Koh Adang is a small island located near Koh Lipe, in the southern tip of Thailand. The island is known for its secluded beaches, great hiking trails, viewpoints, and waterfalls. It is much less developed and has a quieter atmosphere compared to its sister island, Koh Lipe.
It’s worth visiting for a day trip and overnight trip if you’re visiting Koh Lipe. They are located just 10-15 minutes long tail boat ride apart, making it a great escape from the more busy Ko Lipe island.
In this article, I will give you a full travel guide about Koh Lipe island. I will show you its location, how to get there, best things to do, and best places to stay on the island.
I visited Koh Lipe as a day trip and explored most major attractions of the island, so I can share with you the highlights of the island based on my personal experience.
See more:
- Where to stay in Koh Lipe
- How to Get to Koh Lipe
- 12 Things to Do in Koh Lipe
- My 2-3 Days In Koh Lipe Itinerary
Where is Koh Adang?
Koh Adang is a small island located in the Andaman Sea, in the southernmost region of Thailand, close to Langkawi island of Malaysia. The island is part of Tarutao National Park, in Satun Province.
Koh Adang is surrounded by many other smaller islands in the Tarutao National Park. Ko Lipe is the most touristed and developed island in the group.
Other remote islands near Koh Adang are Koh Ra Wi, Ko Hin Ngam, Koh Yang, and Ko Lek. There are many diving and snookering tours from Koh Lipe that take you to all of these islands within a half or full day boat trip.
Size and Terrain
Koh Adang is the second largest island in the group of islands in the Tarutao National Park, just after Koh Tarutao. It is about 8 km long and 5 km wide at its longest and widest points.
Koh Adang has mountainous terrain, lush rainforests in the interior, and pristine beaches along the coast. Most people visit Koh Adang from a day trip from Koh Lipe, where they explore a small part of the southern side of the island with its popular attractions like viewpoints, waterfalls, and beaches.
The southern side is also home to camping ground, bungalows, and a resort. The beaches on the west coast, north coast, and north east coast are more remote and less-connected to the southern part by trails. To reach these parts, you’ll likely need to ask and pay more for your boat taxi driver.
How to get to Koh Adang from Koh Lipe?
It’s easy to get to the taxi boat from Koh Lipe to Koh Adang. You can get a long tail boat from major beaches on Koh Lipe such as Sunrise Beach, Sunset Beach, and Pattaya Beach to Koh Adang.
I booked my boat at the boat taxi station on Sunrise Beach. They are located right along the beachfront in front of Ban Koh Lipe school. It cost me 100 baht/ 1 way and 200 baht / two ways.
You can buy a one-way boat ticket because there are always boats coming and going to drop off and pick up people. But I recommend buying 2-way tickets to make sure that you have a boat to pick you up later. Just need to decide how long you want to spend there and what time you want to come back.
I went there around 10am and asked my driver to come back to pick me up at 3pm. I think 4-5 hours is enough for me to hike to the viewpoint, the waterfalls, and have a bit of swimming.
I recommend spending more time, perhaps a full day if you want a more relaxing pace, with more time for swimming and snorkeling. You can skip the waterfalls if you’re visiting in the dry season and enjoy the beach activities more.
I didn’t have to wait for enough people for the boat to take off. The driver took me straight to Koh Adang. He asked me to remember the boat number to get back later.
On the way back, I just hopped onto different boats and told the boat owner that I was waiting for my boat, but it hadn’t arrived yet. I guess it was okay since they are all part of the same team and they know each other.
I stayed in Ko Lipe Walking Street, so it’s convenient for me to just walk to Sunrise Beach for the boat to Koh Adang. I could walk to Pattaya Beach by boat, but it’s usually cheaper in Sunrise Beach.
If you’re staying somewhere near Sunset Beach, you can take a long tail boat from there to Koh Adang. It’s the same travel time and cost as taking a boat from Sunrise Beach, 10-15 minutes boat ride and 200 baht 2 ways.
The boat ride from Pattaya Beach to Koh Adang is around 400 baht 2 ways, double the price compared to taking a boat from Sunrise and Sunset Beach.
Best Things to do in Koh Adang
Hiking to Koh Adang Viewpoint
Koh Adang Viewpoint has several different names. Some people called it Koh Lipe Viewpoint because it has the views of Koh Lipe island. It’s also marked as Chado Cliff Viewpoint on the signpost on the island.
When you arrive at the blue floating pier, you can see the camping ground and the restaurant in front of you. You can follow this direction, walk towards the public toilet area and find the trail to the viewpoints.
There are also signposts along the way to show you where to go. You can also ask for information and a map at the visitor center near the restaurant area.
The viewpoints are the group of three viewpoints including Viewpoint 1, 2, and 3. Viewpoint 3 is the most beautiful viewpoint with the whole view of Koh Lipe island and its turquoise blue water.
Viewpoint 1 and 2 have small signs next to it and you might miss them. It’s not important anyway, you can skip it as these points are not as spectacular as viewpoint 3.
I would rate the trail as easy to moderate with some steep sections. There are some ropes along the way to help you. Some parts of the trail involve climbing on rocks without any shade. I started sweating from the first viewpoint.
I hiked around 11am and it was very hot. I recommend bringing a good pair of walking shoes, hat, sunglasses, and suncream with you. I saw a man wearing slippers. He was alright, but it wasn’t the best option.
The hike to the top is around 30-60 minutes depending on your pace. I stopped for some breaks at viewpoints 1, and 2, and spent around 30 minutes at the last viewpoint.
