Koh Jum in Southern Thailand, perfect for budget travelers trying to avoid crowds

When people think about Thailand beaches and islands they probably think of places like Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, or Koh Phangan - which are all wonderful places but are (when the world is functioning normally) really busy and sometimes even overrun with tourists. The beaches are always going to be crowded unless you go during off season or are on one of the less desirable beaches. This doesn't appeal to me very much and I think most people feel the same way.

There are a few islands that are lessor known that are a little more complicated to get to, but if you are looking to be in a place that isn't ever going to be overrun with tourists and you can definitely find peace and quiet, Koh Jum might be the right island for you.

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Many people refer to it as Koh Jum Island but that is just silly and I am going to teach you something to help you not look like an idiot if you are ever around Thai people. "Koh" in Thai means "island" so if you say Koh Jum Island you are essentially saying Jum Island Island. So just say Koh Jum. It is also spelled Jam a lot of times but it is pronounced Jum.

Lesson over!

The island is located about a one hour boat ride from Krabi and can be accessed from many piers but the easiest and most accessible are Krabi and Koh Lanta (not Koh Lanta Island:) ) This is also a pretty exciting journey because since Koh Jum doesn't have a large pier, many of the traveler boats can't actually dock there.

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Therefore, it will probably be necessary for you to climb off of a big boat into a longtail boat that will take you directly to the beach in the resort or bungalow operation that you have booked with. It is pretty essential to have a booking here because if the bungalow doesn't know that you are coming, they wont actually be out there to pick you up and you will have to pay some other boat to transport you in. Plus the bungalows you are planning to go to might be full. The various operations are quite spread out so turning up on Jum without a booking is NOT a good idea.

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The accommodation is extremely varied on the island ranging from basic bungalows made out of bamboo that can be acquired for $5 to $10 a night all the way to massive villas in a gated complex with private swimming pools for $600 a night. I am something in-between those two things and normally ended up staying in something like what is pictured above. These cement and wood buildings are normally around $20 a night and are very comfortable.

No matter where you stay, every operation there is beachfront, so you will not be staying far from the sand, regardless of your nightly rate.

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The beach is always calm there, so this is not surfing destination by any means but it does have that clear aquamarine water that everyone loves pretty much year round. Private boats can be rented for about $30 for a half day and the guide can take you to snorkeling locations or great places to do some fishing. Or you can just hang out in the shade (or the sun on the sand) while ordering cocktails or beers from the bar and restaurant that every single operation I have been to has.

There are some things to look out for and make sure of before you go and not doing so might make your stay less than awesome.

• Mainland electricity came to the island about 8 years ago or so (I don't remember exactly) but many of the cheaper operations opted to not get connected to the grid and instead run off of their own generators. These places normally will not have any electricity during certain times of day and this usually includes all night long. For people like me who need at least a fan for sleeping comfort, this can be a very inconvenient situation, obviously there will also be no light at all, which can be a bit scary.
• Some the beach areas are very rocky which means that the water immediately in front of your bungalows might be almost unusable. I don't know about you but my feet do not like trudging over sometimes sharp rocks in order to get into waist deep water
• There aren't many roads on the island at all and the ones that do exist are very dodgy so moving around to the island's attractions can very well be an exercise in futility or a really long walk. Some places do offer motorbike rental but unless you are very experienced, I highly recommend you do NOT do this.

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For the right kind of traveler this could be the perfect place. Due to a relative lack of development this island remains kind of quaint and far less crowded than many other more popular islands all over the country. It is a bit of a "captive audience" type place though. It is a half-day affair to get on or off the island so you should probably make certain that this isolation is the sort of thing you are looking for before you go.