Only around 6000 people are living on Ko Libong เกาะลิบง. They are mostly living from rubber farming and fishing, specialized in the trapping of black crabs and deep-sea blue crabs that breed in the mangroves. Not that many tourists arrive at this island in the Andaman Sea with some fishing villages and only a few guesthouses and hotels and no bank or ATM. It's the place for people seeking long strolls on lonely beaches, quiet nights and a splendid nature - nothing for party people. If you are lucky you will spot some timid mammals; the rare and endangered dugongs (sea cows), who find e protected living space in the mangroves on the East side of the island. Docile and gigantic, growing to a weight of about 300 kgs dugongs spend much of their lives devouring 20-plus-kilograms of sea grass daily in shallow waters. In Batu Bute on the southeast coast you may discover a community of Muslims living from fish catching. Leekpai bridge reaches into the sea, where you can climb a watch tower to see the sunset or watch out for the dugongs.
Leekpai bridge with the watch tower
Boat tours from neighbour islands for watching the dugongs have increased. That's a problem for the endangered species. Therefore marine officials and local residents have installed buoys off Koh Libong to demarcate the zone, as Bangkok Post reported. Residents and authorities were worried that noisy boat engines might disturb the animals and sharp propellers could endanger them further. Boats now have to stay outside the zone and turn off their engines. Before five dead dugongs had been found. The autopsy of a heavily-pregnant Dugong – whose decomposed carcass was found on November 26 in the sea – showed injuries that indicated it died after being run over by a speedboat while feeding on sea-grass, as The Nation reported.
There were more protection measures according to Victor Paul Borg: The idea was to set the number of tourists at the point where the burden of tourism on nature and culture should not been destructive. For Ko Libong the limit should be set at a maximum of 250 visitors daily — this means 200 people who stay on Libong itself and another 50 day-trippers. It is unclear, what happened to these plans.
Wood on Ko Libong
Every year in November and December Ko Libong is the scene of another natural event: Thousands of migrating birds from Siberia make a stop on their way to the South. And bird nest collecting has been a money-making activity for Ko Libong residents for hundreds of years. Lately the bird nest collectors of Libong helped to save the children in Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai, as The Nation reports.
Where to stay on Ko Libong
Haad Lang Kao is the best known beach, where you can swim during flood time, while the beach shows its rocky face during ebb. Here you find some resorts.
Mythra Mahasamuthra: The name Mythra Mahasamuthra means "Friend of the Ocean". A two storey house with four rooms. No A/C but windy and not hot at all hot according to very good reviews on tripadvisor.com.You can take part in local living, for example go out fishing with the fishermen or do some local cooking. They also have a small beach front cafe and make their own bread, wood fire oven pizza or seafood. See their Facebook Page.
Room decorated in Muslim style
The room view
Andalay Beach Resort: theroamingcook.com reports, that he got outstanding curries at their restaurant.
See more pictures of Andalay Beach Resort on Instagram.
Libong Nature Beach Resort: The resort with 12 basic rooms in bungalows was involved in an Thai-Swedish ecotourism-project in Trang province many years ago. “Aside from involving the local community, we have also implemented simple ecological practices,” explained co-owner Anita Sriprasidh-siaw according to Victor Paul Borg. “For example, we only use glass water bottles, we use wash-water for plants, and we recycle all waste.” The resort offers Dugong/ watch expeditions.
Libong Sea Breeze: Situated in the jungle, a 10-15 minute walk to the beach according to theroamingcook.com.
Libong Relax Beach Resort: Some bungalows right on the beach. You need a mosquito net around the bed for sleeping, as the room walls and floor have cracks and the windows have no mosquito nets. Behind the bungalows is a muddy lagoon, where monkeys are swimming. Quite good reviews on tripadvisor.com.
Chandra de Libong Resort: This Bed&Breakfast lies quite isolated on the east cost.
How to get to Ko Libong
From Trang town you take a bus to Hat Yao Pier (around 45 minutes). From here there are boats around every two hours to Baan Maphao pier on Ko Libong. You can book private transfers as well. There are also ferries from Chao Mai and Kantang to Ko Libing. Other ferries connect Ko Libing with Ko Muk and Ko Sukorn.
During the rainy season it is not always possible to reach Ko Libong by boat.
See more pictures of Ko Libong on instagram.
Read about neighbouring islands:
Ko Kradan กระดาน
Discover Koh Mook เกาะมุก and Emerald Cave
Ko Sukorn เกาะสุกร