With Koh Kood’s beautiful beaches found in every bay, it is easy to overlook its stunning interior with vast swathes of untouched rainforest, waterfalls, ancient trees and even a ship-like rock formation. All are free to visit.
Klong Chao Waterfall | Klong Yai Kee | Huang Nam Keaw | Sai Yai and Mayayuk Ancient Trees | Khao Ruearab (Battleship Mountain) | Coastal Walk – South West Beaches
Klong Chao Waterfall – Koh Kood Waterfalls
The principal waterfall on Koh Kood is Klong Chao Waterfall – Nam Tok Klong Chao, nam meaning water and tok meaning fall, located a few kilometres inland in the centre of the north west coast.
King Rama VI visited the waterfall in 1911 and gave it the royal name Anamkok in commemoration of Ong Chiang Lue, a Vietnamese King who took refuge in the Kingdom of Siam during King Rama I’s reign in the late 18th century.
It is accessed by following the small road that starts behind the Klong Chao Beach riverbank guesthouses, crossing the bridge and then heading inland until you reach the grassy area just, with Bartist on the right.
From there, a left turn takes you past a couple of little restaurants and then Sanchang Bungalows before arriving at the parking area. An easy ten minute walk through the forest brings you out at the falls themselves. With three tiers and a good plunge pool for cooling off, it is a lovely spot to rest up, but do take drinks and food as there are no kiosks. You could leave a small donation if you want in the pot.
It is certainly possible to walk the whole way, a few kilometres, and there are no real hills to worry about if you cycle. Thai group tours tend to visit in the afternoon.
Klong Yai Kee Waterfall – Koh Kood Waterfalls
The second of the Koh Kood waterfalls is in the north west of the island at Klong Yai Kee.
To get there from the centre, head out from Klong Chao Beach going north, up the hill past Tolani Resort following the route all the way past the police station and hospital until the crossroads after the petrol station. Take a right here. After a hundred metres, you have a choice at the general store.
If you go straight on, you end up at Klong Mad, where you will find a a right turning just before Suanya Resort, signed for the waterfall. Follow this road until you reach another left to Bann Makok. The waterfall parking area is just along here.
Or back at that general store rather than go straight on, take a right and follow the road past Tontawan and Little Wooden Hut until you reach another general store with a restaurant behind. Bear to the left, ignoring the straight-on option signed for Makayuk-Saiyai, see below.
After a few kilometres on this main road (to Ao Salad), the left turning, signed for the falls, is clearly visible. Follow this until you reach the same turning to Bann Makok as above, only this time you are coming from the other direction, so you now need to turn right into it.
Like Klong Chao waterfall, entrance is free and there are no drinks or food kiosks.
Huang Nam Keaw Waterfall – Koh Kood Waterfalls
Inland off road to Ao Salad
Hidden as it is deep in the interior beyond the ancient trees (see below), the third of the Koh Kood waterfalls, Huang Nam Keaw, was formerly known as the secret waterfall. However, it lost that moniker when the old trail from the main road has been widened into a super-highway and accompanying wide gravel track, complete with visitor centre and car park at the end.
Once you get there – it’s about 5 kilometres – the falls themselves are off to the right and they too now have decent access steps down the rocky hillside to reach the bottom. Depending on the time of the year, it may be possible to clamber over the huge boulders towards the top, where there is a small plunge pool.
Run by locals who have lived there all their lives, there is a cute little restaurant and even a homestay, 2 rooms at 500bt a night.
See the directions immediately below on how to get to the ancient trees, with the waterfall straight on after the path to Mayayuk.
Sai Yai and Mayayuk Ancient Trees
Inland off the main road to Ao Salud
Koh Kood is host to two stunning ancient makka trees of an age somewhere between 200 and 500 years old.
To reach the trees, after leaving Klong Chao Beach, follow the road past the hospital and the petrol station until the crossroads. At these crossroads, take a right and shortly afterwards, turn right again at the general store.
Once on this road, follow it for a few kilometres until you reach another small shop at a fork in the road. Here, take the straight-on option with the blue sign for Makayuk-Saiyai. Again, carry on straight until you see the wide new road on the right, the turning you want.
Follow this road right to the end and you will see small signs for the two trees, the first, Sai Yai is easily found down the track on the right and the second, Makayuk, is further into the forest, about another 5 minutes.
Khao Ruearab (Battleship Mountain)
Inland in Ngamkho Beach or at end of trail from Klong Chao
Khao Ruearab (Battleship Mountain) is a rock formation found in the forest behind Ngamkho Beach.
Shortly after the back of S Beach Resort and immediately by the village that sits on the estuary – look out for the diner Black Bananas – a wide paved road, clearly signed for Khao Ruearab, marks the spot to turn in.
Leaving Far East Resort and Baan Suan Maprao behind, the route leads off through the rubber trees, passing Baan Suan Nai on the corner and then the unmissable Pink Kangaroo, an Aussie owned cafe. Follow it for another few kilometres deep into the forest and you’ll arrive at the car park. The two rocks are 100 metres away.
You can also walk here from the other direction by picking up the trail in the back of Klong Chao Beach at Klong Khangkhao. Head past Mangrove Bungalows and Cozy House towards Klong Chao Waterfall as above and after a couple of kilometres, a small turning on the right just before the bridge is the start of the trail. Mata Guesthouse is also found down here.
Towards the end of the trek, you reach a limestone rockface which you must skirt around to the right in order to get to the front of Khao Ruearab itself. Walking time is about 45 minutes.
Coastal Walk – South West Beaches
Another great walk along the coastline can be found by following the old road from Ao Phrao to Ao Klong Hin, see here for more details. Please note that this path is not being looked after anymore so it has become trickier to get through – best to ask locally before you set out.
UPDATED June 23 for 23/24 Season
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