Travel news - Beaches and islands in Thailand

Azure allure

The islands off Trang promise some of the most stunning holiday experiences. Unfortunately, some people may not have discovered the beauty of Ko Rok, the outermost island, and its neighbouring islets.

Ko Rok, an island of Lanta National Park, has slipped through many tourist's itineraries as it is not on the Phuket or Krabi routes. Unless travellers make their way to Lanta island or use Trang as a base, Ko Rok is a paradise, three hours by boat from Pak Meng Pier in Trang.

A delay resulting from road travel from Bangkok has disrupted our schedule. Instead of setting off from Pak Meng Pier early in the morning, we were not able to go on the boat until 11am. Consequently our planned stops at snorkelling points had to be cut down to only a few. Cruising at a slow speed of 15 to 20 kilometres an hour, the converted fishing boat has taken us on sun-hazed waters past inviting small islands.

On the right it's Ko Lanta that has been booming in recent years, said a boatman. On the far left is Ko Libong. We will cruise by Ko Waen, Ko Muk, Ko Ma, Ko Kradan.

Limestone rocks of imaginative shapes rise from the deep blue sea. They have a covering of lush wooded trees that call to mind fur coats. Whipped by all-year-round rainfall and ocean moisture, each island is like a miniature rainforest.

After passing by several islands, we could spot Ko Rok's hazy outline on the horizon. In an hour or so we were close enough to distinguish Ko Rok's two islets: Ko Rok Nok and Ko Rok Nai, which are separated by a narrow channel. The former has tourist facilities provided by the park unit, the latter is uninhabited. The names of the islets are quite confusing. Ko Rok Nok, which means outer island of Rok, is the one closer to the mainland, while Ko Rok Nai (inner island of Rok) is located farther out.

After lunch on board, tourists were able to take the first snorkel dive around 3pm off Ko Rok Nok, the boat delivering us to the beach. It was just 200 metres to the beach but our steersman, without any navigational tools, unfortunately got his converted fishing boat stuck on a coral. It could not go anywhere. Park officials came to the rescue, bringing us to the beach on a dinghy. The boat was not damaged but a coral could be. After two failed tugging attempts by another fishing vessel, the boatman decided to just wait for rising tide in the evening.

Ko Rok boasts a magnificent sunset as the natural show can be watched between two islets. I was staggering on the soft sand strip that runs from east to west for about 200 metres on Ko Rok Nok. The west end of Ko Rok Nai is just a few hundred metres from Ko Rok Nok. The sea in the channel has a gradual colour range, from turquoise through to light blue then azure. A few yachts dock overnight in the little channel, enjoying the picturesque sunsets.

I sauntered on the sandy beach from east to west, enjoying the graceful tranquillity and fresh air, with the picturesque islets as a backdrop. Hermit crabs were everywhere. These days the once-proliferating hermit crabs are vanishing from Thailand's beaches as a result of overexploited tourism. The seashell trade is also to blame, depriving the creatures of temporary shelter. Today the sight of hermit crabs is a delightful welcome.

Hermit crabs are active during the daylight hours. When I came across the crabs at night, they were pretty slow. Evening activities here include walks along the beach to explore crabs and hermit crabs. It was dark and we were told to be careful not to step on them.

On Ko Rok Nok, where a forestry unit office is located, a limited number of park lodges are available, but most travellers prefer to sleep in tents. Regretfully, the island is marred by poor management and a lack of care. The young, energetic chief appears not to be fully at work when a tourist asks for the park information. We ended up having to consult a park brochure after all inquiries were not adequately answered.

Before midnight a rainstorm whipped and shook our tent which had been provided by a local tour operator. For half an hour rains pounded and the balmy April night was relieved. This morning we were to decide if we would extend our stay one more night on the island.

The tap water came to a stop. The island has a freshwater well. To bring forth the water fuel is needed. But today the unit ran out of fuel. Our tour operator said we should leave the island today.

Ko Rok Nok has a 1.05 kilometres Samet Daeng Nature Trail. A 20-minute climb along a leafy, steep, paved trail brings us up to a vantage point on the west of the island. The park has put a safety rope on the rim of the trail. Beyond it is a sheer cliff that runs vertically down to the watery realm. My companion's GPS roughly calculated that we were about 91 metres above sea level. This is a sunset viewpoint. I found, however, another ideal time to go up here is between 11am to noon on a sunny day because you can see the watery realm in fascinatingly deep blue. Travellers can walk down in a circular route.

After breakfast we had a brief moment to dive nearby and found plentiful clown fish and anemones. Then the boat was ready to leave for the various snorkelling spots.

Today we were delivered to the point northwest off the island. Around half of the hard corals we spotted were in deteriorating condition. Fine spined corals and lettuce corals predominate. When the boat moved ashore to Ko Rok Nai, the beach was found to have such stunningly clear water that every one could not help dipping themselves in as long as they could. Time flew as we had to leave the most dazzling beach.

In the afternoon we eventually left Ko Rok. In the itinerary the boat stopped at a snorkelling point off Ko Kradan and next off Ko Ma. Translucent soft corals in various hues of red, pink and white thrive on a slope under the shade of the rocks. Low tide nearly exposed the corals to the air. We swam by cautiously so as not to bump into rocks and these fragile creatures. But a few of branches had been found knocked down on the seabed.

Soon the boat had to turn back. It cruised past Ko Ngai and veered east to Pak Meng. The easterly wind grew fiercer and waves surged against the bow. Cool sprays of salty sea water soaked passengers on board in the warm sun of the late afternoon. In the next hour the shoreline grew clearer. I looked back and found all other islands blurred in low dim light. At this point Ko Rok was no longer visible.

MORE INFO

You have a short period left to get to Ko Rok this year. Like other Andaman islands, Ko Rok is best visited from November to April. The latest time you can go is early May but the sea cannot be assured of 100% monsoon-free. Otherwise, better wait until November.

Ko Rok is 45 kilometres from Trang's Pak Meng Pier and 30 kilometres from Ko Lanta. It takes three hours to get there from Pak Meng by boat. There is no regular boat unless travellers buy a day trip by speedboat from Ko Lanta. The tour costs around 1,200-1,400 baht per person. Contact your resort.

Another option is making a group arrangement of over 10 people and contact a local tour operator in Trang. A two-day trip can be priced at around 2,200 baht per person including, boat, four meals, drinking water, snorkelling gears and tent for twin-sharing basis. This does not include national park fees ( 40 baht for a Thai national and 400 baht for sforeigner). For more details, call 084-399-0574, 086-887-3998, see http://www.nemotour.com.

From Bangkok, buses depart to Trang daily from the Southern Bus Terminal. Avoid Sapphraisan Tour Bus during crowded and festive periods as poor management can result in great delays. The bus I took broke down on the way.

Safer is train travel, which leaves Hua Lumphong Railway Station daily.

Nok Air flies to Trang daily. On the way back to Bangkok, travellers can opt to fly inexpensive Air Asia or One-Two-Go from Krabi, which is two hours from Trang by bus.

On the travel itinerary travellers can spend more nights on Ko Muk, Ko Kradan and Ko Ngai. These islands have private resorts.

Be aware that theft is not non-existent on isolated island like Ko Rok. Travellers should not leave their belongings unattended. Bangkok Post