South of Koh Lanta the coast belongs to Trang, a province better known in Thailand for its food than its beaches — which is why its islands remain so quiet. The three that matter to visitors are Koh Mook, Koh Kradan and Koh Ngai, close enough together to visit in a single day and different enough to be worth a night each.
Much of the area lies within Hat Chao Mai National Park. There are no cars on Kradan or Ngai, only a handful of resorts each, and the seagrass beds off nearby Koh Libong shelter some of Thailand’s last dugongs.
Top things to do: Trang Islands
The Emerald Cave (Tham Morakot)
On the west coast of Koh Mook, a low sea cave leads through about 80 metres of darkness to a small beach completely enclosed by cliffs and open to the sky. You swim or float through in a life jacket behind a guide with a torch. It is only possible around lower tides and gets crowded at midday.
Koh Kradan
A long, powder-white east-facing beach with a coral reef you can snorkel from the shore and a view across to Koh Mook and Koh Libong. It has featured at the top of international best-beach lists.
Koh Ngai
A small, hilly island with a single long beach looking across to a row of limestone islets. Administratively part of Krabi, it is usually reached from Trang or Lanta.
Koh Mook village and Charlie Beach
Mook is the only one of the three with a real fishing village. Its best beach, Haad Farang (Charlie Beach), faces the sunset on the west coast.
How to get to Trang Islands
- By air: Trang Airport (TST) has flights from Bangkok. Vans connect the airport and town with the piers.
- By boat: longtails and ferries leave from Pak Meng Pier (for Koh Ngai), Kuan Tung Ku Pier (for Koh Mook and Kradan) and Hat Yao.
- Island hopping: high-season ferries and speedboats between Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe call at all three islands. See the routes guide.
Insider tips
- Most resorts on Kradan and Ngai close for the monsoon, roughly May to October.
- There are no ATMs on Kradan or Ngai. Bring cash.
- For the Emerald Cave, go early or late and ask about the tide. Weak swimmers should hold the rope and wear the life jacket.
Best tours & tickets for Trang Islands
These well-reviewed experiences are the easiest way to see Trang Islands:
Longtail island hopping from €23 Koh Lanta: 4 Islands, Emerald Cave & Koh Kradan by Longtail
The easy way to see the Trang islands without changing hotels. The highlight is the swim through a dark sea tunnel on Koh Mook to a beach enclosed by cliffs. More than a thousand reviews.
- Swim through the tunnel into the Emerald Cave
- Snorkelling off Koh Chueak and Koh Ngai
- Option including Koh Kradan
Speedboat snorkelling trip from €41 Koh Lanta: Koh Rok & Koh Haa Snorkel Tour with Lunch Buffet
Koh Rok’s twin islands sit well offshore inside Mu Ko Lanta National Park, with bright sand and reef close to the beach; Koh Haa adds a lagoon ringed by rock stacks. The top-rated day trip from Lanta.
- Two of the southern Andaman’s clearest snorkelling spots
- Lunch on the beach at Koh Rok
- Small national-park islands with no resorts
