Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [600]
Sinchai’s Chaomai Resort (0 7520 3034; bungalows 300-1500B; ) offers a handful of bungalows nestled under the rocky cliffs at the northern end of Hat Yao. The family that owns it arranges kayaking tours (600B), rents mountain bikes (per day 100B) and runs multiday-tour packages around Trang and the Andaman Coast (prices vary).
From Hat Yao you can charter a long-tail to Ko Kradan (1000B, 1¼ hours) or catch one of the regular long-tail boats to Ko Libong (50B to 100B, 20 minutes). A charter to Ko Libong is 300B. The long-tail jetty is just before the new Yao pier.
Motorcycles (200B) can be rented at Sinchai’s Chaomai Resort.
TRANG ISLANDS
The mythical Trang Islands are the last iteration of the Andaman’s iconic limestone peaks before they tumble into the sea like sleeping giants. Shrouded in mystery and steeped in local legend (see the boxed text, Click here), these stunning island Edens are home to roving sea gypsies and technicolour reefs.
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Ko Ngai
Locals can’t seem to decide whether to call the island Ko Ngai or Ko Hai, so we came up with a suggestion – how about ‘Perfection’? It’s a dishy destination, with a dramatic interior jungle and squeaky-clean beaches that drape around the eastern coast. There is no indigenous population on the island, but there are a few spiffy resorts. A ring of bright coral, excellent for snorkelling, circles Ko Ngai and the visibility in the turquoise water is excellent. Masks, snorkels and fins can be rented from resorts for 50B each, or you can take half-day snorkelling tours to nearby islands (per person 850B). Trips to Ko Rok Nok, 29km southwest of Ko Ngai, cost 1500B by speedboat (plus the marine national park fee).
Sleeping
There’s little here for budgetarians; most places are decidedly midrange and come with restaurants and 24-hour electricity. The boat pier is at Koh Ngai Resort, but if you book ahead resorts on the other beaches will arrange transfers.
Koh Ngai Resort (0 7520 6924; bungalows 1500-15,000B; ) In a separate cove at the southern end of the island, this resort has its own private jetty and elegant wooden bungalows with huge verandahs. The garden is immense and the resort has a small beach all to itself.
Coco Cottages (0 7521 2375; www.coco-cottage.com; bungalows 1600-4500B; ) The beach here is a tad thin, but the rest is exquisite: stylish coconut-and-bamboo bungalows, artistically designed grounds and smiley service. There are no manmade materials in sight, massage huts dot the beach and a groovy restaurant/bar saddles a stream.
Getting There & Away
Even though Ko Ngai is technically a part of Krabi Province, the island is most easily accessible from Pak Meng. The resorts provide daily boats from Hat Pak Meng to Ko Ngai at 10am, returning from Ko Ngai between 8am and 9am. Speedboat transfers cost 350B (30 minutes), while the slower ‘big boats’ cost 150B (one hour). Unless you’re staying at Koh Ngai Resort you’ll have to take a long-tail for the ship-to-shore ride (40B) or arrange for one of the other resorts to provide transfers. You can also privately charter a long-tail from Pak Meng for 900B.
In the high season, Koh Ngai is a stop on the Ko Lanta–Ko Lipe route (600B). The southbound boats also stop intermittently at Ko Muk, Hat Yao and Ko Bulon Leh (but never all three on one journey) – have your resort call ahead to the ferry service if you are planning to alight before arriving in Ko Lipe. Click here for more info.
Ko Muk
The pearl of Trang (muk means ‘pearl’) is a golden paradise with soaring trees that shelter the local settlement of chow-lair. While Charlie Beach Resort has thus far achieved near total domination of wide and white Hat Farang (Hat Sai Yao) on the west coast, a Bangkok company has recently bought