3 Underrated Thai Islands: Complete Guide to Koh Libong, Koh Mook, & Koh Kradan

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The southern Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand contain some of the most beautiful and underrated Thai islands. But unfortunately, too many people already know this. Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phi Phi are some of the big names that were once idyllic little islands and have since become hedonistic backpacker party towns or resort-laden shores absolutely brimming with tourists. Mass tourism has totally taken them over. Which is honestly a bummer. Because these islands WERE incredible. But now if you want a postcard paradise beach you’ll have to venture to further flung underrated Thai islands. 

Fortunately, that’s relatively easy to do in Thailand. 

These are three of my favorite underrated Thai islands if you’re looking for quiet beaches in Thailand and to do some Thailand island hopping.

Islands where you can still get a stretch of sand to yourself. I also highly recommend a visit to Koh Kood if you’re on the other coast of Thailand.

Three Underrated Thai Islands You Must Visit

Koh Libong. Koh Kradan. Koh Mook. Three of the best places to visit in Thailand. These are the three islands I will be covering in detail. Hopefully, it will help you determine which island to choose. All three of these islands are located within the Trang Province and are some of the quiet islands in Thailand.

Your Guide to Koh Libong (Underrated Thai Islands)

This is the least visited of the underrated Thai islands. It’s a prominent rubber producer, Islamic, and perfect for a quiet family-friendly vacation.

Why Visit Koh Libong? 

Koh Libong is far from having the best beaches in Thailand. There are no party hostels, no crowded resorts, there’s not even very much to do at all on the island. But that’s also the appeal. 

Predominantly Muslim and filled (seriously brimming) with rubber trees, it’s a unique inhabited island that has very little tourist infrastructure making it a great place to experience life in Thailand. 

It’s also home to some of the last Dugongs in the world. About 200 in total live in the Andaman Sea.

There are a handful of beaches, a hike through a cliffside cave to an ocean viewpoint, and three small villages to explore while on the island. And of course, dugong spotting. 

If you’re looking for a quiet getaway with a chance to see some unique wildlife— this might just be the underrated Thai islands for you.

How to get to Koh Libong 

Koh Libong is a small island in the far southern Andaman sea. To reach this underrated Thai island you’ll have to depart from the town of Trang. 

Not as far south as Koh Lipe– which is another exceptional Thai Island that has been steadily growing in popularity. 

Step 1: Getting to Trang 

The city of Trang is easily reached via bus from Phuket, Krabi, or Hat Yai depending on the direction you’re coming from. 

From Hat Yai (if you’re coming from the South of Thailand or a Malaysian city like Penang), the journey to Trang takes about 2.5 hours and costs about $8 per person.  Since the boats leave from Hat Yao pier early in the morning you’ll most likely want to spend at least one night in Trang. 

A quick guide to Trang: Sleeper House is one of the cheapest places in town ($16 per night for a private room) and is pretty luxurious by backpacker standards. It’s also within walking distance of Centre Point Night Market and Chinta walking street which are both open every night offering exceptional Thai street food. But no English. So be prepared to be adventurous. There is also a weekend market but the food is more international.

Step 2: Trang to Koh Libong 

From Trang, you have three options to reach Koh Libong.

Option 1: You can arrange to join a “public van” to Hat Yao pier bundled with a ferry ticket through Sleeper Hotel. It costs 350 baht per person. The van ride is about an hour to the pier and there is no local bus. 

Option 2: Rent a motorbike and drive the 1 hour to Hat Yao pier yourself. You will need a motorbike on Koh Libong anyways so this saves you both time and money. The only downside is you will need to return to Trang to drop off the bike. So, plan accordingly. I think this is the best option because you can visit all three of these islands and return to Trang before continuing on either North or South in Thailand. It will likely save you a little money in the long run. 

Option 3: Get a taxi to the pier. From here you can purchase a long-tail boat ticket. This is obviously the most expensive option and unless you have a full group of 4 people— it really doesn’t make a lick of sense. 

Where to stay in Koh Libong 

Most people who visit the underrated Thai island (and there are few) cluster near Lhang Kao Village. There are a few luxurious seaside hotels for those not on a budget (Libong Beach Resort + Andalay Resort) here with restaurants. But while this beach is good and you’ll probably visit here numerous times— I don’t think it’s the best place to stay. 

