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Koh Kood
 Koh Kood (Koh Kut) is the fourth biggest island of Thailand and is located south of Koh Chang near to the border of Cambodia. Like all islands in this region, Koh Kood was a hidden and forgotten world and has started to develop infrastructure and tourism just recently. The monutains are totally covered with rainforests, there are only some roads connecting the small villages at both coasts. The nature and the wildlife are perfectly safed. Many fabulous bays can be found around the island and the western coast presents some really nice sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. The beaches are rather short and narrow and will not yet been cleaned from rubbish frequently, but therefore they are lonely and still natural. At Thapho Beach and at Klong Chao Beach in the middle of the western coast most of the resorts are located, which offers simple and clean fan and aircon bungalows. Till now there is only one concrete road from Ban Klong Mat to Ban Salat across the island. The other roads are steep, narrow and really tough to drive. The resorts offer siteseeing trips to the Klong Chao Waterfall, which is spectacular during rainy season with a big natural and warm water pool. The best beaches are Ma Phut Beach in the north, the Thapho Beach in the middle and the Siam Beach and the Ao Phrao Beach in the south. The possibility to do own trips across the island is very limited due to the bad quality of the roads. Motorbikes can not be rent everywhere and taxis are hardly to find and expensive. It is recommended to find a resort to pick you up from the piers. They will come mostly by boat. The Thai and Cambodian people on Koh Kood are living from fishing and rubber plantation, and some may have contacts to Cambodia as well. So it is easy to link a visit to Koh Kood with a trip to Cambodia as well. Tourism is just starting to become an economic factor for Koh Kood. Only some people can speak english. Mostly thai groups come to the island for short holidays. It is not a fault to bring candles or flashlights, since electric power supply is not garanteed 24 hours a day.
Ko Kood is malaria endangered region. Also sand flies and other bugs can be a problem. Sprays, oil or ointments should be brought, till this is not available on the island. And cash money is also recommended.
How to get there: by speedboats from the mainland (Dankao pier or Laem sok pier) south of Trat or directly from Koh Chang or Koh Mak. The boats need roughly one hour to reach the piers on Koh Kood, but not all resorts can be reached directly, so connecting boats or taxis are needed. It is recommended to ask prior to leaving, at what piers the boat will stop. The speedboats are private and will do the trip only once a day, and in low season not every day. From Trat the boats leave mostly in the morning, from Koh Chang and Koh Mak at noon.
Trat can be reached by airplane from Suvarnabhumi Airport. The price for a return flight is approx. 5.000 Baht with Bangkokair (www.Bangkokair.com). The new airport of Trat and Chantaburi lays west of Trat and has direct connection to the ferries to Koh Chang. Busses are leaving Bangkok from the eastern bus terminal Ekamai in the early morning and need 5 hours for the trip to Trat and in high season directly to Laem Ngop.
On the small island of Maisi Lek will be a little airport, that connects Trat airport with Koh Kood.
Rooms: 20 resorts offer simple, clean and comfortable bungalows. The prices for fan or aircon rooms are higher than on other islands. The best resort at the moment is Shantaa KohKood near Thapho Beach and pier. Good value for money and nice location offer Koh Kood Neverland Resort, Captain Hook Resort and Ao Phrao Resort in the south. Due to the lack of knowledge of western needs, standards are not very high. All resorts are still thai family owned. It is recommended to book the room online or when arriving in Trat, Koh Chang or Koh Mak before taking the boat, since checking out the resorts on the island is very difficult. The booked resort can pick you up at the pier by boat or taxi.
List of all resorts for online booking
During rainy season from June to September most of the resorts are closed. And also in October or May not every restaurant can provide food and services are limited.
Good for: experienced travelers
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