blue and proclaims the destination - Koh Mak

The other operators mainly run speed boats to Koh Mak from Laem Ngob / Laem Ngop Pier. From Laem Ngob there were at least two different operators running 4 boats to the island per day. When we visited all the departures to Koh Mak were in the morning, so factor this in if you are planning to leave from this pier.

The Laem Ngob Pier seems to be the one that the operators in Trat town will use if you buy your ticket through your accommodation there. If this is the case, nearly all of them will include or offer a hostel / hotel pickup to get you to your pier at the right time!

You can buy tickets from your accommodation in Trat town (we stayed at the cheap and lovely Pano Solar Guesthouse, who arranged all our ferry transfers for us). Alternatively if you are holiday planning, not staying in Trat, or just want everything confirmed in advance, you can book online via 12Go here.

Whichever pier you depart the mainland or islands from, you will arrive on Koh Mak on Ao Nid Pier. From here it is easy to arrange transport to your accommodation if it is not already included in your ticket cost. There are always taxi's waiting by the pier, they should cost 50 baht per person to anywhere on the island, however there is a minimum charge of 100 baht so make sure you group up before travelling! Check out the section on getting around Koh Mak for more details about the island wide taxi service.

A muticolored sign states "Green Destination Koh Mak" — Koh Mak has made a lot of progress and prides itself on being a “green” island. Many of the businesses and stores have stopped serving plastic bags and there are lots of green initiatives on the island.

If you are travelling from Trat Airport to Koh Mak you can arrange a transfer on arrival at the airport or book in advance here.

Bangkok to Koh Mak

If you are travelling from Bangkok to Koh Mak you can book a ride all the way on a minibus. Check out tickets here.

It is a 7 and a half hour journey from Bangkok to Koh Mak.

For those who really are in a hurry (and have deeper pockets), you can fly from Bangkok to Trat then take the above airport transfer to the island. You can see the ticket prices below:

Flying is not actually as crazy as it seems. If Koh Mak is the first or last destination on you Thai adventure then you can cut down on the airport visits and shorten your travel days considerably by flying to or from Trat.

Getting to Koh Mak from the Islands - Speedboats from Koh Chang and Koh Kood

If you are already on one of the other beautiful islands nearby, firstly make sure you have read our guides to Koh Chang and Koh Kood! After your done, just relax as it is very easy to get between the islands.

Ferry / speedboat from Koh Chang to Koh Mak

Book tickets from your accommodation, any tour office on the island, or book in advance via 12Go below:

Koh Chang to Koh Mak

If you are on Koh Chang you will need to get to the Bang Bao Pier to catch your ferry. Most tickets will include a transfer from the major resorts and towns. Check before you travel!

Ferry from Koh Kood to Koh Mak

Again, you can book a speedboat between the two islands easily from your hotel, resort or hostel. If you are travelling in the high season and want to book a ticket in advance, you can via 12Go below:

Koh Kood to Koh Mak

Ferries between Koh Kood and Koh Mak depart from the Ao Salat / Ao Salad Pier on Koh Kood.

Ellie stands in a lineup of ships officers, police mean and fellow confused tourists. The group is in front of a large white ferry and next to a pile of bags. — *Before getting on the ferry, Ellie was invited to a photo session with the ships captain and some local official. Why? We will never know!*

Leaving Koh Mak - Where Next?

When the time comes to leave Koh Mak, you will need to head back to the Ao Nid pier, cast a longing glance back at the beautiful little island and board a ferry onwards. From Koh Mak you can head to Koh Kood, Koh Chang or back to the mainland, just use the above suggestions, but in reverse.

There is also the tiny island of Koh Wai you could explore. Smaller even than Koh Mak this looks like a proper island escape. There are only a couple of resorts on the island and they close down during the wet season. You can have a look here, if you go please let us know what it is like in the comments!

If you are looking for something a little different, consider the province and city of Trat. Both the town and the province are full of unexpected awesomeness. From cheap and delicious seafood, to stunning temples, beaches and coast roads there is a lot to see in this lesser visited corner of Thailand.

From Koh Mak / Trat you are not far from the border with Cambodia, so you can easily use Trat as a jumping off point into a Cambodian adventure.

At the present moment, Thailand has closed its tourist borders with Cambodia. We hope the situation resolves itself soon and will update our transport advice when it does.

Getting around on Koh Mak Transport on the Island

Koh Mak is not a huge island by any means but it is large enough that you will need to think about transport. It would take hours to walk the island end-to-end and that would be no fun in the scorching Thai heat. Depending where you stay you should have plenty within walking distance to do, eat and see but you will definitely need some kind of wheels to get out and about and explore the island. Luckily Koh Mak has come up with a few ways to get around:

Rent A Bicycle

Peddle bikes are a really popular way to get about on Koh Mak. Several of the resorts and hostels will either give you one for free or loan one out at a reasonable price. The island is mainly flat and there is barely any road traffic, so if you are looking to go beach to beach the bike is a great, and healthy option.

We have to also give a special shout out to the lovely people at Koh Mak Information and Bike Rentals.

Bicycles stand around the concrete counter of Koh Mak Information and Bike Rentals. A sign is offering E-Bike tours.

They gave us free water refills, maps around the island and loads of advice, without once trying to pressure us into a sale or a rental - we had pulled up to have a look on our scooter so clearly were not in need of transport, they were just really nice people. If you are a family and need a squad of bikes, or you just want to rent a good bike from a central location, give them a go!

Renting A Scooter

You knew it was coming, Thai islands always offer scooter rental and it is the most fun (and laziest) way to explore. It really opens up the island and offers such a sense of freedom. On a peddle bike you might not gamble your time with an unknown road or a long detour, on a scooter it is no bother.

Everywhere on the island will rent you a scooter. We rented an elderly automatic from our accommodation for 250 baht per day, this appeared to be the island price. All the usual scooter rental warnings apply: wear a helmet, video the scooter’s condition, do not drive if you are not confident and the most important: don't be an idiot.

You can find petrol for sale at local shops (usually in repurposed rum bottles).

Golf Carts on Koh Mak

We know this is an odd one, and personally we cannot think of a more embarrassing method of getting around, but, if you have a family it could make sense to have a larger means of transport. Several of the resorts will offer electric cart rentals, generally around the 800-1000 baht per day range. Just do not attempt any of the more rural roads, or steeper hills!

Koh Mak Island Taxis - the Brilliant Songthaew Service

Koh Mak has an ace up its sleeve when it comes to getting around. There is a network of songthaews across the island that can be summoned via WhatsApp to wherever you may be and take you wherever you want to go. Songthaews are the large open-sided taxi-trucks found all over Thailand. On the mainland they usually run pre-defined routes like a bus, on the island they function more like shared taxis.

A white songthaew sits parked onm the side of a small road. The songthaew is white with open sides and has "TAXI" and phone number written on the sides. — *These songthaew taxis were so useful. They meant you could go for a night out in a distant bar and still get home without having to trek across the island in the dark.*

The songthaew taxi is also very reasonably priced (for Thai island transport). During the day, the taxi service costs 50 baht per person, per journey with a minimum spend of 100 baht. The cost goes up if you need a taxi after 10pm, doubling to the, still quite reasonable, 100 baht per person.

You can also negotiate directly with the drivers if you want a multi-stop or even a full day tour of the island. This would be a great way to explore with a family or with a hostel group; especially if you do not like the idea of two-wheeled transport on your island break. The songthaews can easily fit 8+ people so large families or hostel groups are not a problem.

If you do not have mobile data, any restaurant, bar, hotel or hostel will happily arrange a taxi for you.

When we visited the numbers we used for the taxis were:

+66 920 547 275
+66 828 877 966
+66 959 699 566

Double check the numbers when you visit as they were personal mobiles of the drivers and may change!

When calling / texting they will often refer you on to the taxi nearest to wherever you are on the island.

When to Visit Koh Mak - What is the Best Season?

We will preface this by reminding everyone that we have only visited Koh Mak in one season, the hot and dry peak tourist season! We are not going to pretend we know what it is like in the low tourist times of the wet season months.

That being said, this is our reasoning for visiting when we did.

Dry Season

High season runs from November to April, where you can expect warm weather, clear(er) skies and much better beach and swimming conditions. It will also be the busiest season for tourists, especially around the holidays. However, we visited literally over Christmas and the island was far from overcrowded! If you are planning to travel during the dry season consider booking accommodation and transfers in advance, just in case they sell out!

Wet Season

Low season is May to October. During this time rain will be much more frequent and usually torrentially heavy. The seas will be rougher and less clear and many activities will not be on offer (organised snorkelling, island hopping etc). Some (but not all), of the resorts will close and lots of the island will shut down. Again we did not travel in the wet season so cannot really report on what it is like on the island but we have travelled to other Thai islands in the wet season and had fantastic times. As long as it is not your only holiday for a year and you can accept that things will be quiet, closed or not available, you may be able to enjoy a cheaper, more secluded island break during the wet months.

Perfectly clear sea laps against golden sands under blue skies. — *Beaches do look better under blue skies.*

Island Alternatives During Thailand’s Wet Season

If you are travelling during Thailand's wet season, and really want a properly sunny beach break. Have a look a little further afield - take a peak at the beautiful island of Karimunjawa in Indonesia.

Koh Mak at Christmas - Our Experience on the Island

A christmas tree is surrounded by wrapped presents under scorching sun and blue skies. The tree is at the end of a pier and next to an old kayak, below the sea is crystal clear. — *Christmas on a Thai island is certainly different from in London!*

After a lot of deliberation we had set our hearts on spending Christmas on a Thai island. We had been travelling around South East Asia for 3 years at this point and wanted a nice Christmas break from our long term, budget backpacking. Over the course of December we would work our way around Thailand's eastern islands.

First we would head to the big, busy and fun Koh Chang, then hop on a speed boat across to the laid back and beautiful Koh Kood before moving to little Koh Mak for a secluded Christmas break. We had never visited any of these islands before and wanted to have a really special, backpacking, island hopping, Christmas experience.

It worked, it worked sooooo well!

Christmas on Koh Mak is everything we wanted it to be; there was festivities and fun but it hadn't dominated or taken over from the island vibes. It felt like Koh Mak struck a perfect balance between making us feel special for choosing it for our Christmas spot whilst not sacrificing any of its own personality. There were bar parties and specials at the restaurants. All the larger resorts were doing something for Christmas and the piers and beaches had (frankly hilariously out of place), Christmas trees and reindeer.

A wooden reindeer stands incongruously in the shallows of a golden sanded beach. Above the sky is blue and the sun strong.

Yet despite all this, it still felt like a real place, Koh Mak is always true to itself it seems and, even though it was the massive Western commercial holiday of Christmas, the island lost none of its laid back charms.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, Koh Mak was not overcrowded! Even though it was the middle of the high season, even though it was Christmas, the island did not feel crowded in the slightest, there was a buzz but nothing suffocating, it felt special, like a secret only a few knew.

Conclusion - Our Final Thoughts on Koh Mak Island

In case you couldn't guess from the above, we loved Koh Mak. It is not really an island we had heard of before, but we are so glad it popped up on our radar. It has the indefinable charm of a true 'old school' Thai island. The people are genuinely friendly, the island is not overdeveloped and you can even still stay in a lovely beach cabin without having to sell your house!

We have avoided the question asked on every blog about every island in Thailand: “How long should I spend there?”. There is no right answer You can spend as long as you want on Koh Mak! Holiday makers could spend a couple of days or a couple of weeks depending on how much relaxing on a beach they want to do. Backpackers could dip their toes in for a few days and then decide if they want to take a longer break. The island is laid back and so should you be!

We are long term backpackers and adore the Thai islands. Even though Koh Mak was the 13th (insert spooky noises here) Thai island we have visited, it was fantastic, unique, unexpected and beautiful.

Koh Mak is (hopefully) small enough to continue to fly under the radar of mass redevelopment. For now it remains gloriously simple and simply glorious.

We always say this with Thailand’s islands, but it is true:

We will be back.

Thanks for reading,

John and Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

Ellie and john stand in the clear shallows on a beach in Koh Mak. They are smiling for a selfie.

The Other Eastern Islands of Thailand

Make sure you check out our guides to the little oases of Koh Kood and the huge (Thailand’s 3rd largest) island of Koh Chang:

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Koh Kood - Thailand’s Undiscovered Island Jewel

Thailand’s Koh Kood is an undiscovered tropical paradise. The island is still a hidden gem and boasts some of the prettiest beaches we’ve ever seen - think white sand, crystal clear turquoise water and swaying palms. Read our complete Koh Kood guide to find out everything you need to know about visiting the island. From what to do and where to stay, the best hostels, hotels and resorts to where to eat and drink and how to get to the island, we share it all!

Koh Chang - Our Guide To Thailand’s Third Largest Island

Thailand’s third largest island - Koh Chang is a perfect tropical escape. Less popular than Phuket or Samui, Koh Chang and its phenomenal beaches, nightlife and scenery has been drawing the more discerning backpackers and holiday-makers for years. Find out what there is to do, where to stay, what to eat and how to get there in our complete guide!

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Koh Kood - Thailand’s Undiscovered Island Jewel

Koh Kood is literally a tropical island paradise. Sitting in the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand, surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches, Koh Kood is everything you’d expect a Thai island to be. It’s one of those places where if you asked a child to draw a picture of what they thought a tropical island should look like, it would come out like Koh Kood.

It’s an absolute stunner of an island, with palm fringed beaches, gentle lapping waves, bright white sand, so white it literally sparkles and a warm and shimmering, turquoise sea.

Despite its natural beauty and being an easy journey away from Bangkok, Koh Kood has escaped mass tourism. It’s an island that remains relatively undeveloped and even in the height of the peak season, you’ll still be able to find your very own slice of paradise!

We had a fantastic stay on the island, spending our days beach-hopping, swimming in the sea and lounging around soaking up the quiet Thai island.

This is our complete travel guide to visiting the undiscovered jewel in the Gulf of Thailand - Koh Kood!

A sandy beach stretches away to a tree covered hill whilst clear waves crash gently on the shoreline.

What’s in Our Koh Kood Travel Guide

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

What to Do on Koh Kood?

There’s plenty to see and do on Koh Kood - even if you’re just planning to spend your time horizontal on the sands. Whether you’re an adventurous islander or a beachside bum, we can guarantee that you won’t be bored on Koh Kood.

Swim and Sunbathe - the Best Beaches on Koh Kood

The beaches are almost certainly the main reason why you’ve chosen a break on Koh Kood - they are beautiful! In all our travels, they’re definitely up there as some of the prettiest beaches we’ve ever seen.

During our stay, we explored every nook and cranny of the island and these are some of our favourite beaches on Koh Kood.

Khlong Chao Beach

Khlong Chao Beach is literally paradise in every sense of the word. A huge white sandbank stretches out towards jungle covered cliffs. The sand is so pearly white on this beach, it literally sparkles underneath the intense Thai sun. We’ve heard people say that sand can squeak when you walk over it but we’ve never experienced it ourselves, that was until Khlong Chao!

We stayed very close to this beach at the fantastic Baan Klong Jao Homestay (more on this later) and spent most days swimming and relaxing on this beach.

The beach is lined with the luxury 5-star resorts of the Tinkerbell Resort, the High Season Pool Villa & Spa and the Wendy The Pool Resort but don’t worry, even if you’re not staying at these hotels there’s plenty of space on the sand to lay your towel down.

White sands give way to gentle ways and vibrant blue waters at Khlong Chao Beach.

If you’re driving to the beach there is a small car park just off the main road (located here). It’s at this end of the beach where you can get a great spot on the sand a little further away from the private resort bungalows. There’s also plenty of shade from the palm trees lining the beach.

At the other end of the beach, just past the Hook Resort bar and restaurant is a massive bank of sand that stretches out, forming a natural boundary between the gentle ocean waves and the mangrove lined estuary - this sandbank is a great spot for sunset!

A blue, green and yellow kayak sits parked on a sandbank covered in footprints. — *There’s plenty of places to rent kayaks from in Khlong Chao!*

If you don’t fancy a beer or munch in one of the resort owned restaurants, there are plenty of other options lining both sides of the main road behind the beach on the main Khlong Chao village strip.

Ao Taphao Beach

Ao Taphao is another gorgeous beach on Koh Kood. A long stretch of pure white sand, swaying palm trees and gentle waves. It’s another beach which is absolutely impossible to describe without sounding cliche!

We found a great spot under a palm tree and spent an afternoon swimming in the sea and lazing around on the beach.

To reach the beach you’ll need to park just outside the Sea Far Resort and walk through its garden until you reach the sand.

John walks through the surf wearing an orange t-shirt. The beach arcs away with huts on the white sand and palm trees swaying overhead.

On the sand there is a small wooden pier, selfie swings and deck chairs to rent for 100 baht. There’s also a couple of resort owned bars which are a little pricey, but for the beachside view you can’t complain!

At hide tide the beach almost disappears, but there’s still just enough sand to lay out on.

Bang Bao Beach

Bang Bao Beach is possibly one of the prettiest beaches we’ve ever seen on our travels. Surrounded by jungle and towering palm trees, a huge bay arches away in a gentle curve. From the shoreline you can literally see the water change colour as it goes from crystal clear to vibrant turquoise all the way to deep azure blue - it’s like all the shades of blue have been mixed on a painter's palette.

Palm trees line a golden sanded beach. A wooden jetty juts out into the blue water.

There’s plenty of shade on the beach as the whole sandy bay is lined with palm tree cubby holes. You can either choose to lie out on the sand, or make a camp on the shaded grass in front of the Siam Beach Resort bungalows.

In the middle of the beach a long wooden jetty juts out into the sea. When we visited it was full of young children jumping into the water.

If you’re planning a full day at this beach there are a few bars and restaurants dotted along the shoreline.

To get to the beach, turn off the main road and follow the signs. There is a free carpark next to the BB Diving Company and the Siam Beach Resort.

Haad Khlong Hin Beach

Haad Khlong Hin Beach is a little trickier to reach by scooter, but once you’re there you’re more than rewarded for your adventurous bravery.

Khlong Hin Beach is another beautiful beach, a curving bay of golden sand studded with palm trees. It’s such a pretty bay with super clear water, so warm that feels as though you’ve stepped into a bath (at least it did when we were swimming in it in December)! The water is perfect for swimming. It’s shallow for quite a way before it drops off, so you can easily laze around in the water.

There’s plenty of shady spots underneath the palm trees and we didn’t have any trouble finding our very own little private nook on the beach to lay down our towels.

A turquoise wave crashes gently onto the white sands of Khlong Hin Beach. Above the beach, the sky is bright blue.

If you’re planning a full day on this beach, there are a couple of shops and a smoothie stall to buy drinks and snacks from near the carpark or if you’re after a full meal, then there’s a restaurant directly on the beach.

To get to the beach you’ll turn off the main road, following the road until it splits in two. Both routes are very sandy, but if you go slowly, you shouldn’t have any problems. From there the small road alternates between thin strips of concrete and sandy paths. At the end of the road you’ll first reach the Hideout Resort carpark. Don’t park here, continue down the sandy track (only about a minute’s drive away) to the grounds of the Khlong Hin Beach Resort. Here you’ll find plenty of free parking.

Ao Phrao Beach

Another absolute stunner of a beach - golden sands, palm trees, bright blue sea, the works!

After Khlong Chao Beach, Ao Phrao is the next real hub for travellers, with plenty of accommodation, restaurants, beach clubs and bars all within walking distance of the sands.

On the beach itself, there is a long wooden pier that juts right into the sea. At the end of the jetty there’s hammocks to lounge in right above the water!

A white sanded beach curves away from the viewer. A white speed boat sits docked in the blue sea.

As you approach Ao Phrao Beach, don’t miss the white and gold seated Buddha statues staring down at you from the Wat Ao Phrao temple.

To park our scooter, we just followed the road until it ran out and parked next to Jao Tin Seafood restaurant.

Swim in a Jungle Waterfall

If you fancy a break from the turquoise waters on the coast, then Koh Kood can provide two other natural swimming pools. Hiding in the dense jungle interior, both waterfalls are stunning!

Khlong Yai Kee Waterfall

Khlong Yai Kee Waterfall is located in the north of the island a short drive from the main road. The waterfall is free to enter. Just park up in the carpark and follow the short but steep concrete stepped path that leads down into the jungle.

