Useful information for those who are going to travel. Koh Kood - an island of coconut trees in Thailand

In the Gulf of Thailand in Thailand, there is a paradise for a comfortable stay - the island of Koh Kood. It is located in the very south-west of the country in close proximity to the border with Cambodia. This island considered the fourth largest in Thailand and is part of the largest archipelago Ko Chang. The territory is home to only 2,000 inhabitants, the rest of the island is covered with virgin tropical nature and white beaches.

First of all, those tourists who want to take a break from the bustle of the city and enjoy a relaxing beach holiday on the shores of the warm Gulf of Thailand should go to the island. Paradise Island cannot boast of its nightlife entertainment facilities, there are only a few of them in the busiest areas and only in the high tourist season.

Paradise Island is also worth considering for those who like active pastime. Here you can do such types of recreation and entertainment as:

• trekking walks;
• visiting waterfalls;
• passing through the tropical jungle;
• diving and snorkeling;
• sea ​​fishing;
• sailing on a yacht or kayak;
• underwater adventures;
• acquaintance with local flora and fauna.

Koh Kood is sure to please and sink into the soul of connoisseurs of pristine nature, but it will upset those tourists who like to spend time in nightclubs, bars and shopping centers. The infrastructure in this regard on the island is completely undeveloped, but the government of the state plans to create all this in the near future. On the one hand, it will attract more more tourists and for a longer stay, but on the other hand, it will negatively affect the nature and make the island a typical Thai resort.

Visiting Koh Kood Island is included in sightseeing tour in Thailand, here tourists are scheduled to visit the white beaches and beautiful jungle. In the near future, Koh Kood may lose the title of paradise island Thailand, since the tourism sector of the economy has been very actively developing on its territory in recent years. A lot of hotels are being built, and numerous cafes and entertainment are growing on the beach strip.

Popular beaches

All the popular and comfortable beaches of the island are located in its western and southern parts, including the following:

• KhlongChao is considered the most popular and inhabited beach on the island, the length and width of which exceeds 0.5 kilometers. It hosts volleyball, football and basketball games on white sand.
• LaemBangBao surrounded on four sides by a beautiful landscape of dense rainforest, which is rich in interesting vegetation. The coastline is completely covered with white sand, and the entry into the sea is very smooth and smooth.
• AoPrao considered the most beautiful beach, in the middle of which there are dozens of palm trees. They create a natural barrier from the scorching sun, and the beach is also famous for its beautiful sunsets.
• AoYaiKoet located near the previous beach in close proximity to the village of Klong Mat. It is always sparsely crowded, since there are no hotels near it and it occupies a very small area on the island of Koh Kood.

Hotels

By the standards of Thailand, the daily cost of living in hotels is very high and this is due to their great popularity among tourists. It is almost impossible to find economy class housing here, the cost of which will be less than 1,000 baht per day.

Accommodation in a small room without air conditioning and with a shared bathroom will cost 1000 baht, the hotel will be located far from the center of the island and the beaches. In the high season, it is better to book hotels on the island in advance, then for 1200-1500 baht you can find an acceptable accommodation option. For such a price, you can order a separate bungalow with all the amenities, which, in fact, will cost 2 times more on the same day. I recommend booking a hotel on the Hotelluk website.

Among the popular hotels that have 4-5 stars, the following can be noted:

1. Soneva Kiri is considered the coolest hotel in Koh Kood. It offers accommodation in huge individual luxury villas. On site you will find a large outdoor pool as well as a private terrace overlooking the sea. The five-star hotel has everything for a complete relaxing holiday, including many hammocks and sun loungers, free internet throughout the territory, gym, spa treatments, several bars and restaurants.
2. The High Season Resort positions itself as a five-star hotel and spa complex. It is located on the first coastline islands in the middle of Klong Chao beach. There are several large swimming pools, a huge spa center, free internet and a gym at the guests' service. The hotel's restaurants serve dishes of two world cuisines - Thai and European.
3. To The Sea The Resort Koh Kood is a 4-star hotel that is in no way inferior to the previous ones in terms of comfortable accommodation, service and service. The cost of living is already significantly lower than in five-star accommodation options. The hotel is located in the busiest part of the resort, close to central beach and the main streets of the island. The hotel has several outdoor pools and a private area on the beach of Koh Kood.

