In our recent trip to Phuket, we did a day-trip to Koh Tachai with Love Andaman, a well-known operator for island trips. Tachai is one of the most beautiful islands in South Thailand and known as “Maldives of Thailand”. See the photos below and you’ll understand why.
We got up at the crack of dawn as the pick-up was scheduled at 6.15am from our hotel, the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. Bleary-eyed and still half-asleep, we climbed into the van which then proceeded to pick other passengers before making the 3-hour journey to the pier in Thap Lamu. Yes, be prepared for a 3-hour ride if you are staying in the vicinity of Karon.
The Registration Counter at Love Andaman – get your coloured wristbands here!
Once we arrived at the pier, we were ushered to the Love Andaman section. We were given coloured wristbands to denote the island we were going. Then we proceeded to have breakfast, helping ourselves to the decent buffet spread. Breads, pastries, cereals, fruits, local delicacies and beverages were all available.
Breakfast was very decent!
After breakfast, we were put into groups according to “languages” as their guides gave briefings in various languages. Of course we joined the English-speaking group and our guide gave the group some tips and pointers about the island we were going to.
Koh Tachai is at the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea between Similan and Surin islands. We were told that snorkelling would be at two places: off the island as well as near the beachfront. Lunch would be provided, on the island.
No worries if you’ve forgotten to bring something for the island, there’s shopping to be done at the pier too!
So, after the briefing, we went on to board our boat named “Romeo”. Oh, before boarding the boat, we had to leave our slippers at the jetty as no slippers are allowed on the island. We left our slippers in a container marked “Romeo” and walked bare-footed to our boat.
Your slippers will be kept safely, don’t worry! The Thais are serious about island conservation
By the time we boarded the boat, all the seats inside the boat (in the shade) were filled and we had to sit at the open bow. Initially we thought that was so much fun until we realised the sea was really rough. The speedboat bounced hard on the waves and that was not fun at all, not for a 80-minute boat ride! The 70km speedboat trip, sitting at the bow, to Tachai eventually became quite uncomfortable – we were holding on for dear life as the boat bounced up and down hard on the rough sea.
We kept looking out for the island and finally we saw it in the distance. It seemed interminably long before the boat actually reached it and deposited us on the island. Some of the passengers stayed on to be taken to another part of the island for snorkelling.
Kot Tachai is located in the Mu Koh Similan Marine National Park, Phang Nga Province. It’s very well maintained and very clean. Basic facilities like toilets and bathrooms besides tables and seats were all available. There’s only one beach and it’s breathtakingly gorgeous, with powdery soft white sand, shimmering crystal-clear water and tall ancient shady trees.
The friendly crew of Love Andaman unloaded the foodstuff and set about arranging their food table. Their lunch packs were packaged very professionally and had a good variety. By 12 noon everything was set up nicely and guests could help themselves.
Don’t you just love this Love Lunchbox? Cooked with Love and Served with Heart!
Generally the food was tasty and in generous portions. Drinking water and beverages were also available free-flow. The snorkelling group came back and everyone enjoyed the lunch under the shady trees.
After lunch, some of us joined the guided trek to the other side of the island at Shark Rock View. The rest of us just played along the 800m long beach with soft white sand, frolicked in the pristine water by the beachside or simply snooze under the trees. It was a perfect day, almost-cloudless blue sky and an even bluer sea!
Romeo came and picked us up at 3.30pm. This time we managed to get seats inside the boat so the return 80-minute boat journey was much better. It was close to 5pm when we reached the pier. And hey, all our slippers were laid out nicely on the wooden floor at the pier when we disembarked – no problem retrieving out footwear! We waited quite a bit for the van driver and finally left the pier at about 5.30pm.
The return van journey to our hotel was long and arduous. Some parts of Phuket were quite congested due to roadworks and it was peak hour, joining the hordes on the road going home after work. We finally reached the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa way past 8pm.
It was a long day for us – on the road for 6+ hours and a speedboat ride totalling about 2.5 hours! It’s worth the journey if you are an island lover and Koh Tachai was beautiful. The high season is between November-April, so plan your trip accordingly with Love Andaman.
For more information, please visit their website at www.loveandaman.com
and their Facebook Page
LOVE ANDAMAN CO LTD
9/244 Talat Nuea
Mueang Phuket District
Phuket 83000
Thailand
Tel: +66(0)-76-390-250/260/270