Thailand - Koh Mook - the inspiration behind The Beach

Having had our first taste of the Trang islands on Koh Kradan, were excited to continue moving up the chain, to Koh Mook. 

Koh Mook

Chris had managed to negotiate a long-tail boat over to Koh Mook with one of the boatmen on Kradan for slightly less than the going rate, and we set off after one final morning on the beach, on the 30 minute journey to the island we had spent the last two days looking at!

Thailand - Koh Kradan - The island with the most beautiful beach

Koh Kradan - the island of the beautiful beach.  I mean just look at it!

One hell of a beach

Koh Kradan is part of the Trang islands, which are located equal distant between Koh Bulone Leh and Koh Lanta, making them a great stop as we headed north. They are often missed out as people shoot down to Koh Lipe, or visit them on a day trip. However, we would highly recommend staying a few days, at the very least!

Thailand - Koh Bulone Leh - Stranded in Paradise

It was a choppy, rather wet and crowded hour speedboat ride from Koh Lipe to Koh Bulone Leh (600 THB pp). Luckily we had seats at the back of the boat so we could look out the back at the horizon and watch Lipe disappear from view.

Koh Bulone Leh... where is everyone?

Thailand - Koh Lipe - first stop on our island tour

Arriving into Koh Lipe is an experience as you can only get there (like the majority of the Thai islands) by boat.

I'm on a beach!

Thailand - How to get to Koh Lipe from Langkawi - speed boats and VISAs

There are many options to get from Malaysia to Thailand. The easiest, but probably the most expensive is to fly. Flying also doesn't allow you to get to the southern islands. Alternatively, you can travel overland. However, if already on Langkawi it is a bit awkward and involves a lot of changes in travel. Therefore you are left with the option of the boat.

A map (borrowed from kohlipe.net)

Thailand - Langkawi

Langkawi is one of the largest islands in Malaysia and is a centre for tourism and Thai visa runs. We stayed in the north west in a small guesthouse on Pantai Tengah. It was cheap, clean, had AC and was only a 5 minute walk (through a resort) to the beach.

Pantai Tengah