Day trip to Pak Bia, Lading and Hong Islands by private long-tail boat from Klong Muang Beach

25 March 2018

There are many beautiful islands with white sand beaches and crystal clear emerald green waters off the coast of Krabi. A day trip to visit a few of these offshore islands for swimming, kayaking, snorkelling, picnic or just lazing on the white sand beach is a must.

We chose to visit the Hong Islands by private long-tail boat from Klong Muang Beach instead of joining the popular but hectic 4 Islands Tour (which includes stops at Tup Island, Poda Island, Chicken Island and Phra Nang Beach at the Railay Peninsula).

The Hong Islands are a small group of tropical Islands located a short distance up the coast from Ao Nang and just off the shores of Klong Muang Beach. It is hence faster and cheaper to go to Hong Island from Klong Muang Beach than from Ao Nang Beach. Since we were staying a few days at the Nakamanda Resort and Spa, located along Klong Muang Beach, we made our trip from there.

We made a verbal arrangement with a boatman we met on Klong Muang Beach a day before our intended trip. Prices are regulated, fixed and posted on signs along Klong Muang beach.  No need to haggle or bargain with the boatman and no need to pay any deposit.

Prices of private long-tail boat service to various offshore islands from Klong Muang Beach.

We chose to go to Hong Island (including Hong Lagoon), Pak Bia Island and Lading Island. Cost 2300 THB per boat (for 2 persons), payable at the end of the trip. This exclude the National Park fee of 300 THB per person, payable to the rangers located at Hong Island. The journey to the Hong Islands from Klong Muang Beach should take about 30 minutes. 

We left at about 9 AM from the beach just next to our resort. Just like taking the long-tail boat at Ao Nang Beach, we wade out to our long-tail boat in knee deep waters and climbed onto the boat via a metal ladder hung from its side. Our boat was manned by two young men who looked like brothers. They don’t speak English but that is not a problem. They knew the plan and places to visit.

With spray on our faces and wind in our hair, we enjoyed the 40 minutes bumpy ride on the small wooden boat to Koh Pak Bia. It was the furthest island we were visiting on our trip.  We passed by spectacular karst islands of various shapes and sizes.

 

Koh Pak Bia or Pak Bia Island

We landed on a stretch of sandy beach between two islands. There were already 2 speed boats at the beach and no other long-tail boats in sight. So there were not many folks on the island.

Checking out the crystal clear water at Pak Bia Island.

This island is quite scenic, not crowded (yet) and has a few makeshift swings hanging from branches of trees by the beach. The tide was too low for us to swim although the water was crystal clear. We spent some time enjoying the solitude and shooting photos. We left the island just when a few other tour boats arrived. 

Koh Lao Lading or Lading Island

Leaving Pak Bia Island, it was a short ride to Koh Lao Lading or Lading Island.

Our boat making the approach to land on a small beach at Lading Island.

We landed in a quiet cove and walked through a jungle footpath to the main beach a few hundred meters away.

Gorgeous scenery at Lading Island. Sandy beach surrounded by cliffs on both ends and scenic karst seascape beyond.

The main beach was packed full of speedboats and long-tail boats. This beach was very scenic and would be paradise, if not for the large number of boats and people.

One speedboat was blaring out offbeat music. What were they thinking? Disturbing the peace on this island paradise.

Thankfully many of the speedboats soon left and some peace and quiet was restored.

Very scenic beach at Lading Island.

 

We settled down on the white sand beach and I took a swim in the bay. The water was not very clear and I could not see the bottom. Nevertheless, it was still good for a dip to cool down from the hot Krabi sun.

Lading Island would be close to being an island paradise, if not for the crowds. It is paradise no more. A victim of its own beauty.

Hong island

Hong Island was the last island we visited and we spent the most time on this island. We alighted on a floating pontoon, manned by park rangers. Hong Island is part of the Than Bok Khorani national park and a 300 THB national park fee per person was collected on the pontoon.

Floating pontoon and bridge at Hong Island.

It was quite thrilling to walk along the bouncy pontoon bridge to shore. It is safe but a steady pair of legs and steady nerves are needed. I saw a small kid clinging to his mother’s legs in fear at the sight of the floating bridge moving with the waves.

There are 2 beaches separated by a big rock outcrop in the middle. The one near where we landed is not good for swimming since there are some boat traffic. We went to the other beach that was cordoned off for swimming.

The big rock outcrop that we walked past to get to the nice beach for swimming.

This is the beach which is excellent for swimming. A small curved beautiful bay edged by totally scenic rock formations.

