ranong guide

PAYAM ISLAND

This gorgeous little island is truly the undiscovered pearl of the Andaman Sea with long white sandy beaches, clear blue sea, coral reefs, it’s the perfect place to really get away from it all- from lying in a hammock doing absolutely nothing except watch the amazing sunsets to snorkeling and fishing (big of small game), boat trips around the island to the many neighboring islands including Koh Surin, swimming in the warm waters or even body-boarding.

The two main bays are Aow Yai – the sunset bay, and Aow Khao Kwai – buffalo bay. Both bays have long curving white sandy beaches. If you get bored of the beach life then there’s always the inland experience.

Koh Phayam has lots of good mini hikes into the hills, forests and jungle. There are tidal mangrove forests and lots of wildlifeincluding crab-eating macaque, flying squirrel, mouse deer, slow Loris, gibbon, fishing cat, barking deer, and some beautiful and rare birds like hornbill.  A small track runs around the island making everything accessible by foot, bike or motor-scooters which are available for hire, there aren’t any cars.

There are several resorts offering bungalow accommodation. A boat taxi to the island leaves every day from the pier at Sapan Plaa, Ranong.

Koh Phayam island has a total land area of approximately 35 square kilometers with a population of only 500 people many of whom makes their living on fishing, growing cashew nuts and farming rubber. There are mainly two seasons here, the summer season (December to April) and rainy season (May to September). Hereby the average temperature hovers at 26-32 C. The suggested best time to visit this beautiful natural ground is from October to April, where the sea and weather conditions permits visitors to relax and explore this little visited island. Koh Phayam is under the responsibility of Payam National Park.

To get there

Two hours by boat from the Ranong Pier, Ko Phayam is famous for both its long fine white sandy beaches and for the cashew nuts which are grown on the island. A number of sea gypsies, or Chao Le, live on the island as well. The waters between Ko Phayam and the nearby islands of Ko Hai Hin and Ko Chang often provide excellent game fishing. To get to Ko Phayam visitors can charter boats from Ranong Pier for about 1,000 baht per trip. Visitors can also charter speedboats from Ko Phayam Resort. Prices range from 2,000 to 4,000 baht, depending on the size of the boat. Reservations can be made by calling 0 7781 2297, 0 1323 0436.