Mostly because it’s rather expensive for what you get. And I think staying outside of the one developed part of the island gives you a better experience. 

We stayed at and recommend Koh Libong Sunrise Homestay. It’s in the middle of the island and is indeed a comfortable homestay. The host is lovely and gave us free coconuts, got us a motorbike rental, and the room was A/C with great wifi! It’s just a 10-min motorbike to anywhere. 

It should cost you 50 baht for a tuktuk from the Koh Libong pier to Sunrise Homestay. From here, you’ll want to rent a motorbike to explore.

Best Beaches on Koh Libong 

As I mentioned before, Libong isn’t the MOST beachy island in Thailand. This is because the tide can be very low and there are lots of rocky shorelines. These are the best beaches on the island.

• Tung Yaka Beach. This is the most remote beach with lovely burms of white sand.
• Stone Beach. Secluded, swimmable, absolutely lovely.
• Lang Kao Beach near the village. This is the popular beach and it’s the largest as well as perfect for sunset. We saw some monitor lizards here as well.

Keep an eye out for giant black squirrels, monitor lizards, macaques, and Dusky leaf monkeys while on the island.

Best Things to Do on Koh Libong 

The most underrated Thai island.

1. Hike up to Dugong Point through the Cave 

This was my favorite thing to do on Koh Libong. The hike is steep but short and takes you to the summit of a beautiful monolith overlooking the water. I don’t know if it’s the best vantage point for dugongs but it was great with the drone. 

2. Spot Dugongs from the pier. 

Another place you can potentially spot the sea potatoes is the pier. Again, we didn’t, but it was still a nice view to climb up and look around. Just make sure to go at high tide when the dugongs have a chance of being this close to shore. 

3. Explore the island via motorbike. 

This is how you’ll get around the various beaches on the island. There are only 3 or 4 roads total so if you have two days you’ll explore the entire island rather easily. 

4. Walk out to the tide pools at low tide. 

On Lang Kao or Lhang Kao beach at low tide, a sea of tide pools are uncovered. Here you can walk all the way out to the small circular island via a sand bar. You’ll also often see monitor lizards on the shore at this time looking to scavenge their next meal. We spotted 5 of them devouring a decomposing sea turtle in the brush. 

5. Take a day trip to Koh Mook or Koh Lao Liang. 

I recommend visiting Koh Lao Liang. The island is a part of the national park so it’s uninhabited and you aren’t allowed to stay on the island (anymore- there used to be one campground). Koh Mook deserves more than a day trip. 

You can also hire a boat to go seek out Dugongs here. It costs 1,000 baht per person and leaves at around 9 AM every day. Personally, we weren’t sure about the tour— we didn’t want to chase the sea critters in their territory, and it was very expensive. We ended up seeing them on our own in Koh Mook anyways so it all worked out! But if seeing Dugongs is a must for you this is a good option. You can book the tour at Lhang Kao beach. They will also have a small sign indicating the best time of day to spot dugongs from the pier and Dugong Point. It’s usually high-tide. 

Eating in Koh Libong 

Finding food can be a bit of a struggle on Koh Libong as there are few restaurants and very little tourist infrastructure. 

It’s best to eat as the locals do. 

This means waking up early to hit the street food stalls near the school. Fried chicken, noodles, sticky rice, and fried bananas are popular. There is also an iced coffee place that often has some sweets right by the pier. For lunch, you can grab fruit or market snacks or maybe save some breakfast leftovers OR head to the only Roti shop on the island. Again, it’s near the pier. 

Dinner we ate on the beach. Not at one of the resorts but at the first collection of chairs on Lhang Kao beach. I’ve marked it on the map below. It’s a little pricy but you’ll get decent Thai food here. Go for the curries or seafood. 

Alcohol is nearly non-existent at shops because it’s a Muslim island. But at this beach restaurant and the small shop on your way to Stone Beach, you can buy bottles of Chang for 90-110 baht. 

Map of Places to Eat in Koh Libong 

Your Guide to Koh Mook or Koh Muk (Underrated Thai Islands)

This was my favorite of the three islands. Not only does it have incredible beaches, cheap local food, and few tourists but it also has quite a few worthwhile attractions to keep you occupied. 

If you only pick one of the three islands to visit — this is definitely my choice. 

Why visit Koh Mook? 

