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6. Riding down the spine of Ko Samet

Riding down the spine of Ko Samet

Find the hidden beaches
Published/Last edited or updated: 5th October, 2021

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If you want to make the most of Ko Samet, buy the national park tickets and head south down the seven-km spine of this stingray-shaped island. You could stay at one of the more isolated resorts for extended serenity, or do as we’ve done more than once and roll down the lengthy southern tail on two wheels. If you make it to the remote spots, watch out for the red ants.

Travelfish says:

For us, a bicycle is the ideal vehicle for beach hopping on mid-size islands like Ko Samet. Most of the grades aren’t too steep, and anyway, we can certainly use the exercise when reaching the hillier terrain.

We hold up our tickets at the national park gate and barely catch a glimpse of bustling Haad Sai Kaew as we pass the ugly concrete hotels built in decades past. We roll down to Ao Hin Khok, where most of the old fan-cooled huts have been replaced by concrete rooms, before wheeling by the trendy resorts and bars of Ao Phai. Our wheels splash into a mud puddle where banyan-tree roots have diced the pavement up into puzzle pieces.

The lane turns inland and we soon hang a left to avoid heading straight across the island to the swanky beach resorts at Ao Phrao. Pedaling south through rolling terrain blanketed in some of the jungle that Thai authorities managed to protect as part of Khao Laem Ya - Mu Ko Samet National Park, we descend beyond the turnoffs for Ao Tubtim, Ao Nuan, Ao Cho and Ao Wong Duean. Each of these beaches are worth visiting, but on this day we seek the more distant of Ko Samet’s sands.

Some 40 minutes after setting out we reach Ao Loong Dam, a beach of khaki sand broken up by boulders as large as economy cars. Named after a certain “Uncle Black” who settled here last century, we’re told, Ao Loong Dam is one of the only spots left on Ko Samet where you’ll find a backpacker vibe that hasn’t changed much since the 1990s. ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 900 words.)