What to See and Do on Koh Mak
Activities, Trips and Tours on Koh Mak
Koh Mak isn’t really an island for a wild and crazy activity holiday. You won’t find jetskis, banana boats, ATVs, a water park or golf course here. Of course, there are some activities, trips and tours available but in the main it’s an island suited to relaxing, unwinding and getting away from it all. Here is a quick rundown of things to see and do once you finish your holiday reading or get bored of suntanning yourself. ( Or have kids, partner or spouse who you need to keep occupied.)
Arrangements for all the trips and tours listed here can be made in advance by email or by phone.
Beach Volleyball
You can usually find a game of beach volleyball in progress at Baan Koh Mak or Ao Kao Resort. Just show up late afternoon and you’ll find someone who wants a game.
Elephant Riding
A small elephant camp called ‘Koh Mak Pang Chang’ was established in a quiet area in the west of the island near Laem Tukkata in 2009. They currently have three elephants. Prices are the same as on Koh Chang with short treks for 500 Baht/person and a longer one – including bathing the elephant – for 900 Baht/person – including transfers from your resort. you’ll follow trails through the jungle and also head along the beach on elephant back. The elephants can also be hired for special occasions – so if you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary or just want an unforgettable way to say ‘I love you’ a decorated elephant standing outside your bungalow might be the way to do it.
Cooking Class
Smile Koh Mak cooking school, run by Leng offers Thai cooking classes for small groups of up to 4 people. You’ll learn all about the ingredients that go into your favourite dishes and then learn how to make them. Leng will teach the class in English and pass on the tips and techniques for traditional Thai cooking that her father passed on to her. So you’ll learn how to make the dishes the correct, original way. Transport to/from your resort to the cooking school, located right by the sea close to Koh Mak Seafood Restaurant near Ao Nid Pier, is included in the price and you’ll also receive a cookbook with the recipes in it for the dishes you have made. A fun day away from the beach.
Hill Walking
Koh Mak is a relatively flat island. However, the land does rise to just over 100metres above sea level near the western shore . There is a trail that starts near Baan Ing Kao Resort but it is probably best to find someone to guide you. During the rainy season there is a small waterfall on the hillside.
Kayaking
Sea kayaks can be hired from several resorts on the island and having a handful of small islands dotted around Koh Mak, means that you will have a ready made destination when you head out to sea in your kayak. If you are staying at Koh Mak Resort or Cococape then you’ll have Koh Kham, with it’s small white sand beach and black volcanic rocks, about 1km away and the smaller island of Koh Pee also lies within easy reach. In the northeast of the island, the private island of Koh Kradad, where you’ll find a large herd of deer, is a couple of kilometres paddle from Cinnamon Resort & Greenview Resort. And if you are staying on the busier Ao Kao Beach, Koh Rayang Nok and Koh Rayang Nai are within easy paddling distance. Expect to pay around 100 Baht/hour or 500 Baht/day for a 2 person kayak with lifejacket & paddles provided.
Koh Chang Day Trip * Early 2011 – Not currently available *
The new Nemo Express power catamaran runs day trips to Koh Chang. You’ll first head to Bangbao where you’ll find a fishing village built on stilts and quite a lot of souvenir shops – plus ATMs if you need to get some cash. The boat then heads along the south coast to the less developed Salakphet Bay, in the south east of Koh Chang, where you’ll have lunch at the excellent Salakphet Seafood restaurant. After lunch you’ll head to Koh Wai for some snorkelling before heading back to Koh Mak in the late afternoon. Ticket prices are 1,500 Baht for adults and 750 Baht for children. ( This trip is worth doing even if you plan to visit Koh Chang as Salakphet Bay is a beautiful spot and the only way to see it when you are on Koh Chang is to hire a car or rent a motorbike – and then it’s a 100km round trip.)
Koh Kood Day Trip
A full day trip to Koh Kood by private speedboat can easily be arranged. You’d leave Koh Mak at around 9am and return back at 4pm. During the day you’d see the sights on Koh Kood including the waterfall, beaches and fisherman’s village. A stop at Koh Maisee pearl farm can also be included. Price 2,000 Baht/person – minimum 4 people. Includes lunch.
Koh Maisee Day Trip
The Nemo Express also does a once a week day trip to the rarely visited island of Koh Maisee, just off the northwest coast of Koh Kood. You’ll first head to the bee farm where honey and beeswax products are made in the traditional manner, this is followed by lunch and a Thai classical dance display. In the afternoon you’ll have the chance to do some snorkelling before finishing the day with a visit to the pearl farm where you can see pearls being cultivated and made into jewellery in the onsite workshop. Price is 1,200 Baht/person.
