Island Hopping In Thailand

If you've ever dreamt of island hopping, surrounded by warm blue waters and relaxing on white sandy, palm fringed beaches without a care in the world then the southern islands of Thailand are definitely the place for you.

There are two main areas for island hopping - the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand - and both are home to a diverse array of idyllic islands that offer romantic hideaways, rustic bungalows, fabulous diving, water sports, delicious seafood, traditional Thai hospitality and a chance to become Robinson Crusoe for a few days. An island hopping adventure usually starts in Bangkok, for a night or two, where you can meet up with youthful travellers in the Khao San Road area or find more sophisticated entertainment in the Silom and Sukhumvit regions of this frenetic city. A short flight will then take you to Phuket, Trang or Hat Yai from where an excellent range of ferries, and speedboats, connect the most important islands in the Andaman Sea.

From Phuket you can happily reach the island of Koh Phi Phi, famous for its excellent diving, thriving party scene and cavernous caves where birds' nests are harvested. There is also easy access to the small resorts, and secluded beaches of Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai and the larger island of Koh Lanta where refined hotels, and a more traditional beach holiday, can be found. The islands around Trang are less well known and places like Koh Mook, Koh Libong and Koh Sukorn provide the perfect stress free environment with simple pleasures like fishing and snorkelling, as well as rustic accommodation, very much order of the day.

Further south, and easily accessed from Hat Yai or Malaysia's Langkawi, Koh Lipe is rapidly becoming the island hoppers' paradise with its knock out combination of white sand beaches, turquoise waters, diving and comfortable bungalows. Alternatively take a flight to the Gulf of Thailand and a first stop on the legendary island of Koh Samui where coconut plantations have been replaced with top notch hotels, and the odd golf course! Just across the water from Samui lies the party island of Koh Phangan where full moon raves are still the rage but boutique hotels are starting to appear as the island welcomes a more chilled crowd. From either island a ferry will take you north to the diving mecca of Koh Tao which offers some of the best underwater experiences in Southeast Asia.

Have a look at our island hopping tour which covers some of the fabulous islands and waters around Trang including Koh Sukorn.