It looks like something out of Jurassic Park.Ĭovering about 390sq km between the busy tourist island of Phuket and the coastal province of Krabi, Ao Phang-Nga is one of Thailand's largest marine reserves. As the longtail boat skips over the waves, seabirds skim low through the spray kicked up by the boat's buzzing motor and patches of mist drift across the prow.Īhead a chain of spiky islands shrouded in dense foliage and spidery clouds rises from the ocean. Koh Yao Noi Homestay Club has a number of eco-friendly rental options ().Ī rosy-red sun is rising above the bay of Ao Phang-Nga. Homestay Club Homestay accommodation is basic, but the experience of staying with a family is unique. Other highlights include a restaurant where you can feel the sand between your toes (from $180 ). Smart bungalows overlook a private beach. In the northeast of the island, Paradise Koh Yao resort is the best escape on Ko Yao Noi. On the street, mopeds clatter past and children wave from the backs of pick-up trucks, while in the fields beyond the village, evening shadows fall across the rice paddies and rubber trees.įrench flair and Thai flavours combine at the village restaurant Je t'Aime, where you can down proper pastis (French aniseed liqueur) before tucking into Thai-spiced lobster or a classic massaman curry (mains from $A7.50). She ducks into a market stall, where local women are dyeing sarongs in a rainbow of tropical colours. We want to hold on to what makes our island special our culture, our history, our way of life." "We've seen the way the other islands have changed over the years," Su says, as she strolls through the streets of the main village, "and we've decided that we don't want that here. The rest of the accommodation is in homestays, where guests are invited to join in with everyday life and experience the island through local eyes. There are just a few small resorts, mostly dotted around the southern cape. Its strong sense of community and laid-back pace of life also make it an ideal place to escape. ![]() Ko Yao Noi is governed by a group of ancestral elders known as pu yai ban and each of the seven districts has an equal say in major decisions that would affect the wider island. ![]() In many ways, the island owes its survival to its traditional democratic structure. Everyone knows everyone else and we all look after each other." "The whole place is really like one big family. ![]() "This is how Thailand's islands used to be," explains Su Potpradit, who manages the development of sustainable tourism on Ko Yao Noi. Water buffalo and wild cockerels roam among the palms and banyans, while farmers dry sheets of freshly tapped rubber under the trees. Much of the land is still covered by tropical forest. Empty beaches fringe the shoreline, hemmed in by cliffs and coconut trees. ![]() The island 12km long, more than 9.5km wide and home to about 4000 people has consciously resisted the development that has run rampant on many of Thailand's islands. In many ways, Ko Yao Noi has been trapped in time. Apart from a couple of shacks lodged beside the harbour, there doesn't seem to be another building or tourist in sight. Sinewy men, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, unload boxes of supplies into the waiting trucks, while locals greet their families and clamber into one of the spluttering tuk-tuks lined up alongside the quay. The first ferry of the day has just docked at Ko Yao Noi ("Little Long Island") and it seems like half the island has turned out to greet it. THERE'S a magical country to discover away from the tourist throngs, writes Oliver Berry.
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