Koh Phayam Travel Guide

Koh Phayam's beaches are on the west coast, facing the sunset, and the two big ones have very different moods. Aow Yai, Long Beach, runs for about 3 km down the southwest coast, flat, wide and backed by trees, with low-key bungalows, bars and cafés set back from the sand. It has the island's best waves, small and steady enough to learn to surf, and it's busiest in the middle, quieter at the north end and quietest past the canal at the far south. The water can carry stingers, tiny jellyfish larvae, on some days.

Ao Khao Kwai, Buffalo Bay, is the long bay to the north, split by a stretch of rocks into a busier northern beach and the quieter southern end at Hin Talu. It's calmer than Aow Yai, so better for swimming, paddleboarding and kayaking, the jungle comes down to the sand, and hornbills fly over the bungalows. The Hippy Bar, a driftwood shipwreck of a building at the north end, is where the island gathers for the sunset.

Two small coves are worth the ride. Hin Talu, at the south end of Buffalo Bay, has a rock arch and a sandbar you can walk out on at low tide, though you'll want mid to high tide for a swim. Ao Kwang Peeb, at the northern tip, has the clearest water on the island and the best snorkeling, with no facilities at all, so bring food and water. The east coast, around the pier and the village, is muddier and busier with boats, and better for a meal than a swim.

Koh Phayam has no cars, just narrow concrete lanes for scooters, bicycles and the odd tuk-tuk, and it takes about 25 minutes to ride from one end to the other. A scooter is the easiest way to see it, at about ฿200 to ฿350 a day from shops at the pier, along the main road or through your bungalow. In high season the bikes on Aow Yai can all be gone by mid-morning, so rent one when you arrive or reserve a day ahead. Petrol is sold by the roadside in old whisky bottles, about ฿50 a bottle, which is enough for a day.

Most roads are paved, but a few, including the last stretch to Ao Kwang Peeb and the track to the Hippy Bar, are dirt and sand that turn slippery in the rain. If you've never ridden, walk those stretches, and carry a light after dark, when the lanes are unlit and the dogs on the beaches get territorial. Riding without a motorcycle license can void your travel insurance. Motorbike taxis and tuk-tuks wait at the pier if you'd rather not ride.

The point of Koh Phayam is to slow down, so the best days are a swim, a long lunch and a sunset. For something more, take a surf lesson on Aow Yai, about ฿1,400 for two hours in a group or ฿2,000 private, rent a kayak or a paddleboard on Buffalo Bay, or snorkel at Ao Kwang Peeb. There's yoga at several places along the main road, and the viewpoint cafés on the hill road look out over the treetops to the sea.

Ride out to Wat Koh Phayam by the pier and walk out over the water, look for hornbills along Buffalo Bay, and on a dark night in December wade into the sea, where the plankton can light up green. In season, the island's dive shops run trips to the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock, among the best dive sites in Thailand, though they don't operate all year, so contact them before you come.

Food on Koh Phayam is a mix of Thai, Burmese and backpacker cafés, with many dishes showing the Burmese influence from across the water and plenty for vegetarians and vegans. The cafés on the road behind Aow Yai are the island's breakfast scene. Bilbo's does smoothie bowls, shakshuka and cinnamon rolls from 08:00 to 14:00, and Munchies, full of plants and hammocks, serves big breakfasts and Thai soups and curries for about ฿120 to ฿130 until 17:00. For a cheap lunch with a view, ride up to Payam Seaview for duck noodle soup, and on Buffalo Bay, Starlight and Chomjan have two of the best kitchens on the island.

Evenings start with the sunset, at the Hippy Bar on Buffalo Bay or from the sand on Aow Yai, and carry on at the beach bars and the occasional jam night. It's lively in a mellow way, not a party island. Many places close early, and in the low season most are shut, so check what's open before you ride out at night.

Every route runs through Ranong, the provincial town on the mainland. The boats leave from a pier at the far end of Ranong's fishing port, and the speedboats, about 40 minutes and ฿350, leave several times a day in season, from the morning to the middle of the afternoon. The slow ferry takes about two hours for about ฿200, and it's the one to catch if you're on a budget and not in a hurry. Both land at the pier in Koh Phayam's village, on the east coast, where scooter rentals, motorbike taxis and tuk-tuks wait to take you across to the beaches.

From Bangkok, the quickest way is to fly from Don Mueang to Ranong with Thai AirAsia, about 1 hour 20. A shared songthaew from the airport to the pier takes about 30 minutes for about ฿50, and a taxi back to the airport costs about ฿200. Overnight buses leave Bangkok's Mo Chit terminal for Ranong and can arrive before dawn, so you'll wait for the first boat. From the south, buses and vans run up the coast from Phuket, about 5 hours, and Khao Lak, about 3 hours 30 to 4 hours, and vans come across from Surat Thani in about 4 hours.

It depends what you want from an island. Koh Phayam doesn't have the white sand and clear blue water of Koh Lipe or the Similans. Its beaches are long and empty, but the sand ranges from golden to gray, the water is often green or cloudy, especially after rain, and the stretch around the pier is oily from the boats. There are no sights to speak of and very little to do, and getting there takes most of a day from Bangkok. Some travelers find it a letdown after the hype, and say so.

What it has is a pace most Thai islands lost years ago. There are no cars, no chains and no crowds, the bungalows are cheap and simple, the cafés are good, and the people who love it come back every year. If you want a place to read, ride a scooter between empty beaches, learn to surf and watch the sunset from a driftwood bar, give it at least four nights. If you want a postcard beach and resort comforts, go to Koh Lipe or the Trang islands instead.

November to April is the dry season, with calm seas, sunshine and every bungalow and café open, and December to February is the busiest stretch, when the best beachfront rooms fill up. November and April are good shoulder months, quieter and a little cheaper.

May to October is the southwest monsoon, and the rain on this stretch of coast is heavy. The sea gets rough, the speedboats run less often, and most of the island's bungalows, bars and restaurants close, leaving a few places open for the rare visitor and Thai weekenders. If you come in the rains, book somewhere that confirms it's open, and expect power cuts and very little choice of food.

Koh Phayam's charm is that it's small and local, so spread your money around the family-run cafés and bungalows rather than only the resorts. Ride slowly through the villages, wear a helmet, and don't ride after drinking. Cover up away from the beach and at the temple, and keep topless sunbathing off the beaches, which offends local people. Take plastic back to the mainland, and use refill stations where your bungalow has one.