You can take photos, sit, relax and enjoy the views. If you bring snacks, you can have them here with the stunning views of the ocean and Koh Lipe.
There are continuous trails from Viewpoint 3, I followed the trail for 10 minutes but then no more clear trails. I was afraid of getting lost, so I returned back to viewpoint 3 and walked down to the camping ground.
I guess there might have been a trail from Viewpoint 3 down to the beach and the Pirate Waterfall, but since no one has checked it for a long time, the trail has disappeared.
Hiking to Pirate Waterfall
Pirate Waterfall, or Chon Salad Waterfall is another highlight of Koh Adang. It’s best to visit in the rainy season when the stream is at its fullest. I visited in January, which is part of the dry season. I still hike to the waterfall because I like hiking and exploration.
It’s easy to find the trail to Pirate waterfall from The Adang Island Resort, but because I started from the visitor center and camping ground site, it was a bit difficult to find the trail at first.
I saw the sign of the waterfall near the row of bungalows near the west end of the main beach. I followed the sign, walked along the beach, and found a trail with the rope to Chon Salad Waterfall. I also recommend using Map.me offline, to have a rough idea of the direction of the trail.
After finding the trail head, you can easily follow the trail as there are many signs along the way. The trail also takes you to Koh Adang resort.
There are fallen trees, dogs, and just a handful of people on the trail. The trail is relatively flat, so it was an easy hike. I had climbed some big rocks at the last bits, there was rope to support climbing.
I recommend taking it if you enjoy hiking in the dense jungle. Be aware of snakes, spiders, maybe bring a stick with you to scare them away.
There was some water at the waterfall when I visited in January but I guess it will be more impressive in the rainy season. I came here for a hike, so it’s not really matter to me. It took me one hour to hike from the first sign at the beach near the visitor center side to Pirate waterfall.
It was quicker to walk back to the Koh Adang resort, around 20-30 minutes. Then it took me another 30 minutes to walk from Koh Adang resort back to the visitor center area.
Explore the Seluded Beaches on Koh Adang
Koh Adang has beautiful white sandy, crystal clear water beaches, and much less crowded than in Koh Lipe, which are ideal for swimming, relaxing, and snorkeling.
The main beach at the southern part of the island runs for a couple of km from the camping ground, passing the restaurant, the floating pier, to the head trail to Private Waterwall.
There is also a nice beach at Koh Adang beach resort, which is around 30 minutes walk through the jungle from the main beach and the visitor center at Koh Adang.
Stay at Koh Adang Bungalows
The island has only one resort, Koh Adang Island Resort, where you can enjoy a luxury stay with aircon, outdoor pool, restaurant, and bar in a remote island.
The resort seems to be closed at the time of writing this article, which is the end of December, which is part of the high season. You can double check by calling them.
Another option to stay in Koh Adang is to stay in the government-run bungalows. These bungalows have basic amenities such as fans, private bathrooms, good beds, and stunning views of the beach.
It’s quite difficult to book the bungalows and it’s often filled up quickly in the high season. It is best to ask someone who knows Thai to call the park’s office directly to book the bungalows.
You can also book directly on the national park website, but it seems to be difficult to access the website and process the payment without a Thai bank account.
Camping on Koh Adang
If you like camping, it’s easy to find a spot to stay a night on the island. You can rent a tent with a bed and or bring your own tent and pay a small fee of around 30 baht a night.
The campground is a huge area with lots of shade from the pine trees, steps away from the pristine beaches, a restaurant, and public toilets.
Koh Adang Entrance Fee
Koh Adang is part of Tarutao National Park, so it has an entrance fee of 200 THB for foreigners and 40 baht for Thai citizens.
I paid the park ticket at Pak Bara Pier when I took the speed boat to Koh Lipe island. This ticket allows me to visit all islands in Tarutao National Park such as Ko Lipe, Koh Adang, and Koh Tarutao. It is valid for 5 days.
I recommend keeping the ticket safe as it might be checked. No one checked or asked for my tickets on these islands, though.
Amenities on Koh Adang
Most facilities and attractions of Koh Adang including accommodations, viewpoints, waterfalls, and camping ground, and visitor center are located at the southern tip of the island.
When I arrived at the blue floating pier, I saw the camping ground, bungalows, a restaurant, visitors center, and public toilets. There are signs showing the directions to the viewpoint and the waterfall.
The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s served typical Thai food such as Pad Thai, fried rice, or curry. I recommend bringing enough cash with you as there are no ATMs on the island.
Also, bring some toilet paper or hand paper with you, as there was none in the toilets and you’ll need to use them. It’s a good idea to pack your own snacks and bring enough water with you.
How long is enough to spend at Koh Adang?
I personally think that 4-6 hours are usually enough for a half day or a day trip to Koh Adang. This time is generally enough to see major attractions on the island such as the viewpoint, the waterfall, and the beaches.
I recommend spending around 2 hours going up, down, and taking breaks at Koh Adang Viewpoint. You will need another 2 hours if you want to hike to Pirate Waterfall. Many people skip this waterfall, especially in the dry season. If you enjoy hiking, it is still well worth checking out.
For beaches, spend as much time as you want. You can chill, swim, or snorkeling. You’ll likely have the beach to yourself.
For me, a day trip is enough to explore and admire the beauty of Koh Adang. If you want to stay overnight, there are bungalow and tent options for you to choose from.
See more:
So, you have it, my travel guide about Koh Adang, including how to get there by taxi boats, some major activities such as swimming, snorkeling, hiking, checking the viewpoints, and waterfalls. If you’re in Ko Lipe, you must visit Koh Adang.