Koh Yao Noi

When I was planning my trip to Thailand, I naturally wanted to enjoy a bit of the sea too. But choosing an island in Thailand that isn't besieged by tourists in high season is quite a problem. Any peace and quiet in areas like Phuket, Krabi, Ko Samui or Ko Lipe is simply unthinkable. Fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, an enormous number of hotels and bungalows have sprung up here, so these are now places that live almost entirely off tourism.

Since I try to find some compromise between a country's authenticity and tourist comfort, this time my choice fell on the lesser-known island of Koh Yao Noi. It's a place near well-known Phuket and Krabi, so I got here fairly easily and stayed on the eastern side of the island. I had a beautiful view of the rocky formations that rise from the sea right near Krabi.

I stayed in a pleasant apartment right by the beach. The family who lives here owns several cabins and a restaurant. You can also rent a scooter or a bicycle from them. Even though it was about a kilometre from Tha Khao Pier (where there are a few shops and restaurants), I lacked for nothing. The beaches here vary. At many of them, the water recedes as much as half a kilometre from the shore at low tide. Elsewhere you can swim the whole time.

One day I rented a kayak and set off north along the shore. I watched the coastline, where every now and then a monkey or some other animal called out from the jungle, and after about half an hour I paddled up to a small beach that was essentially deserted. Generally it's no bad thing to make use of a kayak on this island. It lets you reach utterly silent, abandoned spots, or paddle out to little islets where, as they say, you won't meet a living soul. For the more experienced, there's even the option of paddling all the way to neighbouring Koh Yao Yai.

But the best way to explore the island is by scooter. Koh Yao Noi is small, so I managed to ride around all of it easily in a day. There are interesting beaches on the western side of the island too, and there are spots where I "stumbled upon" rice paddies with water buffalo, glimpsed the odd lizard or heron here and there, and, in the inhabited parts, refuelled at one of the little restaurants or at a stall in the local market. Even though the market was only tiny, it was still worth a look — to take a few shots here, have a spicy papaya salad, and carry on again.

I also took a look at neighbouring Koh Yao Yai. Its northern part is one giant sandy beach that stretches far out to sea at low tide, so I could walk along the sand and through the shallow warm water far from the shore. In hindsight, I think I should have stayed another two days or so and explored this island more. Koh Yao Yai is bigger and even less touristy. After three days, though, I had to continue on my planned route towards Krabi and Ko Lipe — but more on that some other time.

Tip 1: Try the local speciality called Massaman. It's a kind of cross between Thai and Arab cuisine, and I came across it for the first time right here. Just beware — it's usually quite spicy.

Tip 2: And while we're on the subject of food, definitely don't forget the wonderful spicy papaya salad, which is surely nowhere as good as it is right here in Thailand.

Tip 3: You'll find great spots for photography all over the island — from huge beautiful trees and white beaches to animals and rice paddies. I really enjoyed the coastline at low tide, which revealed all sorts of pools and rocks otherwise hidden beneath the surface, and elsewhere an old sunken boat or other treasures.

Gear: On this trip I was on the move a lot and kept relocating from place to place. So I needed to keep my gear to a minimum. I made do with a smaller DSLR, three lenses, a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera, a small tripod and the essential filters.