Thailand Guide
The east coast
Ko Kood
The fourth-largest island in Thailand, forested KO KOOD (also spelt Ko Kut and Ko Kud) is still a wild and largely uncommercialized island. Though it's known for its sparkling white sand and exceptionally clear turquoise water, Ko Kood is as much a nature-lover's destination as a beach-bum's. Swathes of its shoreline are fringed by scrub and mangrove rather than broad sandy beaches and those parts of the island not still covered in virgin tropical rainforest are filled with palm groves and rubber plantations.
Though the island is 25km long and 12km wide, it supports barely more than 20 kilometres of concrete road, with many areas penetrated only by the odd sandy track and, in places, by navigable rivers. All of which makes Ko Kood a surprisingly pleasant place to explore on foot (or kayak). The interior is also graced with several waterfalls, the most famous of which is Nam Tok Khlong Chao.
Because of its lack of roads, Ko Kood has to date been the almost exclusive province of package-tourists, but things are becoming much easier for independent travellers now, with a choice of scheduled boat services from Trat, Ko Chang and Ko Mak. Rough seas mean that nearly all the boat services only operate from November through May, but an increasing number of places are staying open year-round and offer tempting discounts to those willing to chance the rains and the off-season quiet. There's no bank on Ko Kood, but you can change money at the biggest resorts.
On the southwest coast, the obvious choice for budget travellers are the village beaches at Ao Khlong Chao and Ao Ngamkho, which both have a choice of accommodation and are within walking distance of each other; Ao Bang Bao also has cheapish bungalows and is the longer and arguably better beach but has no village and is more isolated. Seclusion is the thing on all the other west-coast beaches, most of which are the province of just one or two upmarket resorts: Ao Jark is the most heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and very private, while Ao Khlong Mat offers notably good value.