One of the Best-Kept Secrets of Thailand
If you are staying or visiting the north of Koh Phangan, then you should include in your bucket list this secluded and off the beaten track location.
Koh Ma is connected to Phangan island by a sand bank at low tide. The island and this sandy path often appear on postcards and are a famous snorkelling area for its well-preserved coral reef. It is possible to spend the whole day exploring the ridge parallel to the island and see wonderful marine life such as angelfishes, barracudas, trigger fishes and much more. The tide changes pretty fast, so be sure to have enough time to come back walking.
The island presents some luxury boutique hotels, a few seafood restaurants shaded by palms and little bars on the sandy beach where you can slowly sip your coconut smoothie and admire the crystal blue waters and the landscape around you. Better enjoy this true paradise before too many hotels decide to build in this area and spoil it with mass tourism.
Koh Ma can be reached either by taxi boat (if you are a group of people) or by renting or taking a car or a scooter taxi. Car taxis sometimes refuse to bring you from Chaloklum to Koh Ma if you travel alone as it is not profitable for them, so be prepared to try out the scooter taxi experience which is not for the faint-hearts due to the local driving style, the bumpy and dusty roads and the total absence of helmets. When I asked for one at the village, locals laughed at me.
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