Things to do in Trang
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Trang
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak season, the calmest water, best visibility and highest island prices.
November is a quieter shoulder, while March and April stay dry but get properly hot.
South west monsoon, boats thin out and park closures begin to bite.
Worst months for islands, with peak rain, the widest closures and the roughest seas.
What's on
- Trang Underwater Wedding / Trang Love Festival 13-15 February
Underwater marriage registration near Hat Chao Mai, with a Clock Tower parade in town.
- Songkran 13-15 April
Thai New Year fills town transport in the hottest part of the dry season.
- Vegetarian Festival Nine days in October, lunar dates vary
Shrine processions and a town full of vegan festival food stalls in Trang town.
Best things to do in Trang
Emerald Cave
A dark 80 metre swim through a sea tunnel into a hidden beach ringed by cliffs inside Koh Mook.
Ko Kradan
A white sand island with clear shallows and a reef close to shore, calmest outside day boat hours.
Trang Old Town walk
A morning walk past Sino-Portuguese shophouses, street art, the Clock Tower and the Dugong Roundabout.
Trang Clock Tower
The landmark tower in front of City Hall, best seen on an old town walk early or lit up at night.
Pak Meng Beach
A long mainland beach for sunset and seafood, tidal for swimming but facing the karst islands.
Hat Chao Mai National Park
A pine shaded protected coast with an empty beach, shore trail, caves and the Khao Baena viewpoint.
Charlie Beach
Koh Mook's sunset beach on the west coast, reached by a short ride through the island village.
Ko Mook
A lived-in island with a fishing village, Charlie Beach sunsets and the Emerald Cave on its west coast.
Where to stay in Trang
Trang town
food, transport and first or last nights
Walkable to dim sum, markets and the station, with the coast 45 to 60 minutes away.
Pak Meng / Chang Lang coast
one mainland beach base with island day trips
Sunset, seafood and the pier on your doorstep, at the price of distance from town.
Koh Mook
best all round island base
A village, a range of prices, a sunset beach and the Emerald Cave on your doorstep.
Koh Kradan
beach and reef purists and couples
The finest sand and shallows in Trang, with almost nothing else on the island.
Koh Ngai
quiet resort only unwind
One beach strip, a house reef, no village, no cars and no ATM.
Koh Libong
slow, local, low key island life
Tidal beaches, villages and local prices, not a swimming or snorkelling base.
Think twice about
- Trang town as a beach base
The coast is about 40km and the best part of an hour away, plus a boat for any island.
- Pak Meng as a swimming base
The beach is tidal and often murky, with the sea retreating far at low tide.
- Koh Libong as a snorkelling base
The shore fronts seagrass, not coral, and dugongs cannot honestly be promised after 2024.
- Koh Kradan on a tight budget
Only a handful of resorts and restaurants, with captive prices and no cheaper alternative nearby.
Best restaurants in Trang
Ruanthai Dim Sum
Trang's benchmark dim sum house, with many steamer baskets, roast pork, rad na and hot tea.
Trang Moo Yang
A shop built around Trang roast pork, carved crisp from early morning until it sells out.
Phong Ocha Dim Sum
The locals' alternative dim sum house, with cheap baskets, fast turnover and strong coffee.
Center Point Market
Trang's everyday evening food market, for kanom jeen, grilled food, sweets and durian in season.
Baan Suan Sudaporn
A garden restaurant for southern Thai classics, including crisp pork leg and lemongrass salad bites.
Richy Bakery & Restaurant
A Trang bakery institution for cakes, bread and coffee, and the place to judge Trang cake fresh.
Green House at Trang
A well rated cafe for coffee, cakes and mixed Thai and Western food in a relaxed house setting.
Lion's Tale Trang Bar and Restaurant
Trang town's night out splurge, a bar restaurant with Italian leaning food and a drinks list.