There were plenty of trees providing shade at the edge of the beach.

The calm and warm water in the sheltered bay was excellent for swimming. The water was not exactly crystal clear due to the fine sand particles. Nevertheless, I did some snorkelling in this bay.

There were little corals left but I could spot the blue or green lips of a few giant clams amongst rocks, numerous black sea cucumbers on the sandy bottom and some small fishes. Fortunately, there was no sea urchin. And no stinging jelly fish.

Schools of striped fish nicknamed "sergeant major" would come close to us, hoping for hand-outs. We also spotted a school of half-beaks about 1 foot in length. These surface swimmers were shy and stayed clear of us.

Canteen and benches at Hong Island.

Compared to the other islands, Hong Island has more facilities like toilets and canteen with picnic benches. We brought our own water and snacks for lunch and had our picnic by the beach instead.

There was also a nature trail to explore.  There were some remnants of wrecked boats and a plaque to remember those who lost their lives to the tsunami that hit Hong Island on 26 December 2004. It also served to remember the survivors and rescuers who toiled together in the aftermath.

 Nature trail at Hong Island.

I was fortunate to spot a huge water monitor lizard in the bushes while walking the trail.

 

Steep limestone cliff along the nature trail at Hong Island.

There were many signs showing tsunami evacuation route at Hong Island. 

We spent about 2 hours at the beach on Hong Island before returning to our boat. More thrills on the bouncing pontoons!

Before heading back to the mainland, we went into the stunningly beautiful lagoon through a narrow entrance way between the rocks cliffs.

Approaching the entrance to Hong Lagoon. 

Hong Lagoon.

This is Hong Lagoon, a breath-taking natural lagoon surrounded almost all round by majestic limestone formations and a mangrove forest at one side. Hong means “chamber” or “room” in Thailand and this is where the island got its name.

Motor boats (either long-tail or speedboat) can only enter the lagoon around mid-tide when the water depth is around chest level.

 

Anchored boat and people swimming near the mangrove forest at one end of Hong Lagoon.

 

Enjoying a slow ride around the awesome Hong Lagoon.

There is no beach. Although there were boats that stopped in the middle of the lagoon and people wading in the green water, we told our boatmen to just circle slowly round the lagoon.

 

Our boat approaching the narrow pathway between the rocks cliffs to exit the lagoon.

We left the lagoon via the way that we entered. From there, it was a 30 minutes ride back to the Krabi mainland.

Our boatmen landed us at Klong Muang Beach, right in front of Nakamanda Resort and Spa where we boarded in the morning.  We spent the rest of the day lazing by the hotel pool till sunset.

Next up, the beautiful Krabi sunsets from Klong Muang beach.

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Our evenings at Klong Muang Beach in Krabi

After spending three evenings at Ao Nang, we moved to Klong Muang Beach. Compared to Ao Nang, Klong Muang is more secluded, quieter with lesser shopping, dining and nightlife. Perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

An excellent resort hotel located at Klong Muang is the Nakamanda Resort and Spa, our “home away from home” for the next 4 nights. Besides a boat trip to the islands located just off Klong Muang Beach, we spent most of our time relaxing at our luxury resort.

One of the highlights of a Krabi seaside vacation is spending the evenings watching the sun goes down as we strolled down the sandy beach, or on the lounge chair by the hotel’s pool or over a cold drink in one of the beach bars.

We did all three. Although some days were cloudy and on those evenings, we did not get to view the spectacular sunset that Krabi is famous for.

Here are some moments in the four evenings we spent at Klong Muang.

First evening

View of the small island and beach from the roof terrace at the Nakamanda resort. One could walk to the island at low tide but must make it back before the tide returns.

Watching the sun set on our first day at Klong Muang from the beach.

I was trying to capture our long shadows on the beach in front of Nakamanda Resort but the clouds caused our shadows to be slightly diffused.

Low clouds on the horizon.

Ao Nang has its Ao Nang Seafood Street, and Klong Muang has a row of bars and restaurants set right on the sand of Klong Muang Beach. Most of these bars cum restaurants were simply built with bamboo, driftwood, recycled materials and thatch.  Many would grab a beer or cocktail and have a relaxing time watching the sun goes down.

Row of bars and restaurants set right on the sand of Klong Muang Beach.

Pre-dinner passion fruit mojitos at the Sunset Bar on the beach. The passion fruit mojitos were great!

Deep fried sea bass with sweet and sour sauce at the Sunset Bar and Restaurant. The food and drinks at the Sunset Bar were good and reasonably priced too.

