Koh Ta Keang

Ko Ta Keang is an uninhabited islet inside Mu Ko Phetra National Park, off Palian district on Trang’s Andaman coast — no jetty, no buildings, no year-round boat traffic. The only way in is a chartered longtail from Koh Libong or Laem Ta Sae pier, about 20 kilometres offshore. There is nothing on the island to charge for, but it sits inside Mu Ko Phetra National Park, so the park fee applies if a ranger checks your boat.

The draw is a single beach: roughly 100 metres of fine white sand bookended by glossy black rock formations, with water shallow and clear enough that the fringing coral reef is visible from the surface without diving down. It’s an easy, low-effort snorkel — no current to fight, no boat traffic to dodge, because almost nobody else is out there. Thai travel write-ups call it a “secret island” (เกาะลับ) precisely because so few operators run trips this far out; most Trang boat tours stick to the closer, better-known islands like Koh Kradan or Koh Muk.

That isolation is the whole point and the whole limitation. There’s no shade beyond what the rocks throw, no toilet, no shop, no phone signal once you’re out of sight of the mainland. Bring everything you’ll need for the day — water, reef-safe sunscreen, snorkel gear, food — and expect to carry your rubbish back out. Boat operators generally build in 2-3 hours on the beach before the return run, enough time to swim, snorkel the reef edge, and walk the full length of sand twice over.

Access only works in the dry season, November through April, when the Andaman is calm enough for a 20-kilometre open-water crossing in a longtail. From May the southwest monsoon picks up and most operators drop the route from their schedule until the seas settle again. Departure points are Koh Libong, reached from Kantang district, or Laem Ta Sae pier in Hat Samran district — book through a Trang-based dive shop or boat operator rather than expecting to find one waiting at the pier.

Insider Tip: Pair the trip with a Koh Libong stop — the same operators that run boats to Ko Ta Keang often combine it with dugong-spotting around Koh Libong’s seagrass beds, since both trips launch from the same stretch of coast.

Watch out: There’s no mobile signal once you’re away from the mainland shore, and no ranger or lifeguard on the island. Confirm your operator carries a radio or satellite phone, and tell someone onshore your return time.

Ko Ta Keang sits within the same island group as Koh Phetra, a short run further out, and both are usually booked through operators based on Koh Sukorn, the nearest inhabited island with lodging.