Ko Kut - our favourite piece of Thailand

Just one of the beautiful beaches on Ko Kut

Is it Ko Kud, Koh Kut, Koh Kud or Ko Kut, Maybe Koh Kood? It doesn't really matter - what matters is that among the 12 places we have visited in Thailand and twice more on our Big Southeast Asia Trip it has had the best combination of great beaches, lack of crowds, great waterfalls and fun atmosphere. To be honest, apart from Koh Chang we didn't visit too many other beach destinations. In part because we did a research to avoid places filled with other tourists, and in part because we have postponed our visit to South of Thailand for a separate trip at the end of our journey. That is something that has never happened though due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions. On the other hand - the COVID-19 lock-down is probably the reason why I have some time to finally write this piece of blog and select and upload a few photos.

We came to Ko Kut in the beginning of November 2019, soon after our visit to Koh Chang. It was partially accidental - I was still working at the beginning of our trip and had some work to do nearby. We came using the Boonsiri fast ferry from Trat. They also have a combined bus ticket which we used on our way back. This one conveniently leads to Khao San road in Bangkok, but also Pattaya and Trat airport. For us this is the recommended company to use when visiting Thai Eastern Seaboard islands - Ko Kut, Ko Mak, Ko Samet and Ko Chang. Compared to a lot of other transportation companies in the region this is a very well organized business. They have very fast and comfortable ferries. Buses that they use are also fast and comfortable. They have a whole army of employees making sure everyone will end up on the right bus/ferry. It was also very easy to make phone re-arrangements. Tickets are open ended and the staff understands the requests easily.

We came to Ko Kut at a time which could be described as the end of the shoulder season and the beginning of high season. Important to note here that some consider the second half of December and first half of January as super-high-season. We don't know how Ko Kut is during that time, but based on the relative lack of accommodation, we reckon that it might be the best place during both high, super-high and shoulder season. Something like the Lastovo and Vis islands in Croatia - for the very same reason. Perhaps we were lucky that the dry season did start on schedule, but the weather was really great. It was not too hot and there was not much dust as later would be the case in Cambodia after dry season has lasted for quite long. It was also good that the waterfalls still had a lot of water.

Plenty of water to swim in - as witnessed by this tourist with a long head and not much hair on it. Wait, that's me.

So Ko Kut is relatively close to Bangkok - you still need to spend a day getting there, but it is a fun ride for anyone who has never been to Thailand. It is also close to Ko Mak and Koh Chang. We have missed to see Ko Mak but have seen Koh Chang which is absolutely worth visiting. Koh Chang is also the one closer to mainland with better and faster connections to Bangkok. It is bigger and more developed - but that does not necessarily mean bad things. Big means there is room for everyone and the touristy party area is really only in the vicinity of the ferry port. More developed also means that you will have more dining options, more equipped shops and more tour operators to go on a hiking tour. On Ko Kut you will either have to drive a scooter or take an expensive taxi. Koh Chang has a kind of a public transport - songthaew pick up trucks with regular stops and timetables. In any case the 3 islands would make for one great holiday together with a few days in Bangkok in the end.

As said earlier moving around the island will be difficult. One may try some of the limited options to hire a car and a driver. There are some expensive taxis as well. We didn't really see bicycle hire, and with the distances involved and the hilly terrain it would probably not make much sense. Going on foot can't really get you that far either. So driving a scooter is one thing that makes a lot of sense on the island - we had zero experience and still enjoyed it. For one the roads are almost empty. Almost means that there will be other scooters. Almost also means that there might be songthaews - essentially pick up truck taxis which bring people from the ferry to their accommodations. And that's about it. Apart from the dogs - there are a lot of dogs on Ko Kut roads. Other than that - there are not too many taxis on the island and they might be expensive so it makes a lot of sense to go around with a scooter. The roads are hilly. Still, they are less steep than the ones on Koh Chang. Couple of important pieces of advice to anyone thinking about hiring a scooter on Ko Kut: make sure your driving license covers 125 ccm at least as there are pretty much no 50 ccm scooters there; make sure you have an international drivers permit - and get one before you leave your country of residence. Not much police on the island - but if you happen to have an accident your travel insurance or rental insurance may be void. Technically speaking it is as if you had no driving license at all. This makes no sense, but is where the insurance company would gladly take advantage of you.

How did we spend our days there? We only had a few - on the first day we arrived on the ferry from Trat. It was a smooth ride and there was enough time for some nice food at the Trat ferry station of the Boonsiry company - one of the rear occasions when the only place serving food in a ferry port had at the same time good and affordable food. After landing we were taken by a songthaew to our accommodation. They loaded our stuff on the top of the truck and we drove in the back on a side bench. It was our first of many such experiences and it was fun. Afterwards we checked into our accommodation at Ban Phor - really nice bungalows far enough from the beach that they don't have too high price tag but still in walkable distance and with a great garden and even a neighbor dog whom we could adopt for a while.

