This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Trang.
Trang, Thailand, is on the western Andaman Coast of Thailand just north of the border with Malaysia and offers a great jumping off point to discover the tiny Trang islands. Trang Town is the transport hub in this area and offers good accommodation choices, too.
Trang town itself is a bustling little place known for its markets on Thanons Ratchadamnoen and Sathani. The night market in front of the train station is a great place to eat freshly cooked street food and there is a huge vegetarian food festival every year in October.
Trang is the place to catch transport or arrange transfers to the offshore islands. Most of these tiny islands are home to resorts only, but Ko Mook has a backpackers' hostel, and there are boats to a couple of the other islands from there. Ko Kradan, Ko Ngai, Ko Libong, and Ko Sukorn are all forest-clad jewels with beautiful beaches and a very peaceful ambiance. The backpacker hostels in Trang, Thailand, can organize trips or transport to any of these islands. If you want to visit independently, then catch a minivan from Trang to Pak Meng, from where you will be able to catch a boat to the islands.
Encompassing much of the coast and some of the offshore islands is the Hat Chao Mai National Park, based at the southern end of pretty Hat Chang Lang beach, south of Pak Meng. There is simple hut and camping accommodation at the park headquarters. Boat trips can also be organized here and you could be lucky to spot the very rare dugong, which inhabits the waters here, or barking deer, pangolins, sea otters, and langurs on and around the islands, and several bird species.
Trang town has a good selection of accommodation, and is a useful hub from which to base day trips out to the small islands. Backpackers will find a small selection of hostels in Trang, Thailand, from where boat trips can be arranged. Trang, Thailand hostels are located in different areas of town, so get directions before you arrive. Trang has good transport links with Hat Yai, Krabi, Phuket, Ko Lanta, and Surat Thani and long distance buses and trains as far as Bangkok.
Written by local enthusiast for Trang hostels
LondonroadMa