Transport

Transport infrastructure on the island of Koh Kood is almost completely absent, there is no public transport and even a taxi. Only locals act as the main carriers for tourists, who can offer you a ride on your own motorbike. For your pleasure, it is possible to move to Koh Kood only on a rented vehicle - a motorbike, bicycle or car.

Rental offices are mainly located in large hotels on the island, which offer tourists to rent a bicycle, motorbike, motorcycle or car. The most expensive thing is to rent a car, the cost per day will be at least 1,500 baht. Renting a motorbike will cost 300 baht per day and this is the best option, since it is very difficult and dangerous to move around the island by bike under the scorching sun.

The mountain bike option is convenient for those who are going to conquer the local jungle and do not want to spend money on gas.

There is only one petrol station on the island and it is located near the central pier of Chlon Hin Dam. If you cannot get gasoline there, you can buy it in stores. It is sold in cans, but its cost is several times higher than at a gas station.

How to get there?

The easiest way to get to Koh Kood is as part of an excursion, which usually lasts two days and two nights. The cost of such excursions starts from 5,000 baht, but the price includes a round-trip transfer, partial meals and full payment of hotel accommodation on the island. You can order an excursion from Pattaya at.

There are several options to independently get to Koh Where from different parts of Thailand:

1. From Bangkok can be reached by plane, which makes three flights a day from Suvurnabhumi Airport to the city of Trat on the Thai mainland, located near Koh Kuda. The cost of a ticket for local airlines is quite high, since the flight is very popular - from 3,000 baht one way per hour flight. Next, you need to get from the city of Trust to the island by high-speed boat.
2. From Bangkok and Pattaya the most acceptable option is a bus that departs from the capital of Thailand from the northern and eastern bus stations, as well as from terminals near Suvarnabhumi airport... From Pattaya every day they run tourist buses from the central Northern Bus Station resort. Travel time by minibus from Bangkok is about 5 hours, and the fare starts from 200 baht, depending on the selected cabin class.
3. Upon arrival in the city of Trat, you need to get to Laem Sok pier, from which high-speed boats leave 2 times every day to Koh Kuda. Travel time takes no more than two hours; you can leave the city on the mainland at 9 am and noon. Back boats leave from the island at 10 am and noon. On Koh Kuda, the boat drops off tourists at the hotel or place they need, the price includes a transfer to the place of arrival. The price for one trip is 600 baht.
4. WITH Koh Chang archipelago you can only get to the island by sea. There are high-speed boats on the route every day. The cost of one trip is quite high and amounts to 900 baht per person. From Koh Chang, high-speed boats leave at 9 am and return at 11 am. Travel time takes no more than one and a half hours, and the ticket price includes a transfer from the place of departure in the archipelago to the desired hotel on the island.

Koh Kood island on the map

On this map you can see the exact location of Koh Kood Island in Thailand.

Although the resort is positioned as an excursion place in Thailand, it is perfect for lovers of a quiet, calm and measured rest. The infrastructure is very poorly developed, but this attracts even more tourists here. On this moment the island is not cluttered with roads, hotels, shopping centers and places for entertainment.

80 km from Trat, 320 km from and is part of the sea national park... The area of ​​the island is about 131 sq. km. You can get to it either by sea or by air, but in this case - only to Trat airport. Trat is served by Bangkok Air, while Mai Si Lek has a small private airport at Soneva Kiri. The island is almost 70% covered with tropical forests, the plains are full of coconut trees and rubber tree plantations. Most of the inhabitants live off coconut farming and rubber mining, as well as fishing. The island of Kood is a former French colony, nevertheless, the local population managed to preserve their ancient traditions and original culture almost unchanged; they are still engaged in agriculture here. The island was opened to tourists relatively recently. Now the tourist infrastructure is actively developing here, roads and hotels are being built. Best time to visit the island - from November to April.

Kood is famous for its pristine nature, unique flora and fauna, magnificent beaches with crystal clean water... The local climate is quite mild and dry throughout the year, it does not happen here extreme heat... The weather depends on the northeast and southwest monsoons.

