Koh Mak, The untouched Thai Island
If you are heading to Thailand and are overwhelmed by the number of islands and which one you should visit, you have come to the right place! I was in your shoes about a year ago when I started my research. It’s no secret that Thailand is a tourist hot spot and a lot of areas have become consumed by tourism. However, it is a big country and there are still places left untouched and authentic. One of those places is the island of Koh Mak, located in the Trat province on the Eastern side of the country. Koh Mak is a tiny island situated between the much larger Koh Chang and Koh Kood. The easiest and fastest way to get here is to fly from Bangkok to Trat airport. From there, you’ll need to head to the Laem Sok pier where you’ll catch the ferry to Koh Mak.
Arriving to Koh Mak
As our ferry pulled up to the pier at Koh Mak, my jaw literally dropped. Turquoise waters and not a soul in sight! It appeared we were arriving on a deserted island. I did not see a resort, store, not even a damn 7/11! My exact thoughts to myself were “THIS, THIS IS WHAT I”VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.” I was simply overjoyed. A LOT of research went into this trip to Thailand and my goal was to find an island that had a deserted feel to it, wasn’t commercialized, or overrun with tourists. I gave myself a pat on the back :)
I booked our three night stay at Hidden Beach Resort where we had a lovely bungalow overlooking the water. As soon as we checked in and got settled, we hopped on a motorbike and took off to explore. As I mentioned, the island is tiny! But that adds to the charm of it, there’s less than 1,000 locals living there, some restaurants, bungalows, and that’s basically it! There are no obnoxious bars, touristy restaurants, big resorts, nothing commercial, not even an ATM!
Turtle Beach
After fueling up on a delicious lunch at Pak Pak Vegan (yes, go here) we decided to head to Turtle Beach (AKA the most beautiful beach on Koh Mak (and in Thailand??) To get to Turtle beach, we took our motorbike to Prompakdee Resort where we then paid for them to take us by boat (15 minutes) to Turtle Beach. Upon pulling up, I gasped, the water! And a secluded beach all to ourselves! Truly incredible. We spent the afternoon swimming, sunbathing, and relaxing in our own company. I mean how many places can you get a picturesque beach all to yourself?? When my husband was finally able to convince me to go, we called the boat to pick us up and headed back. If you are going to Koh Mak, Turtle Beach is an ABSOLUTE MUST. You cannot skip this place, you just can’t!
Snorkeling
Now that we had gotten our beach time out of the way, and honestly how can you top a day at Turtle Beach? We decided to go on a full day snorkeling excursion with Koh Mak Divers. Now, I am not usually one for organized tours and prefer to do things independently, however I had a fantastic day and can’t recommend this tour enough! We went to three spots in the marine national park around Koh Mak and the snorkeling did not disappoint! The reefs were incredible and there were colorful fish all around! I’m so happy we went on this tour as we never would have been able to get to these places on our own.
Final thoughts
Out of the 2.5 weeks we spent in Thailand, my husband and I both agreed that Koh Mak was our favorite! If you are planning a trip and are looking to visit the Trat islands (Koh Chang, Koh Mak, Koh Kood) and only have a few days, I would visit Koh Mak and would skip the other islands. Koh Chang is heavily commercialized, feels very touristy, and just isn’t that beautiful! Koh Kood on the other hand has some absolutely beautiful beaches but you will not find yourself alone on them.
In a state of pure serenity as we left Turtle beach
If you’re interested in learning more, leave a comment below! If you’d like me to create an itinerary for your trip to Thailand, book me on Fiverr!