KOH MOOK, THAILAND - A GUIDE
24 Sep 2023 || SOUTHEAST ASIA
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I just love the Thai islands. Even though I’m not a beachy, island kinda girl, the south Thailand vibes still somehow encourage me to dial down my (sporadic) energy a notch and actually unwind. It’s a rarity!
Of the many Thai islands we’ve visited, several stood out and Koh Mook was at the top of that pretty select list. A petite, hilly, jungle-clad teardrop in the turquoise Andaman Sea, it hosts few visitors, no 7-Elevens or cars, and some simply incredible beaches.
Situated off the coast of Trang, a Thai province that traces the coast south from Krabi, Koh Mook (or Koh Muk) is straightforward to reach by ferry from the more popular destinations. On the island there are some very comfortable accommodation options for the luxury lovers out there and enough restaurants to feed you a different meal every day for several weeks.
If you are seeking a tropical paradise near to Phuket and Krabi, but without all the parties, tourist tat and gross people, consider Koh Mook. It’s an absolute beauty. We spent a week there and this post contains everything that we learnt!
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IN THIS GUIDE //
Koh Mook, Thailand
WHY CHOOSE KOH MOOK?
WHERE IS KOH MOOK
BEST TIME TO VISIT KOH MOOK
HOW LONG TO SPEND ON KOH MOOK
GETTING TO KOH MOOK
MAP OF KOH MOOK
GETTING AROUND KOH MOOK
BEACHES ON KOH MOOK
THINGS TO DO ON KOH MOOK
HOTELS ON KOH MOOK
BEST RESTAURANTS ON KOH MOOK
OTHER FACILITIES
TOURS ON KOH MOOK
FINAL THOUGHTS
WHY CHOOSE KOH MOOK?
We loved Koh Mook. Here are some of our reasons why:
Everything is reachable by foot or bicycle (although you can rent a motorbike/scooter for a reasonable price)
There are few tourists – the infrastructure is not only for transient tourists, but also the community – it’s pretty tranquil
Charlie and Sivalai beaches are some of the nicest in Thailand (in our opinion)
The island has some enjoyable semi-strenuous hiking (the heat and jungly-ness make it more exhausting!)
Koh Mook has a real sense of secluded island life, while only being a 15-minute journey by boat from the mainland and another hour from Trang Airport
The idyllic island vibes are everything – beach huts, restaurant tables on the sand, fishermen, thatched roofs and hammocks
Surprisingly decent meals – the islands tend to have an abundance of overpriced, tourist food which can sometimes be a bit average, but Koh Mook’s island fare was a bit better than the average
Much of the island is protected by the Hat Chao Mai National Park, meaning it has stayed relatively rural with a lot of untouched nature, compared with other tourist islands in Thailand
WHERE IS KOH MOOK?
Koh Mook is part of the province of Trang, in southern Thailand. Trang is a large region, found just below the province of Krabi, that covers a portion of the Andaman Sea coast (and inland) of Thailand. It starts just past where Koh Lanta ends, so it is perfect for twinning Koh Mook with one of our other favourite islands! The main city in Trang Province is also called Trang, which has an airport (Trang Airport) with decent, regular connections to Bangkok.
There are many islands in the province of Trang, including several populated ones like Koh Mook, Koh Ngai, Koh Kradan, Koh Sukon and Koh Libong.
Koh Mook is around a 15-minute longtail boat from the mainland via Khuan Tung Ku Pier.
BEST TIME TO VISIT KOH MOOK
The Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand have different high seasons. Koh Mook is off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea, therefore the best weather is between December to April (the same as Phuket and Krabi). This season brings blue skies, sunny days and slightly lower temperatures.
The temperatures soar and it can be uncomfortably warm from April to June in Koh Mook. For the rest of the year, until November/December, the island sees higher chances of rain and gloomy skies.
In the off-season, between May and October, less ferries and speedboats operate and the seas are rougher, which often results in fewer excursions being available generally. That doesn’t mean you won’t have a good time though – after all, Thailand’s weather can be unpredictable all year around (plus the prices are significantly reduced!).
It is extremely quiet in Koh Mook’s off-season. We visited in shoulder season, during a rainy November, when it was relatively peaceful but with enough people around that it didn’t feel completely dead. It rained every single day, but there was only one day where it was non-stop!
