Salakphet Mangrove Walkway

The Red Bridge Walkway

One of my favourite spots on the island is the way down in the south-east in Salakphet. 

Back in 2006 the authorities had the idea to build a wooden walkway through the mangroves so that visitors could see a part of the island that is usually inaccessible. That was an excellent idea.  When this was completed. ‘Miss Thailand’ contestants visited and planted mangroves.  Or rather they handed the mangrove seeds down to workers who stood in the mud and did the actual planting for them. Tourism bigwigs were photographed saving the planet with the hotties and life was good.

And for a while it was a very pleasant walk.  Then the footbridge began to collapse in places as it wasn’t maintained. 

Fast forward a couple of years and the bridge was patched up.  Visitors rejoiced. 

But yet again it was never maintained.

However there was some good news a few years later.  The entire walkway was rebuilt in concrete and an additional section added.  Plus a small office and toilet block was built at the entrance. 

And for a while visitors to the walkway enjoyed it once more.  Despite the office never being staffed and the toilet block never having a water supply. 

After a couple of years it began to deteriorate, as no maintenance was ever done.  And so after a few people had fallen through holes or off the edge, it was decided to close it and fix it properly.

And in late 2019 it re-opened.  Again.

It was now looking better than ever.  The toilets were still closed but the office was refurbished  – however it was never staffed.  On the plus side, the views from the walkway, which weaves around mangroves and leads visitors on a 500 metre walk to the head of the bay were still stunning. 

The highlight for me is the halfway point where you are greeted by a 360 degree ‘sea of green’ with views across the mangroves to hills in the distance, with barely any traces of civilization or development in sight.  

It was at this time the walkway was also re-named the ‘Red Bridge’, as it was painted with rust red paint. Signs were placed roadside on the east coast of the island so that it was now easy to find.  In addition, dotted along the walkway, were information boards, all in Thai, explaining a bit about the habitat, which types of mangroves you can see and also the fauna that lives there.

And as an added bonus, the track leading to the walkway was concreted, making it easy to drive there.  This was all a big improvement on previous rebuilds and renovation attempts.

More improvements followed. In late 2020 a  small coffeeshop was built near the entrance and a parking fee implemented (20 Baht for cars & 10 Baht for scooters).  This is payable at the coffee shop.  The walkway itself is still free.  The toilet blocks didn’t re-open. 

And the walkway itself  was already showing some sings of needing repair.  This was due to money not being spent on securing the slats to concrete frame properly. So some were, after less than 12 months, starting to come loose. 

Video and photos below are from late 2020.  

Video:

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Fast forward a few years, covid was a blessing as very few people used the bridge for around 3 years.  So it didn’t deteriorate too much.  But as tourist numbers rose so did complaints of broken or rotten planks. Needless to say all signage that had been erected either collapsed into the mud or rotted. 

Visitors and locals complained about the poor construction quality.  

Finally, in early 2026 a budget of 14 Million Baht was allocated to rebuild the bridge.  Again.  As of February 2026 there’s not been any announcement of when this rebuild will take place.  I guess it should be completed in time for next high season.  

Can anyone predict what will happen next?

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