Koh Jum is a small quiet island in the Andaman Sea, located between Krabi and Koh Lanta, and accessible only by boat. There is no ferry dock, however. The ferry from Krabi stops just off the island and is met by longtail boats. The luggage is tossed from the ferry to the longtail boats, followed by the passengers (not tossed, but there is a bit of unglamorous effort involved). It is little more than a long strip of beach dotted with small hotels. The beach is sandy, clean and full of shells. When we visited in January, we found it full of Swedish families enjoying the gentle surf, inexpensive beach resorts, and quiet.
Unlike some of the other nearby islands like Phi Phi and Lanta, Koh Jum does not have a commercial center full of tourist trinkets and western restaurants. There are small hotels, one or two larger resorts, and a number of bungalows on offer, ranging from $15 to $75 per night. You won’t find the high end resorts you might find on nearby islands, but you also won’t find the wild full moon parties (or at least, they are a bit milder on Koh Jum). We found it a perfect escape.
A treehouse at the rustic Freedom resort at the south end of Koh Jum
We enjoyed exploring the island by beach, and discovered the charming Freedom Hut Resort on the south end of the beach.
Treehouse bedroom at Freedom, Koh Jum
There were a several bungalows to choose from. One built on the rocks by the beach, another further back in the trees, and one spectacular one built IN a tree by the beach. They were kind enough to let us explore one day when they were between guests.
The treehouse bathroom at Freedom Hotel on Koh Jum, Thailand
The bungalows were rustic, but thought and care was put into every detail, like the sink in the treehouse.
A restaurant in Koh Jum offers fresh seafood.
Exploring the road (yep, pretty much just one road from north to south) we found some very welcoming restaurants serving the freshest seafood you could imagine.
Banana tree on Koh Jum
My office on Koh Jum
We could not have picked a better escape for our family. We took long walks on the beach, played cards, read books, and loved being unplugged for the duration of our stay. (When we stayed in January 2013, there was only one resort on the island with internet access. There may be more now.)
Frolicking in the Andaman Sea in Thailand
Did you use the mosquito net?
Always. 🙂
There is a road now that connects the mainland near Krabi with Koh Jum. You can also take a ferry from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi and then a speed boat directly to the westcoast of Koh Jum. (February 2018)
Oh wow! I hope that doesn’t change its character too much. Thanks for letting me know!
is CamperVan-Thailand legitimate?
If it is, where were you able to dump black water & refill w clean water?
We are due to drive a CamperVan-Thailand from Bangkok to Phuket & then thru malaysia into Signapore.
Will we be able to find dumping stations & restoring water for our CamperVan?
When we went, the infrastructure was just being created, so we were generally parking on hotel properties who did have clean water, but I’m not sure about the black water dumping. That’s a good question. I’ll see what I can find out.