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What to do in Koh Mak (Thailand) | Complete guide
Koh Mak is the smallest of the trio of islands in Trat province, along with Koh Kood and Koh Chang. A very peaceful little island, ideal for relaxing for a few days while exploring some of its beaches and eating with sea views.
In this guide we tell you how to get there, which beaches we liked best, where to eat, What to do in Koh Mak and all the most relevant information to enjoy your visit to the island.
How to get to to Koh Mak
Koh Mak is about 20 kilometers off the coast of Trat, near the Thai-Cambodian border. You can get there by ferry from Laem Ngop pier or Laem Sok pier.
How to get from Bangkok to Koh Mak
The easiest way is buy the combined ticket online by bus and boat with the Boonsiri company. They have bus departures from the airport and from the Khao San Road area, which connects directly to their catamaran in Laem Sok. They depart at 5:00 am and The entire trip takes about 7 hours.
The price is about 1100 baht per person and includes food.
Also You could get there on your own from Bangkok to Trat With buses departing from the Ekkamai or Mo Chit terminals, you then have to get to the port of Laem Sok or Laem Ngop and there buy the ferry ticket to Koh Mak.
If you prefer to avoid bus transfers, you can also fly from Bangkok to TratThere are several flights a day and they only last 1 hour.
How to go to Koh Mak from Koh Kood or Koh Chang
Going to Koh Mak from Koh Kood is a very common trip; in fact, some people even spend the day there. You can arrange for your hotel to book a boat and pick you up at the port. Book your transfers online.
From Koh Chang it takes approximately one hour and costs about 600 baht, and from Koh Kood it takes half an hour and costs about 400 baht.
Lee la complete guide to What to do in Koh Kood
Where to stay in Koh Mak
Hay two main areas where most accommodations are located.
- Ao Kao Beach, on the southwest coast. It is the liveliest (as lively as Koh Mak can be) and has the highest concentration of accommodations, restaurants, and bars.
- Ao Soun Yai BeachTo the northwest. It is a longer, more open beach, with generally more upscale accommodations. carand with the best sunsets on the island.
We stayed in the Makathanee resortLocated on Ao Kao beach. The hotel with breakfast included has beachfront cabins And also a building with rooms with views. It doesn't have the best reviews on the island, but in the off-season, a double room with buffet breakfast and sea views cost us less than 25 euros, and for that price, we thought it was fantastic.
Other options that we think are very good are:
- Mira Montra Resort
- Cococape Resort
- Koh Mak Resort
- Green view (economic option)
La The range of accommodation on the island is quite limited.That way, it's better in high season. book a little in advanceEven during the off-season, when some hotels close and the ones with the best reviews are fully booked, we wanted to stay at Cococape, but it didn't have availability for every night. Well, it did have rooms in the most expensive rooms. carAnd that was already exceeding our budget.
Getting around by Koh Mak
The island is small and, unlike Koh KoodIt's mostly flat, so it's very easy to get around. These are the ways you can choose to explore this little paradise.
- Automatic scooter (200-250 baht/day)It's super easy to drive around Koh Mak and there's very little traffic.
- Electric cart (900 baht/day) Ideal for families and groups, can accommodate up to 6 people.
- Bicycle (100 baht/day) The most economical and romantic option for exploring Koh Mak.
- Well, and of course at aThere are many places you can reach on foot. We only rented a motorbike one of the days.
Best beaches from Koh Mak
When we visited Koh Mak we had come from spend a few days in Koh Kood, which has beautiful beaches with white sand and very turquoise waters so lThe beaches of Koh Mak in general did not seem that beautiful to us. We were struck by the fact that the sand was rather golden and, at least when we were there, the water was somewhat choppy.
That said, these are the best beaches on the island where you can go for a swim or a stroll:
- Ao Soun Yai. It is almost two kilometers long and is the most pleasant, it is also perfect for sunset and has direct views of Kham Island.
- Ao Kao is the other main beachIt's quite long and close to hotels and restaurants. During our visit, it was heavily eroded by the sea.
- Lam SonOn the northwest side. This is perfect if you're looking for peace and quiet; when we went, there was nobody else there. I imagine it gets busier in high season because there was a small bar at the entrance that was closed in July.
What to see and do in Koh Mak
To be honest, there's not much to do on Koh Mak other than spend the day at the beach. If you're looking for an island to make plans on, the ideal choices are Koh Kood or Koh Chang. because Mak might not be enough for you.
We also think Koh Mak is the perfect island to do a little bit of slow travellingIf you're looking for a relaxing holiday where you can play sports, spend hours on the beach, or join an activity, you'll really enjoy yourself here. The island offers classes in yoga, meditation, pottery, and even beach clean-up initiatives.
Crossing to Koh Kham
Opposite Ao Soun Yai beach there is a small an island called Koh Kham that can be visitedIt stands out for its pristine white sand (said to have been brought from the United Arab Emirates), turquoise waters, and a curious abandoned luxury resort that never opened. You can cross by kayak or paddle surf From the beach, a great plan when the sea is calm. The island has an access fee of 200 baht and you can stay as long as you like.
