Koh Lao Liang

Koh Lao Liang: What These Islands Are Now

Two limestone towers rise out of the Andaman off the Trang coast, ringed by shallow reef and a thin strip of sand. For years Koh Lao Liang was known for one thing — a tented camp at the base of the cliffs that put climbers within a few steps of several hundred bolted routes. That era is over. Mu Ko Phetra National Park has banned climbing on the islands and stations rangers there to enforce it, and the camp has closed with nothing built in its place.

What remains is worth the boat ride, but it is a different trip. Koh Lao Liang today is a snorkelling stop: reef close in, clear water, dramatic rock overhead, and nobody selling you anything. Come with the right expectations and you get one of the quieter days out on this coast. Come expecting the island the guidebooks still describe and you will be stranded on a beach with no food and no way to climb.

Watch out: the bolted routes are still visibly on the cliffs, and older guidebooks, climbing databases and blog posts still list the island as an active crag. The ban is current park policy, not a seasonal restriction. Rangers are on site.

What You’ll Do Here

Snorkelling is the activity. The reef starts close to the beach in water shallow enough to read from the surface, and on a calm day in the dry season visibility is excellent. Bring your own mask and fins — there is no rental on the islands.

Beyond that, expect to swim, walk the short beach and look at the cliffs. Some boatmen will run you around the two islands to see them from the water, which is worth arranging when you negotiate the charter rather than asking on the day.

Where to Sleep

Nowhere on the islands. The tented camp has closed and there is no resort, no bungalow operation and no permitted wild camping. Base yourself on the Trang mainland near Hat Samran or Pak Meng, or on one of the developed islands nearby, and treat Koh Lao Liang as a half-day or full-day excursion from there.

Getting There

There is no scheduled ferry. Access is by chartered longtail from the Trang coast — Hat Samran is the usual departure point, and boats also run from Pak Bara in Satun, which is the main gateway for Mu Ko Phetra generally.

Reach Trang first by bus from Bangkok or by air into Trang Airport, then arrange the boat locally the day before. Agree the price, the pickup time and whether the boatman waits for you before you leave the pier — there is no phone signal to renegotiate from the beach.

What to Know

Bring everything. Drinking water, lunch, sun protection, snorkel gear and cash in baht for the park fee. The islands have no shop, no restaurant, no fresh water and no ATM anywhere near the departure piers.

Check the closure dates before committing to travel. Mu Ko Phetra shuts Ko Lao Liang for the southwest monsoon each year, usually 1 June to 30 September, and the park has adjusted the window in the past.

Insider Tip: the neighbouring Trang islands — Koh Kradan, Koh Muk and Koh Ngai — have accommodation, food and their own reefs, and boats to Lao Liang can often be folded into a day trip from any of them. If you only have one day on the water, a combined itinerary gets you more than a dedicated Lao Liang charter does.