All you need to know to visit Koh Kradan
Southern Thailand
867 km from Bangkok
Province of Trang
Thai prononciation : Go gradane
Practical guide to go and visit Koh Kradan
Opposite to Koh Mook island, Koh Kradan, unlike the latter, has no village or local life, There are only small resorts one after the other and a minimart (at Kradan Beach Resort) on its third owned by private owners. The rest of the island is part of Hat Chao Mai National Park. The beach with the bungalows is on the east side. There tou can watch beautiful sunrises. It is also in the early hours of the day when the tour groups have not landed yet on Kradan's beaches that the island is the most pleasant. Koh Kradan is on the program of many tours and especially of the famous 4 islands tour. So many groups arrive by boat on the beach to spend 1 or 2 hours and go. And Ko Krdan gets peaceful again in the late afternoon (around 4.30 pm).
On the West side of the island, there is the small rocky beach called ''Sunset Beach''. It is accessible by a path through the forest. When I was there (November 2016), there was a big pile of litter. Definitely a shame because despite the rocks, it could be a nice place to enjoy the sea a bit away from other vacationers and tour groups. Above Sunset Beach, there is a small point of view ideal for observing the sunset.
Accommodations in Koh Kradan
Hotels in Koh Kradan are all on the beach facing Koh Muk but during peak season, they fill up quickly so the quality/price ratio of a bungalow here is among the highest in Thailand. Count 1000 baht for a bamboo hut with fan and bathroom with cold water (like those of the Kalume Resort) and average 2500 THB for a little more comfort. At Hat Chao Mai National Park headquarters you can apparently rent tents (normally rooms too, but considering their condition, I don't advise you to do so).Be aware that in most resorts, bungalows have only electricity at night or at best electricity at all times but air conditioning only at night. Do not be surprised, it is the sign that the island is still preserved of too much modernity.
Find accommodation in Koh Kradan
My recommandations
Practical information about Koh Kradan
There are no ATM in Koh Kradan, so come with enough cash for coering your stay knowing that prices for accommodation and restaurants are easily 2 to 3 times more expensive here than on the mainland.At high tide, water comes almost to the top of the beaches but the more the water drops the more you can enjoy the Koh Kradan beaches.
From May to the end of October, in low season, Ko Kradan is a little depressing. For the wet weather of course but mostly because most resorts are closed.
How to go to Koh Kradan ?
Koh Kradan is easy to reach. The island is on the Phuket to Langkawi ferry line which stops in Koh Lanta, Koh Ngai and Koh Lipe among others. The two speedboat companies linking Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe also stop at Koh Kradan (see timetables HERE) .Alternatively, you can privatize a longtail boat from the neighboring islands of Koh Muk (700THB) and Koh Ngai. You will pay a price per boat and not per passenger so if you are more than 2 persons it is generally cheaper and the longtail boat leaves at the time that suits you and can drop you right in front of your resort in Kradan when ferries and speedboats will only drop you in front of Kradan Beach Resort.
From Trang (accessible by train), you have minivan + boat packages to get to Koh Kradan. All agencies and even most hotels and guesthouses in Trang offer them. From Bangkok, Air Aisia and Nok Air offer all-inclusive plane + van + boat formulas to Ko Kradan.
How to get around in Koh Kradan ?
There are no roads in Koh Kradan, just a few small paths in the forest between the beaches and to Paradise Lost Resort. So you will not find any motorized land transport: neither scooter nor car.Weather & climate in Koh Kradan
Koh Kradan a tropical climate. Temperatures don't vary a lot throughout the year although the pre-monsoon months from February to April are a little hotter. The year is divided into a dry season, from January to March and a long wet season from April to December, with the strongest rains in September.The best time to come to Koh Kradan is from December to March knowing that during the low season from May to the end of October, when it rains the most, tourism activity is very limited and most of the resorts on Koh Kradan and other Trang islands are closed.
When to go to Koh Kradan ?
How to ask in Thai to go to Koh Kradan ?
I want to go to Koh Kradan / Yak paï ti Go gradane.Where is Koh Kradan ? / Go gradane you ti naï ?
All COVID-19 restrictions for coming to Thailand lifted from October 1 !
We have been waiting for it for months, hoping it will happen on July 1, but it will finally be October 1, 2022, when Thailand will lift the last COVID restrictions to enter the country. From this date, it will no longer be necessary to show...