The island has a rather modest infrastructure: a hospital, several schools, a police station. The main options for leisure activities can be distinguished: diving and snorkeling, canoeing along the numerous bays and canals of the island that permeate it in all directions, a walk in the evening, when mangrove trees light up with millions of lights with the help of small fireflies, is especially interesting. Of the sights on the island, it is also worth noting the amazing beauty of the Khlong Chao waterfall, which consists of three cascades: the upper two are streams, and the lower reservoir is perfect place for swimming. It is no less interesting to look at the five-hundred-year-old Poppy tree, whose height exceeds 35 m.

Kood Island is certainly famous for its magnificent beaches. The most popular are Taphao, Bang Bao, Khlong Chao and Phrao. Located on the west coast of the island near the port, Taphao Beach is one of the best, covered in white coral sand and surrounded by lush coconut trees, the island's main beach and a great snorkelling and swimming spot. Bang Bao beach is located in the south-west of the island, it seems to be hidden from prying eyes - a turquoise lagoon, on the shore of which the beach stretches, is framed by hills and connected to the sea by a narrow strait, so it is always calm here. water surface... The magnificent 600-meter Klong Chao Beach stretches along west coast islands south of the bay Taphao and is pretty quiet place great for swimming and canoeing. Phrao beach is the most remote on the island, it is located in the center south coast, the lagoon is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and along sandy shore thickets of palm trees stretch.

Stunning white beaches, crystal clear emerald waters of the Gulf of Thailand, lush greenery impenetrable jungle and picturesque landscapes create an atmosphere of bliss and serenity on Kood Island.

Koh Kood

The landscape of the island is similar to that of Koh Chang - Mountain landscape covered with tropical forests. The most high point Koh Kuda - Khao Phaenth hill reaches 315 m and is located in the southeast of the island. The most popular beaches with white sand and crystal water located in the western part of the island are Ta Phao Beach, Khlong Chao Beach, Thakian Beach, Ao Phrao Beach and others. Not far from Koh Kuda are Koh Rat and Koh Mai Si, small islands for those tourists who find the privacy of Kuda insufficient.

One of popular places visiting on the island is the waterfall on Koh Kood - Klong Chao (Klong Chao). The waterfall is not as high as Khlong Phlu or Klong Nueng on Koh Chang, but no less beautiful. Despite this, the bowl of the waterfall on Koh Kood is also a natural pool surrounded by tropical jungle and quite suitable for swimming. In 1911, this waterfall was visited by King Rama VI. You can also go to see Khao Rua Rub - natural stone ships. Another interesting place there will be ancient trees to visit in the jungle.

Due to the development of infrastructure, roads connect hotels, waterfalls and other tourist points, although even today hotels in the south and north of the island are only accessible by boat. "Songteu" appeared on the island quite recently - most of them carry people collectively from boat piers to hotels, while trips between the beaches are carried out with an individual order and for a fee of 200 baht. The largest and most famous fishing village, Ao Salad, is located in the northeast of the island. The village is home to about 300 people, making it the most large settlement to Koh Kood. Here you can always buy fresh seafood, local souvenirs and large shells caught from the bottom of the sea. The oldest settlement is Klong Mad Village, whose inhabitants live in the same industries as their ancestors dozens of years ago.

Koh Kood or Koh Mak?

Must-sees are Viewpoint Cafe on Klong Chao Beach, Pizza & Pasta Italian Restaurant on the main road (not far from Ao Noi Hotel) and Baan Phor Coffee next to Italian Restaurant. At Ngam Kho Hotel Restaurant Koh kood prepare incomparable Thai dishes and fruit necks.

Despite the popularity of the island, there is not a bank branch here, there is one ATM, but you should take care of cash in advance. Fortunately, many hotels accept credit cards. At Tinkerbell and Peter Pan hotels you can cash out from your card for a 5% commission.

Koh Kood island map is in the article

We sailed next to an interesting little island:

Koh Mak Island

On the way to Kood our boat stopped on the island of Mak (Kho Mak) An interesting small island (16 km²).

As you can see from the photo, the island is not very high, i.e. has a flat landscape. A small wave and he will disappear under water. Kidding. I didn’t see the whole island. We just went out, stomped for 5 minutes and got back into the boat.

