🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
If you book a snorkeling tour around Koh Lipe, almost every program includes Koh Hin Ngam as one of the stops. The island itself is tiny — you can walk around it in a few minutes — but what people remember is the shore paved with glossy round black stones, without a single grain of sand. It looks like no other beach in this area. The island sits in Tarutao National Park, Satun province, near Koh Adang and Koh Rawi, just a short longtail ride from Koh Lipe.
A glossy black stone beach with no sand
The name "Hin Ngam" means "beautiful stones," and the stones really are. They're smooth, rounded pebbles in dark grey-black, polished glossy by thousands of years of waves washing over them. The stones range in size from a fist to a small pumpkin and cover the whole shore. When a wave rolls in and coats them in seawater, the sunlight catches them and they shine instantly — that's when they look their best, and a lot of people time their photos for exactly when the stones are wet.
What makes it special is that the island has almost no sand — just these stones ringing the whole shore. Walking on them takes a little care because the surface is slippery, especially where a wave has just passed; grippy shoes help a lot. The water around the island is very clear, so you can see the stones underwater plainly, which makes for a backdrop that photographs well without much editing.
Best time for photos
The stones shine most when wet — try waiting for a wave to wash over them, then shoot. Or go for the softer light of early morning or late afternoon rather than harsh midday sun. Watch your footing while moving for an angle, walk slowly, and don't set valuables down on stones near the waterline.
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The curse legend — why you can't take stones home
The most-repeated story about Koh Hin Ngam is the belief that every stone on the island carries a curse from the Tarutao spirit, forbidding anyone from taking them off the island. Whoever takes a stone home is said to run into bad luck until they find a way to send it back. The legend says the Tarutao spirit set this curse to protect the island's beautiful stones and keep anyone from carrying them away.
Another version is a love story between a mermaid and a young man. When the man was killed by pirates, the mermaid's tears turned into the black stones that cover the whole island — which is where the belief that the stones are sacred and shouldn't be taken comes from. Whichever version you believe, the takeaway is the same: look and take photos, but don't carry stones home.
More concrete than the legend is the fact that the island is in a national park, so removing stones or any natural resource is illegal anyway. Park rangers say that every year a fair number of people mail stones back, because they felt uneasy after taking one. The short version: whether it's the curse or the rules, just leave the stones where they are.
Rules on Koh Hin Ngam
Besides not taking stones, the park now also bans stacking stones into cairns (stone stacking), because it disturbs the ecosystem and scatters the stones. Violators can be fined. You can photograph the stones as they lie naturally, but don't rearrange or pile them up.
Which snorkeling route includes Koh Hin Ngam
Koh Hin Ngam isn't a place people take a boat to on its own. Most visit it as part of an inner-zone snorkeling tour, where longtail boats loop around the islands close to Koh Lipe. A standard inner-zone program stops at around 4–5 points, such as Jabang Channel, Koh Hin Ngam, Koh Yang, Koh Adang, and Koh Rawi. Koh Hin Ngam is usually a spot to walk and take photos on the stone beach rather than a main snorkeling point. The standout snorkeling spots are Jabang Channel, with its pretty purple soft coral, and Koh Yang, with healthy hard coral.
- Jabang Channel — the best snorkeling spot in the inner zone, purple soft coral throughout the channel, deeper water than the others
- Koh Hin Ngam — walk up to photograph the round black stone beach and hear the curse legend
- Koh Yang — several kinds of hard coral, plenty of fish, shallow and easy snorkeling
- Koh Adang–Koh Rawi — stop to swim at the white sand beach and break for lunch
The inner-zone tour uses longtail boats and takes about 4–5 hours, leaving from the beach at Koh Lipe. It suits people who want to snorkel without going far. If you'd rather have islands that are farther out with deeper water, there's a separate outer-zone tour — but Koh Hin Ngam is mainly on the inner-zone route.
How to get there and tour prices
The easiest way is to book an inner-zone snorkeling tour from a tour shop on Koh Lipe. There are several operators offering both private charters and group joins. A group-join tour runs about 500–700 THB per person, depending on the operator and the season. A private longtail charter for the whole boat is around 1,500–2,500 THB, depending on the number of stops and how you negotiate. Prices usually don't include the park entry fee, so check clearly before booking.
Koh Hin Ngam is in Tarutao National Park, so there's a park entry fee: around 40 THB for a Thai adult and 20 THB for a child, and around 200 THB for a foreign adult and 100 THB for a child. The ticket is valid for several days during your stay. Some tours include the park fee, others have you pay it on the spot — ask clearly when you book.
- Inner-zone group-join snorkeling tour ~500–700 THB/person · longtail boat, 4–5 hours
- Private longtail charter ~1,500–2,500 THB/boat, depending on the number of stops and negotiation
- Tarutao park entry fee Thai adult ~40 THB · foreign adult ~200 THB (valid for several days)
- Most tours provide a snorkel mask; ask if you need a life jacket or fins
Sample trip — inner-zone snorkeling with a Koh Hin Ngam stop
Inner-zone snorkeling tour
Lunch break + swim
Back to Koh Lipe
When you can go and a few honest heads-ups
The thing to know before you plan: Koh Lipe and the surrounding islands open by season. The visiting window is the dry season, roughly mid-November to mid-May. Once the monsoon hits, around May to October, the sea gets rough with high waves, many snorkeling boats stop running, and a lot of accommodation and shops on the island close. Tarutao park itself also closes some islands during this period for safety. If you're thinking of coming late in the season, check ahead carefully.
- Before every snorkeling tour, check the weather and sea conditions — on rough days boats may skip the trip or cut stops. Safety comes first.
- Don't take stones, and don't touch or step on coral — coral is a living thing and can die if stepped on or struck by a fin. Float well above the reef.
- Take your trash back with you — these tiny islands have no bins, so put bottles and bags in your pack and dispose of them on Koh Lipe.
- Food and supplies on the island cost more than on the mainland because everything is hauled across the sea — you can bring your own water and snacks.
- If you're not a strong swimmer, keep your life jacket on the whole time, listen to the guide about deep spots and currents, and don't drift away from the group.
Plan the full Koh Lipe trip — hotels, beaches, and island-hopping snorkeling tours
See the Koh Lipe travel guide →