Koh Kood or Koh Kut is possibly Thailand's most pristine developed island and surprisingly it is not in the South of the country but just 3 hours drive from Bangkok, (plus an hour ferry ride).
My wife, daughter and I drove down from Sattahip where we live, that took just over 3 hours.
The "Boonsiri" Fast Catamaran Ferry leaves at 10:40 and 14:20 each day. It is 40 km from the coast of Thailand. Its actually closer to Cambodia but is definitely part of Thailand. We arrived at 11:00am so had some time to kill, next time we will plan that a bit better.
Koh Kut is the 5th largest island in Thailand and the second largest, (after Koh Chang) in the Koh Chang archipelago, (group of about 50 islands).
The land mass is still mostly tropical rainforest with gorgeous water falls and little rivers running out to the sea. This vibrant biodiversity is feeding the surrounding reefs with a wealth of fertility and the waters are teaming with fish and crabs.
It is the richness and diversity of life rather than the surf that made me think of Hawaii. It is far more sheltered, the waters are warm and the beaches really are made of pure white sand as soft as talc. I have not been to Hawaii yet, but we studied it my permaculture designers course, and learnt how interrelated the fish,corals and land plant and animal species are.
The Beaches are on the western side, as is the access road. The Eastern half of the island is pretty much un touched rainforest, which explains the incredibly healthy environment that is deeply touching to find still exists.
There is an old Siam charm about the place, the local business owners are relaxed, friendly and genuinely pleased to share the beauty with you. This is what Phuket and Koh Samui must have been like 20 years ago.
We stayed at the Neverland Resort, which was recommended to us by a friend who has lived on this island for over 30 years, but more about that in the next post..
