Millions of people from around the world have visited Koh Lan, the popular island just 8km off the shore of Pattaya. However, very few of them -- I guarantee -- got to enjoy such stunning scenery like what you are seeing in some of the photos shown here.
Famed for its sandy beaches and clear water which is more inviting to swimmers and sunbathers than those of Pattaya and its neighbouring Jomtien area, Koh Lan sees boatloads of day-trippers from the mainland every day. Many of them explore the island on rental motorcycles, only to find that the beaches are crowded with fellow tourists. Little did they know that they could have those beaches virtually all to themselves as soon as the last ferry leaves the island. Much of Koh Lan remains peaceful until the first tourist boat from Pattaya arrives the next morning. Staying overnight is, therefore, a good way to appreciate the true charm of the island.
And that was what I recently did. As a result, not only did I get the chance to enjoy Koh Lan's beaches minus the crowds, I was also lucky enough to find a gorgeous part of the island most visitors never knew existed.
After joining a beach clean-up activity on Koh Lan jointly held by the Pattaya office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Ride Explorer website and several parties, including jet ski and beach restaurant operators, my friend Kuii and I woke up early the next morning to roam the island on two wheels. Kuii brought his own mountain bike, while I borrowed one from another friend. Rental bicycles, unlike motorbikes, are not available on the island. Some guesthouses may have bikes you can borrow but they tend to be in a bad shape. The beaches are separated by hills. You need a decent bike to get up and down the slopes safely.
From our guesthouse, we rode through the town. After a brief stop at a khao gaeng (curry & rice) shop for inexpensive breakfast. We continued southward to Hat Nuan, the beach at the southern tip of the island.
The road to Hat Nuan runs through a valley. As we stopped for a photo, Kuii suggested that we veered off the paved surface a bit. "Let's go take a picture from up there," he said, pointing to a small hill on the east side of the road. It was a brilliant idea and it led us to our accidental discovery of Koh Lan's best-kept secret.
On the slope, we noticed that a little further up the hill there were strips of plastic ribbons tied to shrubs. They can't be anything else but trail markers. Jackpot!
We followed the ribbons and found a double track which ran along the length of the hillside, parallel to the beach access road down below. Near the end of the dirt road, the trail forked. A hundred metres or so straight, the double track led to a lookout point from where we could get a bird's-eye view of Hat Nuan.
Backtracking to the fork, we rolled along the smaller trail down to the beach. It was 8.30am, but there was not a soul on Hat Nuan. I was so much in the mood for a refreshing smoothie but there was nobody at any of the stalls, despite the fact that mangoes, bananas and other fruits were all laid out as if the shops were ready to open.
I looked up Google Map and saw a trail on the hill on the other side of the access road. We followed the map and found more trail-marker ribbons. Unlike the previous hill, the tree-covered slope here was too steep for us to ride, so we pushed the bikes up. As we emerged out of the wood, we found ourselves on top of a breathtaking cliff overlooking the emerald green sea below. What you see in the photos is not as beautiful as the real thing. The trail led us further up the hill. Now it's even steeper but the spectacular view it offered made the effort more than worthwhile.
At the top sat a station with a tall antenna. We rode around the fence and found a small road paved with concrete blocks. From the digital map, we knew that if we went left we could reach Hat Samae where the beach-cleaning campaign had taken place the previous day. We were too tired for that and went right instead to get back to the town. I badly needed something to drink and at the time we started riding I saw some nice café on the town's south end.
We dropped by the first coffee shop we ran into. It happens that the father of the lady who runs the place was also a mountain biker. He told us that local riders use the trail regularly but in the opposite direction. The steep slopes we painstakingly pushed the bike up was meant to be ridden down. Well, now we know.
As we rode back to the guesthouse, we found that Koh Lan was now back to life. On the way, we were greeted by a songthaew driver and later by a motorcycle taxi rider. They were also mountain bikers, one of them told us he was the one who put the marker ribbons in place for a trail running competition that will take place at the end of the month. "It's a pity I didn't know you guys come," he said. "What you rode was the small loop. There's a larger one I would love to show you." Next time, bro.
Well, see you here again soon. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.
Pongpet Mekloy is the Bangkok Post's travel editor and a mountain bike freak.
Koh Lan, Pattaya
GPS co-ordinates: 12°54'24.49" N 100°46'28.89" E
Trail condition: Road, double track and single track.
Distance: This loop is around 4.2km. But of course, your actual ride distance depends on where you start your bike journey. We set off from our resort in the northeastern part of the island, which is 3.5km or so from the trailhead.
Getting there: The ferries to Koh Lan leave from Bali Hai Pier in South Pattaya many times a day, from 7am to 6.30pm. Most boats take you to Na Ban Pier on the east side of the island while a few go to another pier on Ta Waen Beach on the west side. So make sure you get on the right vessel and keep in mind that the last boat to Hat Ta Waen departs at 1pm. The ferry trip, which costs 30 baht per person each way, plus another 30 baht if you bring a bicycle (you pay as you board the boat), takes around half-an-hour. If you need a faster option, a speedboat ride will cut the travel time by half but will set you back 200 baht per trip.
Parking: You can leave your car in South Pattaya.
Food & drinks: On the island, you will find many restaurants, cafés and street food stalls.
What your family can enjoy while waiting: They can take a taxi to different beaches and choose the one they like best to swim and chill out.
Accommodation: There are many guesthouses and small resorts available on the island.
