Ko Kradan

Ko Kradan, named for its long plank-like shape, is a small island of about 2.4 square kilometres in the Trang group, some ten kilometres off the coast, almost entirely inside Hat Chao Mai National Park, with a long east-facing beach of very fine white sand and shallow clear water. It was named the world's best beach in one widely reported 2023 ranking, which brought a surge of attention to somewhere that has almost no infrastructure - a handful of resorts, no roads worth the name, no bank machine, limited electricity in places and very few shops. Reef lies off the northern and western sides and coral restoration work has been carried out on damaged sections. The island has hosted an underwater wedding ceremony on the reef each Valentine's Day for years, which is its other claim to notice. Boat access is seasonal and reduces sharply in the monsoon, when many places close. Facilities are genuinely minimal and visitors arriving with resort expectations from the rankings are the ones who are disappointed.

The landscape

• The main beach - long, east-facing, very fine white sand and shallow water.
• The reef - off the northern and western sides, with restoration work ongoing.
• The minimal development - a handful of resorts and effectively no infrastructure.
• The underwater wedding - the annual Valentine's ceremony on the reef.

When to go

November to April; boats reduce and much closes from May to October. Book accommodation ahead - there is very little of it.

Before you go

No bank machine, limited electricity, very few shops or restaurants outside the resorts - bring cash and essentials. A world's-best-beach ranking has raised expectations the island's facilities do not meet. Low-season closures are extensive.

Nearby

Ko Muk and the Emerald Cave are north; Ko Ngai and Ko Libong are close.

Key facts