Situated on either side of a large concrete bridge at the point where the river meets the sea, Klong Chao Beach (or Klong Jao) is generally regarded as the tourist centre of the island, with its mixture of bungalows, guesthouses and backpacker rooms on the river and inland or fabulous upscale resorts by the sea.
At its northern end, there are a couple of restaurants and shops, a bar and cafe out over the water and even some live music but everything is very low key, so there are no sarong sellers or massage beds, tattooists or ticket sellers, just a nice laid back atmosphere.
The beach is one of the Koh Kood‘s finest with a long stretch of powder sand and calm, blue waters and it is within easy walking or kayaking distance of those guesthouses back on the river.
Overall, Klong Chao Beach has become a popular choice for travelers on a budget or for those wanting high end accommodation on the beach and given its position, it makes a great base to explore the island itself.
Northern End | Central Area | Inland to the Waterfall | Southern End
Northern End – Klong Chao Beach
At the northern end, Tolani Resort occupies the headland, cut off from the main action by a small sea channel which in turn leads upriver to the central bridge and beyond into the mangroves.
Opposite Tolani, shortly after the sandbar, Peter Pan Resort starts the row of resorts on the actual beach, with Wendy the Pool, High Season and Tinkerbell Privacy completing the luxury hotel set all the way down to the southern end.
The river behind Peter Pan Resort is flanked by their wide range of rooms with the small resort, Little White Bird squeezed in at the end. On the opposite bank, the old style wooden fishing house Doy Homestay has cheap rooms and also rents out SUPs and kayaks.
The small bungalow resort, Mark House, sits by the bridge, its wooden jetty home to TJ Boat Trip, speedboats for day trips to Koh Rang. Beyond that, the other guesthouses of Klong Jao Homestay, Ta Yai Homestay, Mangrove Bungalows and Cozy House line the river as you head upstream, with only mangroves as company on the other bank.
Central Area – Klong Chao Beach
Heading north towards Tolani Resort from the central bridge, past the minimart, the main road hugs the water passing the pharmacy and then the cheap restaurant, Cowboy – noodles and a cooked to order short menu.
Around the corner, look out for Tawan, the live music venue and late night bar, which is perched up on the hillside. Opposite it, there’s the tiny I-Yar restaurant and the wooden walkway entrances to Sunset Bar and Viewpoint Cafe, two converted stilt houses with fabulous sunset views out over the inlet and the sandbar. At the far end, Tolani Resort has its own cafe, Chugga on the grass at the bottom of the hill.
This marks the end of Klong Chao and the road now leads north towards the island’s administrative areas in Hin Dam together with its hospital and police station, to Ao Tapao Beach and to the waterfall at Klong Yai Kee. This route also links to the Koh Kood fishing village on the eastern side, Ao Salad, home to the arrival and departure pier for boats from the mainland, with the ancient trees and third waterfall, Huang Nam Keaw deep in the forest along the way.
Heading south away from the bridge, the road passes Mark House followed by the tiny Siri (noodles, in soup or dry, weekends only) and then the traveller bungalows of Mermaid House, which is run by Koh Kood Divers. Their actual dive shop is next door.
The entrances to those deluxe beach resorts, Peter Pan, High Season and Tinkerbell are opposite with Little White Bird accessed by the bridge. In amongst them, you’ll find BB Divers office (their couple of dorm rooms behind), the bistros Kmonlos and Sea Dog and one of the island’s few ATMs.
Heading Inland
By taking a left turn at the crossroads, you go behind Mermaid, passing the tiny diner, Thai Kitchen and the entrances to those guesthouses on the river, Klong Chao Homestay, Ta Yai Homestay, Mangrove Bungalows and Cozy House.
Continuing inland along the little lane, there are now a few places to stay – Ban Rim Len (smart, new concrete chalets), Home Koh Kood (modernist cubes) and Koh Kood Good Time by Jasmin (old style bamboo huts). ChalaOne, another quick and easy Thai diner is at the start, the night market complete with its beer garden and live music at Slowbar sits in the middle and King Coco Bar at the end. SUP Point, stand-up paddle boards and kayaks for both rent and with tuition, also has its base here.
Klong Khangkhao, Klong Chao Waterfall
The road now reaches the area known locally Klong Khangkhao and just before the small bridge, a small track leads to Mata Guesthouse with its handful of rooms, Koh Kut Nature Camp (tents) and the Nature Trail for Khao Ruerab (Battleship Mountain), itself a gentle 45 minute walk through the forest.
The restaurant, Aroi and the popular bar, Bartist are next up as you arrive at the little grassy area, where Prik and Fire Restaurant has a prime spot. Turn left past that for Klong Chao waterfall, one of the island’s best natural attractions, with the cute seafood and hotpot restaurant, Ploy Mook, the two bungalows of Baan Penseng and then the bungalows of Baan Sangchang along the way.
Alternatively, if you instead go straight on by following the narrow concrete path, you pass The Memory, a small bungalow operation, with PD Guesthouse, perhaps the most popular backpacker spot on the island, opposite. Ari Homestay is a few metres further on
Continue on again and you arrive at Boonsiri’s resort Jungle Koh Kood, with its swimming pool, raised walkways and wooden cabanas and beyond that, the bungalows of Coco Camping. They also run a small Muay Thai school. Shortly afterwards, set back among the trees, a large traditional Thai style wooden house serves as the homestay, Forestel. Living up to its name, Pu Ya Deep Forest Homestay is set back in the trees nearby. The road meanwhile carries on past a few more locals’ houses until hitting a dead end.
The Southern End
Back at the crossroads by Mermaid House and Koh Kood Divers, a right turn brings you to the southern end of the beach at Tinkerbell Privacy. From here, you can walk all the way back along the strand to the sandbar at the other end, though it is not possible to cross the water to Tolani Resort on the other side, even at the lowest of tides.
The road, meanwhile, climbs a steep hill away from Klong Chao, with a sharp turn halfway up which leads to a school and the fabulous views at Good View Cafe. You can also access this up by traipsing up the steep steps at the very end of the beach.
Passing the popular open-air Nuch Leuang Seafood and the diner Home Koh Kood opposite, the route now heads out down the west coast to the central beaches at Ngamkho Beach and Bang Bao Beach, the south west beaches and ultimately to Ao Yai, the second of the island’s fishing villages, over in the far south eastern corner.
UPDATED May 26 for 26/27 Season
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