At the bottom you’ll need to scramble over some stone boulders and rocks that litter the riverbed. After about 5 minutes of clambering, the waterfall will reveal itself!

A stepped vertical cliff of stone sits like a massive dam in the middle of the river. In the centre of this rock face, a small white curtain of water tumbles down into a deep jungle pool.

We were visiting at the peak of the dry season and were worried we’d see a completely dry waterfall, but there was still water flowing!

White water tumbles down a flat cliff of rock into a dark green jungle pool. On all sides of the waterfall trees and vines rise up to the sky.

It didn’t take us long to dive into the cool water. The pool is deep enough to swim around and is super refreshing. Just be warned that if you’re ticklish, like Ellie is, there are lots of fish who like to nibble on your toes! We spent a good few hours swimming in the jungle pool and relaxing on the flat rocks. There’s also a secret pool at the top of the waterfall, explore at your own risk!

Be careful when you enter and exit the pool of water - the rocks are extremely slippery and it’s very easy to slip over on them - John’s bruised bum can attest to this!

Entrance fee: Free

Khlong Chao Waterfall

A 5 minute drive (2 KM) from Khlong Chao Beach, Khlong Chao Waterfall is another hidden jungle gem.

To reach the waterfall, just follow the signs through the jungle until you reach the riverbed. From here, you’ll need to jump across a couple of small channels in the rock and clamber over some smooth stones until you get to the falls.

Khlong Chao Waterfall is stunning. A big circular pool sits carved out of the jungle, whilst a gentle cascade of white water tumbles down. There are a couple of rope swings hanging from the towering canopy above and plenty of flat rocks to drop your towel on.

If you are staying in the Khlong Chao area and wanted somewhere different to relax, you could easily spend a morning or afternoon swimming around / lounging out on the hot rocks.

There weren’t any shops or restaurants nearby, so we’d recommend packing a picnic to make the most of your visit!

Entrance cost: Free

Tourists pose for photos on rocks around a green jungle pool. At the back of the pool, white water tumbles down over grey rock. On either side of the photo the jungle rises up.

Visit the Big Buddha Statue and Wat Ao Salad Temple

Sitting in the very north of the island on a cliffside above Ao Salat Pier is Wat Ao Salad Temple. If you came to Koh Kood from Koh Chang or the mainland, you almost certainly will have seen the golden Buddha staring down at you when you arrived on the ferry.

We parked our scooter in the temple grounds and headed straight to the base of the Buddha. The viewpoint from the Buddha statue is spectacular - a sweeping panoramic vista over the cliffs and coastline all the way out to the Gulf of Thailand. It’s stunning!

Staring out over the waves is another pair of eyes, a bronze statue to the Prince of Chumphon - also known as the “Father of the Thai Navy”. Underneath in the circular base of the Buddha were more Buddha statues, a shrine and paintings.

A seated golden Buddha statue sits on top of a flat roofed temple looking out to the blue sea beyond. In the foreground red roofed temple buildings dot the grounds of the temple.

The best view of the Buddha is actually from the temple's belltower. Just climb up the narrow staircase to the bell at the top and you’ll have a top down view over the temple grounds, seated golden Buddha and out to sea.

This is an active Buddhist temple, so if you are planning a visit, please be respectful and dress appropriately. Shoulders and knees need to be covered and definitely no bikinis allowed!

Entrance fee: Free

A black and camel coloured temple dog smiles at the camera with their pink tongue sticking out!

To visit, just park your scooter in the free car park and head in.

When we arrived at the temple, there were a couple of temple dogs who came eagerly over to us, tails wagging to sniff our bike, but after a sniff and some head-strokes they slunk off to sunbathe!

Visit the Traditional Fisherman’s Villages on the Island

In amongst the fancy resorts and hotels on Koh Kood, sit two fisherman’s villages full of traditional stilted houses and colourful fishing boats.

A view over the jungle and colourful stilted fishing village of Ao Yai sitting above the blue sea.

Klong Mad Fisherman Village

The Klong Mad Fisherman Village was an unexpected delight on our exploration of Koh Kood. As we approached Klong Mad, we could only see the rooftops of the Suanya Koh Resort, but as we turned the corner, the fishing village came fully into sight.

We parked our scooter next to the jetty and headed into the village. Stilted houses rose up next to moored speedboats and traditional wooden fishing boats. Despite the number of boats parked up, the water was still super clear. We had a leisurely wander around the village and stopped in for an iced coffee at Weeraya Café (more on this cafe later).

Boats sit moored to the concrete walkways around the harbour of Khlong Mad Village. On either side wooden buildings rise up.

There are a couple of restaurants and shops in the village, including the very popular King Seafood Restaurant - we were extremely tempted to pop in for a very early lunch when we saw the fresh catch of the day grilling on the charcoal BBQ outside!

You won’t need long at Klong Mad, but it’s a very chilled out spot. Don’t leave without taking a walk up the long wooden jetty that juts out into the azure waters.

It’s this jetty that, depending on the tides, you may use if you’re heading to Koh Mak after your stay on Koh Kood (more on this later). Many of the islands fishing, snorkelling and scuba diving tours will leave from Klong Mad village.

Ellie poses for a photo whilst standing on a wooden jetty over looking the crystal clear blue waters on Koh Kood. She is wearing a black t-shirt and shorts.

Ao Yai Fisherman Village

The Ao Yai Fisherman Village is a proper, working harbour.

Filleted fish lie on a fishing net drying in the sun above a harbour.

Full of stilted houses, colourful fishing boats moored up and towers of wooden lobster pots stacked up in precarious piles.

As we wandered through the village on the raised concrete path, we passed by nets of drying fish and tanks full of translucent squid - you know you’re in a proper working harbour when the air is thick with the smell of salt and seafood.

We decided to head to Ao Yai Fisherman Village to have a seafood feast at Noochy Seafood (more on this in our where to eat section of this article), but there’s also the very popular Chonthicha Seafood restaurant too. We’d recommend wandering through the village and seeing which restaurant has the best seafood and fish on offer that day.

If you want to stay in the village there’s a very pretty, traditional wooden homestay right in the heart of the village, sitting on stilts right above the water you’ll be in the heart of the harbourside action every day - check out the rooms available at Koh Kood Chonthicha Homestay here.

Colourful flags and fishing buoys are piled up on a harbour. Behind the sea is bright blue.

An orange, white and green wooden fishing boat is moored to a wooden post in a seaside harbour on Koh Kood.

Kayak at Sunset

We’ve been lucky to see many sunsets, but bobbing, laid back in a 2 person kayak in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand watching the sun light up the sky above us in deep oranges and purple will be a memory we treasure forever!

We lucked out and our homestay, the fantastic Baan Klong Jao Homestay (more on this later) had kayaks to borrow for free. Late afternoon we would stock up on supplies, change into our swimwear and hop into our kayak. We would kayak up and down the small mangrove estuary, before navigating our way around the huge sandbank at Khlong Chao Beach (near to the Tinkerbell and Hook resort) and paddle out to sea. We’d then sit back and float around with our drinks waiting for the sun to perform.

Ellie sits with her back to the camera in a white kayak watching the setting sun. — *We did say kayak sunsets were special!*

The sunsets on Koh Kood were magnificent - the sky lit up with all colours of the spectrum as the sun lowered its way down to the deep blue horizon! There’s something magical about watching the sun set, but watching it from the middle of the ocean takes it to a whole different level!

The guesthouses and resorts all along Khlong Chao have kayaks to rent for free, but if you’re not staying in the area, head over the bridge to the small shop located here which had kayaks to rent - depending on the size of kayak, rental started at 150 baht to 250 baht per hour.

If you’re renting a kayak, we’d recommend buying a couple of cheeky beers before you set off. Once you’ve found your perfect sunset spot in the ocean, lie back, crack open a can and watch as the sun performs its fiery display - go for cans at the shop, they float much better than bottles and are much easier to store in a small kayak! Remember to bring all litter back home with you, leave only oar prints!

Go Diving or Snorkelling off Koh Kood

Sitting just off the coast of Koh Kood is the beautiful Koh Rang National Park, a marine park that’s stuffed full of dive spots. With colourful coral, old shipwrecks and shoals of tropical fish, it’s a huge underwater playground for snorkellers and scuba divers.

If you’re after a trip underwater, head over to the Koh Kood Divers, a dive centre located on the main strip of Klong Chao (located here) who offer everything from one day snorkelling trips to multi-day dive excursions. They can also help you get qualified with a PADI scuba diving certification.

For those who have limited time on the island or who want to guarantee a place on their PADI course, check out the following excursions on Get Your Guide:

Koh Kood: 3-Day PADI Open Water SCUBA Diving Course

Or to book a snorkelling trip in advance:

Koh Kood: Snorkeling Day Trip with Buffet Lunch

The majority of diving and snorkellings trips will not include the price of the Koh Rang Marine Park ticket fee. To head into the marine national park, you will be required to buy an entrance ticket. Tickets for the marine park cost 200 baht per adult and 100 baht per child per day for snorkellers and 400 baht per adult for divers. The Koh Rang Marine Park fees are an additional cost to any advertised rate.

Crystal clear waters sit under streaks of cloud. The ocean stretches out and is ringed by trees and distant islands. — *The waters around Koh Kood were some of the clearest we’ve ever seen!*

Visit the Scenic Viewpoint

If, like us, you've planned a seafood feast in Ao Yai Fisherman Village, then you’ll stumble upon this viewpoint along the way.

As the road slopes down towards the harbour, a small layby and viewpoint emerges out of the thick jungle with views over the colourful Ao Yai Fisherman Village and out to sea.

Adventures of Jellie pose for a GoPro selfie at a viewpoint on the island of Koh Kood. John is wearing an orange t-shirt and sunglasses and Ellie is wearing a black t-shirt and shorts.

Just getting to this viewpoint is half the fun. The road there is full of steep hills that curve their way in and out of the thick jungle - just beware of monkeys!

You won’t need very long at the viewpoint, but it’s a great place to stop and admire the scenery.

Entrance fee: Free

Ride over the Wooden Bridge

The ‘Wooden Bridge’ isn’t an essential ‘must do’ on the island, but if you’ve hired a scooter it's worth a little detour, even if it’s just for the drive itself.

A planked wooden bridge stretches away from the viewer. At the end of the bridge a scooter can be seen driving away.

Spanning a small coastal estuary, the wooden bridge is exactly as its name suggests - a wooden bridge! The rickety bridge is made up of hundreds of mis-matched planks that stretch between the thick mangroves on either side of the channel. As you drive over it, the bridge creaks a little and definitely feels like a mini adventure - it feels a world away from the resort filled sands!

There are a couple of beaches to the north, including Khlong Han Beach and a Secret Sunset Beach - access to both down private resort roads. We didn’t stop at either of these beaches and continued driving north, let us know what we missed in the comments.

Our northbound island exploration was swiftly brought to an end as we were halted at a set of gates marking the entrance to another resort.

Behind the gates sits the very luxurious looking 5-star Soneva Kiri Resort hotel. On our backpacking budget we had no choice but to turn back, but have since looked longingly at the hotel online. From a quick look on Google, it looks incredible - think private beach, infinity pool, spa, the works!

If you’re looking for an ultra-luxe stay on Koh Kood, you won’t find much better than the Soneva Kiri resort. Click here to book a stay!

Spend an Evening at Koh Kood’s Night Market

Koh Kood’s daily night market became our ‘go to’ every evening for dinner. The market is open every day and is only a short walk away from Khlong Chao Beach - there’s plenty of parking if you’re heading there by scooter.

A covered food court is lined with street food stalls and metal table and chairs. At the back a red bus has been convereted into a stage and slowbar at Koh Kood' Night Market.

The market is essentially one big, covered food court. On one side, sit a large array of different street food stalls lining one edge of the hawker centre, whilst opposite, a huge bar serves up ice-cold beer, cocktails and smoothies. Crowning the top of the food court sits an old-school, red vintage Thai bus which has stylishly been converted into a live music stage and coffee shop.

Every evening we’d head here, pick up a couple of beers, grab a table and start an evening of market munching. Each night we visited there was live music and it was always busy with other travellers and the local youth. We saw a variety of different cover bands who played a mixture of Thai classics and Western covers - think Don’t Look Back in Anger and Country Roads mixed with the “Rocket Festival and “Do-Ther-Tum”. We love a cover band and Thailand does them especially well!

Two bottles of Leo beer sit on a wooden table. Behind are more tables and a converted red bus. White lights show the word 'slowbar'.

In terms of food, we ate at almost every stall - from mango sticky rice to satay chicken, BBQ meat to dumplings, we tried everything! The pad kra pao stall was especially delicious, charred, caramelised meat sitting on a pile of steaming rice - just remember to ask for a runny fried egg and make it spicy!

Another stand-out dish was the Thai styled fried fish and rice bowl, a Mexican / Thai hybrid of a dish that was completely unlike anything we’ve ever eaten before.

At first glance it looked as though it would be a little plain, but this was certainly not the case. Every mouthful was a flavour bomb of different tastes. Zingy, salty, citrussy, sweet - our palettes were on overdrive!

We’ve since found out that this is actually a traditional Thai dish, we’ve had it several times since and it's one of our favourite unexpected Thai treats - just look out for it on menus, it's sometimes called crispy fish salad or fish with rice powder.

Koh Kood’s Night Market is definitely aimed more at the tourists on the island than locals, but we absolutely loved our evenings there. It was super laid-back and had a great chilled out vibe. If you want to eat different street food from both Thailand and from around the world, sip on ice-cold beers and listen to live bands, then definitely don’t miss out on visiting the market.

This brings us nicely onto ….

Where to Eat and Drink on Koh Kood?

Koh Kood is a melting pot of cuisines from all around the world. From Thai street food to Italian pizza, there’s plenty of places to eat on the island. Here are some of our favourite places to eat and drink.

The Best Restaurants and Coffee Shops

Ra Beang Mai

If you’re looking for lunch or dinner with a pretty view, Ra Beang Mai is an absolute must. We may be a little biased as this restaurant is part of the Baan Klong Jao Homestay where we stayed. We loved eating here with its view over the mangroves and small estuary, especially after returning from our sunset kayak.

Ra Beang Mai serves up all the Thai dishes you’d expect on an island all with a big focus on seafood. Their Thai soups stuffed full of seafood and deep fried shrimps studded with garlic are popular for a reason!

A still channel of water reflects the white clouds and blue sky. The channel of water is lined on either side with green trees and jungle plants. — *Not a bad view to enjoy a seafood feast with!*

Koh Kood Aroi Aroi

Sitting on mangroves just a few doors down from the Bartist bar (more on this later), this small streetside restaurant pumps out plate after plate of Thai street food favourites.

A white bowl sits on a wooden table and is full of sliced chicken, chicken balls, white noodles, beansprouts, chopped spring onions and fried garlic. A silver soup soon sits in the clear soup broth.

From pad thai to pad kra pao, fried rice to noodle soup, whatever Thai dish you fancy, this small restaurant can provide.

We headed here as soon as we arrived on the island for a lunch of chicken noodle soup and it was… as the name of the restaurant says… aroi aroi - delicious for those who can’t speak Thai!

Noochy Seafood

A seafood feast is almost a rite of passage on any Thai island break - in fact it would be sacrilege not to dine on fresh seafood when it’s right on your doorstep.

We always try to treat ourselves to a fisherman’s bounty whenever we’re by the coast and Koh Kood was no different.

A tank of water is full of spiky black sea anenomes and shells.

Set in the heart of Ao Yai Fisherman Village and sitting on stilts right above the waters of the harbour, Noochy Seafood restaurant is your quintessential Thai seafood restaurant. Outside huge tanks are full of live squid, dark black sea anemones and crabs of every shape, size and colour.

We ordered a fishy feast of deep fried chunks of sea bass covered in a spicy, red curry paste and scattered with zingy shredded lemongrass alongside a huge plate of fried rice studded with crab. The sea bass was delicious. Crunchy, spicy and a little creamy, it paired so well with the sweet crab meat in the fried rice.

If you’re looking to treat yourself to lunch with a view, Noochy Seafood fits the bill.

The restaurant can get very busy especially at lunchtimes so expect a little wait for your food.

If you have room after for a sweet treat or coffee, head next door to The Marie's Land Cafe who serve up decadent slices of cheesecake, muffins and iced coffee.

A plate of yellow egg fried rice stuffed with crab sits on a plate next to a whole, crispy fried seabass covered in red Thai curry sauce. — *There really is no better meal than a fishy feast on a Thai island!*

TumKorat (ร้านตำโคราช)

We stumbled upon this roadside restaurant on the last day of our stay in Koh Kood and wished we had found it sooner!

Serving all things Isan food, TumKorat was one of our favourite lunches we ate during the whole time we were on Koh Kood. The name TumKorat literally translates into what they serve: tum in Thai refers to the pounding of things i.e. som tum salad) and Korat is the nick-name for the Isan city of Nakhon Ratchasima!

We ordered half a BBQ chicken, enough sticky rice for two and our all-time favourite salad, a spicy som-tum. It was a delicious sticky feast! We especially loved that when we asked for our som-tum salad to be spicy it actually was!

Grilled BBQ chicken sits on a pink plastic plate next to a black square plate piled high with spicy som tum salad. At the bottom of the shot is a white plastic plate with a bag of sticky rice steaming away.

Koh Kood Mermaid Restaurant & Cafe

Koh Kood meets Bali in this popular brunch and lunch spot just off Khlong Chao Beach. Serving colourful smoothie bowls, sandwiches and craft coffee, it’s a great spot to head to, if you fancy a more upmarket brunch!

After you’ve eaten, don’t miss taking a look in the small shop that’s attached to the cafe - it was full of pretty dresses, jewellery and other shimmery trinkets. Ellie had to be dragged away from it more than once!

If you’re looking to stay close to Khlong Chao Beach, there’s cute bungalow accommodation available in the teal huts behind the cafe - to book a stay, click here.

KMONLOS

This small coffee shop was always popular no matter what time of day.

A plastic cup is filled with iced latte at the Kmonlos cafe.

We only stuck to coffee or smoothies here but they always hit the spot. The cafe also serves small plates of fried rice, smoothie bowls and cake, as well as a small shop inside selling clothes and swimwear.

If you’re in need of cash, there’s an ATM next door!

BBQ Stall near the Cowboy Restaurant

If you’re on a budget then don’t worry, there’s still plenty of cheap and cheerful street food stalls available all over Koh Kood island. Selling everything from grilled meats, noodle soups, deep fried bananas, smoothies and fresh fruit, there’s plenty of things to pick up to go.

If you’re staying in or around the Khlong Chao Beach area, we can highly recommend this BBQ stall. Set up on the roadside every afternoon / early evening, the charcoal grill was full of pork, sausages, chicken and other meaty morsels all stuffed onto sticks. We loved to pick up some moo ping skewers and head to a nearby bar for sunset.

BBQ sticks are also super cheap around 10 to 15 baht a stick depending on meat choice - if you’re a budget backpacker, just look out for the smoking BBQ stalls.

Looking to dabble in Thai street food? Moo ping is a great place to start. ‘Moo’ in Thai means pork and ‘ping’ means grilled. Sweet, savoury and full of that smokey BBQ taste, moo ping pork patties are delicious and a good introduction to some lesser known Thai delights!

Skugga Cafe & Bar

This super stylish, modern coffee shop sits just over the road from the 4-star Tolani Resort. We popped in for iced coffees and a cool down before we headed north for an exploration.

We ordered two iced americanos and they were exactly what we needed to caffeinate ourselves up for a full day exploring. It’s a lot more expensive than other coffee shops on the island, but for the air-conditioning, delicious coffee and comfy seats it’s worth splashing the extra baht. The cafe also serves breakfast and lunch.

Cicci Thai Cooking School & Bakery

We stumbled upon the Cicci Thai Cooking School and Bakery when we were heading to Bang Bao Beach.

As we pulled up into the palm covered garden, we really didn’t expect what we found inside.

A fridge is stocked with blocks of Edam cheese, slices of ham and blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese.