Here I am looking at you like a wet human after the rain.

Simple and nice rural garden - together with the dog it makes you feel happy to return every day.

Later in that day we walked down to the very near Klong Mad beach where we had some swimming and watched a beautiful sunset. Before the sunset we took a walk around the adjacent fishing village - an interesting experience to see a bit of local life not entirely related to tourism. Not entirely as there were still guesthouses, restaurants and a couple of diving places. We had dinner in a nearby restaurant connected to a very tempting guest house - the dinner at the Ban Bua cottage near the beach remains one of the best meals we had in Thailand. I still remember how good the pineapple coconut curry was and the nice coconut ice-cream. We probably overdid it with ordering some fried bananas as well, but they tasted so good. All the staff working there were really smiling and they treated us very nicely. If I was coming back to the island I would seriously consider staying at the guesthouse.

Next day was reserved for some more chill time - We walked to the slightly more distant Ao Tapao beach. Opinions will always be split, but for me Ao Tapao was perhaps one of the best two beaches of our holiday and the one with the nicest memories attached. Ao Tapao is a long, sandy beach, with only a few resorts, but with free access to the beach. Later on after the resorts there is just nature and coconut trees and the sandy beach. Almost endless sandy beach - I love the feeling of a deserted beach and I love when it feels endless. We tried walking for very long and the beach did start to look less nice, but only after a very long walk. At the beginning, or at least the end closer to our accommodation, there is a shop and an eatery on the way to the beach. Eatery did not have a bad offer and it came at a medium price. Still, it is a place I would chose only if I would feel too lazy to walk back. Shop was well equipped. I still remember Tatawa brand cookies. These were Malaysian cookies which resembled the Italian Grisbi in both shape and taste. One of those copies almost as good as the original, like the copies made by ALDI and Lidl. We were looking forward to finding Tatawa biscuits in Malaysia, but when we went there we simply didn't find any. Some of the further things I loved about Ao Tapao beach were the swings - so much fun and a great place to make a photo. And this beach had such beautiful sunsets.

We spent the whole day there, apart from sorting out the laundry in the morning. In the evening we had a very good seafood dinner at the place next to our accomodation, Koh Kood Garden, and decided to rent a scooter from them tomorrow morning.

Klong Mad beach sunset

More of the same sunset from a different angle and camera settings - captures the waves nicely and the beach feeling.

Some of that best coconut curry - really creamy and delicious. Photo doesn't do it justice.

After the hearty curry there is no need for any desert - still a good option for a sweet snack

Fun times at Ao Tapao beach

Our third day brought a lot more excitement. We rented a Honda Click scooter from our neighbor - the Ko Kut Garden - and it was time to familiarize ourselves with the scooter. We both tried a few rounds and then we went for a ride together. It was pretty easy though it was a bit more scary for Kriszti to ride in the back as she wasn't in control. For the record: I did offer to switch roles.

Scooter brought some more freedom and we could go exploring the island. We started off with driving to a place called Indy Cafe where we had some yummy pancakes with banana. Pancakes were a bit crispy, like the roti, but they went really well together with the iced coffee and the iced lemon tea.

After the breakfast it was time to see the Khlong Chao waterfall. This is where we really had a great time! Perhaps just our timing was good, but we had this huge beautiful waterfall almost to ourselves. Drive to there was nice and so was the walk. The waterfall was really nice and had a huge swimming pool. We enjoyed thoroughly and would say this place was a must see. It could have been close to noon when we were there and there was plenty of sunshine and light. We enjoyed the cool water swimming and made photos of butterflies.

After this it was time to visit another beautiful beach: Bang Bao. There were a few more resorts there, but still it was not a crowded place. There was a beach bar with even a techno DJ warming up for a party. We weren't quite sure whether the crowds were only about to gather later or it was simply a case of mismatched entertainment. DJ was good however, just the lazy, late afternoon swimmers rather chose to ignore him.

The end of the day was another highlight - hot pot dinner. We really didn't know what this was, but we have seen some people having a hot-pot dinner at the place where we had our dinner the day before, Ko Kut Garden. So we asked what it was and they explained to us that it is the hot-pot. We received hot charcoal, hot water, ingredients and we got to make our own dinner at the table. We read later about this Asian custom which was so much fun and tasty. We chose the mixed version with meat and seafood. Top of it functioned like a grill and the outer "moat" functioned like a big boiler where water was boiling and we could ad vegetables and eggs and noodles. It was a lot of fun making it and it tasted great. We received some hot sauce as well and a fatty peace of bacon to use for the grill section. I missed to immediately apply this but later ate the bacon with the hot sauce - guilty as charged. All in all it was a great day - one of the best. We tried driving a scooter for the first time, had a chance to swim in a beautiful waterfall, spent time on a nice beach and then we topped it off with a dinner to remember.

Enjoying lemon ice tea in good company

Background is the key: my helmet resting on the big teddy bear!

