I had a great time on Koh Mak, enjoying the beaches and its laid-back atmosphere. In this article, I will share with you my itinerary on how to spend 2-3 days on Koh Mak and my opinion on how many days you need on Koh Mak.
Koh Mak is a small island located on the east coast of Thailand, very close to the border with Cambodia. It is also located between the two more popular islands called Koh Chang and Koh Kood.
Koh Mak is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and serene atmosphere, making it a great destination for travelers looking to escape the crowds of more famous Thai islands.
How many days in Koh Mak is enough?
In my opinion, two to three days is enough to explore all the beaches and attractions on Koh Mak. I started on the island for two nights and was able to do beach hopping, visiting Koh Mak temple, Somchai’s Love Garden, as well as enjoy local foods and sunset.
Here are my suggestions on things to do and how long I spend to do these things on Koh Mak:
#1. Beaches and attractions on Koh Mak. You can easily visit different beaches, attractions, enjoy water activities such as swimming, and kayaking within a day or two. It is very small island. I was able to see most things within 1-2 days on foot and by bicycle.
#2. Island Hopping. You can spend a half day or full day tour visiting nearby islands such as Koh Kham, Koh Rayang, or Koh Kradat.
See more: 16 Wonderful Things to Do in Koh Mak
Getting to Koh Mak:
You can get to Koh Mak by boat from mainland Trat or nearby islands such as Koh Chang and Koh Kood. Boats on the mainland depart from either Laem Ngop Pier or Laem Sok pier. The journey is around 1 hour.
This boat service from the mainland runs all year around, while boats from Koh Chang and Koh Kood might not run in the low season, from June to October.
The boat will arrive at one of the several piers on Koh Mak island. They are Ao Nid Pier, Koh Mak resort Pier, or Makathanee Pier. From these piers, you can easily get a taxi to get to your hotel. Price is very affordable, only 50-100 baht a ride to anywhere on the island.
Getting around Koh Mak:
Koh Mak is a small island, you can easily explore the island within one day on a motorbike. You can easily get around the island on foot, by bicycle, scooter, or mini golf cart. The island has many flat terrains, making it easy to get around by bicycle.
See more: How to get to Koh Mak & Get Around
Best time to visit Koh Mak:
Like many other parts of Thailand, the best time to visit Koh Mak is from November to May. This time offers plenty of sunshine to enjoy the beaches. If you are visiting the island during the high wet season (June to October) you can experience rough seas and lots of rain.
I visited Koh Mak in mid December, there was no rain, but I experienced a strong wind on my second day on the island. It was a bit difficult to ride my bicycle and the beach was not in good condition for swimming.
Best areas to stay in Koh Mak:
There are resorts, hotels scattered all around the island, but in my opinion, the best areas to stay are on popular beaches such as Ao Kao Beach and Ao Suan Yai beach.
I stayed in The River Retreat Koh Mak and highly recommend it. It is located just a few steps from the beach and the walking street. There are several good restaurants, massage shops, and bike rental within walking distance away. See more at Where to stay in Koh Mak.
Here are the brief of my itinerary for 2-3 days on Koh Mak:
How to spend 2-3 days in Koh Mak Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival, Ao Kao Beach, and Walking Street
I came to Koh Mak from Ko Chang. The wooden boat departed from Bang Bang Pier on Koh Chang at 9am and arrived at Koh Mak Resort Pier at 10.40am.
Panan Pier
Panan Pier is located right next to Koh Mak resort on the Ao Soun Yai Beach. You can find a mini mart, a bar, and a taxi point near the pier.
From the pier, I shared a songthaew ride with two other people to get to my hotel. My hotel is located 2 km away, near the Walking Street, on the west coast of the island. The ride cost 50 baht.
Ao Kao Beach
After checking my hotel, I walked to Ao Kao Beach. This beach is located on the west coast of Koh Mark, just a 5 minute walk from my hotel. The beach is lined with resorts and hotels, as well as several restaurants, bars, and massage shops.
The beach has fine sand and crystal clear water, making it great for swimming, and kayaking. There are just a few people on the beach which is great for relaxing away from the crowd.
Koh Mak Walking Street
The Walking street runs parallel with Ao Kao Beach. It is lined with tourist facilities such as restaurants, cafes, hotels, massage shops, convenience stores, travel agencies, and laundry services.
You can find some popular restaurants on the walking street such as Mong Kitchen. I stopped here for lunch and returned back several times later for breakfast and dinner.
Wat Samakeetham (Koh Mak Temple)
I followed Google Map directions walking from the Walking Street to Koh Mak temple. It was around a 40 minute walk through a flat road and passed the rubber plantation.
Wat Samakeetham is located near Ao Nid Pier, and has stunning sea views. It is free to enter. You can spend 30 minutes wandering around and taking photos. You will find lots of Buddha statues, an ancient tree, and a dragon bridge with ocean views.
Somchai Art Sculpture & Ao Nid Pier
I continued walking toward Ao Nid Pier, and stopped for a look at Somchai Art Sculpture. This statue was created by a famous artist on the island, Somchai. You can see more of his work at “The Kingdom of Somchai’s Affection” near Koh Mak resort.
There is a bakery cafe near Somchai Art Sculpture. You can have a nice cafe and cake here and enjoy the beautiful sea view.
If you continue walking downhill, you will reach Ao Nid Pier. This is one of the main piers of Koh Mak where boats depart and arrive from other islands and mainland. You can have nice views of the bay and mangrove forest from the pier.
Banana Sunset Bar (Coral Club)
Banana Sunset Bar is one of the top places on Koh Mak to watch the sunset. I walked from the pier to the bar, passing the red dirt road and a lot of coconut trees.