Koh Kood

We landed at Ao Bang Bao at the pier next to the Koh Kood Resort.

We gazed a bit at the beautiful water at the pier and went to look for housing and find out prices.

Koh Kuda Hotels

Here everything was occupied by resots with expensive houses. The first resot offered houses for 1200 or 1800. But all houses were occupied (All full).

Second - . A very beautiful place.

In this hotel, houses were rented out at the following price:

At the third hotel with houses on the shore - Siam Beach Resort Koh kood bungalow prices were from 1200 to 3000.

I don’t remember exactly, but it seems that all the bungalows are occupied here too. One Thai man told us that if we go further, we will come to the last resort on the shore, which was visible in front - and that it is possible to rent housing there at low prices.

We went there, hoping that at least there would be a free bungalow for us.

At the reception we were offered the last free house for 800 rubles, or rent a room for 300 rubles. The room, of course, is not an option, and after thinking a little and bargaining in attempts to bring down the price, we rented a house for a day for 800r.

In general, an ordinary house with a bed, fan, stool, shower, toilet and a great view from the porch.

When asked about cheaper bungalows, the owner of the resota said that you can find cheap houses, but they are not much cheaper and are located far from the beach. She also added that she would reduce the price to 700 rubles / day if we take the house for another 2 days.

We had a plan in our head - to go to another beach and see how the situation with housing there, and if we like something more than this house (in terms of price and quality), then rent it there.

After a little swim and looking at the fish, at 4 o'clock we set out to look for another beach.

There are a couple of roads. One is the main one, along which bikes and cars are driven, and the second is an old blurred road along which it is impossible to drive. She just came out of our resot and led into the jungle. Let's go along it.

We walked for a long time. Not a soul around. Finally we came to the more popular concrete road to the sign of Khlong Hin Beach Resort. This is a signpost to another beach.

Suddenly I remember films about uninhabited islands and I find in the bowels of my brain a hidden fantasy / desire to climb a palm tree, get a coconut and eat it.

We are simple Russian boys ... Knowing that I will rip everything off for myself, without hesitation, I climb on a palm tree without a T-shirt in shorts. I pluck the largest coconut, throw it down and from a height I see a Thai man on a bike approaching us. Palevo! I do not know why, but I began to quickly descend down the palm tree, as if along a tightrope. As a result, he scratched his legs, arms and chest.

If I hadn't been in a hurry, I would have been less ripped

The guy on the bike laughs and drives by. We put the coconut in the bag and move on, as if nothing had happened. After a while we find ourselves in the places where coconuts are processed - several houses near the shore.

Not far from this place, on one side and on the other, there are resots.

According to the Russian girl - the guide whom we met, the prices for houses on this beach are from 1400 rubles. They did not check - they really wanted to eat. Let's go look for restaurants ...

We could hardly find 2 small restaurants. In one we did not like the setting, in the second - the food. Small portions of food for big money. Greedy bastards ...) And the beach where we rented a house we liked more.

We ate and went home. It was already dark. (The sun sets in Tae at about 18.00. After that, darkness sets in.) Remember the road through the jungle and start to get lost. A cafe worker worried about us began to wonder where and where we were going, whether we had a flashlight, etc. We had no flashlight, no cell phones, no weapons, except for a coconut in our bag. By the way, coconut is a pretty deadly weapon. It is heavy and strong and if it meets the head, it will not have a chance ...)

We went on the second civilized wide road at random. Thank God, they found the way to the house. Apart from the torn sidekick slate and a pack of disgruntled barking dogs, we got there without incident. As soon as I got home, I began to open the extracted coconut.

How to open a coconut

Rumor has it that it is quite difficult to open a coconut if you don't have a good cleaver on hand. In fact, there is nothing difficult in hiding a coconut, but you still have to work hard.

So, to split a coconut, we need: hands growing from the right place, a medium-sized stone, an ordinary table knife and, of course, the coconut itself.

The top of the coconut is covered with a rather soft skin. It needs to be cleaned with a knife until you get to the core, in which there is milk and white filling. If you want to get only milk from the coconut, then you can clean a small area from the skin, but if you want to eat the insides, you will have to clean it more.

The core is very strong, an ordinary knife will not take it.

