Koh Kood

Discovering Koh Kood

I stepped off the speedboat at Ao Salad pier on a Tuesday afternoon and counted the other passengers. Eleven. That was everyone arriving on Koh Kood that day. The pier was a concrete slab with a tin roof, two longtail boats rocking in the shallows, and a woman selling coconut ice cream from a cooler strapped to the back of a motorbike. No touts. No taxi queue. No laminated signs advertising half-day tours. Just the sound of water against wood and a road disappearing into jungle so dense the sunlight turned green twenty meters in.

Koh Kood (also spelled Koh Kut) is Thailand’s fourth-largest island and one of its least developed. It sits in the eastern Gulf near the Cambodian border, a two-hour ferry ride southeast of Koh Chang, and it has resisted the development trajectory that turned Phuket into a city and Koh Samui into a resort corridor. There are no 7-Elevens, no walking streets, no ATMs that reliably have cash, and no nightlife beyond a cold beer on a dark beach. The island runs on rubber plantations, fishing, and a thin but loyal stream of travelers who come specifically because Koh Kood offers the thing every other Thai island claims but few deliver: genuine solitude.

What struck me most was the water. The west coast beaches face a shallow bay protected by offshore reefs, and the result is water so clear you can stand waist-deep and count the grains of sand between your toes. Ao Tapao Beach — the island’s showpiece — is a long curve of white sand where I counted twelve people on a Saturday in peak season. Klong Chao Beach is the closest thing to a hub, with a handful of resorts and the creek mouth where kayakers paddle upstream toward the waterfall. It was not dramatic scenery — no towering limestone karst — just impossibly clean, warm, still water over white sand, with nothing between me and the horizon but fishing boats and the faint outline of Cambodia’s Koh Kong mountains.

What Makes Koh Kood Different?

Every Thai island markets itself as unspoiled. Koh Kood actually is. The difference is infrastructure: there is almost none. The single main road is partially paved, partially laterite dirt that turns to red mud in the monsoon. There are no traffic lights, no banks, and no public transport. The isolation is geographic — Koh Kood is far enough from the mainland that day-trippers rarely bother, and there is no airport. Every visitor makes a deliberate choice to come here, and that self-selection shapes the entire atmosphere.

The island’s interior is as remarkable as its coastline. Klong Chao Waterfall, a fifteen-minute walk from the main road through rubber plantations, drops into a natural swimming pool surrounded by boulders and jungle canopy. It is not a massive cascade — perhaps eight meters tall — but the pool is deep enough to jump into, cool enough to shock you after the humid walk in, and empty enough that I had it to myself on a Thursday morning. The trail passes through working plantations where rubber trees are scored with diagonal cuts and tin cups collect the milky latex. Koh Kood is a working island first and a tourist destination second, and that hierarchy has kept it honest.

What Can You Do on Koh Kood?

• Klong Chao Waterfall — A short jungle walk leads to this eight-meter cascade and its natural swimming pool. Free entry. Best in the morning when light filters through the canopy. Allow one hour for the walk and swim.

• Bioluminescent Plankton Night Tour — Koh Kood’s signature experience. Kayak or longtail boat trips into the mangrove channels after dark reveal plankton that glow electric blue with every paddle stroke. Best November to January on moonless nights. 800-1,200 THB ($23-34) per person.

• Snorkeling at Ao Tapao Reef — Healthy hard coral and consistent fish life in 2-5 meters of water off the south end of Ao Tapao. Rent gear for 150-200 THB ($4.25-5.70) per day. Boat trips visit three to four spots for 1,200-1,800 THB ($34-51) with lunch included.

• Kayaking Klong Chao Creek — Paddle upstream from Klong Chao Beach through overhanging jungle toward the waterfall. Resorts rent kayaks for 200-400 THB ($5.70-11) per hour. The silence is almost disorienting after mainland Thailand. Two hours round trip.

• Ao Yai Fishing Village — A stilted fishing village on the east coast where daily life revolves around the catch. Wander the wooden walkways, buy dried squid (20-50 THB), and watch longtail boats unload. Free entry. Scooter ride from the west coast takes 30-40 minutes.

Where to Eat on Koh Kood?

Dining options are limited but honest. Most visitors eat at their resort. Independent restaurants cluster along Klong Chao Beach road.

• Koh Kood Seafood — Whole grilled fish with garlic and pepper (180-280 THB / $5-8), green curry with prawns (160 THB / $4.55), and a tom yum loaded with fresh seafood. Cash only. No English menu — point at what the next table is eating.

• The Pizza — An Italian-run wood-fired pizza place near Klong Chao that serves the real thing. Margherita 220 THB ($6.25), seafood pizza 320 THB ($9). Handmade pasta. Cold Singha. Dinner only. Becomes the island’s social hub by default.

• Smile Koh Kood — Family-run Thai restaurant between Klong Chao and Ao Bang Bao. Pad Thai 80 THB ($2.25), massaman curry 100 THB ($2.85), fried morning glory 60 THB ($1.70). Generous portions, fresh curry paste. Cash only.

• Ao Yai Village Market Stalls — The freshest and cheapest food on the island. Grilled squid on a stick (30 THB / $0.85), som tum (40 THB / $1.15), sticky rice parcels (20 THB / $0.55). Open mornings when the boats come in.

Where to Stay on Koh Kood?

Accommodation ranges from budget bungalows to one of Asia’s most exclusive resorts. Book ahead for December to February — the island has limited rooms and popular properties sell out weeks early.

• Soneva Kiri — Private pool villas hidden in the jungle canopy, a treetop dining pod served by zipline, and a beachfront cinema. 25,000-80,000 THB ($714-2,285) per night. A destination in itself.

• Koh Kood Beach Resort — The best mid-range option. Beachfront bungalows on Klong Chao Beach, a pool, air conditioning, and staff who arrange all tours. 1,800-3,500 THB ($51-100) per night. Best base for first-time visitors.

• Away Koh Kood — Boutique resort on Klong Chao with stylish rooms, a good pool, and modern Thai design. 2,500-5,000 THB ($71-143) per night. Popular with couples.

• Koh Kood Neverland — Budget bungalows on Ao Bang Bao. Fan rooms from 600 THB ($17) per night, air-con from 1,200 THB ($34). Basic but clean, with a surprisingly good on-site restaurant.

When the Plankton Glow

My last night on Koh Kood, I joined a kayak trip into the mangrove channels off Ao Salad. The guide turned off his headlamp once we entered the tunnel of roots. Every paddle stroke ignited a trail of electric blue light beneath the surface. When I dragged my hand through the water, my fingers left glowing streaks that lingered for a full second before dissolving. A fish darting away became a blue comet. A fallen leaf hitting the water created a circle of cold fire. Nobody in the kayak spoke. We just paddled and watched the darkness light up around us and understood that this was the kind of thing you travel to the edge of the map to find. Koh Kood is not convenient, not cheap to reach, and not easy to explain to someone who has not been. But those glowing channels in the dark — that is what Thailand looked like before the rest of the world arrived.