You can also visit it by boat; the excursion costs 350 baht per person and includes entrance to the island and a soft drink. Tickets can be purchased at the Koh Mak Resort.
Kayak to the Rayang Islands
Another kayaking excursion you can take from Ao Kao beach is visit the two islands of Rayang Nai and Rayang NokLocated less than 500 meters from the shore. You can rent a kayak at accommodations in the area by the hour or for a full day.
Es a perfect plan to spend a morningYou paddle a short distance to Rayang Nai Island, swim or snorkel there, and then continue on to Rayang Nok Island. If the sea is calm, no experience is necessary.
Explore the island by bike or motorbike and visit its viewpoints
carThe beaches of Koh Mak, like those of Koh Kood, are beautiful. They're full of plants, flowers, and many butterflies. There are also some rubber, coconut, and banana plantations. Being such a small island, you don't need to decide on a specific route (there aren't many anyway). car(reteras), let your intuition guide you and you'll end up visiting the whole island.
Two places we really liked were the Ta-Lay Time viewpoint Restaurant (it was closed in the low season) and the northern area towards Laem Son Beach where the carThe trail runs through a dense wooded area. It's also worth making a brief stop at Wat Koh Mak, the island's Buddhist temple that has sea views.
Snorkeling and diving
We personally didn't snorkel or dive because the waves were quite rough and the water was a bit murky. We can tell you, however, that we were told that The best snorkeling is at the rocky ends of Ao Kao and around Koh Rayang and Koh Kham.
To dive We saw three dive schools that offer both snorkeling and diving trips to Koh Mu Rang National Park. The price for diving in 2026 is 3500 baht for two dives and 4000 baht for three, including equipment and food.
Visit the Garden of Love in Somchai
The "Garden of LoveSomchai's "is probably the last thing you'd expect to find on a small Thai island. It's an outdoor exhibition in the garden of a deceased artist. His works consist mainly of large sculptures of nude women in all sorts of positions. Most of these sculptures are damaged or covered in moss. And the garden where they are located is poorly maintained, so in a few years they will surely end up covered by vegetation.
Access isn't great; when you're close you'll have to take a buscar a little carA rather inconspicuous white sign advertises the place. I'm not going to post any photos here, so you can be surprised when you visit.
Food & drink in Koh Mak
The highest concentration of The restaurants are on the street parallel to Ao Kao beach and on the street that runs from Ao Kao towards Ao Soun Yai beach. Keep in mind that in the off-season many of the restaurants are closed (and they don't update their opening hours on Google Maps, so you arrive to find them closed).
Restaurants
One restaurant we recommend going for dinner is Mono's TerraceThey have Thai food but also hamburgers and wraps Very good price and everything was delicious, one of the few places open for dinner near our hotel.
Other orThe Thai food options we tried were: Dum Noodle y Khun Mam's Kitchen. And finally, Koh Mak aimmy seafoodwhere we ate a delicious curry, and they have huge portions; with one dish and two portions of rice, two people can eat without any problem.
Cafeterias
For a coffee, we recommend the Coble cafeteriawhich has air conditioning, and the Terraria cafe It doesn't have air conditioning, but it does have a pleasant little terrace. For an afternoon ice cream, you can try the... artisanal ice creams from Island Gelato ice cream shopThey are made with local ingredients; the passion fruit one was delicious.
You can find the exact locations of these restaurants and the rest of the recommended spots in the article on the map a little further down.
How many days They are needed in Koh Mak
The amount of time you spend on Koh Mak depends on how much you want to enjoy a few relaxing days. You can easily see the island in a day; it's a fairly common excursion from the other islands.
Best time to go to Koh Mak
The season is linked to the islands of the Andaman Sea, such as the famous Phi Phi Islands or Koh Lanta. The November to April is the dry season, December through February are the months with the best weather but also the most expensive. carand with more tourism. Of May to October is the rainy seasonThe sea is rougher, and many accommodations and restaurants are closing.
We spent three nights on the island during July, the height of the rainy season, but it didn't rain a single day and we had plenty of sunny spells. The downside was that the island felt a bit deserted because there are very few locals and very few tourists. Also, the sea wasn't as beautiful as it was on Koh Kood.
Practical tips to travel to Koh Mak
The first piece of advice we read before visiting this island was be very careful with the sandflies Or sand flies, tiny flies that live on beaches and bite, leaving an annoying sting for days. The best local trick is put on coconut oil on the skin and if they itch, avoid scratchingcarThere weren't many in July, but some did give us a little bite.
Another important tip is carry extra cashWe didn't see many ATMs on the island, and in these types of destinations it's common for ATMs to run out of cash during peak season.
There aren't many shops either, just a few local minimarkets with the basics. If you need something specific like sunscreen or shampoo, it's best to bring it in your luggage.
Regarding mobile coverage, in Thailand we used Holafly with True coverage and we must confess that, despite having 5G, Our internet was really slow.The Wi-Fi in the accommodations wasn't particularly fast either.
Map with all the places to see in Koh Mak
And that concludes our comprehensive guide. What to see and do in Koh MakIf you're planning your route through this wonderful country, we have more. Thailand guides and from Southeast Asia to travel independently and without overspending.
