Bangkok to Koh Muk

There are two stages to the journey by public transport from Bangkok to Koh Muk. The first stage of the journey is from Bangkok to Trang. The second stage of the journey is by connecting bus and ferry service from Trang to Koh Muk.

Stage 1: Bus Times from Bangkok to Trang

There are currently 9 bus services a day from Bangkok to Trang available to book online.

• Buy tickets from Bangkok to Trang.

Stage 2: Ferry Times from Trang to Koh Muk

There are currently 3 joint minivan and boat services a day with King Travel from Trang Bus Terminal to Koh Muk available to book online.

• Buy tickets from Trang to Koh Muk.

Bangkok Bus Stop

Transport Co bus services from Bangkok to Trang depart from Morchit Bus Station, which is also known as Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal.

Trang Bus Stop

Transport Co bus services from Bangkok to Trang terminate at Trang Bus Terminal.

Koh Muk Ferry Pier

King Travel services from Trang to Koh Muk arrive in Koh Muk at Koh Muk Pier. King Travel then transfers passengers to their hotel by road.

About Travel to Koh Muk

Koh Muk is located in the far south of Thailand, on the west coast to the south of better known islands such as Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi. The nearest large town to Koh Muk is Trang, and this is the transit point for travel by bus and boat to Koh Muk.

Travel from Bangkok to Trang

By road it’s about 850 km from Bangkok to Trang. Depending on which service you take, by long distance bus the journey is scheduled to take from 11 to 21 hours with all services travelling overnight. It’s also possible to fly direct from Bangkok to Trang (around 1 hour 30 minutes), as well as travel direct by train from Bangkok to Trang (13 to 14 hours). There are currently 2 train services a day from Bangkok to Trang.

Travel from Trang to Koh Muk

Bus and boat transfers to Koh Muk depart from 3 locations in Trang: Trang Airport, Trang Bus Terminal, and Trang Railway Station. Whichever way you choose to complete the first stage of journey (from Bangkok to Trang) so long as you arrive in Trang no later than mid-afternoon you should be able to travel to Koh Muk on the same day.

The major provider of transfer services from Trang to Koh Muk is King Travel. The King Travel service commences with a minivan transfer from one of the pick up points in Trang City to Khuan Tung Ku Pier. The distance by road from Trang to Khuan Tung Ku Pier is 48 km and the journey typically takes around 1 hour.

At Khuan Tung Ku Pier King Travel passengers board a local style wooden boat with an outboard motor and a rain cover positioned over the passenger seating. It’s a short journey from Khuan Tung Ku Pier to Koh Muk that takes around 20 minutes to cover a distance of just over 6 km by sea.

About Koh Muk

Koh Muk is a small island, roughly 4 km long and 3 km wide. The island is believed to have between 1,000 and 2,000 residents, many of whom leave the island during the tourist low season (May to October) when the number of people visiting drops dramatically.

Koh Muk has several beaches, but only 2 population centres. The largest village is Baan Koh Muk, on the east coast of the island, and this is where Koh Muk Pier is located. Baan Koh Muk is adjacent to the island’s main beach, Sivalai Beach, which is where the majority of Koh Muk’s tourist accommodation, restaurants, and bars are located.

The other, much smaller, population centre is located on the west coast of the island near Garnet Beach. There’s very little on the 400 metre long Garnet Beach itself. The hotels and the restaurants are mostly located on the main approach to Garnet Beach.

Hotels in Koh Muk

Koh Muk has around 30 tourist hotels, guesthouses and resorts. The cheapest place to stay on the island is normally Koh Mook Hostel, which charges around 500 THB a night for a bed in a shared dormitory room. For a private room at the island’s most luxurious resort, Koh Mook Sivalai Beach Resort, expect to pay around 8,000 THB a night and possibly more during peak season periods such as Christmas.

Morakot Cave

Morakot Cave, also known as Emerald Cave, is Koh Muk’s most famous tourist attraction and a favourite destination for day trippers from Phuket and Krabi.

Morakot Cave is located on the east coast of the island slightly to the north of Garnet Beach. To reach Morakot Cave you need to take a boat. The reason you need to take a boat is because Morakot Cave is a semi-submerged sea cave located at the base of steep sided sea cliffs. From the boat visitors need to swim through the sea cave to reach a secluded lagoon and small beach.