While we enjoyed our seafood dinner at the Sunset Bar, a performer was spinning a pair of flaming torches tied to a string on the beach just outside the neighbouring bar.

A drink and dinner on the beach during sunset is a “must-do” when in Klong Muang or Krabi. 

Second evening

On our second day at Klong Muang, we hired a private long-tail boat to take us island hopping. The popular Hong Islands are located just off Klong Muang Beach. We enjoyed the white sand beaches of Hong, Lading and Pakbia Islands before returning to Klong Muang by mid-afternoon.

We spent the rest of our day at the hotel pool and the evening on the beach. There were fewer clouds on the horizon and we managed to see the brilliant globe of the sun dropping slowly down below the horizon.

 

Long-tail boat at the beach next to Nakamanda Resort, Klong Muang Beach.

After the beach got dark, we went for dinner at the Baan Thai Seafood Restaurant, located just across the road from the entrance of Nakamanda Resort.

Grilled squid, Tom Yum Goong (Tom Yum Prawn) Soup and garlic fried rice at Baan Thai Seafood Restaurant.

We picked a medium sized squid displayed on a tray of crushed ice, got it weighed to confirm the price. We chose to have it grilled and served with the spicy Thai seafood dipping sauce.

This restaurant serves great Thai food and seafood at reasonable prices. We went back to this restaurant for lunch (pad thai and pork noodle soup) the next day.

Third evening

Our original plan for the day was to go hike the Dragon Crest or Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail  at Tubkaek Beach. We changed our mind due to the extra hot and humid weather that hit Krabi. We did a morning walk along the long stretch of Klong Muang Beach instead.

This was followed by a 2 hour massage at the hotel’s spa and a late lunch at Baan Thai restaurant.

Once again, the best place to be in the late afternoon, just before sunset, was by the beach.

After the sun had gone down, we went to explore the Beyond Krabi Resort, located next to our hotel. This hotel is very nice, seems larger than Nakamanda and seems to be popular with groups. They had a poolside restaurant offering buffet dinner with a live band on a small stage. 

Pool at the Beyond Krabi Resort at night.

We prefer a quiet place for dinner and chose to have seafood dinner at Bai Tong Restaurant, located on the main road opposite the Beyond Krabi Resort instead.

Don’t let the quiet and almost empty restaurant fool you. This restaurant serves some of the best Thai and seafood in Klong Muang. The food was just as good as the Baan Thai Restaurant a few shops away.

Fresh coconut drinks at the Bai Tong Restaurant.

Prawns with pineapple curry. Deliciously sweet and spicy!

Steamed Sea Bass with lemon and garlic sauce. This dish was so good that we looked up the recipe and tried cooking this dish back home. We followed the restaurant’s method and stuffed a few sticks of lemon grass in the fish’s belly for fragrance.

They sell the fresh seafood by weight, just like at Baan Thai. A sea bass would typically cost about 55 THB per 100g or about 300 to 350 THB per fish.

We enjoyed the steamed sea bass with lemon and garlic sauce. The Spanish family on the next table also ordered this dish. They liked it so much that they asked the restaurant owner for the recipe. The friendly restaurant owner actually invited them into the kitchen to see how the chef prepares the above dish and shared some tips.

Last evening

We spent most of the morning at our hotel villa and the afternoon on the loungers by the hotel’s pool.

View of the beach from the pool of Nakamanda Resort.

Once again, we took a walk on the beach to watch the setting sun and shoot some photos before dinner.

Enjoy a romantic stroll on the beach at twilight.

Pool at the Nakamanda Resort after sunset.

We were deciding between eating at the Kitchen Restaurant within the Nakamanda Resort based on the good reviews or to go across the road to the Bai Tong Restaurant for dinner again.

Bai Tong won.

Our dinner at Bai Tong Restaurant. Squid fried with curry powder, Tom Yum Seafood Soup and deep fried sea bass with pepper and other spices (Yes, sea bass again!)

Once again, we had seafood for dinner in Krabi.

And once again, we had squid and an entire sea bass. We just cannot stop eating the fresh and delicious Thai seafood while in Krabi!

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Our stay at Nakamanda Resort and Spa at Klong Muang Beach, Krabi

 

Nakamanda Resort and Spa is a small luxury hotel located on a beautiful private cove in the unspoilt Klong Muang area in Krabi, Thailand. This was our “home away from home” for 4 nights of our 8 days Krabi vacation.

 

Getting to Klong Muang and the Nakamanda Resort and Spa.

