🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
The appeal of the Trang sea is that the islands are still quieter than the Phuket and Krabi side, which makes them perfect for an overnight stay. Once the day-trip boats head back to the mainland in the afternoon, a beach that was packed all day is basically yours by evening. This plan puts you on Koh Mook first, since it has the Emerald Cave and good beachfront stays, then moves you to Koh Kradan for the prettiest beach of the lot, and finishes with a snorkel stop at Koh Cheuk before you head back to shore. It suits anyone with three days who wants to do the sea without rushing.
Read this before you plan
This plan is built around sleeping on the islands, not a there-and-back day tour. Your main transport is a longtail boat or your resort's shuttle boat from Kuantungku Pier (Kantang district), which is closer to the island cluster than Pak Meng. Koh Cheuk is a snorkeling island that you can't stay on, so we treat it as a stop to snorkel along the way. And if you come during the monsoon (Aug-Sep), the Emerald Cave and some boat services may be closed, so always check before you book.
Trip Overview: 3 Days, 2 Nights
Before the day-by-day detail, here's the trip in short, set up to keep travel to a minimum and save you the hassle of moving stays more than once.
- Day 1 — From Trang town to Kuantungku Pier, boat across to Koh Mook, do the Emerald Cave in the afternoon, and stay the night on the beachfront at Farang Beach.
- Day 2 — Morning around Koh Mook, then move across to Koh Kradan late morning, swim off the white-sand beach, catch the sunset, and stay the night on Koh Kradan.
- Day 3 — Morning swim at Koh Kradan before the crowds, snorkel at Koh Cheuk on the way back, then boat to shore and into Trang town.
Book the activities in your Trang trip ahead
Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.
Day 1 — Into Koh Mook for the Emerald Cave
Day one is about getting onto the island and ticking off the headline sight, the Emerald Cave, in the afternoon as the tour boats start to filter out, so you slip through with fewer people around.
Trang Town → Koh Mook (Farang Beach)
Where to stay on Koh Mook
The Farang Beach option people mention most is Koh Mook Sivalai Beach Resort, sitting out on the headland with beaches on both sides and open views. High-season rooms run around 2,500-4,500 THB/night. To save money, there are guesthouses and local bungalows in Koh Mook village for roughly 600-1,200 THB/night. Book ahead for Nov-Apr, as rooms fill fast.
Day 2 — Move Over to Sleep on Koh Kradan
Day two makes the most of the morning on Koh Mook, then moves you across to Koh Kradan late morning so you arrive in time to swim the pretty beach and catch sunset on the island.
Koh Mook → Koh Kradan
Where to stay on Koh Kradan
Koh Kradan has resorts across a few price levels. The names people bring up are The Sevenseas Resort (the most upmarket on the island, high-season rates well into five figures THB), The Reef Resort, and Kalume Eco Boutique Resort for the conservation-minded. On the budget end there are bungalows and simple stays around 800-1,800 THB/night. There aren't many rooms on the island and they fill fast in high season, so booking several weeks ahead is the safer bet.
Day 3 — Koh Cheuk, Then Back to Shore
The last day catches Koh Kradan's beach in the morning before the tour boats come, then uses the ride back to shore for a snorkel stop at Koh Cheuk, which sits on the way. It's a good place to close the trip, with the best coral in the area.
Koh Kradan → Koh Cheuk → Trang Town
Straight talk on the boats
Island-hopping like this has no fixed scheduled ferry. Mostly you charter a longtail or rely on a resort shuttle boat. A small private boat between islands runs around 800-1,500 THB per boat, and the more people you split it with, the cheaper it gets per head, so it can be pricey if you're solo or a pair. To save money, ask your resort about shuttle boats ahead of time, or time it so a tour boat will drop you off along the way.
Rough Budget Per Person
Your budget depends on the level of stay and how many people split the boat. These are price ranges we've actually seen in Trang in 2026, fine for a rough budget, but confirm the exact numbers with your stay and the boatman.
- Shuttle/chartered longtail boats — around 1,000-2,500 THB/person for the whole trip, depending on how many split it. The bigger the group, the cheaper.
- 2 nights' stay (budget) — island bungalows/guesthouses around 800-1,500 THB/night, roughly 1,600-3,000 THB for both nights.
- 2 nights' stay (comfortable) — beachfront resorts around 2,500-5,000 THB/night, roughly 5,000-10,000 THB for both nights.
- Food per day — pricier on the islands than the mainland, averaging around 500-800 THB/person/day.
- Emerald Cave + Koh Cheuk boat — chartering a small boat for the snorkel stops, around 300-600 THB/person when split across a group.
How to keep costs down
The boat is the biggest variable on a trip like this. With 4-6 people, the per-head boat cost drops a lot. If you're solo or a couple, try to find a group to share a boat, or pick a stay that bundles the shuttle boat into the package, which makes the budget easier to control. Another route is to take a day tour out, then ask the boatman to drop you off to stay on the island, which some operators will do if you arrange it in advance.
When to Go and How to Prepare
The Trang sea has a monsoon closure, so an overnight island trip needs even more care over timing, because if the boats don't run you can get stuck on the island or fail to make it back to shore on plan.
- November-April — clear water, calm seas, boats running for sure. This is high season and the best time to stay on the islands, but rooms fill fast, so book ahead.
- May-July — rain starts but it's still doable, moderate swell, fewer people, and accommodation often cheaper.
- August-September — monsoon with strong swell, some resorts closed, the Emerald Cave usually shut around September, and boats may not run depending on the weather. Best avoided if you're staying overnight.
Packing for an island overnight
Convenience stores on the islands are few or nonexistent, so bring enough cash, your own medication, reef-safe sunscreen, a torch, and a power bank. Some islands have limited electricity at set hours and weak mobile signal, so set your expectations on the internet. Wear your swimsuit over from the mainland to save the hassle, and screenshot your booking confirmation in case the signal drops.
Prefer a there-and-back day with no overnight on the islands? See the all-in-one-day 4-island tour.
See the Trang 4-island tour →