Thailand Guide
Southern Thailand: the Andaman coast
Ko Jum
KO JUM is the sort of laid-back island that people come to for a couple of days, then can't bring themselves to leave. Though there's plenty of accommodation, there's nothing more than a handful of beach bars for evening entertainment, and little to do during the day except try out the half-dozen west-coast beaches and read your book under a tree. The beaches may not be pristine, and are in some places unswimmably rocky at low tide, but they're mostly long and wild, and all but empty of people. Nights are also low key: it's paraffin lamps and starlight after about 11pm.
The island's most popular beach is the appropriately named Long Beach: 2.5km long, with large chunks of the shoreline still uncultivated. Long Beach segues into Golden Pearl Beach, which sits just south of Ban Ting Rai, the middle-island village that's about half way down the west coast. North of Ban Ting Rai, a trio of smaller, increasingly remote beaches at Ao Si, Ao Ting Rai, and Ao Luboa complete the picture.
The island is home to around three thousand people, the majority of them Muslim, though there are also communities of chao ley sea gypsies, as well as Buddhists. The main village is Ban Ko Jum, on the island's southeastern tip, comprising a few local shops and small restaurants, one of the island's three piers for boats to the mainland, and a beachfront school.
Very high winds and heavy seas mean that Ko Jum becomes an acquired taste from May through October, so most tourist accommodation closes for that period. There's no ATM on the island, but you can change money at Jum Island Travel next to the pier in Ban Ko Jum and Koh Jum Lodge on Long Beach does Visa cash advances.