Mu Ko Rayang

Mu Ko Rayang is two small islands off Koh Mak in Trat province — Koh Rayang Nai, the inner island roughly 1 km from Koh Mak’s Laem Tukata point, and Koh Rayang Nok, a further-out private island with a single resort. They’re often talked about as one attraction, but the two are quite different visits.

Rayang Nai is hilly and green, with no sand beach for swimming — the shoreline is rock and reef, and the point of coming here is what’s in the water rather than lounging on it. Coral wraps most of the island’s perimeter, making it a solid spot for snorkeling straight off the rocks and for kayaking around the shore at a slower pace. Rayang Nok, by contrast, has an actual white sand beach and a fringing reef close enough offshore to snorkel from the sand. It’s privately held, with one resort on the island (matching the “Rayang Phurin” name now attached to the site), but day visitors can still land and use the beach for a fee rather than needing to be a guest.

The appeal on both islands is the same: reef cover that’s held up better than more heavily trafficked spots in the Koh Mak-Koh Kood area, and a low volume of visitors compared to the bigger island hubs nearby.

Watch out: Neither island has facilities beyond what the Rayang Nok resort runs for its own guests — no rental shop, no restaurant open to day-trippers as standard, no shade shelters on Rayang Nai. Bring water, sun protection, and your own snorkel gear.

A day-use fee of around 100 THB per person is collected on arrival — cash only, as there’s no card facility on either island. November to April brings the calmest seas and best underwater visibility for the crossing and the reefs themselves; outside that window, swells can make the short hop from Koh Mak rougher than the distance suggests.

Insider Tip: If you only have time for one island, pick based on what you want — Rayang Nai for uncrowded reef snorkeling close to shore, Rayang Nok if you want an actual beach to relax on between swims.

Koh Kham and Koh Khai Huaro are two more small islands reachable from Koh Mak’s pier network, worth combining with Mu Ko Rayang on a longer island-hopping day.