This is where the stone comes in handy. We apply neat point blows with a stone, "drawing" the fault line we need.

After drinking the milk, we continue to chop the coconut to eat the insides.

Delicious ... It was probably worth it :).

Moped

The roads here are good for learning to ride a bike. There are few cars and bikes. Therefore, without thinking twice, we rented a bike for 350 rub / day

Entertainment on Koh Kood is all sorts of different: kayaking, bike / bike rental, snorkeling, diving, fishing, all sorts of tours to a waterfall or a pearl farm, etc., but they are not childish. For example, a massage for 500 rubles, instead of the usual 250-300 rubles. Bike rental - 350r, instead of 200r. Restaurants are everything from resots. They feed deliciously, but I did not look at the price tag of the food. However, I generally do not like to look at the price in the price lists for food. You need to choose what you want to eat, and not something for which "the toad will not strangle."

There was no Internet in the bungalow, which is even a plus. After all, I still would not do nichrome. I'm completely lazy ...

Overall, Koh Kood is very calm, beautiful island... There are no loud bars or parties at night. You need to come here to rest, relax, enjoy the sea and beautiful beaches lying on the sand looking at the fish. I liked it on Kuda. It's a pity we couldn't stay here for a long time ... I will definitely come back here and see all the beaches.

P.S .: My sidekick parted ways. Then I travel alone. I stayed in Bangkok one day and drove on. The first person to guess where I went will get $ 5. (Those to whom I told, do not write, I will not give money.)

See you soon.

Hello dear readers! What can you write about heaven? Have you ever been to the perfect place? I am now just on such an ideal island, well, or almost. Yesterday arrived at Koh Kood.

At first I was skeptical about the trip here, but what I found here is simply beyond words. Free taxi from the ferry, luxurious bungalow for inexpensive next to one of the best beaches Koh Kood, an atmosphere of complete relaxation.

The beach is just perfect for jogging. A wide strip of white, softest sand, almost no one around, so I just write after a run. This is already like a tradition: first I run and swim, and then with an open mouth I watch the sunset, sitting in the water.

Koh Kood Island It differs from other islands in Thailand primarily in that the tourism business is not so developed here. There are no long streets with shops and heaps of rezotov.

Yes, there are hotels, bungalows and guest houses here for every taste, but everything is somehow quiet and homely.

As I have already written many times, now it is better to book accommodation in Thailand in advance on ☜ follow the link my reviews about this Asian search engine and answers to all questions about the agoda. It turns out cheaper and more convenient than if you search locally.

People on Koh Kuda some kind of soulful. Yes, food prices are high (compared to the rest of Thailand, not Minsk or Moscow, of course). By the way, Thai cuisine is a separate topic altogether.

Renting a scooter and gasoline on Koh Kood is also 2 times more expensive than on the mainland, but the beaches and nature make you forget about everything.

Yesterday I was buying pineapple for half an hour at the local "store". Whole fruit cost 50 baht, sliced ​​- 60 baht. So it was like a show of some kind. While the aunt was cutting pineapple, her son (a very sympathetic young man, by the way) put chairs for us and several times urged us to sit down.

We sat on these very chairs and watched as locals periodically drive up to the store, take something strange, they don't pay money, they laugh, they pat our son on the head (and he is somewhere my age). Next to us were two Thai men of indeterminate age and also watched all this. Here's a lesson for people in the evenings - sheer fun.

The island has a permanent population of 400 local residents, the rest of the tourists - about 100 people on the whole island, probably.

And on Koh Kood you need to walk carefully under the coconut trees, or it is better not to walk at all, otherwise the coconut may fall on your head. We have already encountered a similar phenomenon on - there, too, coconuts from palm trees often fell

First of all on new beach, Koh Kood, Thailand

Fishing village (well, how can it be without it). People are so positive all there - they greet, smile. Koh Kood, Thailand

Uninhabited beach - perfect place for snorkeling. Koh Kood, Thailand

Well, it's just ah

But on this beach in general it was possible to go crazy just from the transparency of the water and the absence of waves. There I socialized a little, getting to know an American and an Austrian, and then just swam back and forth for about an hour, until it started to rain. The landscapes are somewhat reminiscent, but Koh Kood is still less touristy.