We hired a taxi for 500 THB from the taxi stand conveniently located just outside our previous hotel, Pakasai Resort and Spa, to take us from Ao Nang Beach to Klong Muang Beach.

For those travelling to Klong Muang Beach from the airport:  A airport taxi from the Krabi International Airport to a hotel along Klong Muang Beach would cost 700 THB/car (pre-paid, fixed rate fares). Klong Muang Beach is about 32 km from Krabi airport and the journey would take about 40 to 50 minutes. Alternately, pre-book the hotel’s own transfer service. We travelled to the airport in a clean, spacious and safe SUV provided by Nakamanda for 800 THB/car on our last day. 

Our accomodation at Nakamanda

There are less than 40 rooms in this resort, making it very tranquil, private and somewhat exclusive. Ideal for couples or honeymooners or those who are looking for a few days away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

All accommodations at Nakamanda Resort & Spa are one or two-bedroom villas with tropical garden views or sea views. These individual villas, set upon a green hillside, are connected by walkways and stairs.

Frangipanis, palms, tropical flowering shrubs, pots of water lilies and lotuses lined the walkways connecting the villas to the resort’s amenities.

Most common are the 56 square meter, one-bedroom Sala Villa, which are remarkably luxurious, even though these were the most basic or entry level villa. For a even more luxurious stay or for family groups, there are villas with a Jacuzzi or a private swimming pool.

Our Sala Villa is on the upper floor of a two storey unit located on higher ground, hence offering us partial sea view. The lower floor units would enjoy tropical garden views.

A lady staff escorted us to our villa after the paperwork of check-in was done. A flight of stairs led to a private semi-outdoor patio with daybed, ceiling fan, coffee table and day curtains.

A Sala Villa, located on the second storey, with private semi-outdoor sala terrace with sea view.

The private semi-outdoor sala terrace or balcony with daybed, ceiling fan, coffee table and day curtains.

 

From there, a pair of wood-framed glass doors slides open to reveal a spacious bedroom with a king-sized bed, writing table, mini-bar with complimentary tea, coffee, hot water air-pot, fresh tropical fruit on arrival and a daybed to enjoy the in-room entertainment system.

 

Elegant yet warm ambience of the one-bedroom Sala Villa.

The teak floors, cool grey sandstone and cream marble and sculptures give an elegant yet warm ambience. Therapeutic aromatherapy oils in a clay burner, warmed by small candles that were already lit, gave an extra relax feel.

The bath area is behind the bedroom, with separate “His” and “Hers” individual wardrobes and wash basins with toiletries for the gent and lady. There are separate shower and toilet cubicles and a large bathtub, flanked by pots of orchids, with a large skylight over it. The skylight provides natural lighting to the bath area and a chance to see the sky and stars while enjoying a soak. 

The daily turndown service would replenish the supplies of bottled water, tea and coffee bags in the mini-bar and fresh towels. Sweet good night notes with a orchid or a towel origami rabbit wearing one of our sun-glasses would be left on our beds.

The turndown service also includes making sure the aromatherapy oils in the room are heated up with new candles. 

Breakfast at the Nakamanda

Our stay included daily buffet breakfast, served in the naturally ventilated Kitchen Restaurant located next to the hotel pool and beach. The breakfast spread was what you would expect in a good hotel but nothing spectacular. The food was good enough to fill us out till lunch. One thing I like about having breakfast at Nakamanda is the location where the breakfast is served. By the beach!

 

Kitchen Restaurant located next to the hotel pool and beach.

View of the swimming pool while having breakfast.

Activities while staying at Nakamanda

Guests at the Nakamanda could potentially spend the entire day within the villa. We spent some time on the porch in front of our room. This is a perfect place to read a book, take a nap under the ceiling fan and/or listen to the chirping birds in the trees surrounding villas.

As the day gets warmer in the afternoon, we  watched TV inside the room in cool air-conditioning comfort. There are plenty of cable channels to choose from.

However, there are also plenty of activities in and around the resort to occupy us during our 4 days stay.  The following are some of the things we did:

Enjoy Klong Muang Beach

Nakamanda Resort and Spa is located by Klong Muang Beach. Swimming is possible in the sea at high tide but we prefer to swim in the hotel pool.

We did an early morning walk along the long stretch of Klong Muang beach on one of the days.

Our original plan for the day was to go hike up and down the steep Dragon Crest or Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail located at Tubkaek Beach, which was a short distance away from Nakamanda by tuk tuk or taxi. We changed our mind due to the extra hot and humid weather that hit Krabi and did an easy morning walk on the beach instead.