Best beaches. Sunset cocktails for 100 baht. The stunning Emerald Cave, scenic viewpoint, and jungle hikes. This is one of those Thai Islands you see on the brochures — except it’s not actually. It just looks like it. Koh Mook seems to have escaped mass tourism for now and offers similar experiences to popular Thai Islands without all the crowds. 

Getting to Koh Mook 

If you’re following this itinerary you will likely either be arriving from Koh Libong or from Trang city. Either way, your directions will actually be rather similar. If you are traveling from Krabi to Koh Mook, Phuket to Koh Mook, or Koh Lanta to Koh Mook, just get yourself to Trang first.

Trang to Koh Mook 

The only shared long tail boat or Koh Mook ferry leaves from Khuan Tung Ku Pier.

Option 1: Drive a motorbike to the pier. The ferry leaves every day at around 12-1 PM and costs 100 baht per person.  If you arrive independently (via motorbike) outside that time you can share a long tail boat for 200 baht per person from the pier to Koh Mook. 

Option 2: If you are coming from Sleeper House in Trang you can book through them for 350 baht per person and have the ferry + van included. There is no public bus to the pier. 

Getting from Koh Libong to Koh Mook 

If you are coming from Koh Libong you have 2 options. 3 if you have decided to visit the island with a motorbike rental from Trang. 

Option 1: Hire a private long tail boat directly from Koh Libong for 1,500 baht total. This is the most expensive option unless you have a group. I don’t recommend it. You can take this route whether you have a motorbike or not. 

Option 2: If you have a motorbike, take the ferry (shared long tail) which departs at intervals all day back to Hat Yao pier. From here drive yourself to Khuan Tung Ku Pier and follow the directions above. 

Option 3: If you do not have your own motorbike you should do the same as option 2 but instead of transporting yourself between the two piers you will have to join a shared van or truck for 200 baht per person. Maybe a little less I didn’t haggle much. You can easily arrange this once you arrive to Hat Yao pier.

Koh Mook Accommodation

Accommodation is the one *expensive* part about Koh Mook. There are no “backpacker hostels” to speak of. Most island guests are definitely on holiday and stay at one of the nicer hotels near Charlie Beach. 

But we stayed at Cashew Nut Bungalow and highly recommend it for a few reasons. 

Yai, the owner, is incredibly helpful. He picks you up for free at the pier, takes you for free to the sunset spot for cocktails each night, and is full of excellent recommendations for your stay. The place is rustic— but the bungalows are quite nice. We even stayed in the tents one night and found them quite comfortable. 

Tents are $16, Bungalows are $24. 

Best Beaches on Koh Mook 

Charlie beach + Sabai Beach. 

Charlie beach is the place to be for sunset. There are small huts serving coconuts and cocktails on the beach and monkeys running along the rocky shore. It’s an easy 5-min ride to the beach from Cashew Nut or a 30-min walk. Our host drove us each night for free at sunset. This is also a great beach for swimming. 

Sabai beach is the best beach on the island. It’s secluded and spectacularly clean and beautiful. It requires a 2.2-mile hilly walk to reach through overgrown jungle but you’ll probably be the only one there if you go early. Others didn’t start arriving until 10:30 AM. The hike took us about an hour from Cashew Nut. There is no food at Sabai beach so be sure to pack a lunch and lots of water. 

Civilized beach deserves an honorable mention. But make sure you visit at high tide in the afternoon and mid-morning.

Best Things to Do in Koh Mook 

1. Trek to Sabai beach. 

As I described above. Instead of going back the way you came, turn it into a loop by walking the relatively flat path to Ao Lo Dang beach for 2.8 miles back to your hotel. This way you get to see the whole island. And you don’t have to hike all the way up the hill to the viewpoint again. Sabai is much more swimmable so be sure to take your time there.

You can follow the route easily on maps.me or just look for the red arrows painted on the rubber trees to guide the way. The path down to Sabai beach from the viewpoint is pretty overgrown but don’t get discouraged.

2. Spot a dugong from the pier. 

THIS is where we finally saw a dugong. Despite Koh Libong being renowned as the best place to spot them— we didn’t see them until Koh Mook pier. Every day at around 4 PM a small pod of Dugongs can usually be sighted from the end of the pier. 

