5 of the Quietest Thai Islands

A world away from crowds and luxurious resorts, quiet Thai islands like Koh Chang Noi have retained the community spirit of 1970s Phuket. Think laid-back locals sporting batik pants, rickety motorized cockleshells, and travelers with pieces of rope in their hair. These are places where life is beautifully simple, where Thais live off fishing and agriculture. Visit, and you’ll find light-hearted smiles and mellow lifestyles. From Koh Jum off the Krabi coast to Koh Kood near Bangkok, here are the best islands in Thailand for tranquility seekers.

Koh Phra Thong

With an area of some 130 square kilometers, Koh Phra Thong is Thailand’s fifth-largest island. It hides in the district of Khuraburi in Phang-Nga province, about 137 kilometers north of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. Koh Phra Thong’s eastern shore is covered in mangroves, while the west coast is a deserted beach reaching as far as the eyes can see.

The island has various waterways winding their way through the landscape. As it happens, those sea channels are shaped like pepper trees spread across Koh Phra Thong; you’ll notice when you enlarge Google Maps. And those pepper trees are the spitting image of bonsais.

Koh Phra Thong, or ‘golden Buddha Island,’ has nothing to do with Patong, Phuket’s well-known nightlife district. Year-round, you’re far from mass tourism here – so far that from January to February, even turtles feel safe enough to lay their eggs on the beach in the west.

With its vast savanna, the island’s interior is a haven for those who love the outdoors. Koh Phra Thong’s distinctive natural setting changes with the seasons as if to accommodate nature’s whims. The island transforms into a green haven for up to eight months during the rainy season when torrential downpours flood the paved, two-meter-wide streets and vegetation around them.

In November, the landscape becomes a mix of red and white, giving its grass a pinkish tinge that lasts through January. The color show continues and peaks in March when everything is glitter and gold until May. In a nutshell, it’s a heavenly place for nature lovers.

Koh Chang Noi

Eager to get away from it all? Koh Chang Noi is one of the most little-known Thai islands and not to be mixed up with the famed Koh Chang in the Gulf of Thailand. 

Setting foot on Koh Chang Noi, Koh Phayam’s neighboring island near the southern Thai town of Ranong, you’re not likely to hear much else than the faint “beeeeeeeep” in the distance – the cicadas’ well-rehearsed chorus. It matches the scent of the sea, the smooth rocking of a longtail boat, and the gentle lapping waves.

Use a moto-taxi, or else you’ll need to walk across the Andaman Sea’s Koh Chang Noi, as the jetty is in the island’s northeast. You’ll find a driver sitting casually on a scooter in the shade of a cashew tree. While Koh Chang is pretty small at 18 square kilometers, the three-kilometer-hike on paved but less than two-meter-wide roads can be exhausting in the sweltering heat. It grips the island despite cashew and neatly aligned rubber plantations, plus dense tracts of jungle reaching almost into the waters of undeveloped beaches.

Koh Chang Noi contrasts sharply with Thai islands like Phuket, which is 165 miles further south. Far from crowds and 7ELEVEN dingdong doorbells, this tranquil place is for those who like lounging in a hammock with a book in hand, updating their diary, or strumming a guitar. Letting the hours slip past gently on a dark-sand beach, you’ll catch the scents of casuarinas’ pine-needle-like branchlets.

Accommodation-wise, you can choose between simple huts and bamboo bungalows. An under-the-radar island facing Burma, Koh Chang Noi’s appeal is in the beauty of the peaceful life.

Koh Kood

Bring your sense of adventure to this place, one of the best Thailand islands. Koh Kood is a wild, unspoiled jungle island in the Gulf of Thailand, 40 kilometers off Thailand’s mainland near the Cambodian maritime border. Think gushing waterfalls and rivers winding through mangroves like slithering snakes. 

The palm-lined white-sand beaches are as stunning as you’d expect, but the real excitement comes from zipping down dirt roads on a motorbike. Exploring the humid rainforest, you’ll hear the calming calls of a greater coucal, a crow-like bird. 

Alternatively, kayak the crystal sea or lounge in a hammock beneath a coconut tree – the Maldives-like setting isn’t heavy on your pocket.

Koh Maak

Want to experience a desert island in the Gulf of Thailand? Time stands still on Koh Maak just north of Koh Kood, an island with endless beaches flanked by agricultural scenery – far away from the well-trodden tourist trail.

Rather than boisterous nightlife, it’s the sea, sun, solitude, and some 10,000 palm trees that are all yours. If you need a change of scene, you can visit a Buddhist temple, ride a bike along winding paths, or scuba dive in transparent waters. Further afield are satellite isles for day visits, should you want to leave this paradise island just south of Trat’s large and famous Koh Chang.

Koh Jum

A round-up of the quietest islands in Thailand wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Koh Jum. With only a few remote beaches and the odd low-key bar, it’s the perfect place to wind down. You’ll find a string of palm-fringed beaches and wooden huts in the west, but the south is all cashew trees, casuarinas, nipa palms, and dense jungle.  

If you’re a more active traveler, you’ll love the hiking paths in the mountainous north. There’s a trail leading up to the 420m-high mountain named Koh Pu, and you can cycle around the island in an hour or go snorkeling. If that’s too much activity, bathe in warm water or spread your towel and work on your tan. While not as grand as Thailand’s crystal waters you can find elsewhere in the kingdom, it’s fine for a dip. Also, the beaches overlook the Koh Phi Phi archipelago, far enough from beachside clubs and throbbing basses.

Also called Koh Pu, the island near Krabi boasts a Muslim way of life. Some 1,500 Thai people live in three tiny fishing villages in primitive shacks. Aside from fishing and tapping rubber, locals weave clothes. Whichever part of this place you like best, one thing is for sure: you’ll fall in love with Koh Jum, one of the most enchanting Thai islands.

Want more trip ideas? You’ll find the inspiration you need on TAGTHAi’s Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket blogs. For an affordable flat fee, TAGTHAi gives you access to attractions like Bangkok’s Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Chiang Mai’s Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary, or Koh Hey, aka Coral Island, near Phuket.