Phang Nga - Koh Kho Khao

Between Takua Pa and Khao Lak is Ban Kem. This village is the location for a large tsunami memorial. To access the location, one has to turn off Highway Route 4 (it’s very easy to miss the sign but it's near the 774 kilometer marker when coming from Bangkok) and drive several kilometers on small roads before reaching the memorial. 

There are so few visitors to the memorial that the food and souvenir stands built nearby were not occupied by sellers until last year. Now a restaurant has opened on the nearby beach, which is good for swimming and offers great views of nearby Koh Kho Khao.

This island is 15 km long and can be reached by long-tail boat or car ferry from Ban Nam Kem. The island had just started dabbling into tourism when the tsunami hit. It took a few years before it had recovered, but the island is now the center of attention with real estate agents trying to sell beach villas. However, judging from the closed souvenir & tailor shops and the boarded up real estate agencies, sales and tourist arrivals are not booming the way it had been hoped for. 

New upscale resorts have sprung up vying for tourists to come up from Phuket and Khao Lak. Their websites are in English and Swedush, but not in Thai. Other upscale resorts focus on Bangkokians and have adjusted their marketing accordingly. 


The island has wonderful and deserted beaches - the above picture shows tracks from a small herd of cows that had taken a morning stroll on the beach. 


The below picture shows Koh Phrathong, which is located a stone's throw north of Koh Kho Khao.

Apart from beaches, Koh Kho Khao has a lot to offer. There is bird watching, kayaking, ancient ruins of the remnants of a trading post, and a public swamp - no kidding.


Koh Kho Khao is still relatively undeveloped and a great place to get away from the crowds. One can walk undisturbed on the beach for kilometers and can - at night obviously - enjoy clear views of moon and stars without any light emitted from cities or large resorts.