Stretching the length of the back wall was a massive fridge full to the brim with cheeses of every variety as well as imported hams and smoked meats! For those who are new to the blog, we had been travelling Asia for nearly 3 years at this point, and during these 3 beautiful years, good cheese has been in very short supply! Apart from family and friends we don’t miss a lot of things when we’re on the road, but cheese is definitely up there.

We ordered a roll each with cheese of our choice, ham and salad and it was everything we hoped it would be. The Cicci Thai Cooking School and Bakery is Swedish run and has lots of different sweet and savoury breads for sale, baps, rolls and cakes.

They also offer gluten free options as well as a cooking class. To find out all about the cooking classes and book a slot, head over to their Facebook page here.

Pizza and Pasta

If you’ve had your fill of Thai cuisine and want something a bit more familiar, Pizza and Pasta will satiate any Western cravings! As you’ve probably guessed by the name of the restaurant, it specialises in burgers… just kidding, it’s all things pasta and pizza as well as serving up other Italian favourites such as bruschetta, tiramisu and calzone. There’s also a small stage set up for live bands to play.

Esan Family Restaurant

As its name suggests, this small family restaurant specialises in all things Isan. Spicy som tam salad, BBQ grilled meats and sticky rice are on the menu alongside some more adventurous eats such as pork laab, raw shrimp salad and papaya salad with chicken feet!

Don’t be embarrassed to eat with your fingers - it's a meal to get messy with!

The Fisherman Hut

Set in the heart of the island surrounded by swaying palm trees, the Fisherman Hut is an institution on the island. Serving huge plates of delicious Thai food, cocktails and beer and even live music, it’s a spot you might head to for an early dinner but will end up spending the whole night there.

Don’t miss out on their incredible fishy offerings - both their seafood tom yum and crispy Thai style fish are amazing. The tom yum is super creamy and stuffed full of fresh seafood, and the fish is ultra crispy and topped with plenty of fiery chilli peppers and sweet garlic.

Weeraya Cafe

Sitting on the ground floor of the Klongmad Hostel in the heart of the Klong Mad Fishing Village, this small harbourside cafe churns out great coffee and cake!

The cafe’s interior fits its location perfectly, with pretty tiles on the floor, a painted wooden ceiling, lights made from thick rope and blue and white striped cushions all contributing to its sailor / coastal ambiance.

A 2 photo collage shows the wooden and tiled interior of the Weeraya cafe. The 2nd photo shows to cups of iced latte sitting on a wooden table overlooking a moored up speedboat.

The best seats in the house are on the wooden chairs next to the large open window that look right out onto the moored boats and harbour. We ordered two iced lattes which were delicious and sat by their open window directly overlooking the water and boats.

Coffee, cake and chic decor - what more can you ask for!

Goodview Resort and Coffee

Clinging to the cliffs with fantastic views over the ocean and Khlong Chao Beach, Goodview resort would make a phenomenal spot to watch the sunset from.

Sadly we were a little early for the evening display and so settled for a fresh fruit smoothie and enjoyed the incredible view.

Goodview also serves a full menu of Thai favourites, coffee and beer. You can also stay in one of the cliff-side bungalows - the view from your room would be amazing! Click here to book a stay.

A view over the vibrant blue sea from the Goodview cliffside resort on Koh Kood. — *We think Goodview is well named…*

Your Holiday Cafe

Sitting on the junction with Khlong Hin beach, this is a great spot if you’re heading to the south of the island to explore. This small, modern, air-conditioned coffee shop served up some of the best coffee we drank on the island, our go to order was always two iced lattes which were super smooth, yet full of that rich, coffee taste - plus the barista is super lovely and eager to help with any questions about Koh Kood!

Our Favourite Bars on Koh Kood - Best Spots for a Sundowner Beer / Late Night Drink

As sunset hits, it’s almost compulsory on any Thai island to find a good spot for a sundowner beer or cocktail, luckily you’re in no short supply on Koh Kood.

We decided to stay local and watched the sunset from Khlong Chao Beach. Luckily for us we found the perfect bar for cheap beer and front row seats to watch the sun go down…

View Point Cafe

This was by far the best spot we found to watch the sunset. The View Point Cafe has an incredible view, thanks to it being built directly on top of the water right next to where the mangrove canal meets with the sea at Khlong Chao Beach.

The cafe serves cheap beer, cocktails, coffee and smoothies alongside a small menu of Thai favourites - for those who are really fussy there is a carbonara on the menu!

When we weren’t kayaking around at sunset (see above) we’d almost certainly be in this bar. To get the best seats at the huge open window at the front of the bar, get there early. It can get very busy at sunset!

The sunsets over the sea creating a fiery horizon which is reflected in the water. The trees and mangroves are in silhouette.

Sunset Bar

Just next door to the View Point Cafe is the aptly named Sunset Bar. This modern, stylish bar had more of a view of the mangroves than the ocean, but if you’re lucky, there’s a perfect spot right at the waters edge which gives a great view of the sunset over Khlong Chao Beach.

The bar is a lot more modern than its neighbour and the prices do reflect this. Beers start at 100 baht for a small bottle and cocktails at 250 baht.

The sun sits just above the horizon and is mirrored in the sea below. A spit of land divides the sea and the sky and on either side of the picture hills rise up. — *The sunsets at Khlong Chao are phenomenal - even if you’re not staying on the beach, make sure you spend at least one sunset there!*

Bartist

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The Bartist Bar is your typical Thai island bar you hope to find on any island break. Looking like an inside out bar, Bartist is stuffed full of wooden benches, tables and hammocks all vying for space with encroaching green plants.

We ended up at the Bartist most nights after dining at Koh Kood’s Night Market and always had a great night. Cheap beer, good music, board games and chilled vibes - it was a great place to head to for a couple of late night drinks!

Just don’t forget to give Brownie the dog lots of cuddles on your way out!

Where to Stay on Koh Kood? Accommodation on the Island

Our Accommodation - Baan Klong Jao Homestay

We stayed at the fantastic Baan Klong Jao Homestay (location), a short walk away from Khlong Chao Beach.

Baan Klong Jao offers small bungalows and family rooms, all set in amongst their pretty garden. We were lucky and managed to get their very last room at the height of the peak season - if you’re travelling to the island just before Christmas and during the dry season, definitely book your accommodation early! If we had left our booking any later we wouldn’t have had a bed.

A yellow and black scooter sits on a grassy lawn surrounded by trees and bushes. A small set of golden shrines can be seen decked out in colourful offerings.

We stayed in one of their family rooms, sitting on stilts above the mangroves. Our room was massive and super comfy. We had a huge double bed, bunk beds, a big private en-suite bathroom with a hot shower. The room also had a small veranda, plenty of space to unpack and air-conditioning - essential to escape from the hot Thai sun.

The price of the room also included an excellent buffet style breakfast in their restaurant overlooking the estuary and mangroves. Every morning we would pile high our plates with seafood congee, Thai curries and noodles - for a resort breakfast there was so much choice! If you’re more of a traditional kind of breakfast person, they also serve fresh fruit, yogurts, eggs, pastries and more!

The homestay also offered free kayaks to use as well as motorbike / scooter rental. The staff were super helpful, they sorted our bike rental, gave us advice on the island and helped in arranging our speedboat tickets to Koh Mak at the end of our stay. Their English wasn’t fluent and our Thai even worse, but we never had a problem being understood or understanding them.

To book a stay at Baan Klong Jao - we cannot recommend it enough - click here!

P.S. Did we mention they had some very hot, very fluffy resident huskies!

Hostels and Guesthouses - Cheap, Budget Backpacker Accommodation on Koh Kood

If you’re a backpacker and looking for a cheap bed for the night, don’t fret, there’s plenty of options for a budget friendly stay on Koh Kood.

Guesthouses are plentiful and there are even a couple of hostels - you can even camp the night in a tent if you’re on a really tight budget!

For dorm rooms check out BB Dorm Hostel or for a private room including breakfast, check out a stay at The Little White Bird Traveller Hostel.

Check out the full list of cheap stays here.

Hotels and Resorts - Luxury Stays on Koh Kood

If you’re not on a backpacking budget like we were, Koh Kood has no shortage of luxury hotels and resorts to relax in. From the upmarket Solani Kiri Hotel in the north of the island, the Beach Natural Resort in the middle of the island, to the Hideout Hotel in the south. Whatever your style of luxury, there’ll be a hotel for you.

We were staying on the stunning Khlong Chao Beach and looked longingly at the Tinkerbell Resort beachfront villas - some even had their own pool! If you are after a bit of TLC on your island break, this resort looked like it could definitely provide! Also next door is the High Season Pool Villa Resort that had beachfront access and a humongous swimming pool.

To take a look at every hotel and resort on offer on Koh Kood, use our handy map below.

If you’re planning on staying on Koh during the dry season (November to February) at the peak of the tourist season, make sure to book your accommodation well in advance. We travelled to the island just before Christmas and almost every hotel, guesthouse and hostel was sold out.

A palm tree trunk grows out of a white sand beach. In the turquoise water a sail boat can be seen floating about. — *There is plenty of beachfront accommodation to choose from on Koh Kood!*

Koh Kood Essential Information

Where is Koh Kood?

The island of Koh Kood sits in the Gulf of Thailand, just off the Southern province of Trat - you can find it on a map here.

Koh Kood is part of the Koh Chang archipelago, a set of picturesque islands sitting in the Mu Ko Chang National Park which include the Thai islands of Koh Chang, Koh Mak and Koh Wai. The islands are very close to the “Narrowest Part of Thailand” in south eastern Trat and are located nearby to the border with Cambodia.

Koh Kood can also be named as Ko Kut.

The Best Time to Visit Koh Kood - Seasons on the Island

Dry Season

The dry season in Koh Kood runs from November to April. During these months you can expect optimal beach weather - think sunny skies, warm sea and minimal rainfall. The dry season is also the peak time for tourists, so the island will be busy with other travellers and tourists. If you’re planning a trip during the high season, make sure to book accommodation and transfers well in advance - you don’t want to miss out on your beachfront stay!

Crystal clear water laps against the palm fringed beach. — *During the dry season, the beaches of Koh Kood are stunning!*

Wet Season

Koh Kood’s low season falls during the wet season which runs from May to October. During these months, the weather can get very wet, the sea choppy and some restaurants / attractions / accommodation may be closed.

Don’t let this put you off though. We have travelled to the islands of Koh Phangan, Koh Phayam and Koh Yao Yai during the wet seasons and had a fantastic time on all three. We did have rainy days, but the sea was always warm and it never rained for the whole day - plus it was super quiet, we often would have whole beaches to ourselves! Just be aware that things may be closed and some activities may not be available.

Getting Around the Island

Getting To and From Ao Salad Pier

Luckily you won’t be stranded when you arrive at Ao Salad Pier. Almost all ferry and speedboat tickets will include a transfer to your accommodation when you arrive and a transfer back to the pier when you leave the island.

As soon as we got off the speedboat we were asked where we were staying before being directed to a songthaew who then dropped us right off at our accommodation.

Songthaews / Shared taxis

If you cannot ride a motorbike or scooter, you’ll need to hire a songthaew driver to get you around the island. Songthaews on Koh Kood come in the form of flat bed pick-up trucks with bench seating added to the back.

You can hire a songthaew driver for individual journeys or to take you somewhere, wait for you while you explore / lounge / swim and then drive you back to your accommodation. You can even hire them for a full day of sightseeing in a private tour of the island. The songthaews are not the cheapest transport option with prices starting at 500 baht per journey and rising rapidly if you need the driver to wait for you / need a return journey.

To book a songthaew driver, speak with your accommodation - just remember to negotiate any prices. If there are a lot of people, you may be able to split the cost!

This is definitely not the budget or backpacker friendly option, but if you’re on holiday with your family or can’t ride a scooter it may be worth your while.

A curving road disappears into thick jungle. — *The roads are very quiet on Koh Kood!*

Motorbike and Scooter Rental on Koh Kood

The easiest, cheapest and most fun way to explore the island of Koh Kood is by renting a motorbike or scooter. We absolutely love riding around a Thai island on the back of a bike especially on Koh Kood where it's so quiet, you’ll often have long stretches of the road all to yourself. There’s something special about the warm wind in your face as you pass by long stretches of coastline.

To rent a motorbike or scooter, just speak to your accommodation or search on Google for a “motorbike rental” - there are plenty all over the island.

We rented a 125cc scooter from our accommodation for 250 baht per day.

If you’re renting a bike / scooter all the usual warnings apply. Don’t ride without a helmet and don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. If you have a pillion passenger, there’s no shame asking them to walk if you’re not comfortable on some of the off-road sections on the island!

*All the beaches on Koh Kood will have somewhere to park your scooter!*

ATMs, 7-11s, Pharmacies and Petrol Stations

Koh Kood is relatively undeveloped compared to its larger neighbour Koh Chang. It has many resorts, high-end hotels and restaurants, but the interior of the island still remains relatively untouched. As you drive across the island, you’ll pass by large swathes of jungle untouched by mass tourism. It’s a Thai island still with its own identity!

ATMS on the Island

There are four ATMs dotted across the island. Two machines in Khlong Chao Beach area and two in the main town of Koh Kut.

We’d recommend withdrawing the majority of your baht before you get to Koh Kood, you never know when island ATMS will run out - if you’re planning to eat local, cash is king on the island!

7-Eleven and Convenience Stores

At the moment Koh Kood is one of only a few islands in Thailand that remains 7-Eleven free, however there are still plenty of local convenience stores and mini-marts dotted all over the island and lots are open until late. These small stores sell everything from snacks to beach toys, toiletries to bottles of beer, whatever you need you’re bound to find it somewhere on the island.

If you can’t live without your 7-11 treats, make sure to bring whatever you need with you to Koh Kood!

Petrol Stations

There are self-service petrol stands dotted all over the island. Just look for the red tanks of petrol. They are all self-serve. Just put your baht into the machine and press go.

We paid between 80 to 100 baht to fill up our 125cc scooter.

Sandy footprints lead towards the sea and the setting sun. The coastline is ringed by mountains and forest. — *Koh Kood is still relatively undeveloped, but that’s all part of its charm!*

Pharmacies and Hospitals on Koh Kood

Hopefully you won’t need to encounter either of the above on any trip to Koh Kood, but if you do need medical assistance, there is help available on the island. At the moment, there are three pharmacies located in the main town of Ko Kut, near Khlong Chao Beach and at the junction to Ao Phrao Beach. All three open from 9 AM in the morning and stay open until late in the evening - check each store for specific opening times.

The pharmacies will stock all the standard medication sold worldwide, but if you’re after something more specific they may not have it - you are in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand after all!

For medical emergencies, head to Ko Kut Hospital in the heart of the island. This is the only hospital on Koh Kood island.

How to Get to Koh Kood?

Travelling from Bangkok to Koh Kood

Bangkok is around a 5 to 6 hour drive away from Laem Sok Pier. From Laem Sok pier it’s a 1 hour speedboat ride across the sea to Ao Salad Pier on Koh Kood.

You can easily book a combined bus and ferry ticket either from Khao San Road in the heart of Bangkok or from Suvarnabhumi Airport all the way to Koh Kood.

Book your Khao San Road, Bangkok to Koh Kood tickets here.
Book your Suvarnabhumi Airport to Koh Kood tickets here.

Trat City to Koh Kood

Trat is the closest city to Koh Kood on Thailand’s mainland. To reach Trat from Bangkok, you can take a bus from Mochit or Ekkamai bus stations. The journey will take you between 5 and 6 hours depending on traffic.

If you shudder at the thought of being stuck on a bus, then you can fly directly to Trat from Bangkok. Obviously this is the more expensive option, but if money’s no object it will save you a lot of time.

To check out all your options on getting to Trat from Bangkok, click here.

From Trat you’ll need to book a transfer to Laem Sok pier (located here) where the Boonsiri speedboats depart from.

There’s plenty of places to stay in Trat and it’s definitely worth a stop if you have the time as it’s a charming city full of great food, pretty temples and a lively weekend market. We stayed at the fantastic Pano Solar Guest House right in the heart of the Old Town and booked our transfer to the pier from the friendly owner.

Click here to book your speedboat tickets from Laem Sok pier to Koh Kood.

The ferry journey from the Laem Sok pier to Ao Salad pier will take around 1 hour.

John walks up the gangplank to the Boonsiri Ferry between Koh Chang and Koh Kood wearing an orange covered blackpack and grey shorts.

Getting from Koh Chang / Koh Mak to Koh Kood

For those planning an island-hopping extravaganza around the Koh Chang archipelago, it’s super easy to get around with ferries and speedboats serving all three islands daily.

We actually travelled from Trat to Koh Chang, Koh Chang to Koh Kood and then Koh Kood to Koh Mak, all using the ferries and speedboats.

Koh Chang to Koh Kood

From Koh Chang to Koh Kood it’s a 1 hour and half ferry ride from Bang Bao Pier on Koh Chang to Ao Salad Pier on Koh Kood.

Book your Koh Chang to Koh Kood tickets here.

Koh Mak to Koh Kood

From Koh Mak to Koh Kood its a short 30 minute hop with the Boonsiri high speed ferry service from Ao Nid Pier on Koh Mak to Ao Salad Pier on Koh Kood.

Book your Koh Mak to Koh Kood tickets here.

If you’re planning to travel to the islands during the peak season (November to February) we’d recommend booking your transfers as soon as possible. It can get very busy on the islands and you don’t want to get stranded anywhere!

Final Thoughts on Koh Kood

Koh Kood, Koh Chang or Koh Mak - Which Island To Choose?

It’s impossible to answer this - there really is no right answer!

All three are completely different and all are fantastic. We have been lucky enough to island-hop our way across all three and had an absolutely amazing time. Despite being so close to each other, all three islands are unique in looks, beaches and feel, yet they’re all so easy to get between with ferries and speedboats criss-crossing between all three.

To help make your decision on which island to visit, check out our complete guides to Koh Mak and Koh Chang below:

Featured

Koh Mak - The Thai Island Happily Frozen in Time

Koh Chang - Our Guide To Thailand’s Third Largest Island

Is Koh Kood Worth A Trip?

Yes, definitely 100% yes - if we haven’t convinced you after this, we need to up our writing game!

The island is absolutely stunning. It’s hard to describe just how pretty Koh Kood is without sounding too cliche! There are only so many words we can use to describe the beautiful white sand beaches and the vibrant turquoise sea without repeating ourselves. Koh Kood feels like a genuine tropical paradise!

Koh Kood is an absolute must. The island is a little more resort-y than some other Thai islands, but it never stopped us from accessing any of the beaches. We were travelling in the peak of the dry season and we never struggled with finding our own private spot on the beaches to relax on, Koh Kood was not overcrowded.

For now, the island still feels like a hidden gem. We hate to use that phrase, but it does feel like an island that hasn’t succumbed to mass tourism like so many other tropical islands around the world. Yes there are resorts but they’re not the sprawling gargantuan ones you may find blocking your way elsewhere in the world.

At the moment, the island does feel secluded and untouched. Koh Kood is the kind of paradise island you dream of finding on your travels. It’s an island that’s got a little bit of everything and is perfect for a 2 day, 3 day, week long or even longer break!

Our only advice is to come here sooner rather than later. Koh Kood won’t stay an undiscovered jewel for long, it’s just far too pretty for that. Bigger resorts will come, 7-Eleven will open and suddenly the island will feel less special, less of an adventure.

Our advice is to get to Koh Kood now - you won’t regret it!

Thanks for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

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Koh Chang - Our Guide To Thailand’s Third Largest Island

Koh Chang is fast becoming the new go-to Thai island for travellers in the know. Full of stunning white sanded beaches, old-school Thai island vibes, incredible nature, landscapes and viewpoints, Thailand’s third biggest island is luring backpackers and holiday makers away from the busy beaches of Phuket and Koh Samui.

Sitting just off the coast of the Southern province of Trat, Koh Chang boasts amazing beaches, sublime snorkelling and world class diving as well as boundless natural beauty and a thriving nightlife scene. Koh Chang is not as busy or well known as some of the other Thai islands, but this is quickly changing - Koh Chang is a Thai island on the rise as more and more people discover the island and fall in love with its beaches, food and scenery.