 

Morning walk along Klong Muang Beach. Nakamanda is on the right of the picture.

Klong Muang Beach is clean, more secluded and quieter compared to Ao Nang. And fewer boat traffic.  

Couple of friendly local kids enjoying a swim.

We saw the tracks of a snake on the soft white sand of Klong Muang beach. Must have be made during the night.

The low tide occurs twice a day and reveals a sand bank which stretches all the way to the small uninhabited island next to the resort. The adventurous folks could explore this island at low tide but should return before the next high tide.

Many visitors were also seen jogging on the firm wet sand at low tide. 

The beach just next to the hotel is a bit rocky. The small uninhabited island off Klong Muang Beach could be explored at low tide.

Long-tail boat parked at the beach next to the hotel.

The beach was even nicer during the cooler evening times. One of the highlights of our stay was evenings spent on the beach where we watched the sun goes down as we strolled down the sandy beach, or on the lounge chair by the hotel’s pool or over a cold drink in one of the beach bars along Klong Muang Beach.

As a photo enthusiast, I enjoyed the opportunity to shoot photos of beach scenes during sunset and twilight.

Once darkness sets in, we went for dinners at the excellent Thai and seafood restaurants that are within or just outside the resort. We enjoyed our dinners at the Bai Tong and Baan Thai restaurants, located just across the main road from the entrance to the resort.

Chill by the pool   

The hotel’s swimming pool is located right by the beach. Attentive pool staff will ensure we had the right amount of shade or sun as we lazed on the many loungers facing the pool or beach. 

The Kitchen Restaurant provides food and beverages to guest at the pool and beach.

The design of the pool is almost Greek or Roman like, with stone sculptures on the fringes of the pool and water flowing out of aqueducts from the stone walls.

Since the pool is by the beach, we could laze on the loungers and watch the sun set from the pool area.

 

Morning yoga

Morning yoga sessions were available on some days. We signed up for the morning yoga on one of the days.

The yoga is at Beginner’s level only. Although my wife had prior experience with yoga, this was my first experience. It was tough and strenuous for me even though what we did was quite basic and suitable for novice. Nevertheless, it was a good workout in the morning prior to breakfast.

Naga Spa

One must not miss experiencing the massage services when visiting Thailand. Massage services in Thailand are incredibly cheap and good. The most popular form of massage available is the Thai-style massage but I prefer the softer and gentler body massages with oil.

Although there are cheaper massage services available from shops outside the resort, we chose to do our massages at the in-house Naga Spa. The Naga Spa offers excellent spa packages for both in-house guests and visitors. We made use of the vouchers given to us at check-in and enjoyed the 2 hours Nakara Massage and Foot Massage.

The treatment included a refreshing cold welcome drink (Bael Fruit Tea).

We could select which aroma oils to use for our body massage using warm herbal oils. We were then given a quick foot bath and foot scrub and asked to change into bathrobes. Our massage was done in the cool comfort of a private treatment room with soothing soft music.

Post massage, we were served a pot of hot herbal tea made from lemon grass, ginger, galangal and pandan leaves. 

After the massage, we went back to lie on the daybed in the private balcony of our villa, feeling far far away from the stresses we faced back home.

Listening to the chirping birds on the terrace of our villa and feeling relaxed.

Visit the beautiful Pakbia, Lading and Hong Islands by long-tail boat

The Hong Islands are just off the coast of Klong Muang Beach. Although many tour operators offer trips to Hongs Islands from Ao Nang, it was faster and cheaper to visit these islands by private long-tail boat from Klong Muang Beach than from Ao Nang. 

Long tail boats at Klong Muang Beach with the Hong Islands in the background

We hired one of the many long-tail boats at the beach in front of Nakamanda to take us to Pakbia, La Ding and Hong islands on one of the days. A day trip to visit these beautiful islands with white sand beaches and crystal clear emerald green waters off the coast of Krabi for swimming, kayaking, snorkelling, picnic or just lazing on the white sand beach is a must.

Planning a day trip to the Hong Islands? Read our Trip Report here.

Overall, we had an relaxing and enjoyable stay at the Nakamanda Resort and Spa. This resort is ideal for those who prefers a quiet and romantic stay in a small luxury hotel by a beach. 

The Nakamanda Resort has special rates for different times of the year. We stayed in late March and the resort delivers excellent value for the price we paid. I booked my stay two months before my trip and this popular hotel was almost fully booked.

Pool of the Nakamanda Resort in the evening.

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