3. Take a day tour to Koh Kradan with a stopover at Koh Rok and the Emerald Cave. 

Day tours should cost around 450 baht per person. Our group was just 4 people and overall the excursion was totally worth it. The Emerald Cave was super impressive and we got lucky as it wasn’t crowded. But because you can only visit at low tide there is very little you can do to avoid the crowds. On this day tour we snorkeled twice and then lounged on Koh Kradan’s impressive beaches. The perfect day trip.  

You have to swim into Emerald cave in the dark. You will have a guide if you go on a snorkel tour. But if you decide to visit on your own via kayak (which you can) you’ll be all on your own to navigate.

4. Lounge at the “civilized beach”. 

This is the beach nearest the pier and it’s actually beautiful at high tide. Be sure to walk all the way out to the point for the cleanest water and best swimming. 

5. Snorkel at Tiger Cave point. 

Unless you rent a kayak and have your own gear you’ll have to hire a boat to take you out. For us, the snorkeling on the day trip was impressive enough.

If you’re looking to snorkel I recommend Koh Ngai snorkeling. This nearby island has some of the best and there are many tours you can join from Koh Mook.

Eating on Koh Mook

Unlike Koh Libong, Koh Mook is filled with restaurants. Most of them are decent but overpriced. Of the three this is the best Thai island for food. The cheapest, best, and the biggest portioned place is without a doubt Thai Kitchen Koh Mook. This place is owned by the daughter of the infamous Yoo-hoo Pancake stall on Koh Lipe. This place is even better. 

Breakfast is 100 baht and consists of fresh fruit juice, coffee, a huge Thai omelet stuffed with veggies and chicken, 2 pieces of toast w/ jam, and a massive plate of watermelon, pineapple, and bananas that she will pack up for you to take as a snack because there is no way you’ll finish it all. It’s incredible. 

Lunch and dinner are equally as huge and cheap. I also recommend her iced coffee or Thai tea to-go as they come in massive jugs and are delicious. 

You can find this place on Maps.me as Thai Lady Pancake Restaurant. It looks unassuming but trust me— if you see the pancake stand you’re in the right place. 

Other decent but more expensive places are Team Restaurant and Alina. 

Your Guide to Koh Kradan (Underrated Thai Islands)

I’m not going to dive into the nitty gritty details of Koh Kradan. Koh Kradan is actually best visited on a day trip. This is because it’s actually quite expensive to stay overnight. There are only 4 hotels on the island and the cheapest books out in advance costing $40 per night. In my opinion, it’s best visited from nearby Koh Mook. Food is also super limited on the island. And you guessed it…expensive.

But I do recommend you visit. 

It has incredible snorkeling, top-notch white sand beaches that are perfect for swimming, and a handful of places to stay if you want to shell out the cash to stay on the island. 

Koh Kradan Accommodation: Paradise Lost Bungalows is your cheap option. Kradan Beach Resort is also decently priced. If you’re feeling real fancy Mali Kradan is your best bet.

How to Get to Koh Kradan 

If you do want to visit Koh Kradan overnight you can easily hire a long-tail boat from Koh Mook for around 350 baht per person. You can also hire a boat from the Khuan Tung Ku Pier or wait for the local ferry which is around the same price. 

How long do you need to stay on Koh Libong, Koh Mook, and Koh Kradan? 

I recommend a minimum of 4 days to see the islands. Preferably, three nights on Koh Mook and 1 on Koh Libong. Just be sure to arrive early. It’s better if you can spend 2 nights in Libong but because the beaches aren’t so spectacular I think that your time is better spent on Koh Mook unless you are just trying to avoid other tourists. 

Quick Review of the Best Andaman Islands (Thailand)

Koh Libong has the least tourists, but the least to do. 

Koh Kradan has few tourists and fantastic beaches BUT is very expensive. Both for food and accommodation. Great as a day trip. 

Koh Mook is the sweet spot. Excellent beaches, lots to do, and more tourists than the others BUT not too many tourists. Yet, that is. I would be surprised if these stunning islands didn’t see an influx of tourists in the next decade as people continue to visit Thailand and look for far-flung places not yet affected by mass tourism. 

Alongside Koh Kood and Koh Lipe, these are my favorite underrated Thai islands and we’ve been fortunate enough to visit about 15 of them. Not only are they some of the best islands in Thailand for couples but they are also the best islands for families in Thailand looking for a laid-back vacation. 

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