We are not usually 'big island' people, we love the small island vibes of Koh Libong, Koh Jum / Koh Pu and Koh Mook and were a little skeptical of of such a large island. We worried it would be busy, touristy and all the best beaches would be locked behind the doors of fancy resorts. We are happy to report that our prejudice was thrown in our face, we loved Koh Chang, it had exactly the vibes we were looking for and it felt like a proper Thai island escape.

This is our complete guide to getting the most out of a beachside break on Elephant Island - Koh Chang.

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

The sun sets in glowing orange across the sea. The gold light is reflected in the waves and across the stony pebbles of the shoreline. — *Koh Chang’s western coast gets fantastic sunsets!*

Why Koh Chang? What is There to Do on the Island?

Koh Chang is bursting with things to do, views to admire, waterfalls to swim in and activities for every kind of adventurer. It is a large island and there is always something going on. From yoga and meditation retreats, to beach parties and all night raves, Koh Chang has something for everyone.

The Beaches of Koh Chang

This may well be the reason you are on Koh Chang. With its coastline lapped by the azure waters of the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Chang almost has too many beautiful beaches. From party beaches to quiet resort speckled sands there is a beach for all on Koh Chang. The beaches are also stunning, from the waters you can really appreciate the nature and mountains of the island. It is quite something to be floating in the waters of a Thai island, looking back on a palm-fringed, mountain lined and jungle carpeted beach.

There were far too many beaches on Koh Chang for us to visit all of them during our stay but here are a few of our favourite beaches on the island:

Lonely Beach

The original, OG backpacker heart of the island. Lonely Beach is a huge arcing curve of perfect sands and shimmering sea. Waves, palms and sun by day, beach bars, fireshows and raves by night. If there is a party on the island this is probably where it is at. It is nearby to the Himmel mega-bar, and the budget friendly hostels and backpacker cafes of the Lonely Beach strip. We were staying in Cafe Del Sunshine (more on this later), so Lonely Beach was our local.

The easiest way to get to Lonely Beach from the 'town' is to walk up the road until you hit the parade of bars and shops here, then turn down towards the sea. Walk straight though the "Beautiful Bar" (there is a path) and across the ruins of an abandoned resort (which by the way makes a great sunset spot) and you will find yourself on Lonely Beach.

Lonely beach Koh Chang curves away from the viewer. Its white sands are lapped by crystal clear blue waters and a green forest carpets the mainland. — *Lonely Beach - If your looking for Thai Island beach perfection… you may have found it!*

We were biased as this was our closest beach but we would definitely say this was our favourite place to swim and spend an evening. We aren't exactly beach rave people but the parties only really started late into the night, it was a great place for a sunset and some beers.

Long Beach

Well, you see, there is a beach on Koh Chang and .. its not short. Accessed via a path through the Hat Sai Yao resort, Long Beach curves away with white sands, monkeys, palm trees and an aggressively named beach bar (the F*#ck You Bar). One of the quieter beaches when we visited it was a beautiful place to stretch out on the sands. Just be aware of the tides, the beach shrinks massively when the tide is in!

Gentle waves break onto the sands of long beach. The sun is high in a clear sky and islands dot the horizon. — Long Beach is beautiful but…

The sands of long beach have vanished beneath clear seas. Two people wade through the calm waters and a green hill is visable in the background. — *The sands can completely disappear with the tides.*

White Sands Beach

A long thin stretch of (unsurprisingly given the name), white sands lies hidden behind resorts and high end hotels. White Sand Beach is definitely one of the more "resort-y" beaches but that is not always a terrible thing. If you are looking for beach restaurants and a fancy cocktail, this may be the place for you. Also as the beach is on the western edge of Koh Chang, you can expect some phenomenal sunsets here.

Chai Chet / Paradise Beach

A fantastic beach, beautiful sands, waving palms the whole 9 Thai Island yards. We initially couldn't see how you got to this beach, it looked like it was entirely hidden behind resorts. We decided to be ballsy and just drive into one of the resorts (Coconut Resort). We parked our bikes and wandered through. If we got stopped we could always tell them we were looking at prices for a room or something.

A swing is tied to a tree brach over the blue waters of Paradise Beach. Families are paying in the waters and mountains and hills ring the beach. — *Paradise Beach was always popular but never crowded when we visited.*

We were overthinking this of course, it was fine to park up there and explore! The beach is stunning and definitely worth a stay. Great for families and with plenty of space on the sands, it is a fantastic beach to relax on.

We would recommend grabbing a deck chair and an iced coffee from CoCo Coffee to really chill out and enjoy the laid back beach vibes. Check out the eating and drinking section for more on CoCo Coffee.

Klong Kloi Beach

Another golden beach with bars and fantastic views. Like so many of Koh Chang's beaches it makes for an amazing sunset spot. Come sundown the beach fills up from the nearby resorts and fire dancers light up the sands.

The beach at The Galaxy Ghost Ship

(location)
A little bit of a secret (not really, but we can pretend it is). If you come down to where the Ghost Ship used to be (more on that later), you can find a small beach ideal for swimming and chilling out on. It is a perfect choice if you are looking for a smaller beach. There is a 100 baht entrance fee for the area so make the most of it and explore the old abandoned resort nearby - make sure you have read our guide to the missing Ghost Ship below.

A small beach sits in a curve of land under a large green mountain. In the forground is a large palm tree. — *It is not the biggest beach, but it is good if you are looking for a quieter place to put your towel.*

Viewpoints

The scenery and views are a highlight of any Thai island and Koh Chang is no exception. Winding mountain roads open up to fantastic vistas over green valleys, white sands and sparkling seas. All over the island you will find observation decks, lay-bys and scenic overlooks that frame the islands best views.

Ao Ka Rang Observation Deck

At the peak of the hill on the side of the road that winds through green mountainsides is a little car park and a big view. The observation deck (more of a man made lookout point) gives incredible views back over the undulating coast of Koh Chang.

Green forest give way to blue seas, mounded small islands and distant mountains. The view is high up from a mountainous viewpoint. — *Did we mention that Koh Chang is pretty? 40 times already you say? Well here is the 41st - Koh Chang is stunning!*

The Coastal Roads

(location) - All around the island!

Koh Chang is quite hard to get lost on, there is one main road that winds east and west from either side of the ferry port. This road clings to the coast as its climbs up and down the mountains of the island. Suffice to say, it is a very pretty road to drive. It is full of those moments you get when driving on a Thai island: the trees open up around you, you burst from shade into the glaring sun and suddenly, you are curving round a mountain top road with the pure blue of the sea below.

Especially lovely is the section of road leading east, away from the main ferry port. The sunrise side of the island is considerably quieter than the western edge and the roads much less busy. The views, however, are still fantastic!

As always be safe and sensible on the roads, the mountainous views do require some steep and winding roads to access. Also beware of sudden monkeys!

San Chao Pho Temple

This brightly coloured Chinese-style temple is one of the first things you will pass as you leave the ferry port (if you are staying on the western/sunset side of the island). The temple is beautiful in its own right but, as it is perched on top of a large hill, it also hides a great view.

Viewpoint over White Sand Beach

Clinging to the side of a particularly bendy section of mountain roads, the White Sands Viewpoint commands fantastic views down the curvaceous coastline of Koh Chang. You also get a fantastic view over the resorts and sands of the White Sand Beach.

From a high vantage point the island of Koh Chang curves away with layers of hills leading down to a long beach lined with resorts. — *Even resorts can look good on an island this beautiful!*

Kai Bae Viewpoint

Another roadside stunner. This viewpoint looks right out into the Gulf of Thailand, the view dotted with the mounts of tiny green islands poking out from the blue sea. It is a really beautiful spot!

Green forests frame a sea view. Tiny green islands mound up from the bright blue sea.

The beach below looks stunning, it also, unfortunately, looks like where people go to ride elephants... Don't ride elephants. If you want to see these majestic creatures do your research and visit a truly ethical elephant sanctuary. If your Thailand adventure takes you North to Chiang Mai we would recommend checking out Chang Chill Elephant Sancturary.

The Ghost Ship of Koh Chang - The Galaxy and the Abandoned Resort

The burned and rusting remains of a large cruise ship sits incongruously inland. The blue prow is sitting in a small lake and the 5 stories of decks are lined with gaping empty windows. — *The Galaxy Ghost ship, in all its …. former … glory.*

This is a little bittersweet. We visited Koh Chang’s famous Ghost ship just after a massive fire had gutted the enormous wreck. Due to the damage we were unable to go inside but the ship itself was hugely impressive.

We love ruins and abandoned things and the Ghost Ship really lived up to the hype.

Ellie stands, arms outstretched in front of the decaying remains of the Koh Chang Ghost Ship. The ship towers above covered in rust, peelling paint and empty windows. — *It is hard to get across the scale of the old Ghost Ship.*

... However....

The Ghost Ship is no longer there. The fire made it unsafe and the vast bulk was dismantled and taken away. We were incredibly lucky to see the ship after the fire but before it was taken down.

The Ghost Ship of Koh Chang is no more :( The only remnant left is the base of the hull, which at least gives you an idea of how large the original Ghost Ship was. Whilst this is a shame for those seeking post-apocalypse vibes, it is not the end of the world. The abandoned and decaying Grand Laguna Resort is still there and very much explorable. Ornate and luxurious houseboat hotels are rotting away into their moorings, swimming pools lie empty, ornamental ponds and fountains can be found hiding amongst the greenery. It is still a mysterious and fun place to look around.

A floating hotel boat sits decaying in a lake. Its hot tub, swimming pool and bar are all partially dried out and falling to pieces. — *For those into abandoned ruins, the area around the old ghost ship still holds plenty to find.*

There is also a small beach with deckchairs, recliners and a refreshment stall. It is a good little beach if you want to get away from the larger beaches to the north and have a little more of a private sunbathe.

The whole area has an entrance fee of 100 baht, most of the negative reviews come from people paying this without realising the Ghost Ship is no more!

Mu Ko Chang National Park

Over 70% of Koh Chang is pristine jungle, it is a very green island! The Mu Ko Chang National Park covers the whole of the island as well as over 50 of the surrounding smaller islands, totalling over 650 square kilometres! Mu Ko Chang is a beautiful area full of natural wonders, monkeys, birds and amazing views.

The entrance fee to the national park costs 200 baht per person for foreigners (100 baht for kids), but this is only payable when visiting certain sites within the area, namely the Than Mayom and Klong Plu / Klong Phlu waterfalls.

If you go snorkelling or scuba diving in the seas around Koh Chang you will need to pay for the park entrance - be aware of this as it usually is not included in the advertised price of trips! For more info on snorkelling or diving on Koh Chang see later in this article.

Outside of snorkelling / diving and the two waterfalls you do not need to pay the National Park fee when visiting Koh Chang.

A sweeping view out over forests and the sea. Small islands dot the ocean. — *The marine park around Koh Chang has dozens of small islands.*

Waterfalls

The island holds some jaw-dropping waterfalls and swimming holes. The islands forests are lush and it is amazing to cool off in the fresh water of a jungle clearing.

The waterfalls on Koh Chang are highly dependent on the season. What may be stunning in the wet season can be underwhelming in the dry season.

If you are visiting in or near the wet season, we would advise you to combine the two falls into a single day’s waterfall hunting. You can use the National Park ticket at multiple places, but only for a single day! As we were visiting in the dry season and would have to pay for the National Park entry (400 baht for two people) we didn't actually get to visit the falls. Let us know in the comments what we missed!

Than Mayom Falls

Set a short walk into the lush forests of Koh Chang's eastern side, Than Mayom is a great swimming hole and beautiful set of falls ... apparently!

You need to pay the National Park entrance fee to visit the waterfall - 200 baht for foreigners, 100 for children.

Klong Phlu / Plu Waterfalls

Sitting in the middle of the island (accessed via the western road) Klong Phlu waterfall has a short nature trail, viewpoint and swimming spots as well as its cascades. There are (we hear), some shops and a toilet on site.

Again you need to pay the National Park entrance fee to visit Klong Phlu falls - see above.

Salak Phet Mangrove Forest Walk

a red-brown wooden boardwalk winds between twisted mangrove trees. Below the waters of the mangrove forest lap at the supports.

This was an unexpected gem on Koh Chang! We have done quite a few mangrove boardwalks around Thailand and the Salak Phet Mangrove Forest is definitely one of the best.

The boardwalk winds in and out of the mangroves, sometimes shaded and covered over by the tall knotted trees, sometimes taking you over a carpet of young green leaves. Following the trail will eventually take you to a phenomenal view, the path opening up to a large platform looking out over the ocean. The boardwalk is a linear path, out and back, but a lovely walk and a nice change of pace from the other island activities.

The planks of the Mangrove Forest Boardwalk snake through a carpet of young green mangroves. The horizon is ringed with mountains and the sky is pure blue with no clouds.

Entrance fee for Salak Phet Mangrove Forest - Free, but with a 10 baht charge to park our scooter.

It is not clear if the boardwalk is being actively maintained so be careful and watch your footing, but do not miss out on this experience on Koh Chang.

Salak Khok Fishing Village

(location)
If you want to slow down, see some local life and maybe have a nice seafood meal, Salak Khok fits the bill. This small fishing village lies in the deep south of Koh Chang. You can wander about, watch the small local boats go in and out, eat a meal at one of the nearby restaurants or organise a tour of the mangroves by canoe.

Snorkelling and diving on Koh Chang

Koh Chang is a haven for scuba divers and snorkellers. The Mu Ko Chang National Park extends out into the beautiful oceans and holds incredible reefs, shipwrecks, turtles, islands and coral.

Many of the snorkelling, scuba and diving tours will take you out to the incredible Koh Rang island. Koh Rang is the dictionary definition of a perfect tropical island. It is here you will find some of the best dive sites in Thailand as well as great snorkelling spots and a beautiful white sand beach.

If you are looking at getting into scuba diving there are plenty of dive companies who can help get your PADI open water license. You can find them all over Koh Chang or just ask at your accommodation. Alternatively, if you want to get a spot reserved and booked in advance, check out the 3 day course offered by GetYourGuide here.

A brightly coloured board advertises Mr Khai's Snorkelling tour of 4 islands around Koh Chang.

There are dozens of dive schools, snorkelling boats and island hopping opportunities on Koh Chang. You can find stalls advertising different outings on any street on the island. Make sure you check the itineraries and negotiate a good price before booking. If you are going in a group, you can often barter for a private boat for a cheaper price than the tours! If you want to try booking directly with the operators rather than with the resellers at the tour agencies, head on down to Bang Bao Pier (location). The pier is where most of the snorkelling trips depart from, it is also the pier you will use if you are island hopping from Koh Chang to Koh Mak or Koh Kood.

If you want to book in advance and see reviews first (not a bad idea in the busy high season), check out what is on offer here.

Tree Top Adventure Park

This looks like a great option if you have kids on Koh Chang or if you are just looking for something fun and physical to do.

admist a messey tangle of electrical cables a troupe of maccaque monkeys longe and play — *If you keep your eyes open, you may find some other treetop swingers around Koh Chang.*

We didn't actually make it here ourselves but the park features amazing views, ziplines and Tarzan Swings (whatever they are).

Prices for admission is 700-800 baht per person or 850-950 baht per person including pick up and transfer.

You can have a look at what the Adventure Park has to offer and more details on their website here.

Muay Thai Boxing

Muay Thai is an ancient and incredibly skilled martial art and something everyone should see at least once on a trip to Thailand. Known as the “art of the 8 limbs”, Muay Thai blends boxing and martial arts in an elegantly vicious way. If your idea of a good time watching others getting punched in the face, Koh Chang can happily provide!

The Koh Chang Muay Thai Stadium (location) is the premier place to watch fights on the island. There are matches every Wednesday and Saturday, starting at 20:00. Tickets can be bought for around 900 baht but you may be able to score a deal if you book in advance through an agent.

If your idea of a good time is actually getting punched in your own face, there is ample opportunity for that as well! In all seriousness, Muay Thai training provides and incredible work out and promotes iron hard levels of discipline. You can find Muay Thai gyms all over Koh Chang, and can enjoy the benefits of the rigorous training regime, even if you do not actually want to get in the ring yourself!

Organised Tours

No matter where you are staying on Koh Chang there will be someone, at a table, by the roadside offering tours, taxis, rentals, transfers and activities. You can book anything through these pop up tourist offices, just make sure you negotiate a good price and are clear what it is you are getting. Many tours will bundle in things you may not wish to do (elephant riding etc) or will not include a taxi pick up. Save yourself the headache and confirm everything ahead of time with the vendor.

If you want to book activities in advance and check out reviews before you book, have a look at Get Your Guides offerings here. As you can see there is loads to do on Koh Chang and we barely scratched the surface of what the island can offer in this article!

Where is Koh Chang? How to Get to the Island and When to Visit

Koh Chang lies in the blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand near the southeastern tip of Thailand, close to the border with Cambodia. The island is the third biggest in the country and is one of a string of beautiful islands that make up the archipelago of the Mu Ko Chang National Park.

You can find Koh Chang on a map here.

Only 270km from the capital of Bangkok, Koh Chang is easily accessible from the mainland, with multiple ferries crossing the 5km of sea between the island and the mainland every day.

The nearest city to Koh Chang is Trat (location), a fantastic and fun city in its own right.

Travelling to Koh Chang - How to get to the Island

Koh Chang is easy to get to from wherever you may start. The first step is to get to the city of Trat - The capital of the Trat province. From Trat you need to get to the Ao Thammachat Ferry Port (located here) and jump on the ferry to Koh Chang island.

To get to Trat from Bangkok you can book a bus or hop on a short flight. All the transport options will still need you to catch a ferry to the island. Many of the tickets will include this in their price - check before you travel.

Taking a Bus from Bangkok or Trat to Koh Chang

Bangkok or Survarnabhumi International Airport to Koh Chang

If you are travelling directly from Bangkok to Koh Chang (not stopping in Trat) then you can book a bus and ferry ticket together here.

If you are coming to Koh Chang as your first stop after landing in Thailand you can catch a bus from Suvarnabhumi airport straight to Koh Chang. Check out tickets here.

If you are looking for a more luxurious transfer, you could arrange for a private taxi pickup at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. The private taxi can pick you up from arrivals and drop you at your hotel in Koh Chang - Check it our here.

Bangkok to Trat

If you want to explore Trat and Thailand’s south-eastern edge, then you can jump on a bus from the Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminal (location) or Ekkamai Bus Terminal (location) in Bangkok. The bus takes around five hours. Multiple buses leave every day, you can book online in advance through 12GO or with Thailand Bus Online. The bus to Trat should drop you off at the Trat Bus Terminal here.

Trat to Koh Chang

If you are in Trat and looking to get to Koh Chang, most of the ticket vendors will also quote you for a hotel pickup and drop off at the ferry port. If you are looking to do it independently you can catch a bus to the ferry from the Trat Bus Terminal. Buses should cost around 160 baht or less. If you are staying in the old street (where a lot of the accommodation is, including our lovely hostel) and arrange a ticket through your accommodation, there is a communal songthaew that picks up tourists in the morning. This cost 160 baht and was very convenient.

Flying to Koh Chang

Koh Chang island does not have a commercial airport. To fly to Koh Chang you need to catch a flight to Trat City Airport then take the ferry to the island. Bangkok Airways runs two to four flights a day, depending on the season. The flights to Trat leave Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and only take one hour.

You can book flights to Trat from Bangkok (or elsewhere) below:

Flying is a good idea if Koh Chang is your first destination after arriving in Thailand, you could touch down in Bangkok and be on the island the same day! Similarly, if Koh Chang is your final destination on your Thai island adventure, you can book flights through from Trat to Bangkok and then onwards home. The flights from Trat deliver you to the main Bangkok international airport - Suvarnabhumi. Have a look on the widget above for all your flight options.

Once at Trat airport you can hop on a dedicated airport transfer bus to the ferry pier, it should cost around 280 baht. You can also arrange a private transfer to Koh Chang (book it here) or head into Trat city before making your own way to the ferry.

Getting the Ferry to Koh Chang

Ferries to Koh Chang depart the Ao Thammachat Ferry Port hourly from 6:30 - 18:30 every day. You can find the pier on a map here. Ferries to Koh Chang may be more or less frequent than this depending on the season, so check before you travel.

