Today, I am headed to the beautiful island of Koh Ngai.
The regular ferry to the island is not currently running.
To get there, we hire a local fisherman.
There’s a storm coming our way.
Dark clouds are gathering on the horizon.
Our longtail boat captain drops us off on the beach.
He turns around and disappears quickly into the ocean.
You should know that a reef and rocks surround this island and the best time to navigate
here is at high tide.
At high tide, the beach of Koh Ngai disappears.
So we stand on a sliver of sand with all our belongings.
We made it!
I am excited to discover this tiny island and share the information with you.
Let’s go!
Kho Ngai is a tiny island in the Andaman sea.
There are only a few resorts and one main beach area.
Almost all the hotels are built along the main beach.
Koh Ngai is only about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) long and 2 kilometers (about a mile) wide.
There are no roads here, no stores, no ATMs, or motorized vehicles.
There is no public electricity either and the hotels rely on diesel generators.
Koh Ngai has clear aquamarine water and powdery coral sand.
Most of the island’s rugged interior is overgrown with a thick jungle and is not accessible.
We are surrounded by other small islets, which makes the views very picturesque.
It rained for 3 days straight during our visit.
The rain was mostly soft and relaxing.
There was lots of wind.
And so we hit the beach in the rain.
We made a point to walk the long stretch of sand from end to end at least once a day,
taking advantage of the low tide.
As soon as the tide goes out, the beach is large enough to cross the island from end
to end, which takes a good 30-40min.
The widest stretch of sand is found to the south end of the island, although it’s hardly
wide enough to play Frisbee at high tide.
The northern end of the beach disappears completely and the hotels here are built atop of seawalls,
made of stacked sandbags, to help with the waves.
The beach reveals itself again at low tide.
There are lots of stones and corals.
Hi puppy!
And shells.
Shells inside of a shell
You can find beautiful sea treasures on the beach.
Look at him go!
Little guy.
He’s so funny.
This guy is dragging a huge fish on a rope behind him.
He just found it on the beach.
We saw giant squid and fish stuck on the rocks at low tide.
There is so much nature, everywhere you look.
The jungle growing over the island is amazing.
Look at how tall some of those trees are!
Breathtaking.
The mountainous rainforest is inhabited by sea eagles, monitor lizards, snakes, geckos,
and bats.
This island is also home to large families of hornbills.
They come flying from tree to tree along the beach.
The monitor lizards seem to feel as happy in the water as they are on land.
They steer their body with their tale when they swim.
There is so much nature to take in and observe.
Every afternoon at low tide, I would sit on the beach and watch these tiny ghost crabs
scurry around and duck into tiny sand holes.
It’s very entertaining.
I would sit on the beach and watch the changing landscape.
We were on Koh Ngai during a storm.
Only 2 hotels were open.
We chose to stay at the beautiful Thapwarin Resort and I am glad we did.
The bungalows here are nice and kept as close to nature as possible.
Despite the bad weather, we had a great time in this serene environment.
Mornings were my favorite time of the day.
A delicious breakfast is served here on this gorgeous veranda looking at the sea.
Chef Jack made sure to provide us with fantastic food all day long.
Starting with healthy breakfasts and going on to delicious dinners.
Imagine yourself sitting out here, enjoying your morning coffee.
Amazing isn’t it?
The sea breeze and surrounding islands made the atmosphere so romantic even on a stormy
day.
What a magical place.
My heart feels with joy when I think of this veranda.
I can sit here all day listening to the soft raindrops.
Nowhere to go, nothing to do, nothing to worry about.
You are welcome to sit with me here for a second, soak in the view, and feel the wind
on your skin.
Just for a minute pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.
This can be your happy place.
In the afternoon, khun Pat prepared some special peach flower tea for us.
Pat is from Chiang Mai and is used to the big city life.
She shared with me that ever since she came to Kho Ngai, her heart has been set on this
tiny island.
If you visit Koh Ngai, please say hi to Khun Pat for me.
We were the only guests on the entire island.
No other people could reach Koh Ngai during the storm.
After a couple of days, 2 more guests showed up.
They had booked a room on the other of the beach at Thanya Resort.
The south side of the beach is much wider.
There is a hiking trail behind Thanya resort that leads to Paradise Beach.
Unfortunately, when we visited Koh Ngai - there had not been many tourists on the island for
a year and the jungle had overgrown the path.
