Koh Maphrao

Koh Maphrao is a swiftlet-nest concession island about 1 km off Hat Sai Ri beach in Chumphon — which means, in practice, that almost nobody actually lands on it. Setting foot on the island requires giving the Chumphon Provincial Office at least a week’s notice so staff can arrange access; the realistic way most travelers see it is by paddling or boating around the reef that lines its western shore.

SUP and kayak operators run trips out from Hat Sai Ri covering roughly 4-6 km round trip over two to three hours, typically 600-700 THB per person, weaving past the island’s narrow white-sand beach — about 100 metres of it, on the western side — without putting anyone ashore. The same stretch holds a coral reef running 100-200 metres, though it’s a mixed picture underwater: roughly 40-50% of the coral here is dead, with living boulder, ring, and staghorn coral filling in the rest. It’s worth a look from a paddleboard or snorkel mask, but it’s not the healthiest reef in the Mu Ko Chumphon group.

Watch out: Don’t plan a trip here expecting a landing and a swim off the sand. The concession status is real and enforced — this isn’t red tape nobody checks, it’s the reason the island still has an intact swiftlet colony and a functioning reef instead of a resort footprint.

The island sits inside Mu Ko Chumphon National Park’s boundaries, so the standard park entrance fee applies — 200 THB for foreign adults, 100 THB for foreign children, 40/20 THB for Thai adults and children — usually already built into a tour operator’s package price rather than collected separately. Trips run year-round but are calmest and most comfortable from roughly February through October, when the sea state around Hat Sai Ri stays manageable for paddling.

Insider Tip: Book a SUP or kayak trip through an operator based at Hat Sai Ri rather than trying to arrange independent boat access — they already have the routine down for staying clear of the concession boundary while still getting close enough to see the reef and the swiftlet nesting cliffs.

Two nearby islands in the same national park make good companions if a boat’s already booked: Mu Ko Chumphon covers the wider seven-island group, and Koh Lak Rat is a boat-only dive and snorkel site with denser coral if the reef here leaves you wanting more.