The prices for the Koh Chang ferry are:

Adult ticket - 80 baht
Child ticket - 30 baht
Young Children (under 110cm) - Free
Scooter - 40 baht
Motorbike / large scooter - 80 baht
Car - 120 baht

You can only buy one way tickets, no returns! You can book tickets at the ferry terminal or online in advance via 12GO here. With 12GO, the tickets will often include transfer from Trat city to the ferry and then to your accommodation on Koh Chang. Check what is included when you book as it can save a lot of hassle and money.

A large car ferry sits docked with its ramp down. The ferry to Koh Chang is white and blue.

All transport options

If you just want an easy to book overview of the ways of getting to and from Koh Chang, check out our handy tool below:

When to Visit Koh Chang - Seasons on the Island

Seasons in Thailand are highly volatile. The weather will be hot all year round but the amount of wind, rain and storms will vary wildly between the ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ seasons. Traditionally the wet season is also the low season for travel and tourism, with the crowds being put off by the potential downpours. The high and dry season is by far the most popular time to visit Thailand and especially the islands. However, it is not as cut and dry as it may seem…

Dry Season - The peak travel time

The dry season is definitely Koh Chang's 'high season'. The dry season runs between November and March with the peak running between December and February. During the dry season there are more blue skies, calmer seas, sunny days and perfect beach weather. If you are looking for a beach escape, this is your time to visit. The downsides of the high season are that prices are significantly higher (flight costs double for example) and the island will be much busier. If you're planning to travel in the peak season, book your accommodation and transport well in advance as it sells out quickly!

Golden sands lead down to the sea on Lonely Beach Koh Chang. There is not a cloud in the sky and a frond of leaves hangs over the view.

Wet Season - The island without the crowds

The wet season on Koh Chang starts around April and runs to around September / October. Wet season lives up to its name, there will be downpours pretty much daily, the sea will be rougher and the weather far more changeable.

Does this mean you shouldn't visit Koh Chang in the wet season? Absolutely not! The low season means better prices and far less crowds. We have island hopped all over Thailand in the wet season and, as long as you accept that there will be rainy days, it has been wonderful. The temperature is still hot, the clouds do part and, as a bonus, wet season sunsets are amazing!

If you are set on a sunny beach break but can only travel during the wet season in Thailand, think about expanding your horizons.... Have you heard of Karimunjawa in Indonesia? You definitely should have :P

Eating and Drinking on Koh Chang - The Best Restaurants and Coffee Shops

Being such a large island means that there is pretty much every variety of food imaginable on offer on Koh Chang. Pizza to papaya salad, if you crave it, it can be found.

We are budget backpackers so our choices fell more on the cheap and cheerful side of the tablecloth. But, when the situation demands, we do know when to treat ourselves! We also have crippling caffeine addictions so have sampled a good selection of the local coffee scene.

These are some of our favourite places to eat on the island. We were staying around Lonely Beach so they may be a bit focused there but let us know in the comments if we miss your favourite place!

Cafe Del Sunshine

This cafe is an institution, it has been there forever, witnessing waves of backpackers and tourists come and go, it has seen resorts rise and fall and is still the heart and soul of the area.

We were actually staying in one of their private huts (more on this later) so we ate here whenever we were feeling lazy. The menu is great, having a nice blend between comforting familiar Western favourites and local Thai flavour. The coffee is also excellent. We especially loved their pasta offerings, after 3 years on the road, it was great to have a nice carbonara!

We actually stayed at Cafe Del Sunshine.Make sure you read our accommodation section for more details.

Tachad and Yay Eing Thai Food

Another Lonely Beach staple. You know its good when there is a constant queue of people waiting. The restaurant doesn't look like anything special; just another hole in the wall place with a few collapsible tables, bubbling soup pots and a traditional Thai menu. However, if you are looking for cheap, large, delicious Thai street food, this is your place! We ate here loads as it was so yummy (and reasonably priced). Their pad krapow moo (stir fried pork and holy basil over rice) is especially good, just make sure to get the extra fried egg and ask for it spicy.

Spicy Thai Food - How hot can you handle?

Phed is the Thai word for spicy. You can ask for different spice levels when you order: "Mai phed" for not spicy, "chai phed" for spicy or "phed phed" for very spicy. If you are brave go for "Thai phed" - Thai spicy!

Phed can be pronounced as spelt or sometimes a little more like "phet".

On Koh Chang you don’t really need to worry about it, the restaurants will always ask if you want it spicy. If they don’t ask it is because they have assumed you want it “farang Phed” or foreigner spicy aka, not spicy at all! If this is not the case, bust out the Thai above and they will happily adjust. Also it is really fun to learn a little language and it can go a long way when ordering in less touristy places!

Thai food stalls are lit up by flourescent lights. Menus crowd the front and piles of bananas hang from the counters. — *Tachad Yay Eing and Vosa Roti share a storefront*

Vosa Roti

You cannot visit a Thai island without having a roti aka a pancake/crepe. Thailand is part of the "banana pancake trail" after all. This stall may or may not be part of Tachad and Yay Eing (see above) but deserves its own mention. If you need some sweet, sticky yumminess, do not miss out.

The Coffee Home by Na Tara

We found this gorgeous little coffee spot on our scooter-borne exploration of the eastern side of the island. The cafe sits right out on a beach with its decking overlooking the sand and waves. There are loads of comfy chairs, recliners and swings to lounge on whilst sipping an iced coffee. We ducked in for some shade and a drink on our exploration and loved the iced lattes.

A bright orange thai iced tea sits on a table overlooking the ocean at Coffee Home. — *Coffee Home also does a great Thai iced tea!*

You could spend a good while chilling out, swimming and sipping here. Na Tara sits on the edge of a fancy resort with a gorgeous looking swimming pool, so if you love the location you can stay here.

Local Roadside Noodles

(location) - No google listing just look out on the side of the road around here!

Thailand would not be Thailand without the ubiquitous, delicious roadside noodle stand. A great example or yummy cheap noodles can be found near the pretty Wat Salak Phet in the south of the island (nearly as far south as the eastern road goes). Cheap, tasty, authentic and filling, it is just what a bowl of noodles should be! This is a great little place to take a break from the more westernised Thai food around the island. They also offer Pad Thai and other Thai street food classics.

A teal bowl of thai pork noodle soup sits crowned with chopsticks. Thin noodles lie in a dark rich soup with slices of pork and pork balls.

CoCo Coffee

Ellie holds up a cup of iced coffee against the sea and sand of Paradise Beach

A great excuse to park in the Coconut Resort, this beach side cafe was luxurious and lovely. We helped ourselves to some deckchairs on the sand and enjoyed a fantastic couple of iced teas. You can have alcohol, smoothies or full plates of food. It is a little pricier so we didn't order a meal but the food did look great. The location is unbeatable though, a prime spot on a pristine beach. Cold drinks and sand underfoot, it is exactly what a Thai island cafe should be.

Easy Life - Brunches, Breakfast and Burgers

If you are looking for brunch or good Western comfort food on Koh Chang - check out Easy life. Set in a very stylish comfy bar, full of beanbags and eclectic furniture, Easy life serves amazing burgers, great coffee and a good breakfast / brunch selection.

Easy life also offers rooms, check them out here.

Rasta View

The setting of this restaurant / bar couldn't be prettier. Sitting atop a hilly rise in between Bang Bao Pier and Klong Kloi Beach, Rasta View commands a fantastic view over the beaches and out into the Gulf of Thailand.

the red, black, yellow and green striped exterior of Rasta View is decorated with Bob Marley posters. Its curbside is full of scooters and clothes for sale. — *The theming of Rasta View is common on many a beach bar!*

The bar has loads of different areas to sit, from sofa's and beanbags to bar seating overlooking the view. Its a popular place for groups and serves drinks, smoothies and food all day. There are also some amazing looking classic bikes to admire. It's worth a stop for the view alone!

Seafood Feasts on Koh Chang

Being surrounded by the Gulf of Thailand is good for more than just snorkelling. The seafood on Koh Chang is fresh, delicious and very plentiful. There are loads of spots on the island where you can treat yourself to some delicious seafood, here are a couple of good choices:

Dang Seafood

Big and busy, Dang Seafood sits just on the edge of the Lonely Beach village. Their roaring barbecues grill up all kinds of seafood. Dang offers platters of seafoods at great prices, with fat prawns, snapper and scallops. As soon as night falls they set up a tables full of ice and piles of the days fresh catch. You can order seafood a la carte, a platter or choose from a large Thai and Western menu.

Krau Pa Jaew, Salakkhok Village

If your going to have seafood, you want it fresh. You are not getting fresher than from the restaurant that serves the Fisherman's Village. Don't miss trying their crispy fish salad, it is delicious and completely different to Western Thai food!

Hansa Bar and Boat

Right down next to the path to Lonely beach sits a strange ship. Strange because it is on land, and that it is in fact, a restaurant. If you are looking for a sunset view with your seafood this may be unbeatable!

Thai Street Food on Koh Chang

(location) - Everywhere on the island. Look for stalls in front of 7-11's, parking lots and anywhere popular after dark.

Thailand is the undisputed king of street food. If you don't try street food in Thailand, there is no hope for your taste-buds - your palette and us will never be friends. Do not be afraid to pull up on your scooter and enjoy some “moo ping” - grilled pork on a skewer or grab some “gai tod” - fried chicken. All over you will find small stalls roasting chickens (“gai yan”), their counters full of vegetables and fruit ready to be smashed into a papaya salad (“som tam”). It is all delicious and 100% worth stepping outside of your comfort zone to experience.

7-11 - A backpackers friend in a pinch

It's not glamorous but it gets the job done for cheap.

A seven-eleven shop sign sits next to a pharmacy and a roti stand on the roadside of Koh Chang.

7-11 is slowly taking over every street corner in Asia it seems these days. Whilst we are not encouraging the corporate takeover of a continent's convenience food, it is ... well convenient! 7-11 is reliable and cheap and will always have a few staples to pull you though in a pinch. Beyond the traditional cheese and ham toastie, we are suckers for their pre-boiled eggs, sushi triangles and Vit-C drinks.

Honestly there is no shame in popping into 7-11 for a quick fix, just remember that the proper street food is often cheaper!

Nightlife - Where to Go for a Party or a Quiet Drink on Lonely Beach

As we were based around the fantastic Lonely Beach, we didn't really stray too far for a drink in the evening. Luckily Lonely Beach has plenty of bars and late night revelry on offer.

Beautiful Bar

Living up to its name, the Beautiful Bar sits facing out to the sea and the setting sun. With bar seating for a perfect sunset spot and comfy cushions and loungers all over the floor, it is a very chilled out place for an afternoon / early evening drink. There is a good menu of Thai and Western food, along with smoothies, cocktails and bar snacks. Mostly though you are here for the beers and the view!

Rude Boy Bar

We wished we had found this sooner in our stay on Lonely Beach! A friendly and fun little bar full of driftwood chairs, ship parts and little nooks. It is another 'rasta-ish' bar and we really loved the view and the vibes from here.

A ships prow - made from driftwood, complete with skull and crossbones flag, sits facing the setting sun. cushions are scattered around as the sky is turning gold. — *Rude Boy Bar is definitely one of the best sunset spots on Koh Chang!*

Beach Bars on Lonely Beach

Sprawling out onto the gorgeous sands of Lonely beach are a bevvy of beach bars. Each one follows a similar formula: Beer, cocktails and smoothies + beach chairs + chilled music + varying levels of reggae theming. Just find a chair with a nice view (and maybe some shade), flop down and enjoy the quintisential Thai beach bar experience.

The sun sets over the sea on Lonely Beach. Silhouetted against the sun is a kneeling paddle boarded and several swimmers. Right out in the distance is a small sailboat. — *The bars on Lonely Beach can fill up as the sun begins to set. Get there in time for a front row seat!*

It is between these bars and on this beach, that the legendary Lonely Beach parties happen. They start late in the evening and continue until dawn. For when the next party is due, check with the bars or the hostels in the surrounding area.

Himmel Bar

Ok, honesty time, this was not really our scene but it is one of the most famous nightlife spots on the whole of Koh Chang. Late, loud and (apparently) never closed this bar sprawls out from behind Cafe Del Sunshine and supplies the after party for all the beach bars and raves in the area.

It is a very marmite place, we bounced off of it hard - it was a bit annoying that it pumped out million-decibel music until the dawn, even to an entirely empty bar -Himmel just wasn't for us but it is a big famous bar and clearly a place people love to come drink and dance.

Accommodation on Koh Chang - The Best Areas to Stay in

Koh Chang is a big island - Thailand’s third largest, and offers a bewildering array of places to stay. Whatever your budget and travel style there will be a hotel, hostel, guesthouse or resort for you.

The first and most important choice you will have to make is where on Koh Chang you want to base yourself. We chose the busy and lively Lonely Beach area (more on that in a moment) but there are plenty of other good choices:

The Quiet Retreat - Eastern Koh Chang

If you are looking to get away and just relax, then the eastern or sunrise side of Koh Chang might be what you are looking for. Here the accommodation is more spread out, the roads are quieter and the nights more chilled.

For a luxurious stay on eastern Koh Chang check out the Sunrise Beach Resort For a more budget conscious option, have a look at Baan Chid Talay or MountView Koh Chang.

Paradise Beach - Resorts, cafes and white sands

For a more all-inclusive approach the the perfect sands of Paradise / Klong Prao / Chai Chet Beach may be what you are looking for. The beach is lined with beach cafes and bars, with the resorts spilling out onto the sands. If you are looking for a relaxed holiday where the beach is outside your window and you don't have to stray further than your hotel bar, this could be the one. It was a very popular beach with families when we visited and the soft sand and gentle waves were amazing.

A child runs towards the blue sea at Paradise beach. The headland curves around with a large moutainous ridge jutting out into the sea

There are dozens of resorts to choose from, the Coconut Beach Resort looked very comfy when we borrowed its cafe for a beach day!

For those in search of the finer things, have a look at the swanky Koh Chang Paradise Resort and Spa or the lovely bungalows at Flora I Talay.

If you are more budget conscious there are lots of great options just off the beach that are considerably cheaper. Have a look at the Habitat Hostel or the Eastique Hotel.

Lonely Beach - Backpackers, Bars and Nightlife

Lonely beach is split into a few areas: The “village” holds the accommodation, shops and bars. The “Strip” has more bars and leads down to the actual beach, where the beach bars and late night parties are.

The Lonely Beach area is the old backpacker heart of Koh Chang. Here is where you find the budget hostels, beach bars, parties and budget friendly dining. It is more than just late night beach raves however, the area has fantastic cafes, yoga retreats and quieter places to stay.

Confusingly most of the accommodation in Lonely Beach is not, in fact, on Lonely Beach. Most of the places to stay are centered around here.

For the backpacker on a budget there is Crazy Monkey or the fantastic Cafe Del Sunshine. Cafe Del Sunshine is a local institution and has been the heart of the area forever. They offer large cheap dorms as well as very nice private bungalows (our choice).

Be aware that, if you are staying the the heart of Lonely Beach (around the Crazy Monkey / Cafe Del Sunshine area), it is very very loud at night. The Himmel Bar pumps out music well into the early hours. We were warned before we checked in and the warnings were well warranted (try saying that fast)! It wasn't an issue for us but this is not the area for quiet nights!

If you are looking for a little more serenity but still want to be near the action then just look across the main road and at the accommodation that climbs up the neighbouring hill. We walked up to Oasis Koh Chang and its bungalows and pools looked like a lovely escape. There is also the more basic, but more budget friendly Ploy Inn Koh Chang.

There are beachfront options at Lonely Beach but they do come at a premium. Have a look at the nearly beachfront Bhumiyama Plus.

All Koh Chang accommodation choices

There are hundreds of hotels, resorts and hostels on Koh Chang, we couldn’t possibly begin to list all of them. There are also loads more fantastic villages and areas to stay. We were focussed on Lonely Beach but you may find your own slice of paradise elsewhere. Check out our handy accommodation map below and let us know in the comments if you have a favourite area.

Getting Around - Transport Across the Island

First things first, Koh Chang is big, it is the third largest Thai island with only Phuket and Samui being bigger. The whole island is built around beaches and small towns, to get between any of them you are going to need transport. Luckily Koh Chang actually has a good few options for getting around and, unlike some other islands, they won’t break the bank!

Scooter Rental

The most popular way around the island is definitely scooter rental. Everywhere offers rental, prices vary but we rented a larger nicer 155cc scooter for 350 baht per day. You can definitely pay less than this but with two of us on the bike we wanted a nice one that wouldn't struggle on the steeper hills. We kept things simple and rented our bikes from our accommodation - Cafe Del Sunshine. Make sure you check the reviews and video any damage on a scooter rental before driving away!

A silver and orange 155cc Yamaha Aero scooter sits in front of a seaside bench.

Be very careful driving on Koh Chang. There is basically one large road that goes in a huge horseshoe around the island, this means that all of the traffic is on the same road. Koh Chang is very hilly, the roads rise sharply and descend down fast coiling many-cornered routes. There is an especially notorious section just to the north of Lonely Beach that catches many a novice scooterer out. Be very careful if you chose to drive on Koh Chang, doubly so in wet conditions, you are almost certainly not covered to drive scooters by your insurance and an island hospital visit can be very expensive.

All that doom and gloom out of the way, we love scootering around and Koh Chang was no different. It was great to just hop on, helmet up and go wherever we felt like.

Island Songthaews

Koh Chang has invested in a great way for people to get around the island. A chain of open sided Songthaews shuttle up and down the island. The fares run around 100 - 150 baht just confirm with the driver before you jump in. To hop on and hop off the open-sided trucks, just hail one down on the island’s main road, tell them where you are going and zoom off. This is a great system and really opens the island up to those who might not be comfy driving on the hilly roads.

Songthaew - Common all over Thailand these are converted trucks or 4x4,s where the back portion has been changed into an open sided people carrier. They are often brightly and uniquely painted and are usually one of the cheaper ways to get around. On the mainland they usually run defined routes, like a bus. On Koh Chang they mainly run up and down the long western road. To hitch a ride just flag one going the right direction down, agree a destination and a price and hop on the back. The name songthaew translates to “two rows” as the seating is usually 2 benches opposite each other. Now you know!

Just note that the songthaews are most common on the western road of the island, they are very rare on the eastern side so you may need a private taxi to explore the east. Confirm that the driver is going where you want before you get on! Also it's worth remembering that the taxis and songthaews will be much more common in the high season (November to March / April) than in the less busy months.

These island songthaews are very useful when you get dropped off at the ferry pier when arriving on Koh Chang. If your accommodation doesn't include a pick-up, head over to a waiting songthaew and wait for it to fill up, the busier it is, the better the price. We paid 100 baht each for us and our bags to be ferried from the pier to our hostel at Lonely Beach.

A view across a huge, beach lined bay. A long pier sticks straight out into the sea — *Koh Chang is not an island you can just walk around.*

Private Taxi's on Koh Chang

Everywhere will offer this. Every single town, resort, village or hostel will be able to call and arrange a car to come and shuttle you wherever you need to go. It will, of course, be the most expensive option, but sometimes you need to pay up to get where you want to go.

Many of the activities on the island will include free taxi transfer, this includes most ferry tickets off of the island. Check when you book anything as this is a very handy perk.

ATM's, 7-11, Petrol Stations, Hospitals and Creature Comforts

Koh Chang is a big island and has everything a traveller could need. ATMs are everywhere, every town will have at least one. If you are not sure where to look, 7-11 stores will almost always have one outside. Speaking of which; there are nine 7-11's on Koh Chang so you won't find yourself wanting for a cheese toastie! If you are in need of a pharmacy, most of the hub towns will have one or more. Some of the larger 7-11s also have pharmacies attached.

Petrol is also in plentiful supply with both large petrol stations and small local pumps - you should not find yourself stranded on a scooter.

Hopefully you won't need them but the island does have two dedicated hospitals. Bangkok Hospital has a branch on the island here. It is meant to be quite expensive for those without insurance (4000 baht to see a doctor). The hospital is open 24 hours and has emergency facilities. There is another more local style hospital here its prices are lower but the wait time will be much longer.

Where to Go Next - Other Islands, Trat, Bangkok, and Cambodia

Koh Chang is fantastically well connected, after you have finished on the island you can move on to loads of other amazing destinations.

