10 Days Island Hopping -

- THAILAND -

Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, and there is a good reason for it. Filled with incredible landscapes, interesting culture and some of the best food in the world, this country should be on everyones list.

Let's do not forget the main reason why so many people visit Thailand every year. The BEACHES! With a huge coastline and plenty of islands it is hard to choose a favorite. Thailand is simply paradise.

10 days island hopping

This guide includes the Islands Koh Kood, Koh Mak and Koh Chang which is located on the east coast near Cambodia. These Islands are absolutely stunning with Koh Kood being probably my favorite Island in all of Thailand.

My guide start in Koh Kood, then moving on to Koh Mak and ending in Koh Chang. You can easily change up the order as the boat connection between the Islands is quite good.

When planning your trip around Thailand you can either fly or take the bus. (There are also Trains but I've never tried them). Thai Airways has domestic flights. If you are flying international I always choose Thai Airways as it makes me feel like I am already in Thailand once stepping on the plane. A great feeling especially when the flights are 11 hours from Norway.

Day 1-4 Koh Kood

Have you ever dreamed about having an entire beach to yourself. Not just any beach but one with perfect white sand, crystal clear water backed with beautiful overhanging coconut trees? Well, you chosen the right place.

Getting to Koh Kood is quite simple. You take an 05:00 AM bus from Bangkok straight to Koh Kood. The bus takes you to Trat where you then jump on a boat heading to Koh Kood. Arriving in Koh Kood there are pickup trucks waiting to take you straight to your desired hotel. This is all included in the ticket.

Total travel time: 7hours. Tickets can be purchased here:

Once located in Koh Kood, it is time to really enjoy. The beaches on this Island are just the best.

If you are not sure where to stay I highly recommend Koh Kood Resort on Bang Bao Bay. The resort is located on one of the best beaches on the Island with the most perfect sand and the clearest blue water you will ever see.

Located on the property of the resort is Divers Club Koh Kood. They offers diving and snorkeling tours as well as renting out kayaks and paddle boards.

I highly recommend booking a snorkeling tour with them taking you to some nice spots including the super cool underwater Zoo.

Koh Kood

At a new place I always rent a scooter. Driving around on Koh Kood is quite fun as well, it does also give much more freedom when going around on the Island.

Top 3 things to do on Koh Kood:

Visit beaches. My favorites being Ao Noi, Bang Bao Bay, Klong Chao.
Visit one of the waterfalls. There are three waterfalls located on this Island with Khlong Chao being the most popular. Khlong Yai Kee and Huang Nam Kaew are also warmly talked about but they might be dried out if you're not close enough to wet season.
Go on a snorkel/diving tour. I was super impressed by the underwater life found outside of Koh Kood. Not to mention the super cool underwater ZOO.

After enjoying your time in Koh Kood it is time to head to the next Island. Normally your hotel will take care of getting you a ticket to the next island so make sure you ask them a day or two before moving on.

1 Minute video from Koh Kood:

The best beach in Thailand is in Koh Kood:

Day 4,5 & 6. Koh Mak

This island is a sleepy island. So if you would like time for yourself just to relax and read a book at the beach, then you will love this place. I found some beautiful spots with hammocks all around this island where you can be ALL alone. The Island is also relatively small so you can easily drive around the whole thing in a day if you don't feel like staying at one spot.

Even though you can see Koh Kood in the horizon this island is very different. The landscape is a bit different and the water is not that perfectly crystal clear as it was in Koh kood.

It does seem like a lot of people have settled on this island as we meet a lot of foreign people living here running shops and restaurants.

Top 3 things to do in Koh Mak.

Rent a scooter and find your own spot. I recommend checking out Ao Kao Beach and Ao Suan Yai.
Rent a Kayak and paddle out to Koh Kham.
Watch the sunset from Banana Sunset bar or the Blue Pearl bar.

Aou Saun is not a “wild” as some of the other beaches, but offers a clean and nice beach experience next to some pretty nice hotels.

Day 6-10 Koh Chang

Koh Chang is the biggest of the three Island. In fact it is the third largest island in Thailand. With such a big island also comes more people, and this island is by far the busiest of the three with hotels, restaurants bars, thai massage you name it. There are also a party street here for those who wants a fun night out.

Even though this Island is busy, 70% of the Island is covered in untouched rainforest. Monkeys roam the streets looking for a quick snack. Let's do not forget all the small surrounding islands, which some of them are very beautiful.

There is plenty of stuff to do on and around this Island. The roads are good and stretches around the whole island making it perfect for road trips.

Here are some suggestions of what you can do while visiting Koh Chang:

Visit one of the many waterfalls located around Koh Chang. Many of the waterfall are located inside of national parks so there is normally an entrance fee. Depending on what time of year you visit there might not be much water in the waterfalls, so make sure you ask around before going.
Join one of the many snorkeling trips. One of the best things to do while visiting Koh Chang.
Rent a scooter and explore the Island. Find your own beach, visit the Bang Bao the floating village or just have a great time riding discovering new stuff.
Hike to the highest peak of Koh Chang. It is recommended to bring a guide on this trip.
Visit Lonely beach for some wild parties.