This bar is nicely decorated. It has stunning views of the bay, and the mangrove trees. You can order fresh coconut, a cold beer, or pizza here while enjoying watching the sun go down.
Walking Street for Dinner
I walked back to the town center, and had my dinner at The Chill Restaurant, then a dessert at an ice-cream shop nearby on Walking Street.
Day 2: Beach Hopping and cycling around the island
On my 2nd day in Koh Mak, I rented a bicycle from Totti Rent Scooter on Koh Mak Walking Street. I will explore all the beaches and viewpoints of the island from west to east on this day.
Cape Tukata
Cape Tukata is a nice viewpoint located on the west coast of Koh Mak. It is 3 km from the Totti Rent Scooter on Walking Street. The ride was easy to moderate for me, with many flat sections and some small slopes.
I parked my bike at the parking area, followed the sign to get to the path to the viewpoint. It was a few minutes hike to the viewpoint. The cape has stunning views of the sea, and the surrounding islands, especially at sunset.
I spent 15 minutes at the Cape Tukata Viewpoint, then walked back and checked out the rocky beach on the way. You need to use the rope to walk down to the beach. People collected the rubbish and put it on the side of the beach. It is still a good spot to chill and play with the rock.
I rode back to the main road, and turned at Koh Mak Hostel to take a look at Laem Tukata Beach. This is a nice quiet beach and I did not see anyone there at the time.
Ao Pra Beach
I found the entrance to Ao Pra Beach on the way to the main town from Laem Tukata. It is located right next to Mira Montra Resort. It is a long beach with white fine sand, crystal clear water, and nice views of other islands. It was a very windy day, there was no one swimming on the beach.
Ao Lom Beach
There is Ao Lom Beach nearby on Google Maps, but I didn’t find a way to access the beach. I checked both directions on Google Maps and Map.me. I skipped this one. I continued riding the bicycle along the main road, then stopped at the entrance of Cococape Resort.
Ao Pra Pier & Cococape Resort
Cococape Resort is home to Ao Pra Pier where you find a bar with beautiful sunset views. You need to pay an entrance fee of 200 baht to access their facilities if you are not staying in the resort. I skipped this one.
Ao Soun Yai Beach
Ao Soun Yai Beach is a long beach on the east coast of Koh Mak. There are many resorts lining this beach such as DayBeds and Koh Mak Resort. I found the entrance to the beach at DayBeds Beach Restaurant. You can have a drink here and enjoy the beach activities such as swimming and sunbathing.
I then rode to Koh Mak Resort and its pier. The beach here is also very nice with white sand and crystal clear water. It was a windy day, so it was not good conditions for swimming. There is a minimart at the pier, so you can buy snacks or bottles of water here.
Somchai’s Love Garden
Somchai’s Love Garden is a good place to visit on Koh Mak. This garden displays erotic female statues, created by Somchai, a famous artist on the island. It is free to enter and explore. It is a small garden, you can spend 10 minutes walking around.
I got lost following Google Maps and ended at the Prompakdee Resort. It turned out that it was very easy to find. You follow the main road from Koh Mak resort (only 200 m away) and look for the “Love Garden” sign on the main road.
Maruey Kitchen for Lunch
Maruey Kitchen has good reviews on Google and it is on my way to the next stop, so I decided to have lunch here. The staff was very friendly and I had fried rice at this restaurant.
Cinnamon Scenic Boardwalk
Cinnamon Scenic Boardwalk belongs to a resort and you will need to pay 50 baht at the entrance to access the pier. I arrived at the entrance, and a man asked for 50 baht. I just had a look then left. It is just an ordinary pier. I saw many piers all over Thailand and decided to skip this one.
Laem Son Beach
I rode my bicycle back to the road and followed the sign to Laem Son Beach along the way. It was a dirt road and was easier to ride with a bicycle. It might be difficult to ride a scooter, especially if the road is wet after a rainy day.
It was 15 minutes of cycling from the first sign to the beach. You can put this address “ทางเข้าหาดแหลมสน Laem Son Beach (ครัวป้าสม)” on Google Maps if you want to find the beach. From this address, you follow the signs to the beach. They are placed in many spots along the road.
Many people got lost finding this “Laem Son Beach (ครัวป้าสม)หาดแหลมสน” on the map because the road at the end now belong to a private property and they blocked its path to the beach from that direction.
Laem Son Beach is a nice quiet beach with one restaurant on the beach. There were just a few people here, creating a relaxing and chill atmosphere. You can get a boat to get to Koh Kradat island to see deers from this beach.
Cape Kradun
Cape Kradun is reachable by cycling through a narrow street in between the rubber plantations. I parked my bicycle at some points near the viewpoint and walked through the rubber trees to reach it. It has nice views of the bay and you can take a look at the Cat Temple.
I checked out Banana Sunset again then cycled back to Walking Street. I had dinner at Mong Kitchen Restaurant.
Day 3: Boat to Koh Kood/ Other things to do
On the 3rd day in Koh Mak, I spent the morning walking around the walking street and Ao Kao Beach again.
I checked out around my hotel around 11am and ask the hotel organise a pick up truck for me to get to Ao Nid Pier for a speed boat to Koh Kood.
Other things to do in Koh Mak:
- Boat trips to Koh Kradan or Koh Kham.
- Cooking class
- Yoga class
- Kayak to Koh Rang
Read my comparison: Is it better to visit Koh Kood or Koh Mak?
These are my recommendations on how to spend 2-3 days on Koh Mak, and the top things to do on the island. I believe that 2-3 days is a good amount of time to explore the beaches, the walking street, and several cultural attractions. If you just want to chill on the beach and relax at your resort, spend as much time as you want.