Islands of Thailand outside the tourist circuit

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The Thailand it is famous all over the world as a vacation spot, advertised in every travel agency with all inclusive packages, also known and it is true for entertainment for males all over the globe, brothels, full moon parties, low cost shopping, counterfeit brands etc. All this is not Thailand at all.

There are places that are not even too hidden that allow you to see this magnificent country as it is or perhaps unfortunately as it was. Among the countless places full of charm and which still retain the spirit of Thai life there are these three islands, Or Jum, My Thousand e Ko Phayamall bathed by the splendid Andaman sea but light years away from the clamor of Ko Phi Phi and Phuket.

In these places you can immerse yourself in the Thai climate, observe life in the fishing villages, enveloped in a silence that we Westerners are not used to, especially in seaside places.

Spend entire days on deserted beaches or walking on the paths that wind between palm groves and casuarinas, eating excellent fresh fish on the terrace of some seaside restaurant, observing the women peeling vegetables, smiling children playing joyfully, losing, as often happens, total awareness of time and discovering that the most comfortable thing in the world is simply sitting with your feet dangling over the water or resting in a hammock tied between palm trees.

Or you can spend some time talking to the locals, proud of their land but curious to know something about ours, without worrying about seeing who knows what or doing who knows what activity, rediscovering the pleasure of calm and understanding the profound meaning of the word quiet.

To be able to savor all these things it is not necessary to be a god Indiana Jones indeed, just open your mind and soul to what surrounds you, forgetting for a while where you come from to concentrate where you are, the Thais are very helpful and courteous people, the local food is delicious, Thai music is soporific so, just abandon yourself.

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Or Jum

Let’s start from Or Jum located a south of Krabialthough very close to the coast as it is not very developed for tourism and not very popular, fortunately, the only way to reach it is to take the ferry from Krabi to Ko Lanta, asking to be dropped off at Ko Jum, they will pick you up in the open sea with a long tail boat to take you to the island, but you will have to pay the entire fare as if you were going to Lanta.

Just landed at Or Jum it will take you very little to understand that you have arrived in a wonderful place, approaching by boat you have the feeling that the island is deserted and once on the beach the feeling remains, the few bungalows are hidden in the vegetation, all very cheap, the Smaile and Joi bungalows are excellent in terms of quality and price, although the most beautiful is the Freedom on the southern tip of the island with the rooms in the trees.

Walking twenty minutes inland, a comfortable road leads to the fishing village of Ban Ko Jum, as beautiful as it is desolate.

By staying on this island you will be far from everything and everyone, you will spend the evening getting to know calm travelers from who knows what part of the world while sipping something cool by candlelight.

The bungalows are very nice Jungle Beach Bungalows and the Loma Sea View.

My Thousand

Now let’s go down towards My Thousand in the Trang district, in the winter period, the best to visit Thailand.
Ko Libong can be reached directly nave da Krabima the cheapest solution as well as fascinating it is to go south to Trang by bus from Krabi, once you arrive you have to take a sawngthaew for Hat Yao (80 baht) ferries leave from here for Ko Lipe but for Libong you will have to contact a long tail driver, and negotiate the passage, or if you choose the resort where you go the passage will be included in the price of the room, if you have time in Hat Yao there is a completely deserted bay of indescribable beauty, from the small village you will have to walk towards the Sinchai resort where you absolutely must not stay, the worst ever seen in Thailand, once you reach the beach go right, passing under the large limestone wall covered with vegetation, advance in the shallow water for about fifty metres, at low tide there is also a suggestive passage into a cave, the spectacle that will appear will be unforgettable.

Ko Libong is a rather large island, you can stay there for a couple of days of complete relaxation or for longer periods and by renting a boat with other travellers, you can go on splendid excursions to Ko Kradan and KoNgai, two of the most beautiful islands in the Andamans , immersed in the clearest sea in Thailand and therefore also very expensive.

Try to find a bungalow on the west coastthe sunset here is magnificent, the Thousand beach Resort it has good rooms and excellent cuisine, here too it is worth visiting the fishing village (from behind the Dugong, an hour’s walk in the jungle but you can ask for a ride on one of the numerous scooters in transit) the very long and unsafe pier is it’s an emotion just to pass over it, the peace of this place is disarming, during low tide the landscape is truly evocative, the view sweeps across a landscape that fits the boundaries of the world, all wrapped up in an unreal silence.
In the sea surrounding the island lives the Dugong, a funny-looking marine cetacean at risk of extinction. It can be spotted in the shallow waters tirelessly digging in the sand in search of food.

Ko Phayam

Finally, here it is Ko Phayamfrom Krabi this time you will have to go back north with an adventurous bus trip to Ranong, a seaside border town along the border with Burma, or coming from Bangkok go down to Chumphon and from there to Ranong, again by bus, the cheaper meansespecially if you travel at night thus saving a night in a hotel, once you reach the “picturesque” port of Ranong you board one of the boats that leave twice a day for Ko Phayam and the neighbor Ko Changnot to be confused with the homonymous but larger island on the border with Cambodia east of the Gulf of Thailand.

Ko Phayam it is an enchanting island, where the clock is useless, you will eat when you are hungry, you will sleep when you are sleepy, discovering the lost pleasure of living slowly. Throughout the island there are beautiful beaches of very fine sand, don’t miss the beautiful Buffalo Bay, you will find accommodation for all budgets, don’t be in a hurry, you can even get around the island on foot, rather look for yours with a scooter accommodation calmly, there are some lovely ones, one thing you absolutely must do is rent a long tail boat with the driver (negotiate the price a lot, no more than 800 baht for four people) and go around the island, an experience beautiful, crystal clear sea, coral reef, small coves inhabited only by locals.
On this island I recommend sleeping at Coffee and Resort which offers very nice bungalows in a vast and well-kept garden at €20 for two.

These three can offer all this and much more Jewels of the Andaman Seaand what is equally pleasant is that you can experience all this at low cost, Thailand can be very expensive for those looking for Europe, but for those who will not spend much in the real Thailand.

Overhead costs

Be aware that a fifteen-twenty day holiday that allows you to see these three islands can cost approximately €400 including travel per week staying in good quality facilities for those traveling alone, as a couple the amount decreases by dividing the price of the room, for a double room the prices vary from 300-400 baht for the most basic solutions while with a budget of 800 baht you will find very comfortable rooms , but you can spend even less if you have a good spirit of adaptation and if you don’t want a hot shower every evening, since cold water is lukewarm throughout Thailand.

Travel if made by government buses or trains is very cheap, just think that for the train route from Bangkok to Trang in southern Thailand the second class ticket costs less than 500 baht (approximately €12) lasting 15 hours, the same route by bus costs 600 baht (approximately €15) and lasts 13 hours.