Koh Kradan
If you dream of a secluded island that offers a minimum of comfort in a tropical surrounding, Koh Kradan may well be the place you are looking for.
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| A view on Koh Muk and other islands from Koh Kradan Beach. © C.Sorand |
Koh Kradan is one of the many islands that dot the beautiful Andaman Sea between Koh Lanta and Pulau Langkawi in Malaysia. [The word Koh in Thai, as well as the word Pulau in Malay, both, mean an island]. Koh Kradan is farther off the coast in the Trang Province. Depending on the sea, it takes 20min for a longboat to go from Koh Muk to Koh Kradan, or 50min from Koh Kradan directly to one of the Pak Meng piers on the main coast.
And as the island is lying farther away, it offers truly crystal-clear waters and a superb coral reef with a rich marine life. Koh Kradan is a long and narrow island washed by a sandy white coral beach on the western side and a more rocky coast in the east. Yet, it is a rather flat island compared with all its karst neighbors in view: Koh Muk, the nearest, Koh Ngai, in the north, and Koh Libong in the south. There are no permanent inhabitants on the island. It is only occupied by a few Hat Chao Mai National Park rangers and the many low-key resorts occupying the western front. During the low season, most of the resorts are closed.
As Koh Kradang is part of the Hat Chao Mai National Park, it is a protected area, well let's say its
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All the colors of Koh Kradan
© C.Sorand |
marine coral life is. The rest of the island is more questionable as it will be further developed!...
What is striking when you arrive here are the different layers of vivid colors you see. First, there is the deep blue of the sea and the aquamarine shallow waters near the coast. Then, the blundering white sand on the beach topped by different tones of green from the forest that covers most of the island. There are no coconut trees here, just a few casuarinas and also some flame-trees, the rest is either mangroves or rainforest species.
As told previously, do not expect any kind of nightlife here, it is a secluded place for nature lovers and sea fans. As a matter, electricity is usually cut from 10:00AM till 5:00PM, and WiFi is not always reliable. A great way to reconnect with Nature and the modern pace of the age for a few days.
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An ideal place to cool off.
© C.Sorand |
This does not mean that food or accommodation are lacking in standard. This is Thailand and everything is well organized for visitors. Expect food or drinks to be a bit more pricey because they must be imported by boat. There still are two small mini-marts and plenty of resorts to choose from. There is some seafood at the restaurants but as there are no fishermen here, it also needs to be shipped in. [I found an excellent Italian restaurant there with a pleasant wooden veranda under the canopy of the trees].
The main and greatest activity is to go out swimming in the idyllic Andaman Sea. Most of the resorts will provide a snorkeling equipment for free enabling you to explore the live coral reef. This is a dream world of natural beauty! You will soon find dozens of tropical fishes curiously surrounding you, almost touching you.
There is also a foot track leading across the island to the other side to a rock and sandy cove called Sunset Beach. As the name evokes it, this is the place to come in the evening. It takes about 30min to get there as you have to climb up and down
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Evening at Sunset Beach
© C.Sorand |
a forested hill to reach the western side of the island. First, it provides a good impression of the rainforest surrounding, but unfortunately, the deserted Sunset Beach has become a giant trash for all the garbage brought by the sea tides! This is totally heartbreaking!
Does this mean that it ruins any desire to get to Koh Kradan? I believe not. But it should make us conscious of a reality that needs to be tackled with urgently.
Koh Kradan remains, by all means, an idyllic place hoping that the current plastic pollution will eventually reach a red level of warning in order to palliate to the problem.
Christian Sorand
Koh Kradan
Traveling to Koh Kradan
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| Map of the area |
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| On a longboat to Koh Kradan. © C.Sorand |
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Koh Kradan Beach in view
© C.Sorand |
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| The blue turns to green near the beach. © C.Sorand |
The white sandy beach on Koh Kradan
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| Sunrise on Koh Kradan. © C.Sorand |
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Sunny morning on the beach.
© C.Sorand |
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| All the marine beauty of the island. © C.Sorand |
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Exploring the underwater.
© C.Sorand |
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| The crystal-clear water on a sunny day. © C.Sorand |
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| Morning light on the beach. © C.Sorand |
The natural environment of Koh Kradan
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| The island forested inland. © C.Sorand |
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| Under the shade of a flame-tree. © C.Sorand |
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The cliffs & the forest on the western side.
© C.Sorand |
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| Mangrove. © C.Sorand |
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A beach tree & its fruit.
© C.Sorand |
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| And a strange & beautiful flower on the sand. © C.Sorand |
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| Gray Heron fishing. © C.Sorand |
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| A myna bird. © C.Sorand |
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Peaceful Koh Kradan. © C.Sorand
Where I stayed on the island
Where I stayed on the island- The Reef Resort.
The Italian restaurant where I enjoyed going for food
The Threat of the PLASTIC POLLUTION
While being on the longboat between Koh Muk & Koh Kradan, I had noticed many trash items floating: glass bottles, plastic bags, and many plastic bottles, as well as other drifting objects.
Of course, the same situation occurred on the shores of Koh Kradan: the tide would bring the sea trash on the white coral sand of the island.
The few visitors, who were there, did like me and picked the plastic in order to throw it away in a garbage can. I noticed that The Reef Resort was burning all this in the back. But I am not sure all the other resorts do the same. Some more, from my own observation, I did not see any local even trying to clean even a little. They are used to it and probably tired of doing an everlasting cleaning process...
Yet, when I went to the Hat Chao Mai Park Headquarters, I only saw a few individuals resting! This is quite a shame because these are the authorities, who ought to do something in order to protect the national park.
So, once again, I am just hoping that what I am telling will be heard somehow and that action might come soon. After all, I just read that the Thai Government decided to deny access to Maya Beach on Phi-Phi Island, and that access to the Similan Islands, off the coast of Khao Lak, had also been recently restricted.
Here are some the sad photos I took on Koh Kradan:
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A vast amount of trash on Sunset Beach.
© C.Sorand |
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| A plastic bottle on the main beach. © C.Sorand |
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In order to show the beauty of the island, here is a more positive photo as I was leaving Koh Kradan.
© C.Sorand |