HOW LONG TO SPEND ON KOH MOOK
We spend a long time everywhere. For us, if somebody recommends two-three days, we go for a week. It’s how we can write such detailed guides (and also because we’re super sloth-like and lethargic). This means that we stay awhile on each island we visit!
We chose to spend a week on Koh Mook, however, it would be easy to see everything in three or four days and still have an afternoon doing nothing. It’s a reasonably small place and not totally jammed with things to do (which is the beauty of it).
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GETTING TO KOH MOOK
Getting to Koh Mook is very straightforward. Below are your options.
All these routes work in reverse too. So, to leave Koh Mook, there are ferries that go north and south, plus longtail boats that will take you to a waiting taxi at Hat Yao Pier or Khuan Tung Ku Pier (easily organised with facilitators on the main strip, or your island accommodation.
The average, up to date, cost for all these journeys can be checked on 12GoAsia.
⋅ FERRY TO KOH MOOK ⋅
There are ferries from all the typical tourist locations north of the island, such as Ao Nang, Koh Lanta, Phuket and Phi Phi. These can be reserved far in advance using 12GoAsia (a great travel aggregator that we have used and personally vouch for) or in person a day or two before your intended departure date. For our trip, we took a speedboat from Koh Lanta to Koh Mook (the slower boats weren’t running), which was organised through a tour operator. It cost 900 baht per person.
There are also ferries from the south, the most popular being from Koh Lipe, near the Malaysian border.
⋅ FLIGHTS TO KOH MOOK ⋅
If you are arriving by air, Trang airport is the nearest to Koh Mook. This is around a one-hour drive from either Hat Yao Pier or Khuan Tung Ku Pier, where longtails cross the ocean channel to Koh Mook. There are ticket booths in the airport and taxis waiting outside to facilitate your onward journey, or you can book on 12GoAsia.
On our trip, we left Koh Mook by private longtail boat (which was cheaper than a ‘scheduled’ one because there were three of us). This meant we chose what time we wanted to leave which was very convenient for our flight. The price we paid (1400 baht for all three of us) was inclusive of a taxi to Trang airport.
⋅ DRIVING TO KOH MOOK ⋅
It is also possible to arrange for a car (or sometimes minibus) to drive you from Krabi Airport or Koh Lanta to Hat Yao Pier or Khuan Tung Ku Pier, where you can get a longtail to Koh Mook. Again, check 12GoAsia for up-to-date rates.
FLIGHTS AROUND THAILAND
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MAP OF KOH MOOK
Below is a Google Map of Koh Mook, with everything we’ve mentioned in this article marked.
To save the map, select the star next to the title.
GETTING AROUND THE ISLAND
The island’s winding dirt roads connect the east side of the island to the west, with much of the infrastructure found on the east side, surrounding Koh Mook Pier.
It is possible to walk absolutely everywhere on Koh Mook or rent a bicycle. If you’ve got the appropriate license, scooters are also widely available for hire. You can then drive across to Charlie Beach on the western coast from the more populated eastern side. There’s also a ‘coast to coast’ tuk-tuk taxi service which costs 50 baht per person per ride.
BEACHES ON KOH MOOK
There are two *main*, large beaches on Koh Mook. The first is Sivalai or Pearl Beach, the sand spit to the east, adjacent to Koh Mook Pier. The second is Charlie Beach, also named Garnet Beach. Both are stunning.
For amazing views of mainland Trang, the northern side of Pearl Beach is immaculate and the water is so shallow that you can wade out for what feels like miles. We saw older ladies out, every morning, cleaning any trash and plant matter that swept up on the beach which explains why it is flawless. The entire end of the spit is covered by the sea at high tide though! Most of the beach front is lined with quality accommodation, including the Koh Mook Sivalai Beach Resort.
Charlie Beach is a little bit more traditional and is the best in our opinion. It’s wide, clean, sandy and edged by high cliffs, a little more reminiscent of the scenery Krabi is notable for. There are currently no accommodation options directly on Charlie Beach, meaning it has retained a palm-lined, natural vibe.
Both beaches evoke a ‘paradise island’ feel, but Charlie Beach just feels wilder, more remote and secluded. Definitely check out a sunset or two here, you won’t regret it.