Outdoor things to do in Trang
Four Islands snorkel day
The classic shared boat day: snorkelling at Ko Chueak and Ko Waen, the Emerald Cave swim and Kradan beach time.
Ko Chueak
A rocky snorkel islet with soft coral walls and the best shallow coral gardens in the marine park.
Ko Waen
A rocky snorkel islet near Koh Chueak, known for soft corals and sea fans in shallow water.
Private longtail charter
Private longtail charters from Pak Meng or Hat Yao to the Emerald Cave, Kradan and Chueak at your own pace.
Mu Ko Libong Non-hunting Area
Protected seagrass flats visited by local boat at high tide, with dugong sightings now a bonus only.
Tham Le Khao Kob
A boat ride through a stream cave ending with a lie flat squeeze under the Dragon's Belly roof.
Khao Baena
A short steep climb in the national park to a viewpoint over seagrass beds and offshore islands.
Ko Ngai
A car free resort island with a house reef off the main beach and a jungle path to Paradise Beach.
Best hotels in Trang
Rua Rasada Hotel
Trang town's flagship hotel, with a pool, big rooms and a breakfast buffet praised by guests.
My Friends Hotel
A clean, helpful budget hotel near the station and the weekend walking street in Trang town.
Anantara Si Kao Resort
Trang's one international luxury resort, facing the karst islands from the Chang Lang beachfront.
Koh Mook Sivalai Beach Resort
A sand spit resort with beach on both sides, two pools and the village an easy stroll away.
The Seven Seas Resort Koh Kradan
Kradan's upscale pick on Paradise Beach, with villas, a pool and a spa back from the sand.
Reef Resort Koh Kradan
A smaller beachfront resort on Kradan's main sand, a few steps from the reef for swimmers.
Thanya Beach Resort
Bungalows at the quiet end of Ngai's main beach, with a pool and the house reef just offshore.
Libong Beach Resort
Simple beachfront bungalows on Libong with a seafood kitchen, bike rental and local boat trips.
Is Trang expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 1,200 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 2,800 a person |
| Splurge | THB 7,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Emerald Cave: a few days ahead
- Four Islands snorkel day: a few days ahead
- Ko Chueak: a few days ahead
- Ko Waen: a few days ahead
- Private longtail charter: a few days ahead
- Anantara Si Kao Resort: weeks ahead
- Koh Mook Sivalai Beach Resort: weeks ahead
- The Seven Seas Resort Koh Kradan: weeks ahead
- Check the current Hat Chao Mai National Park closure announcement before any June to September island trip.
- Kradan, Ngai and Sivalai rooms need weeks to months ahead from late December to February.
- Book boat days early in the trip so weather cancellations can be re run.
- Dim sum and roast pork are first come, and the best items thin out after mid morning.
Is Trang safe?
- From May to October the monsoon sea brings rough surf, currents and boat cancellations.
- The main risks are scooter accidents, the monsoon sea and small overcharges, not crime.
- Cover up away from the beach in Muslim villages and ask before photographing people.
- Emergency numbers are 191 for police and 1669 for medical help.
Trang travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Any operator guaranteeing a dugong after the 2024 to 2025 seagrass crisis.
- Kradan at midday in high season, when day boats crowd the beach between about 10am and 2pm.
- Seafood by weight without a stated per 100g price confirmed before cooking.
- Budgeting Kradan and Ngai at mainland prices, and arriving on Ngai without cash.
Getting around Trang: public transport and more
- Trang Airport is about 15 minutes from town, with domestic flights from Bangkok.
- Town to Pak Meng Pier is roughly 38 to 40km, 45 to 60 minutes by road.
- Pak Meng is the gateway for Mook, Kradan, Ngai and the Four Islands tours.
- Hat Yao Pier, about an hour from town, serves Libong and Sukorn.
- Agree frog head tuk tuk fares and stops before you ride in Trang town.
- Koh Ngai has no cars or roads, and Koh Mook runs on motorbike taxis and walking.
Who Trang suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Trang your trip
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