Massage & Spa
More resorts now have their own massage staff and some also offer spa treatments. Expect to pay around 250-300 baht for a beach massage. For a professional spa in a quiet tropical garden, away from the busier beach areas, visit Goodtime Resort.
Motorbike Hire
There are a few paved roads on Koh Mak but the only vehicles belong to resorts and so it’s rare to see any traffic other than motorbikes on the roads. Scooters are available for rent for 300 – 400 Baht/day. Most of the roads are pretty good, even the dirt tracks are relatively smooth but care is needed as a remote plantation trail isn’t the place to get a puncture. Gasoline is available either from a couple of small filling stations with a single drum and hand pump or from shops and restaurants who sell old whiskey bottles full of fuel by the roadside.
Mountain Biking
The lack of traffic combined with the flat terrain and and multitude of shady trails through the rubber and coconut plantations make Koh Mak a great place to explore by bicycle. The island is small enough that you can’t get lot but large enough for you to discover fishermen’s hamlets and deserted beaches. Guided mountain bike tours should be available for the 2010-11 high season but until then mountain bikes can be rented from Ao Kao Resort and Koh Mak Resort for around 150 Baht/day.
Night Fishing
As on any island, fishing has long been the mainstay of the local economy, but whilst most locals don’t fish for a living nowadays they still enjoy spending time out on the sea. The best time to fish in the waters around Koh Mak is from dusk till dawn. The fishermen will leave Koh Mak early evening and first catch some squid to use as bait. They will then head to the deeper water and the fishing grounds. Private trips can be arranged for 1,000 – 4,000 Baht for a few hours night fishing or join one of the scheduled trips that run 3-4 times a week in High Season. These cost around 500 Baht/person.
Pearl Farm
Something you won’t find mentioned in many places is that the small island of Koh Maisee, just off the northwest coast of Koh Kood is home to a pearl farm. Pearls are cultivated and made into jewellry on the island and then exported or sold to jewelleery shops around Asia. A trip to the pearl farm can also be combined with a visit to Koh Kood or can be undertaken by privately chartered speedboat. If you like pearls and want the best possible prices then a visit to the Koh Maisee pearl farm should definitely be included in your holiday plans.
Private Islands
Close to Koh Mak lie three private islands – Koh Kham, Koh Rayang and Koh Kradat. Koh Rayang is the easiest to get to with a regular longtail boat service running from Makathanee Resort pier. It is home to one small resort – Rayang Phurin Resort and as such non-residents must pay an 80 Baht fee to land on the island. This gives you the use of a sunlounger on the beach and a free soft drink in the restaurant. Koh Kham was recently sold to a property developer who is in the process of destroying the natural beauty of the island. There is a small bear bar/restaurant on the island and a baot service is available from Koh Mak Resort. Alternatively, it is easy to kayak there. As with Koh Rayang a small fee is charged to visitors to the island.
Rubber Tree Plantations
Koh Mak was the first island in Thailand to be planted with rubber trees. You’ll see some very old rubber plantations in the centre of the island which have now fallen into disuse and are overgrown. But look around and you’ll find neatly manicured plantations where the rubber is collected daily, usually daybreak or very early morning before the sun gets too high in the sky. The white latex is collected and mixed with chemicals to set it and then hand rolled into mats which are hung to dry. These are then sold.
Scuba Diving
There are three dive companies on Koh Mak. Ploy Scuba, a large company with their main offices on Koh Chang and Koh Samet plus Paradise Divers and Koh Mak Divers both of which have been running dive centres on the island for several years. The latter having been on the island for over a decade. All offer the full range of PADI certified dive courses plus dive trips for qualified divers . Most dive trips will take in the sites around Koh Rang, to the west of Koh Mak. This is the same area as dive trips from Koh Chang head to – so if you plan on diving on both Koh Chang and Koh Mak check to make sure you wont be visiting the same sites.
Snorkelling
Daily snorkelling trips and boat trips that take in the islands around Koh Rang, the best snorkelling sites in the area, and also some of the other islands close to Koh Mak can easily be booked once you are on the island. Expect to pay from 600 to 1,200 Baht for a full day trip – depending on where you go and what type of boat you go in.
Temple
The Buddhist temple on Koh Mak overlooks Ao Nid Bay. It is a small temple which has several resident monks and is the focal point for the community with the covered hall also used as a meeting room or polling station. Look closely at the golden statue of Buddha and you’ll notice that it is more curvaceous than you might expect. The more feminine form is a reminder that the construction of the temple was paid for by the wife of the founder of the island.
