Visiting Koh Ngam in 2025
The third update of this page. It’s been 7 years since the last. As of the 2024-25 high season a group of local fishermen based in the village of Jek Bae on the shore of Salakphet bay have set up a co-operative to run inexpensive boat trips to Koh Ngam and other nearby islands. Kayaking is still possible. But for many people that’s a) a bit of an effort and b) unless you have a lot of time, a not an ideal to visit any of the other islands nearby.
It is now possible to hire a small boat for a day tour to Koh Ngam or other small islands nearby. The boats are based at the naval memorial at Hat Yutanavy beach , just south of Long Beach. A counter with clearly displayed prices has been set up and visitors can arrange a boat on the spot. The boats used are small longtail boats with a simple roof to provide some shelter from the sun. Income goes direct to the local villagers. The boats are suitable for couples, families or small groups – no more than 6 people. Lifejackets are provided.
There is also a fruit and drink stall nearby incase you need supplies for the journey.
Boats to Koh Ngam are 100 Baht per person. There is also a National Park fee of 200 Baht Adults / 100 Baht children for visiting the island.
Or, if you want to go to other islands, you can choose to visit one island or have a tour of three ( which is what I’d recommend ) There are a few trips on offer:
Koh Rang ( for the best snorkeling ) = 5,500 Baht
Koh Kradat ( for a herd of deer near Koh Mak ) = 5,000 Baht
Koh Kham ( small island near Koh Mak with the finest, powdery sand in this part of Thailand ) = 4,500 Baht
Or a trip to all three Koh Rang + Kradat + Kham = 7,000 Baht
Koh Klum ( some snorkelling ) = 3,500 Baht
Koh Wai ( snorkelling off the beach ) = 3,000 Baht
Koh Laoya ( nice beach and Instagram friendly ) = 1,500 Baht
Or a trip to all three Klum + Wai + Laoya = 4,500 Baht
Trip to Koh Wai + Laoya + Ngam = 4,000 Baht * This would be my choice. It’s a nice combination of islands. Can do some snorkelling and grab lunch on Koh Wai. Then you also have the picturesque beach and views from Laoya. And also visit Koh Ngam. Plus it’s not too far to travel in a small boat. *
Trip to Koh Sai Khao + Laoya + Ngam = 3,000 Baht These islands are close together, Koh Sai Khao and Laoya are in Salakphet Bay. Koh Sai Khao is worth a visit for the abandoned resort.
2017 Post below . . .
It’s been a couple of years since I went to Koh Ngam, so instead of writing a new post about the island and getting there, I thought I’d update this old post. I’ve left the original photos from 2010at the bottom of the page, so you can see how it has changed.
Koh Ngam is a small island, 400 metres off the southeast of Koh Chang. It was privately owned. The National Park then claimed it and built a small resort for people to stay. The original owner then took the National Park to court and won the island back. The resort was then marketed as Analay Resort for a couple of years. Then the National Park managed to get the island back again through the courts. The resort was closed and now there are a couple of National Park rangers on the island who take care of it.
To get there you just take the paved road all the way past Long beach to Tantawan Resort. This upmarket resort has bungalows built over the water for about 3,500 Baht / night but rarely gets guests due to its remote location. This road used to be a dirt track until early 2017. But is now easily passable by car. There’s no public transport to this part of the island. So either rent a scooter or car from your hotel or any tour agent near your hotel. Long beach is about an hour from the west coast of Koh Chang.
Tantawan have a handful of kayaks that they rent out for just 200 Baht per day. Then it’s just a matter of a short 10-15 minute paddle to the island. The island is basically a mini Koh Phiphi, with two islands joined by a narrow strip of land with north and south facing beaches.
There are toilets on the island and a lovely grassy area where you can picnic under the palm trees. But take your own food and drinks ans there’s nothing available on the island. You could also hire a speedboat to do a tour of the islands in this area. You can see one of the Kai Bae Hut speedboats in the photos below.
If you want more exercise then Koh Laoya is around 40 minutes away or if you want to be adventurous the much larger Koh Maisee Yai is to the south. No boat trips from Koh Chang go there and there are just a handful of fishermen living on this very large island. Figure on 3 or 4 hours or so to paddle to it and back.
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Original post from 2010
Some photos taken around the Hat Yuthanavy area in the far south east of Koh Chang in late May.
On the way there I noticed a narrow dirt track and headed off to check it out and found a large area of land, around 30 acres, that was illegally cleared last year. A government sign on the land indicates that this land can’t be owned by anyone and development of it is prohibited. No photos as there wasn’t much to see other than a large cleared area.
Moving on we come to a new resort being built by Thailand’s CP Group, who have huge land holdings on Koh Chang in addition to several resorts, ferry company, prawn farm etc. The resort should be opening in time for next high season. The bungalows not only come with great views out of the windows, they also have a perspex area in the floor allowing you to look down to the sea and imagine you are in the Maldives.
Finally, some pics from the nearby island of Koh Ngam, home to Analay Resort, within 30 minutes of arriving the sunshine was rep0laced with very grey skies as a storm blew in. We made it back to Koh Chang, in our rental kayak, with a few seconds to spare before it hit.
The area in question:
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