Koh Mak and Koh Kood

If you are looking at moving to a smaller, more intimate island, Koh Mak and Koh Kood are fantastic choices. Both islands are a short ferry ride from either Koh Chang or from mainland Trat. Koh Mak and Koh Kood are both stunningly gorgeous with secluded beaches and amazing accommodation. You can book ferries from pretty much anywhere on the island or, if you want to book it in advance (a good idea in peak season), you could use 12GO:

We have visited both islands and can confirm that they are little slices of paradise! We actually spent Christmas on Koh Mak, but that is a story for another time...

A ferry timetable showing the route from Koh Chang to Koh Kood, the different boats on offer and their respective prices. — *There are plenty of options for those looking to hop to another island.*

Explore Trat Province

The city and province of Trat are under-appreciated gems.

Trat is a properly fun Thai city with plenty of great food and loads to see and do in the surrounding countryside. There is a daily night market serving up fantastic local dishes as well as a massive weekend market that stretches all the way down one of Trat's historic streets. Most people either just pass through Trat or have an overnight there before transferring to one of the nearby islands. It is 100% worth slowing down and having a proper explore.

Trat is the nearest city to Koh Chang and is home to the airport that those in a hurry may have used to get to the island. Most ferries going to the mainland will dock at Ao Thammachat Pier in Trat province, you can book the transfer with you accommodation on the island or in advance on 12Go:

Koh Chang to Trat

The province of Trat is full of amazing nature and things to see and do. It has fantastic beaches, waterfalls and temples. The coast road clings to the cliffs and marks the thinnest part of Thailand. There are also loads of amazing and cheap seafood restaurants.

Bangkok

The Thai capital is is 320km north of Trat and there are plenty of direct buses going daily between the two cities. The journey takes between 4 and 5 hours and can be booked at Trat Bus Station or online with 12GO here. Most of the Bangkok buses will drop you off at the Ekkamai Bus Terminal.

You can easily buy through-tickets to take you all the way from your accommodation on Koh Chang to Bangkok, these tickets will include the ferry from Koh Chang to the mainland. You can again, book from any tour agent, hostel or hotel on Koh Chang or in advance via 12GO here.

You can even book tickets straight from Koh Chang to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok if Koh Chang is the end of your Thai adventure. Check out the options here.

Make sure you check out the pick up and drop off destinations when booking tickets.

If you are pressed for time and want to fly, there are 2 flights a day from Trat Airport to Bangkok (and visa-versa).

Cambodia and Koh Rong / Koh Rong Samloem

Koh Chang and Trat Province are very close to the Cambodian border. The Khlong Yai Border Point is only 89Km (1 hour 20 drive) from Trat town.

There are also daily ferries that can take you to the backpacker favourite islands of Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloem.

At the present moment, there are tensions between Cambodia and Thailand and the borders have been closed to tourists. We very much hope this is only temporary and everything will be resolved soon. When the situation settles we will update this and add the transport options.

Honest Thoughts From Two Long-Term Backpackers - Is Koh Chang Worth a Trip?

We were so worried when we booked a trip to Koh Chang. Would the island be too touristy? Would it just be an endless parade of gated resorts? Would there be any good food?

Before Koh Chang we were definitely 'small island people', but Koh Chang blew us away with its beauty, beaches and backpacker vibes. The island is busy, it is Western focussed, it does have tons of resorts, but somehow it has completely preserved the appeal that brought the original backpackers in the 70's. Koh Chang has enough of the modern conveniences for a family on holiday but also keeps its rough heart, beach bars and late night parties for the backpacker crowd.

Koh Chang is beautiful, the island is simply gorgeous. The rolling mountainous roads, sparkling seas and lush green jungles are amazing. The snorkelling, beaches, viewpoints and diving are world class - Koh Chang is a perfect Thai island escape.

Koh Chang manages, somehow, to be a Jack of all Trades and still a master of all! We will be back!

Thanks for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

A Thai flag flutters in the wind from the back of a ferry. In the background the Island of Koh Chang recedes away under a blue sky.

For more Thai island guides, check out our other blogs:

Koh Libong - A True Off The Beaten Path Thai Island Paradise

A Day Out On Koh Lanta, A 24 Hour Itinerary - What Can You Do When You’re Short On Time?

Koh Jum - An Island A World Away

Koh Yao Noi - A Quiet Island Surprise Off The Coast Of Phuket

The Sleepy Paradise of Koh Mook

Koh Lipe - The Tropical Island Paradise of Southern Thailand

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Our Review of China Southern Airlines - The Cheapest Flights Between Bangkok Thailand and London UK

Flying between Thailand and the UK is never a cheap affair, but we think we’ve found the cheapest flight tickets there are with China Southern Airlines. Read on to find out what it was like flying from the Thai capital of Bangkok to London, via a 12 hour layover in Guangzhou airport. We cover what to expect on the flight, what Guangzhou airport is like and whether we would recommend flying with China Southern!

Flying is never cheap and flying the 5,950 miles (9,580 kilometers) between the vibrant Thai capital of Bangkok and the UK capital of London is never an inexpensive affair!

Whenever you book an international trip, flying is always the most expensive part of your holiday. Whoever you choose to fly with, you’re always at the mercy of the airline and whatever they want to charge you for your ticket. As long-term budget travellers, we try to avoid flying as much as possible, opting to cross borders on foot rather than by air. We find flying as a whole to be far too expensive, a huge hassle and often find it can often take longer than just catching a bus or train from a to b. Unfortunately, we can’t always just hop over a border to our next destination and to get to some parts of this world, flying is the only option.

Since the pandemic, the cost of flights have risen worldwide. The world is changing rapidly, and as the world's politics gets more and more turbulent, the globe is getting smaller and smaller. As the 21st century rolls on, more and more places are becoming conflict zones, and more of the global airspace is being shut off to travel. As the planet becomes less easy to navigate, flights are becoming more and more expensive.

We frequently catch flights between Thailand and the UK and every year we’ve noticed a significant increase in the price of plane tickets. We recently needed to catch a one way flight between Bangkok and London, and after much searching online, we had nearly given up hope on finding a cheap ticket, that is until we spotted a Bangkok to London flight with China Southern Airline - at a price we couldn’t believe! When flying we’re not bothered by fancy airlines, airport lounges or upgrades. All we’re interested in is getting to wherever we want to go in the cheapest and quickest way possible.

With this all in mind we booked our cheap flights and set off. This is our honest experience on flying economy from Bangkok to London with China Southern Airlines.

A China Southern Airline blue and white Boeing 787 sits on wet tarmac outside Guangzhou's glass airport terminal. Surrounding the plane are parked vehicles.

In This Budget Flight Guide:

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

Getting to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Bangkok City Centre

The biggest airport in Bangkok is Suvarnabhumi Airport to the east of the city located here. This is the main international hub for tourists arriving to and departing from Bangkok / Thailand. The airport is extremely well connected to the city centre and whatever your budget you can easily get to and from Bangkok's main airport.

Getting to Suvarnabhumi Airport by Bus

If you’re staying in Old Bangkok near the main backpacking hub of Khao San Road, Phra Athit Road and Soi Rambuttri, the cheapest way to get to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport is via the S1 airport link bus.

The S1 bus runs every half hour from 06:00 until 20:00 everyday and tickets cost just 60 baht.

The buses are labelled S1 on the front and are usually bright orange with some newer white and blue buses.

To catch the bus to the airport, you’ll need to wait at this bus stop on the edge of Rambuttri Street located here.

If you’re arriving in Suvarnabhumi, you can catch the bus from outside entrance 7 on level 1 of the airport terminal to take you the other way into Bangkok's Old Town.

The journey can take anything between 1 to 2 hours to reach the city, with the bus taking the main expressways into the centre, before circling around Democracy Monument and eventually pulling into the Khao San Road area.

If you’re staying in or around Khao San Road there are no MRT stations so catching the S1 bus to or from the airport makes more sense than having to fork out for two methods of transport.

However, if the traffic is terrible and you’re worried about getting to the airport on time you can always catch a bus or taxi from the Old Town Bangkok area to Phaya Thai train station where you can catch…

By Train - Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link

The Airport Rail Link connects Suvarnabhumi Airport with the city centre, with trains running every 10 to 15 minutes from 05:00 until 00:00 everyday.

Trains depart Suvarnabhumi Airport and travel to Phaya Thai in the centre of the city. Catching the train from the airport to Phaya Thai train station will take you a speedy 26 minutes. Depending on where you’re travelling to, ticket fares cost between 15 and 40 baht.

The Airport Rail Link is great if you’re staying in the Baiyoke Sky Hotel or any of the other hotels around Pratunam Market - just get on or off at Ratchaprarop Station.

For connections to the Blue BTS line (train links to Sukhumvit, Lumphini Park, Chinatown and Hua Lamphong) get off at Makkasan Station and walk the 200 metres (follow the signs) to connect with Phetchaburi station on the Blue BTS line.

The final station (or beginning station depending on direction of travel) on the Airport Rail Link is Phaya Thai. This train station links travellers to the Green BTS line and is perfect for those staying in and around Victory Monument and Siam.

To buy tickets, either queue up at the ticket counter or use the ticket vending machines dotted around the stations. Just note that almost all of the ticket vending machines take cash and coins only. If you haven’t changed any currency or want to pay on card, you can get your tickets from the ticket booths.

Arranging a Taxi to Suvarnabhumi Airport

You can easily hail one of the bright yellow, green, pink or white taxis from the street, or arrange a car via the ride-hailing apps of Grab or Bolt.

If you’ve hailed a taxi from the street, make sure you ask the driver for a metered ride.

A taxi ride to Suvarnabhumi should cost around 500 baht ($15 USD) per ride.

The traffic in Bangkok is notorious for being in a permanent state of gridlock so make sure you plan plenty of time to reach the airport.

To book a taxi transfer in advance, click here.

The busy departures terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport is full of people queuing next to colourful suitcases. — *The departures terminal at Suvarnabhumi airport is huge!*

Transferring Between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi Airports

When taking public transport / booking a taxi, make sure you’re heading to the right airport.

There are two main airports in Bangkok:

Suvarnabhumi Airport to the east of the city (located here)
Don Mueang Airport to the north of the city (located here)

Suvarnabhumi Airport is the biggest and main airport for international flights to the UK, USA, Europe, Asia and beyond, whereas Don Mueang is mainly for flights departing and arriving from inland Thailand, South East Asia and Asia.

The two airports sit 36 KM away from each other and are about a 45 minute drive depending on the traffic.

The cheapest way to transfer between the two airports is via the ‘Shuttle Airport Bus’ with the bus operating between 05:00 and 00:00 at night. Tickets for the shuttle bus are free, you just need to show your passport and proof of onward ticket for your next flight.

To catch the airport shuttle bus from Suvarnabhumi, just head to level 2 of the arrivals hall and head to exit 3. At Don Mueang the shuttle bus can be found on floor 1 next to exit 6.

If you have a very tight schedule between two flights at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, we’d recommend checking out the fast track service provided by Get Your Guide. Border Control can get extremely busy during peak travel periods at Suvarnabhumi airport!

Before setting off for the airport make sure you double check which Bangkok airport your flight is departing from!

Our Experience - Flying Bangkok to London via Guangzhou with China Southern Airlines

After searching high and low on the internet for the cheapest flights back to the UK, we finally settled on an excellent deal with China Southern Airlines - we’re not going to spoil how much we got them just yet 😉 you’ll have to read to the bottom of the article to find that out!

Our tickets were from Bangkok to Guangzhou, China. We would then have a 12 hour layover before catching a second flight from Guangzhou to London Heathrow.

Flight 1 would be a 2.5 hour flight leaving Bangkok at 20:20 and arriving Guangzhou at 00:20.

Flight 2 would be a 12.5 hour flight leaving Guangzhou at 13:20 the next day and arriving back at London Heathrow at 19:00.

The tickets were ‘through booked’, we would be with China Southern for the whole trip. China Southern Airlines would be a new airline for us. We’ve never flown via China before and never with China Southern. We checked reviews online for people’s experiences and they seemed good. So with hundreds of pounds saved, we booked our flights!

Flight 1 - Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN)

We were staying in the heart of Old Bangkok, a short walk away from Khao San Road. We left our excellent hostel, Lost Inn BKK with plenty of time to check in for our flight. As experienced travellers in Bangkok, we’ve been at the mercy of the roads many a time and know just how bad traffic in and out of the Thai capital can be. Luckily for us, on this journey, the Thai traffic gods were on our side and we had what was possibly the quickest journey to Suvarnabhumi airport we’ve ever had.

We arrived so early, we had a whole hour to spare before we could check-in, so we spent time sorting out our Tourist VAT Refund and chilling out in the terminal with one final Thai tea.

Getting a Tourist VAT Refund in Suvarnabhumi Airport

For those getting a Tourist VAT Refund, you need to head to the dedicated counter next to Entrance 10 of the Suvarnabhumi departure terminal.

The process was super quick when we were there. We just showed them our tax receipt and proof of purchase and got a stamp. To get your refund, you’ll need to get the stamp at Entrance 10. Then, take everything with you through security and Passport Control to the second Tourist VAT counter. Just head to the right as soon as you leave Passport Control and follow the signs. If you have bought specific goods (technology and other high value things) you will need to show them and their packaging to the VAT Refund Officers. If you don’t have it you may not be able to claim it!

Check with the shop when you buy your goods what process will be needed. We bought ourselves a new laptop in Thailand and had to bring its original box with us to claim the refund.

The departure terminal at Suvarnabhumi is massive, but there’s plenty of seating and lots of places to get food and drink. If you’re after cheap Thai food, head to the foodie famous Magic Point Food Court on floor 1 for super cheap, super tasty Thai street food favourites (located here). Around the departure hall are plenty of coffee chains and convenience stores.

Check-in for our China Southern flights was extremely easy. The lady was very friendly and quick to answer all our questions. John was worried about our luggage and the long layover at Guangzhou but the lady reassured us that its was “checked through” to London and we didn't need to claim it in China. She even showed us the labels on the bags so we had no worries at all.

Checked-in, boarding cards in hand and feeling a lot lighter, it was time to take one more journey on the “saddest escalator in the world”. It’s never easy saying goodbye to Bangkok. We feel it's our second home now and it always feels sad to leave. Whoever coined the name the “saddest escalator in the world” really captured our feelings as we said au revoir to our beloved Thailand!

People queue ready to stand on the departures escalator in Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport. — *Suvarnabhumi’s “escalator of sadness” - it’s always a sad ride!*

We were travelling at the start of the wet season and the airport was a lot quieter. Gone were the long queues at security and we just whistled through. Since our last departure from the airport they have introduced electronic passport gates and it seems to have dramatically cut the queues at immigration. We just put our passports down on the scanner, had a photo taken and were let through!

If you have an electronic passport you can just use the e-gates and pass straight through. If you do not have an electronic passport, there are still passport control booths on either end of Passport Control.

Suvarnabhumi is a massive airport and is the main airport for tourists arriving to or departing from Thailand. It is also one of the main regional aviation hubs for South East Asia.

In 2024, Thailand welcomed over 35 million tourists, most of which would have passed through Suvarnabhumi. If you are travelling through this airport, leave as much time as possible. It can get very busy and during peak times, you will need to queue for security and Immigration.

Our advice is get there as early as possible!

If you have a long layover in Suvarnabhumi or fancy treating yourself, you can easily book a stay in the airport lounge in advance. Check out the offer below from Get Your Guide.

We had about an hour on the other side of security to wait, so after getting our refund back from the Tourist VAT counter (see above), we treated ourselves to a cheeky burger from McDonalds and headed to our gate.

It wasn’t long before our quiet gate was filled with other China-bound passengers. We can definitely say everyone travelling on our flight was very punctual! It was still 30 minutes before our gate opened and it looked like the whole of our plane had descended onto the gate and were waiting patiently in line with their boarding passes ready.

We boarded our Airbus A320 and found our seats. As soon as we were up in the air, the trolley service came around. We didn’t expect food or drink on a 2.5 hour journey, but we were given 2 drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic available), one before our meal and one after. For our food we both opted for chicken noodles (it went well with our beers!). The chicken noodles were good for airplane food. You’re never going to have a gourmet 5-star meal, but chicken in a soy sauce gravy sitting on a bed of noodles was perfectly edible. Also we can confirm the Pearl River Beer was very good.

Sitting on a plastic table on an aeroplane sit a metal tray full of chicken and noodles. Next to it is an open red and gold can of 'Pearl River' beer.

It wasn’t long after we had finished our meal and drinks that we had to stow away everything as we prepared for our descent. It was time for our first glance into China!

A Layover at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport - What to Expect

We touched down on the runway at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport just after midnight. As soon as the wheels had hit the tarmac, we realised just how big the airport was!

In every direction, a sleek, modern, wavy glass terminal stretched out on either side of us. We taxied around the airport for what felt like hours, passing by gate 10, gate 50 until we eventually pulled to a stop at gate 150 - as we said, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is massive!

The plane was unloaded with relative ease. It might have been the late night arrival or that everyone was slightly delirious from lack of sleep, but compared to the usual rugby scrum upon arrival, everyone was super polite and eager to help others. We quickly left the plane and headed to the terminal.

The modern exterior of the airport continued inside. As soon as we had left the plane there were clear signs showing the way. It was so easy to navigate, we just followed the ‘transit signs’. We left the majority of the plane at Passport Control and turned to the right.

At the transit desk, a friendly lady checked our details and asked if we wanted to go to an airport hotel for the night. We were entitled to a night’s accommodation for free as we had a long layover and had booked our tickets through China Southern. Definitely check if you can claim this if you have a long layover!

We had already decided that, as we had only 12 hours, it wouldn’t really be worth our time (or nerves) heading to Passport Control, getting a visa to leave the airport and catching the shuttle bus to the hotel. Only to grab a few hours sleep before heading back to the airport to check back in through security and Immigration. As we declined the airport hotel, she asked if we would like to head to the lounge for a couple of hours. We decided against this as you can only stay for 2 hours and it costs 230 yuan ($32) per person.

After our passports were checked we headed through to security. Security was completely empty at this time of night. It was just us and two guys who helped, with clear instructions on what to unpack and what not to. In general it was just everything with a big lithium battery (laptops / iPads etc). All portable chargers were checked as to what voltage they were - tip don’t cover this up with a sticker like John did on his battery!

We unpacked our laptops but could keep our camera and lenses inside their cases. Ellie had a small set of toiletries in a small bag, but they didn’t seem to bat an eyelid and just waved it through.

Compared to other airports we have travelled through, the Chinese staff were very scrutinous of everything going through the x-ray machine. We were so glad we decided to come straight through security when we did. If we had left the airport for the hotel, we can imagine it would have taken us a lot longer to unpack and go through if we hit security at a busy time, but as it was just us and some late night staff, it was completely painless.

Repacked, we headed through to the airport departures zone.

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport is very similar to other airports around the world. There’s the usual duty free shopping area, lots of restaurants, coffeeshops and international fast food chains. It was now very early morning and everything was closed apart from a late night Subway and a Lawson’s supermarket so we headed on through.

We found an information board (they’re located everywhere) in the terminal and scanned our passports to get onto the WiFi. The internet in Guangzhou airport is very patchy. We did manage to get some internet, but if you’re looking to download a film it’s best to do this beforehand. Also remember you’re in China so Google and other apps may not work.

VPNs are super useful when travelling especially when connecting to open networks such as airport WiFi and cafes. Not only do they keep us protected but it means that we can keep watching our TV and films whilst aboard.

If you’re looking for a reliable VPN, we’ve been using Surfshark for the past 3 years and are never without it. Click here to get your own VPN to keep your internet searching safe!

Internet sorted we found some comfy looking seats in the middle of the food court area, opposite the information desk. Ellie, not eager to take the first seats and always willing to explore, decided on wandering the airport a little more. Our adventure lust was rewarded, as we quickly found the ‘transit lounge’. Not to be mistaken for a fancy airport lounge, this was a small area full of reclining chairs, foot stools and sofas. It looked like a great place to set up base.

We found the perfect seats, away from the other sleeping passengers and right in front of the huge glass window overlooking the runway and airport. If anyone knows Ellie she’s like a meerkat and loves to watch planes take off so this was the ideal spot! We made camp and set about getting a couple of hours shut-eye.

