7 off-the-beaten-track tiny islands to escape to in Thailand

Phuket, Koh Samui and even tiny Koh Lipe all deliver postcard-perfect beaches and lush jungle. But they also share one common downside: other tourists. Luckily, there are 1,430 islands dotting Thailand’s waters, and plenty of them have yet to be discovered by vacationing crowds. What makes these tiny islets great is everything they lack. Most of them have no ATMs or 7-Elevens, and you can forget about blaring beach clubs and luxury mega-resorts. In fact, some of these Thai islands don’t even have roads, just mile after mile of palm-fringed beach. Itching for an away-from-it-all escape? Here are our favorite off-the-tourist-map tiny islands across Thailand to plot on your itinerary.

1. Koh Ngai

Technically part of Krabi, but easier to reach via its neighbouring islands in the Trang archipelago, Koh Ngai looks almost Photoshopped. The water is a surreal shade of aquamarine, the sand honey-blonde, and any sign of urban infrastructure seems neatly airbrushed out of sight (because, well, there isn’t any). Aside from lolling on the almost 2km-long beach and snorkelling in the coral-rich waters just offshore, there isn’t much to do, but that’s what makes this tiny islet so seductive. There are no ATMs and its remote location results in above-average hotel rates and restaurant prices, so be sure to bring plenty of baht. 

2. Koh Mak

Sandwiched between the more popular Koh Chang and Koh Kood in the Gulf of Thailand, little Koh Mak is an oft-overlooked gem. It’s haloed by long beaches tufted with skinny palms, while most of its inland is bedecked in a patchwork of coconut groves and rubber plantations. In-the-know tourists have been coming here for years, so there’s plenty to choose from in terms of accommodation — from simple bamboo bungalows to villas with infinity pools — as well as restaurants, and even a smidge of nightlife. You can easily fill a few days cycling the flat roads to Buddhist temples, hidden coves and an overgrown sculpture park by local artist Khun Somchai. Got some more time on your hands? Venture out to the surrounding islets on an island-hopping trip by long-tail boat. 

3. Koh Bulon Le

Most island-hoppers visiting southern Thailand’s Satun province make a beeline for Koh Lipe, leaving the jungly speck of Koh Bulon Le to only the most intrepid travelers. And that’s a win, because this disarmingly low-key island remains one of the most Crusoesque settings in the country. In the 20 minutes it takes to cross the island on foot, you’ll encounter a few hilltop viewpoints, tangled mangroves, and a curl of alabaster sand you’ll likely have all to yourself. The island is home to Muslim fishing families and a small community of Chao Lay sea gypsies who operate a handful of basic bungalow resorts and homestays. Don’t expect the usual creature comforts, though: electricity, all solar-powered, rarely kicks in before the evening, and the WiFi connection is spotty at the best of times. 

4. Koh Kradan

Picture the perfect beach retreat, and you’ll likely conjure up an image resembling Koh Kradan. This islet in the Trang archipelago is blessed with all the Thai holiday hallmarks: a long, gold-hued beach, a jungly spine crisscrossed by hiking trails, and a gorgeous chain of karst formations on the horizon. A handful of resorts with thatch-roofed bungalows hide in the jungle fringe, but the rest of the island has remained blissfully free of developments. Most of Koh Kradan is part of the Hat Chao Mai National Park, which helps keep the island largely clean from litter and keeps tabs on the local inhabitants, including the occasional dugong family grazing off the coast. 

5. Koh Racha Yai and Koh Racha Noi

These twin islands sit just a 20-minute speedboat drive from Phuket’s southern tip but feel like a wholly different region. Racha Yai, the larger of the two, is a sleepy, coral-fringed honeypot for scuba divers drawn by the gin-clear and bath-warm waters surrounding it. A trio of talcum-white bays line its northern coast and have a set of quaint fishermen’s villages and some elegant villa resorts wedged in between. Rocky Racha Noi, 10 kilometers south, lacks any noteworthy beaches but has excellent diving sites frequented by whale sharks and manta rays. 

6. Koh Jum

While Koh Jum, just off Krabi’s mainland, isn’t as small as the other islands on this list, it still retains a distinctively tiny-island feel. With water that sometimes runs murky and beaches that are more sand-colored than sugar-white, it isn’t the postcard-perfect paradise you’ll find elsewhere in the south, but the colorful mix of onion-domed mosques, Thai-Chinese shrines, and fishing settlements on stilts delivers a fascinating peek into Southern Thai island life. Ramshackle beach bars and family-friendly resorts concentrate along its western coast, while its north (which locals, rather confusingly, refer to as Koh Pu) is home to a few away-from-it-all bungalows. 

7. Koh Sukorn

Mostly flat as a pancake and covered in rice fields, rubber plantations, and watermelon farms, this rural island on the southernmost end of the Trang province rarely welcomes tourists. Instead, its small Muslim population lives off farming and fishing, and only a few basic resorts hug the island’s western tip. As the beaches aren’t particularly pretty in the conventional sense — they’re greyish and rocky, and the water isn’t clear — this is a great spot for island explorations by scooter or bicycle. A paved road connects most corners of the island and makes it easy to reach the island’s harborfront seafood joints and viewpoint on top of the hard-to-miss hill at the island’s heart.