Pancakes were actually crispy - they were delicious nevertheless and the serving was super-cute

And another one - each one gets an individual cuteness

We had this huge waterfall almost to ourselves - swimming rounds were quite long and enjoyable!

Ko Kut beaches really left us spoiled for choice.

Great views all around!

Beach time makes you happy!

Beach bar where the DJ was warming up - great setting in fact!

Sea food getting ready!

Kriszti carefully preparing a delicious meal - hot water on the table is a refill for the boiling part

I'm all into it!

Next day was the continuation of scooter fun - we drove off to the southern side of the island to check out the Ao Yai fisherman village. On our way we stopped at the viewpoint with the same name. Fisherman village was similar to the one close to us but still more elaborate as it was a bigger settlement further out on the water and with more fishing equipment. All of the houses were placed on stilts and walking around one could almost peak into people's living rooms. "Almost" here representing the fact that you don't really want to snoop even though you could. Just doesn't feel right. But - you can watch all of the equipment on display and see some big fish in the special storing nets, submerged into the sea. And you can sample seafood at some of the restaurants. While not the cheapest places by backpacker budget, these restaurants aren't rip-off either - many tourists would consider it cheap. We chose Noochy and weren't disappointed - food tasted good and for me it was the first encounter with salted egg sauce. We did eat seafood of similar quality for less money later on in the inside of the island so it only makes sense if choosing something special from the menu. After the lunch it was time for some more beach hopping - this time to check out Ao Phrao and Klong Hin beach. Ao Phrao beach is the favorite of many people. Would have been mine as well if only Ao Tapao was not my favorite already. The thing about favorites is that you can only have one.Ao Tapao is still very nice - asandy track with a lot of coconut trees leads to the beach and there are many trees on the beach itself as well. There is a resort on one side but other than that there is a very natural feel to it. Ride to the Klong Hin beach was a bit long, but there we have discovered an apparently not too expensive, but perfectly located, beach resort. While not the best beach on the island, it wasn't bad either.

View of the fishing village.

Fishing village close-up

Colorful fishing boat

A less fortunate fishing boat

Mini shrine on the rock and a lazy dog

Ao Phrao beach

More Ao Phrao beach

Klong Hin beach close to sunset

During the great day we had we decided to extend our stay in Ko Kut. It was quite easy to arrange one more night at where we were and to move our ferry/bus ticket back to Bangkok forward by one day. And the extension day came and I am very glad we did it.

Morning was interesting as it seemed that our dog now had a companion. It looked sweet to see the two of them, I must admit. We started the day of with checking a nearby Klong Yai waterfall. While less spectacular than Klong Chao it was still a nice place to swim a bit and make some nice butterfly photos. Rocks there were a particularly good sunbathing option. Next was the Huang Nam Keaw, third more hidden waterfall. On our way there, and luckily on a straight piece of road, we suddenly heard a kaboom. I slowed down and stopped immediately. Our tire has punctured. I've texted the Ko Kud Garden and we found a piece of shade where we could sit and wait for the replacement. Luckily soon enough a guy came with a replacement scooter and he slowly drove off on ours. We were free to move on, carefully. Huang Nam Keaw turned out to be less than spectacular of a waterfall. This is at least for the waterfall part. What is nice is walking to reach it - the trail makes a nice little jungle hike. The trail is still done well enough that one can do it unguided. On our way to the begining of the trail towards the waterfall we could see a couple of giant trees along with some very small Buddhist shrines and some offerings of clothes present there. It was an interesting experience to see something like this. The best thing though was our lunch place - Huang Nam Keaw homestay. There was only one place offering food at the beginning of the trail down to the waterfall. It looked nice and we thought it must be expensive but we should give it a try anyhow. What we found was this great place - not only that the prices were fair and the food tasty, the place had such a great vibe. Best of all the food came from a nearby garden! There was a simple rural homestay behind, probably without AC and similar things. Some of the reviews there tell a very nice story about the owners and staying over, so maybe that is a nice mini adventure option. There was also an incredibly nice looking garden, some cats and dogs, a souvenir shop and just a great feeling of being there. If we were staying for some longer perhaps we could have even stayed there for a night or two as an adventure. Lunch was great in any case and we still had a nice portion of a day left ahead of us so we decided to go back to Ao Tapao beach and enjoy a little bit more. We ended the day in a similar fashion - we went back to Ko Kut Garden to settle the scooter bill, the replacement tire bill and to have one more dinner there. The cost of replacement tire was fair, and the seafood dinner very good.

Tomorrow morning we packed quickly and waited for our songthaew pick-up. Kriszti bought us some nice fried bananas at the ferry port while I was waiting in the queue for the ferry. We soon got on, and received some stickers on our shirts with our final destination - Bangkok. It was a nice and quick ride and we were just simply feeling good.

Ko Kut is a place I would gladly return to and hopefully one day will. It sure remains one of the nicest memories ever.