John sits reclined wearing black t-shirt and trousers. He is sitting in a red leather chair next to a brown footstall in the 'transit lounge' at Guangzhou Airport. — *John ready to bed down for the night!*

For those who don’t want to sleep on a chair; just below the ‘transit lounge’ is a set of cupboards that were Guangzhou’s newly opened sleeping pods. Sold on an hourly basis, the pods started at 38 yuan for one hour ($5.30) during the day and 58 yuan ($8.09) for one hour during the night. There are discounts available if you book multiple hours, just head to the nearby desk and ask.

The next morning, after an actually quite comfy night's sleep, we woke to an airport covered in very thick, dark and threatening clouds. We were seeing the tail end of a typhoon that was hitting Southern China. In amongst the torrential downpours, thunder and lightning we watched as airport staff wrangled with suitcases, filled up planes with fuel and did their final airplane checks. We felt guilty sitting in the dry, watching these poor souls drenched to their core.

We headed to the currency exchange to change up some Thai baht to Chinese Yuan and were charged £5 for the privilege in fees. You proabably do not need to do this - see our notes later. Yuan sorted, it was time to scour the airport for breakfast!

There’s plenty of restaurants in the terminal offering noodle soups, rice dishes and more but we settled on an intriguing crispy bun stuffed full of beef and spiced with Szechuan pepper. Known as Guo Kui in China, the buns were brilliant. Full of juicy meat, zingy pepper and crispy casing. They were a great portable breakfast to eat whilst watching the planes take off. Each bun cost 22 yuan ($3) so not overly expensive for an airport breakfast!

Inside a white paper bag is a crispy pastry bun filled with shredded beef.

After breakfast we headed to find coffee. We ordered two lattes from Pacific Coffee in the terminal and what came out was a massive goblet. The coffee was nothing like the craft coffee we had been drinking over the last fortnight in Bangkok but it was exactly what we needed to wake us from an airport sleepover. There’s also a Starbucks in the departures terminal that we may or may not have tried! Both the coffee from Pacific Coffee and Starbucks cost 35 yuan a cup ($4.88), not the cheapest, but not terrible for airport prices!

After coffee we moved and set up camp next to our gate. Our few hours' wait turned into a couple more as the storms just didn’t let up. During the delay, China Southern were great and handed out free bottles of water and pot noodles. After a 2 hour delay, there was a brief respite in the weather and all hands were on deck, it was time to depart from China!

Guangzhou Airport - Facilities and Essential Information

Things to remember:

There are no ATMS in the departures terminal. There are plenty of currency exchange booths and most food stalls and restaurants will accept credit /debit cards.
We used a currency exchange but you don’t actually have to! You can pay on card for most things and it will probably be cheaper than the currency exchanges fees - we learn from our mistakes!
There are plenty of restaurants, coffee shops and convenience stores. You can have a full sit down chinese feast or just grab some of Lawson’s famous fried chicken!
China uses both type A (2 flat head pins) and type C (2 round head pins) plugs. There are charging stations around the transit lounge and in some of the seating areas.
You can buy entrance to the lounges on an hourly basis but you cannot stay overnight in them.
Internet is available within the airport. It is very patchy and as you are in China, some apps and websites may not be accessible. You will need your passport to log in to the free Wifi, just look out for the information booths, or Wifi stands.
There are information desks throughout the terminal, lots of which seemed to be staffed 24-7.
There is ample seating in the airport, both next to the gates and in the food areas. We didn't struggle to get seats. That being said we were glad we got to the transit lounge early as the comfiest recliners were all gone by the time the sun came up!
If you leave the airport to go to sleep in a hotel / explore Guangzhou you will need to be stamped in and out of the airport and will need to acquire a visa-free-transit stamp.
There are plenty of places to refill your water bottle with both ice-cold and boiling hot water. They are free and found outside almost every toilet. They also mean you can buy and eat a pot noodle from one of the stores if you are on a budget!

A selection of red and green Chinese yuan bank notes are held up to the camera.

You can easily book a stay in the airport lounge once you arrive at Guangzhou, but if you prefer to have everything sorted in advance, click the image below:

Flight 2 - Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) to London Heathrow (LHR)

After our 2 hour delay due to the stormy weather, we were quickly boarded. The staff were very efficient, at making sure everyone had their boarding passes ready to go. In what felt like only a couple of minutes, everyone was sitting in place, belts on ready for take-off.

On our economy seats sat a pillow, blanket and a small bag full of toiletries including handcream, toothbrush and toothpaste. As soon as we sat down, we instantly noticed how much legroom we had. We were flying on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aeroplane and had much more space to spread out. Unlike our first flight, where we were treated to an empty seat next to ours, we were sat in a full row, but it didn’t feel cramped.

The entertainment system on board had a good selection of films and a few Western TV series. Most of the films were epic action movies, with plenty of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They also had: the full Harry Potter collection, all 3 Lord of the Ring films, lots of Disney (including all 4 Toy Story movies) and a couple of rom-coms. There was definitely enough to keep you entertained. The seats also included USB charging to keep our batteries topped up throughout the flight. If you needed Wifi you could buy it but it was very premium priced!

TV screens are lit up in the backs of aeroplane seats showing the movies on offer. In the airlse a Chinese Southern flight attendant is walking between the seats.

One thing we can say about flying long haul economy with China Southern was that we definitely didn’t go hungry or thirsty! During our 12.5 hour flight, we were served two in-flight meals with drinks before and after as well as pastries, snacks, drinks and water refills. The in-flight meals were very similar to our first leg, with a choice of beef or vegetable rice, chicken and noodles or fish and potatoes. We were also handed out 2 sets of sausage sandwiches in between the main meals. The flight attendants were always buzzing around and offered water throughout the flight - a very welcome change to other flights we’ve taken where we landed like extremely parched camels!

We had a lot of turbulence throughout our flight but the crew were very quick to turn on the seatbelt sign and ensure everyone was safe.

The 12.5 hours slowly drifted by and before long it was time to begin our descent into London.

As we descended along the snaking Thames, we passed over the Thames Barrier looking like a tiny metal zip, flew over the iconic white circular Millenium Dome and continued towards South London. From our small aeroplane window we passed over the radio tower at Crystal Palace, waved hello to our flat in Streatham, crossed over the green commons at Tooting Bec, Clapham and Wimbledon, soared over the vast Richmond Park before descending down over the rooftops of Hounslow. We eventually came to a bumpy stop on the runway outside London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 just as the sun was starting to set.

There’s something special about London sunsets, and this was the perfect welcome. After three years, we were back home!

A plane can be seen taken off on the runway of London Heathrow airport. The sky is glowing orange as the sun sets.

Getting into London From London Heathrow

If you’re arriving into Heathrow and need to get into London you have a couple of options.

Heathrow Express

The quickest way to reach the centre of London is via the Heathrow Express which has trains running every 15 minutes and connects London Heathrow with London Paddington. From Paddington you can easily transfer to the Bakerloo, Circle or District tube lines to head further into the city. Single fares cost £25 a ticket. To book your tickets in advance, click here.

Piccadilly Tube Line

The Piccadilly Tube line (dark blue) links London Heathrow with the city of London. You can catch the tube from Terminals 2,3,4 and 5 and the line takes you directly into London stopping at stations in Hammersmith, Earls Court, South Kensington, Knights Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and King’s Cross in the north.

The Elizabeth Line

The recently opened purple Elizabeth Line runs through Heathrow connecting Terminals 2,3,4 and 5 with the city of Reading in the West and Central London in the East. The train stops at Paddington station, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon in the centre of London.

By Taxi

The most expensive but luxurious way to reach the city of London is via a taxi transfer. To book a taxi transfer in advance, click here.

China Southern Airlines - Essential Information

China Southern Airlines Baggage Allowance

With our economy tickets, we were each allocated the following baggage allowance:

1 x 23 kg checked-in bag - the dimensions of the bag L+W+H must be under 158cm
1 x 7 kg carry on bag

We were hoping to bring back lots of noodles, curry pastes and 7-Eleven goodies from Thailand, but after checking out the prices to buy extra baggage, we decided we would have to make do with the free allowance. If you do need excess baggage, an extra bag will cost 1100 yuan (185 USD) per 23 kg piece.

Two blue and white planes sit outside the departures terminal in Guangzhou airport. The aeroplanes are being prepped for take-off with suitcases being loaded in.

China Southern Airline Seat Allocation

In terms of seat allocation, the seats we chose were free. There were options to book extra leg room seats and seats closer to the front but these were at an additional cost.

We actually ended up sitting in the exact same seat number on both flights - 61A and 61B. These were on the right hand side of the plane (if you are looking towards the tail) and had a brilliant view over London when we landed.

In front of the viewer of the backs of two blue and white economy seats on a China Southern aeroplane.. — *Our economy seats on our first flight - Bangkok to Guangzhou!*

Airport Hotels and Accommodation

Accommodation Near Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

If you have a long wait between flights in Suvarnabhumi and need a bed, the Hyatt Regency Hotel is only a 5 minute walk between the hotel and the terminal.

We stayed there a few years ago and had a very comfy stay and a big breakfast to set us up for the travel day ahead. Book your stay here.

Accommodation Near Guangzhou Airport

If your flight ticket doesn’t offer free accommodation, or you don’t fancy a night sleeping rough in the airport, then there’s plenty of accommodation dotted around the airport. The Pullman, the Novotel and the Crowne Plaza are the most popular international hotels nearby, and all three offer free breakfast, have shuttle buses to and from the airport, as well as options to book further lounge access.

To check out all accommodation near the airport available, click here or search using the map below:

To leave the airport you will need to go through security and get your passport stamped. Just check, when you check in for your first flight, whether you need to collect your luggage at Guangzhou or not. On some flights your baggage will go straight through to its final destination, but on some tickets, especially if you are travelling on two different airlines, it will not. Make sure you check before you check in on your first flight and ask if you have ‘checked through baggage’ included. If you do have checked through baggage, make sure you have packed whatever you need for your layover in your carry on bag!

If you are heading out of the airport, China offers a brilliant visa-free transit pass which gives you 240 hours to explore without the need for a full tourist visa (read more in the section below). If you have the time during a layover, you could easily catch public transport / a taxi into the city and have your very own Guangzhou adventure between flights! We would love to have done this, but as we landed at midnight and were flying the next day at lunch we’d only have a few hours to explore in the very early morning - possibly not the best time to get an idea about the city!

If you do leave for an exploration of the city make sure you leave enough time to get back to the airport to check-in, head through passport control and security before your next flight!

Accommodation Near London Heathrow Airport

If you’ve just landed at London Heathrow and need a bed before you set off to your next destination, then there are plenty of hotels surrounding the airport. From the budget friendly Premier Inn to the much more fancy Hilton or Novotel, there’s a bed for every budget.

Click here to book hotels near Heathrow.

All You Need To Know About A Long Layover in Guangzhou

240 Hour Visa-Free Transit - China

China is currently offering a 240 hours (10 days) visa-free transit policy for 55 nations. This policy allows individuals to travel out of 60 open ports in 24 provinces of China, and stay visa-free within the allowed areas for no more than 240 hours (10 days).

This policy is open to citizens from the UK as well as European nations, Australia and the USA.

To find out more information about where in China this is applicable and to check if you’re eligible for this visa-free transit policy, click here.

This visa-free transit is free of charge.

A huge poster is plastered over a wall in Guangzhou airport. The black and white text reads 'Welcome to Guangzhou' with Chinese characters written underneath. Behind the writing is a lake and a wooden boat.

What to do in Guangzhou City on a Long Layover

If you have a long layover you can easily take advantage of the visa free transit and explore Guangzhou city.

To book a taxi transfer in advance, click here.

Depending on the length of time you have, you could take a tour to fill your time and see the best of what Guangzhou has to offer. From a walking tour to see some of the old and new highlights of Guangzhou city to munching your way through the cities streets on a food tour. You could spend the evening on a boat trip down the Pearl River or view the city from up high at the Canton Tower. There’s plenty to keep you occupied.

Check out all the tours available in Guangzhou below.

If you have a long time in Guangzhou, there are plenty of hotels and accommodation. To book a room in the city, click here.

China Southern Airlines - How to book a flight / Would we Recommend the Airline?

Cost of Our Flights and How to Book Your Own Flight

Ok enough foreplay: Our flight for two passengers from Bangkok to London including a stopover in Guangzhou, one piece of 23 kg checked baggage and one 7 kg carry bag each, cost a total of £482 for us both to fly - that is £241 each!

This price included a free nights stay in Guangzhou and breakfast in China Southern’s hotel near to the airport.

To book your own Bangkok to London flights, check out Kiwi below:

Would We Recommend China Southern Airlines

Yes, absolutely.

Even with the scheduled 12 hour layover, the 2 hour delay and the overnight stay in Guangzhou airport we had a stress-free journey.

Out of all the aspects of modern travel, we find flying and airports to be the most stressful. The endless queuing, the waiting around and having to unpack your bag at security means we can never relax in an airport. Whilst we did encounter all of the above, somehow everything seemed stress-free and easy going on these flights.

We walked straight through security, found a perfect spot to sleep in Guangzhou airport and even the 2 hour delay wasn’t bad. We’ve had delays in the past in other airports and they’ve herded us all together outside the gate where we’ve had to stand for hours. This time we had plenty of water, seats and were kept as up to date as the gate staff themselves.

Despite it being a 24 hour travel day, it really didn’t feel long. We were extremely well fed, well watered and had plenty of leg room on the flights. The airline staff were super friendly and super welcoming and there was enough entertainment to keep us occupied.

We were a little worried about the layover but our decision to stay in the airport worked out well. The small ‘transit lounge’ was very comfy and we managed to get enough sleep during the night.

Would we fly again with China Southern? Yes we would. The flights were extremely cheap and the service provided was excellent.

Should you book a flight? Yes.

If anything, flying with China Southern has just stoked our travel fire further and made us eager for a whole China adventure, but that’s for the future…at least for now!

Safe flying all.

Thanks for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

Ellie sits on a brown leather chair with her legs outstretched. In front of her is a huge window overlooking the runway and departure gates at Guangzhou airport. A white and blue Boeing 777 China Southern Plane is being prepped for take-off.

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Chiang Mai to Phrae buses.

Adventures Of Jellie 12/07/2024 Adventures Of Jellie 12/07/2024

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.

Check our guide to what to do, where to stay and the best things to eat in this amazing Thai town.

In this article:

Where to go after Phrae
Our final thoughts on 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:

Chiang Rai to Phrae buses

Nan City to Phrae buses

Bangkok to Phrae buses

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.

Brushed concrete walls have pictures hanging from them. In the middle of the room is a large double bed with towels folded on top. This is a room at the Come Moon Hotel in Phrae Northern Thailand.

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.

A grey and black striped cat lounges on its back on a concrete floor at the Come Moon Hotel, Phrae — *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!

Two americano coffees sit in little wicker baskets in the sunny windows of Cafe De Phraeis in Phrae

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.

Layers of white milk and dark coffee fill a plastic cup from Slope Coffee, Phrae

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!

A bowl of light Khanom Jeen with pork. The broth is clearer than most Khnom Jeen. Served near the market in Phrae

Another great breakfast option you can find near the fresh market is a bowl of rice soup.

A blue bowl of rice soup is topped with pork liver, ground pork, intestines and a soft boiled egg. Served near the market in Phrae, Northern Thailand.

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!).

Stalls sit under blue umbrellas selling vegetables and prepared meals at the Sarm Wai evening market in Phrae — *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.

Metal tables and red plastic stools sit on the crossroads in the middle of Phrae town, Northern Thailand — *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!

A pink bowl of tom yum noodles is crowded with tofu strips, fried garlic, char sui pork, crunchy tody and yellow noodles. Served in Phrae, Northern Thailand — *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!

A blue bowl is filled with soup, fish and pork balls as well as chives yellow noodles and sliced pork. Served on a metal table on the roadside of Phrae town centre. — *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.

A blue plate is stacked high with rice, stir fried pork and holy basil and sliced cucumbers. The whole plate is topped with a fried egg. Served in Phrae, Northern Thailand

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!

Lots of CD's form a tapestry of album art at a stall in the Saturday night market of Phrae. There are predominantly punk metal and heavy metal albums on display ranging from Green Day and The Offspring to Lamb of God and Angra — *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!

People throng stalls under fairy lights in the post evening twilight at the Saturday Night Market in Phrae, Northern Thailand.

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.

A communal seating and eating area in the middle of the Saturday Night Market. green mats with cushions and low tables are spread out all around. Taken in Phrae Town Northern Thailand — *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.

Scooters crowd the awning covered stalls at Phrae's Sunday Night Market

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!

The front of Wat Phra Nom is intricately decorated with red wood and golden filigree fretwork. Wat Phra Nom is in Phrae Town, Northern Thailand

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.

A huge golden tortoise sits with a white Buddha standing on its back at Wat Phong Sunan in Phrae, Northern Thailand — *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.

The large ornate white Chedi of Wat Luang towers in front of the viewer. The Chedi is a cone of white ribbed stone, topped with a golden point. Wat Luang is in Phrae Thailand

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.

An old brick stupa rises against a blue sky at Wat Si Chum In Phrae, Thailand

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 gold and red building housing the Phrae city pillar is bathed in the purple light of sunset. Around the base are loads of tiger statues of various sizes. — *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.

The exterior of Khum Vongburi aka the pink house is a mix of european and asian architecture and decoration with shuttered windows and thai style fretwork. The whole building is pastel pink and white. The museum is in the middle of Phrae town. — *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 imposing white and green front of the Chum Chao Luang in Phrae is surrounded by manicured hedges and dominated by a large statue.

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.

A signboard signals the entrance to the Phae Mueang Phi Forest park. in the background rise the yellow shapes of the Ghost Pillars.

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.

The valley caused by erosion at Phae Mueang Phii park forms a yellow valley against the sea of green trees. Visible here and there are the famous Ghost Pillars, solitary towers of rock standing isolated. Taken just outside of Phrae Town in Thailand. — *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.

Jellie pose in front of the yellow canyon walls of Phae Meuang Phii Forest Park aka the Ghost Pillars. — *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.

A paved path runs along the top of one of Phrae's ancient city walls. The top of the wall is now covered in green grass, shrubs and trees.

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

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Adventures Of Jellie 29/06/2024 Adventures Of Jellie 29/06/2024

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.

A green plastic cruet containing sugar, chilli vinegar, toothpicks and roasted chilli flakes sits on the table at Crazy Noodle in Nan, Thailand

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!

Stools and tables crowd the open frontage of Crazy Noodle in Nan City, Northern Thailand

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.

A black bowl is filled with tom yam soup and topped with pork ribs meatballs peanuts and spring onions. Taken at Crazy Noodle, Nan, North Thailand. — *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.

Chunks of pork sit on top of the tom yam noodle soup. Pork ribs and spine jut out of the bowl. Taken at Crazy Noodle in Nan, Thailand — *There was so much meat on the ribs!*

Chopsticks push tender pork off of a rib bone and into a bowl of Tom Yam Noodle soup at Crazy Noodle, Nan, Thailand — *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 chef of Crazy Noodle stands over the pots and pans in the open kitchen. Taken in Nan, North Thailand — *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!

Two bowls stand empty after their tom yam has been devoured at Crazy Noodle, Nan, Thailand — *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

Chiang Mai -> Nan

Bangkok -> Nan

Chiang Rai -> Nan

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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Adventures Of Jellie 26/06/2024 Adventures Of Jellie 26/06/2024

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. For many travellers, spending a day seeing elephants is an opportunity to tick off a bucket list item and is a highlight of Thailand as a whole.

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 chances of spotting a wild elephant in Thailand is very slim. Today, the only real way to see the elephants of Thailand is now at an ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuary.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about choosing an ethical elephant sanctuary and why the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary is a ‘must visit’ on any trip to Chiang Mai.

In this guide:

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?

If you’re planning a day out with the elephants of Thailand, it’s essential that you choose an ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuary to visit. Ethical elephant sanctuaries are different to normal elephant sanctuaries as they do not offer touching, hand-feeding, forced bathing or riding of the elephants. Instead visitors will be taken out into the forests and jungles, into the natural habitats of the elephants to observe the elephants from a distance.