We were told that there are cobras on the island and that we need to be careful if we
decide to cross over the jungle.
So we decided to skip Paradise Beach.
The island has one pier.
It only serves Koh Ngai Resort.
If you get off here, there is no way for you to walk to the other hotels with your luggage.
At low tide, you can walk around the rocks in front of Thanya Resort to reach Koh Ngai
Resort.
This trail is available only at low tide.
The path is strenuous and rocky.
It’s not difficult to climb up the forest, even in flip-flops, just walk carefully.
The beach at Koh Ngai Resort is rockier.
As with the other hotels, the jungle starts right behind the property.
All the hotels on Koh Ngai have carved themselves a small piece of land between the jungle and
the ocean.
If you are coming on this side of the island, make sure to leave before dark.
After sunset, the rocky trail is pitch black and you can easily hurt yourself.
The outdoor lights at Thapwarin create a very romantic night atmosphere.
The darkness of the beach and the sounds of the jungle are wonderful.
On our last night, the wind finally came down.
So we sat on the beach at low tide and observed the moon for a while.
Life is full of magic and I’m so grateful for this experience.
Koh Ngai is supposed to have good snorkeling around the island.
When the waves slowed down a bit, we jumped in the water.
But the sandy bottom was still agitated and the visibility was really bad.
We did not see anything and did not find the corals, only big rocks across from the beach.
A couple of tiny fishes were swimming around.
The bad visibility, the current, and waves discouraged us to go very far.
If your main priority is snorkeling in Koh Ngai, we were told that the best spots are
in front of Thanya Resort, Kaimuk Thong Resort, and Coco Cottage.
There is also a shallow reef in front of Koh Ngai Resort.
This is supposed to be a good place for kids and beginners because the corals are very
close to the beach.
From Koh Ngai you can snorkel around Koh Chueak, Koh Waen, and Koh Ma, those are 3 tiny islets
surrounding Kho Ngai.
You can also visit the emerald cave on Koh Mook, and snorkel the beautiful reefs of Koh
Kradan and Koh Rock on a day trip.
How to get there?
Koh Ngai is part of the Mu Ko Lanta National Marine Park.
Technically, this island is located in the province of Krabi, but it’s easier to reach
the island from the province of Trang.
Koh Ngai is known and a “Trang” island together with Koh Mook and Koh Krandan.
In high season, from October to April, you can catch a speedboat from Krabi, Koh Lanta,
Phuket, and from Trang.
Depending on weather conditions you can also hire a longtail boat from the nearby Koh Mook
and Kho Kradan.
The closest airport is in Trang and the closest pier on the mainland is Pakmeng Pier, about
an hour away from Koh Ngai.
When to go?
The best time to visit Koh Ngai is between November and April when the weather is sunny
and hot.
I was here the first few days of December.
It rained for 3 days straight.
The island is lovely even in the rain.
Kho Ngai is subject to the same monsoon as the rest of Thailand’s southwest coast.
The rainy season runs from May to October.
The national park shuts down and most resorts are closed.
Where to stay?
Ko Ngai is not a budget destination.
Most resorts are quite expensive.
This is because hotels need to generate their own electricity 24/7 via diesel generators.
Also, everything the hotels offer - food, drinks, water- comes from mainland and is
carried by long-tail boats, which is also expensive.
Some of the best resorts on the island include: Cliff Beach Resort
Thapwarin Resort Coco Cottage Resort
Kaimuk Thong Resort Fantasy
Mayalay Tanya
There is also a tented camp you can stay at and save money.
On our last day, the sun picked behind the thick layer of clouds for the first time in
3 days.
And the tiny island transformed in front of our eyes.
As soon as the sun rays hit the water, the beach looked like a postcard.
I understand why so many people love this place.
Koh Ngai is more secluded than other islands.
There are not many hotel options here and fewer tourists.
And when the sun shines, the island looks beautiful.
I see our long-tail boat approaching the hotel.
Time to jump aboard towards Koh Kradan.
Many thanks to khun Pat, Chef Jack, kun Jay, and the entire staff and Thapwarin resort
for taking such good care of us during our stormy stay.
If anyone stays at Thapwarin, please say hi to the staff for me.
If you have been to Koh Ngai and have any tips or impressions to share, please list
them in the comments below this video, so others can read about your experience.
Thanks for watching and THANKS for your support.
Without you, this channel wouldn’t be possible.
See you soon.