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 this and instead you’ll watch the magnificent elephants go about their day as naturally as it can be.

We have been lucky enough to have seen some of Thailand’s elephants twice now. Once, almost a decade ago in a sanctuary that did offer hand feeding and bathing. As fun as this was for us, we now understand that this is not the right to treat such amazing and intelligent creatures. On our latest trip to Chaing Mai, we were determined to find an ethical elephant sanctuary, this is when we stumbled upon Chang Chill.

An elephant wraps her trunk around twigs in the jungle of the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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 ChangChill 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. Spread over two sites, Hillside and View Doi, Chang Chill is home to eight elephants, all of which were saved from the logging and tourist industries. There are four elephants to see at Hillside and four elephants at View Doi.

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.

We booked a half day tour to see the elephants at View Doi. Read on to hear all about our experience.

An elephant wanders through the jungle at the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, north Thailand. — *I spy an elephant in the forest!*

Our day with the elephants - what to expect on a visit to ChangChill 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 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.

A village full of wooden stilted houses sits next to stepped green fields on a mountainside outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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 that we did question whether we had made the right decision - was Chang Chill really as “ethical” as it claimed to be? As we hopped out into the small dusty car park, we joined a crowd of about sixty people. Hoping that our fears would be laid to rest, we followed Wit through the small village. Quickly it became apparent that all sixty of us would be split up into small groups and would be 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 View Doi sanctuary.

Paddy fields are filled with muddy water against a backdrop of green fields and jungle near the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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).

An elephant faces the camera side on in amongst the green leaves of the jungle at the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary (Ethical) in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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.

Mae Gohae the mother elephant at Chang Chill looks into the camera in the middle of the jungle at the Chang Chill elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai.

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.

Mae Too disappears into the jungle at the Chang Chill Ethical Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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!

The elephant Mae Korn walks with her mahout handler along the road whilst eating grass reeds at the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai.

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.

Mae Korn stops opposite the viewer and picks up grass reeds from the road at the Chang Chill elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai.

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.

A mahout leads his elephant, Mae Too towards the camera at the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary, Thailand.

The elephant Mae Too munches on grass whilst looking into the camera at the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary, Chiang Mai.

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!

Bunches of green and yellow bananas and piles of long purple and green sugar cane are stacked on a wooden platform at the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

Wit a tour guide cuts sugar cane with a machete on wooden log at the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

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.

An elephant curls its trunk as it chews on sugar cane at the Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary, Chiang Mai.

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!

Mother and daughter elephants at the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary walk into the forest in Chiang Mai.

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!

A metal tray contains rice, sugar, herbs and spices to be used as elephant medicine at the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, north Thailand.

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.

Mae Too smiles to the camera as she reaches into grab more sugar cane at the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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.

Mae Korn and Mae Too, two of the elephants at Chang Chill elephant sanctuary take a drink at the stream in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

Chang Chill essential information

Everything you need to know about booking a trip to ChangChill.

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 you’d like, the date you’re planning to visit and the number of people you’re travelling with.

Which program to choose?

This is entirely up to you and depends on your schedule. We chose to visit the View Doi site during the morning so that we could spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the city of Chiang Mai, but it’s completely your preference.

Chang Chill offers half day visits in the morning to both their View Doi and Hillside sancturaries. If you want to visit in the afternoon, you can only visit Hillside.

Both View Doi and Hillside involve the same schedules and the same amount of time with the elephants. Each site is also home to four elephants, so it’s completely up to you which elephant sanctuary you pick. Whichever one you decide on, we’re certain you’ll have an incredible experience!

If you’re after even more elephant time, then Chang Chill also offers one or two day programs. Check their website for more details.

An elephant winds their tusk around foliage in the jungle at Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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. We’ve stayed at both hotels and they both offered beautiful rooms, outdoor swimming pools and a delicious 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 View Doi sanctuary, we paid 1900 THB each. This included transport to and from our accommodation in Chiang Mai, free tea and coffee on arrival, a guided walk through the forest to see the four elephants, and a vegetarian lunch. Both the View Doi and Hillside half day visits cost the same.

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 - is ChangChill worth a visit?

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 experience isn’t wild enough, that the elephants aren’t ‘truly wild’ but are being led by the mahouts. Whilst each of the elephants at Chang Chill did have a mahout, the elephants were as wild as they could be. Sadly, all the elephants at the sanctuary will never be the ‘wild’ elephants we all imagine. All eight of the elephants have been saved from the logging / tourist industry and due to this, have been in contact with humans for their whole life and are unable to be reintroduced to the wild.

As we said at the start of this article, 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.

An elephant emerges from the jungle chewing on grass reeds at the Chang Chill ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand. — *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

More elephant photos from our visit to ChangChill elephant sanctuary

Check out our other Chiang Mai travel guides:

Thailand

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.

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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Cooking Thai food in Chiang Mai with “The Best Thai Cooking Class”

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.

Galangal and other colourful herbs and vegetables are displayed in baskets at a local market in Chiang Mai, Thailand — *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.

Rows of different coloured rice are split by a bamboo walkway in a farm / cooking school near Chiang Mai Thailand. In the foreground is green rice and in the back purple rice sprouts. — *The purple rice gives a rich black colour to the grains*

A tall tree stands over the roof of a farmhouse. In the trees branches can be seen the small rounded woven nests of the weaver birds. Taken in Northern Thailand, near Chiang Mai — *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!

The Inside of a cooking school. Metal workbenches and propane burners stand in a line under a corrugated metal roof. Taken at "The Best Thai Cooking Class", Chiang Mai, Thailand

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.

A creamy bowl of Tom Kha soup. mushrooms, chicken and lemongrass stalks can be seen on the surface. Taken at "The Best Thai Cooking Class" in Chiang Mai

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.

A fresh plate of pad thai - Its yellow noodles coated in egg, tofu and peanuts. Taken at a cooking class in Chiang Mai, Thailand — *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).

Pounded Khao Soi curry paste sits in a pestle and mortar.

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.

Crispy deep fried spring rolls sit sliced on a rectangular plate. Next to them is a small bowl of plum dipping sauce all made at the "Best Thai Cooking Class" in Chiang Mai Thailand

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…

The chef creates a large fireball by adding water and oil to a hot pan. The pan continues to flame after the explosion. Demonstrated at the Best Thai Cooking Class in Chiang Mai — *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.

Ellie stands pounding som tam salad in a pestle and mortar at the "Best Thai Cooking Class" Chiang Mai. — *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.

Blue pea flowers leach their colour into a pot of sugar water, turning it bright ocean blue.

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!

The ingredients for a pad thai are neatly laid out on a knife, plate and bowl. Coriander, lime, sping onion, an egg as well as sliced tofu and rice noodles sit ready for the wok. — *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.

A banquet of Thai food is spread out on the table. Colourful dishes of khao soi, pad krapow, cashew chicken, penang curry, spring rolls and sweet and sour chicken crowd the tabletop. All made at the "Best Thai Cooking Class" Chiang Mai. — *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.

Palm trees are reflected in the lake in the twilight and lamplight at the cooking class in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand — *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:

Thailand

The Best Northern Thai Food Tour - A Chef’s Tour Chiang Mai

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

If you are looking for accommodation in Chiang Mai check out our:

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The Best Northern Thai Food Tour - A Chef’s Tour Chiang Mai

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

We love Thailand. We also love our food. Put the two together, and you have some very happy Jellie!

Ellie smiles at the camera whilst eating roast pork and chicken at Neng Earthen Jar Roast Pork, Chiang Mai. — *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.

Fluorescent lights hang over colourful food stalls at Chaing Mai's North Gate Food Market

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.

The famous "coyboy hat lady" works her stall selling pork leg and rice in the North gate market of Chiang Mai Thailand

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.

A large earthenware jar holds hanging pork belly being roasted over hot coals. Taken at Neng Earthen Jar Roast Pork, Chiang Mai

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.

Two plates sit on a wooden table with a sprig of fresh Thai basil. On the left is roasted chicken and to the right is crispy belly pork. Above are two dipping sauces in Neng Earthen Jar Roast Pork, Chiang Mai.

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.

A man tends to a grill barbeque outside a restaurant in Chiang Mai. On the grill sausages and other meats are cooking.

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.

A table is strewn with northern Thai dishes, featuring buffalo laab, a Burmese pork curry, sour soup, rice, naem mok and herbs. — *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.

A cluttered stall sells every shape, colour and variety of seasonings and sauces in the Siri Wattana market, Chiang Mai.

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.

A man carefully skins and enormous jackfruit at the Siri Wattana Market, Chiang Mai.

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!

A meat vendor cuts a pig face in two with a cleaver in the Siri Wattana market in Chiang Mai.

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!

A Khanom Buang seller makes the crispy pancakes on a hot grill in Siri Wattana market, Chiang Mai.

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.

John peels apart a bamboo tube stuffed with coconut sticky rice in a market in Chiang Mai.

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.

A plate of Burmese tea leaf salad sits in a Shan restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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.

A bowl of Shan red pork noodles, sits in a bowl alongside soup and pickled mustard greens in a Burmese Shan restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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.

Different toppings are spread on a wooden platter on a bualoy khai wan stall in the northern night market of Chiang Mai, Thailand. — *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.

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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.

Book the Chiang Mai evening tour here

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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Adventures Of Jellie 13/05/2023 Adventures Of Jellie 13/05/2023

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:

A deserted golden sand beach and crystal clear turquoise waters of Koh Libong's main beach.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

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.

A picture perfect deserted beach stretches away into the distance. A colourful longtail boat is moored in the clear waters off of Koh Libong — *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.

A small green island sits in crystal clear waters off of the coast of Koh Libong

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.

Palms and flowers are dotted along the shoreline of Le Dugong hotel and resort on Koh Libong.

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 incredibly clear water and rocks below are visible off the coast of Koh Libong.

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!

Golden sands and green trees line the shore on the beaches of Koh Libong, ThailandGolden sands and green trees line the shore on the beaches of Koh Libong, ThailandGolden sands and green trees line the shore on the beaches of Koh Libong, Thailand — *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).

A deserted beach curves in an arc around the headland on Koh Libong, Thailand. — *There are so many hidden beaches and coves on Koh Libong!*

Hermit crabs feast on seaweed on the shores of 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

A stone dugong marks the entrance to Point Dugong on Koh Libong.

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.

Fisherman wade in the waters below the Point Dugong viewpoint on the island of Koh Libong.

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!

A window through the rock face of the caves at Dugong point on Koh Libong, Thailand

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.

A tree grows in the cave mouth at Dugong Point on Koh Libong, Thailand

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

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.

A concrete pier stretches out towards the tall Dugong Tower on Koh Libong, Thailand.

The end of Leekpai pier is colourfully decorated in turquoise with a golden sun in the centre. A scooter is parked at the bottom of the Dugong Tower on Koh Libong, Thailand.

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.

Point Dugong is reflected in the waters below as viewed from Dugong Tower at the end of Leekpai pier on Koh Libong, Thailand.

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.

A small road is lined with houses and shops in the village of Ban Ba Tu Pu Pe on the island of Koh Libong, Thailand.

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

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.

A naturally formed bridge carved out of rock on the shores of Koh Libong. Behind the Stone Bridge, the sea can be seen.

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.

A golden sunset silhouettes an offshore island and a long tail boat on the shores of Koh Libong. Sunset viewed from the bar of the Le Dugong Hotel.

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

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!

A bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup. The bowl is full of noodles, shredded chicken, fried garlic, herbs, beansprouts and spring onions - The Fisherman's Kitchen, Koh Libong.

A banana roti is cut into small squares on a paper square plate. The roti is drizzled with condensed milk and sugar - Fisherman's Kitchen, Koh Libong.

Mao-Nom Cafe

A plastic cup full of iced Thai tea is held up against a backdrop of a beach on the island of Koh Libong.

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

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.

A bowl of cra yellow curry sites next to a whole steamed fish. Both are colourfully adorned with carrots, red chilli, limes and spring onion. Served at Ja Nhai Seafood, Koh Libong. — *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.

Adventures of Jellie smile in a selfie taken at the Stone Bridge on the island of Koh Libong. — *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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For more inspiration on the islands of Thailand, check out out other travel blogs!

Scroll for more of out Thai island guides!

Koh Libong - A True Off The Beaten Path Thai Island Paradise

A Day Out On Koh Lanta, A 24 Hour Itinerary - What Can You Do When You’re Short On Time?

Koh Jum - An Island A World Away

Koh Yao Noi - A Quiet Island Surprise Off The Coast Of Phuket

The Sleepy Paradise of Koh Mook

Koh Lipe - The Tropical Island Paradise of Southern Thailand

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Adventures Of Jellie 09/05/2023 Adventures Of Jellie 09/05/2023

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!

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.

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.

A yellow sign for Koh Lanta Animal Welfare Centre hangs in front of scooters on the island of Koh Lanta.

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.

Pink the dog receives head strokes at Koh Lanta's Animal Welfare Centre. — *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).

The main street of Koh Lanta's Old Town is lined with Chinese style shophouses with red lanterns strung along. A street food vendor is seen with a cart in the middle of the street.

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.

A bright blue statue of a lobster looms over the pier in Koh Lanta's Old Town.

A semi sunken wooden boat lists on its side in Koh Lanta's Old Town.

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.

A view across the island of Koh Lanta from the Khao Yai 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.

A view across the white sands and gentle waves of Koh Lanta's curving Klong Dao Beach.

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.

The sun sets in a blaze of orange over Klong Dao Beach on Koh Lanta.

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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Adventures Of Jellie 29/04/2023 Adventures Of Jellie 29/04/2023

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.

Magic beach stretches away on golden sands. Koh Jum Island Thailand

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.

Produce, gas canisters and boxes are pilled high on the ferry to Koh Jum

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 ferry waits offshore on the island of Koh Jum — *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 golden sands of Sunset beach curve away in an arch towards a green headland on Koh Jum

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!

A ramshakle structure of drifwood ropes and fishing buoys sits in the water off of Sunset Beach Koh Jum — *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

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.

The tree lined shore of Coconut Beach, Koh Jum

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.

Perfect golden sands and blue waters run towards a green hill on Magic Beach, Koh Jum

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!

A makeshift wooden bench swing sits on the sands at Roots Hill Cafe on Magic Beach, Koh Jum

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.

Mountains loom in the distance as the gold sands of Golden Pearl Beach stretch away in the foreground.

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.

A view through a driftwood window of the setting sun at the Rock Beach Bar, Ting Rai Beach, Koh Jum

*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.

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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.

Rubber Plantation filled with lines of trees on the island of Koh Jum

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.

The quiet main road of Koh Jum is lined with green trees.

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

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.

A plate of curried crab, deep fried fish and a bowl of steamed rice sit on a table at Koh Jum Seafood Restaurant

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)

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.

A bowl of chicken noodle soup pilled high with roasted chicken in Mama Halal Restaurant Koh Jum — *They are very generous with the roast chicken!*

Ban Ban Restaurant

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:

A bowl of green chicken curry and red duck curry with dragon fruit sit on a table at Ban Ban Restaurant Koh Jum

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

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.

A sandwich filled with ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato is cut in half at Pop Up Cafe. Koh Jum — *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.

A spectacular sunset plays out across the sea and shore of Ting Rai Beach. As seen from the Rock Bar, Koh Jum

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!

Jellie in a smiling selfie on Coconut Beach Koh Jum

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.

Longtail boats moor at Manoh Pier on Koh 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.

The sands of Long Beach stretch away to a green headland on Khao Yao Noi.

Golden sands and green headland on Long Beach Khao Yao Noi.

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.

A white sandbar stretches between Koh Yao Noi and the small island of Ko Nok. A boat is marooned on the sands at low tide.

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.

The sky blazes in purple and pink hues during sunrise on a beach during lowtide in Kao Yao Noi — *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!

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Hornbill Viewpoint

A statue of two hornbills inside a heart marks the entrance to the hornbill entrance of Koh Yao Noi.

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.

A hornbill sits on a branch underneath a viewing platform with a nut in its beak on the island of Koh Yao Noi.

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!

A secret beach underneath the Hornbill Viewpoint on Koh Yao Noi.

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!

A longtail boat bobs off shore off Koh Yao Noi.

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.

Smiling faces on board a longtail boat off the coast of Koh Yao Noi. — *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

John sits on a scooter in the sunshine of Koh Yao Noi

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.

Colourful fishing boats line an inlet in Tha Kao village on Koh Yao Noi.

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.

Tong Do pier stretches away into the distance. The pier is surrounded by mangroves and submerged trees on Koh Yao Noi.

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!

Pumps at a petrol station on Khao Yao Noi.

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

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

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.

A bowl of noodles and crab in a yellow curry sauce in a restaurant on Koh Yao Noi.

A coconut smoothie from a restaurant on Koh Yao Noi.

Pradu Seafood

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!

The view at low tide across a harbour and mangrove trees at Pradu Seafood, Koh Yao Noi.

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.

A plate of fried fish topped with deep fried shallots and garlic at Pradu Seafood restaurant, Koh Yao Noi.

A plate of som tam salad at Pradu Seafood Restaurant on Koh Yao Noi.

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

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

A plate of the "Farmers Breakfast" of scrambled eggs, bacon and potato at the Green House Cafe Koh Yao Noi.

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

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!

Coffee shops on Koh Yao Noi

Cafe Kantary

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

(Approximate Location)

A coffee stand on the island of Koh Yao Noi.

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

A bottle of Leo beer is held against up against the backdrop of a beach on the island of Koh Yao Noi.

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

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)

The beach view from the O2 beach bar, Koh Yao Noi.

Extra Time Sports Bar

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

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

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.

The setting sun creates an orange sky over the sea as seen from the Sunset Bar on Koh Yao Noi.

360 Bar

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)

The sun begins to set creating an orange sky. In the foreground a view over the island of Koh Yao Noi as seen from the 360 bar and restaurant.

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.

A selfie is taken at the top of a viewpoint on an island in Phang Nga bay.

Thank you for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

*Prices correct at time of visiting - February 2023

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Adventures Of Jellie 19/04/2023 Adventures Of Jellie 19/04/2023

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.

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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.

Green beans, pak choi, lemon grass and other vegetables are piled high on a market stall in the Central Market of Phuket Old Town.

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.

Baskets of shallots and garlic sit in front of colourful mounds of Thai curry pastes on a market stall in Phuket's Old Town Central Market.

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.

A bowl of Kuay Jab is laden with pork slices as well as offal and half a boiled egg. The Dark bowl of broth is served at a market stall in Phuket Old Town's Central Market.

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.

A lady prepares roti dough at Aroon Po Chana in Phuket Old Town.

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.

A plate of bright green mixed vegetables including green peppercorns sits in front of a plate of Khao Yum at Aroon Po Chana restaurant in Phuket Old Town.

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.

A glass of hot teh tarik with a towering head of foam is held aloft at Aroon Po Chana restaurant in Phuket Old Town.

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.

Hokkien spring rolls being made by a market vendor in the Lock Tien food court of Phuket Old Town.

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!

A plate of hokkien spring rolls sits next to satay skewers and a peanut dip at Lock Tien food court in Phuket Old Town.

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.

Ahpom coconut pancakes being made on a street side stall at Pong Mae Sunee in Phuket Old Town. A Michelin sign sits on the left showing its recommended status.

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.

An ahpom coconut pancake roll is held up in front of the Pong Mae Sunee street stall in Phuket Old Town.

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.

A crate laden scooter turns the corner in the bustling streets around Phuket Old Town Market. — *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.

A plate of fermented tea leaf salad in Mingalar Coffee Shop in Phuket Old Town.

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.

Four curries, a naan bread and samosas sit on a table at Mingalar Coffee Shop in Phuket Old Town.

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.

A bowl of hokkien mee with dumplings, fish balls, chilli and crushed peanuts at Ko Yoon Noodles in Phuket Old Town.

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.

A plastic cup full of ice and roselle juice sits next to a plate of roselle buds in Ko Yoon Noodles, Phuket Old Town.

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.

A clear tea cup of o-aew iced desert with a lychee ball, ginger syrup and a sprig of mint at Momentary Coffee in Phuket Old Town.

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.

A Chef's Tour Booking

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.

A Chef's Tour

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