Koh Muk Island

We were staying on Koh Muk island in the Southern part of Thailand. There is not much on this island, 3 resorts, a small village, 1 road and a bunch of coconut trees.

Arriving on the island

We were ok with that, as we were looking for peace and quiet. We found a cheap bamboo bungalow on the beach and set about enjoying our vacation.

My buddy on the beach all by himself

The staff of our bungalow asked if we had been to the Emerald Cave yet and gave us directions how to get there. We had to wait for the next morning so that we got the tide correct and set off for about a 45 minute kayak around the headland to the opening to the cave.

Our Map: From Charlie Bungalows to Morakot Cave

Our method of transportation

The entrance to the cave doesn't look like much and is fully submerged at high tide. When we arrived the sea was a little choppy and we were a bit unsure exactly what to do next. There was a pitch black hole in the side of a cliff with the ocean crashing against it. It couldn't have been more than 10 metres across and 1 metre high...could that be it?

The entrance does not look welcoming

Aerial View of the cave (image source:http://www.dronestagr.am)

So, we tied of our kayaks to a bouy and dived into the ocean. Luckily we are all strong swimmers. We headed for the hole. Once a few metres inside it became dark very quickly, then black, you could see nothing around you, if I put my hand up I could touch the top of the cave. I dived under but could not reach the bottom. It was quite an eerie feeling swimming through pitch blackness not knowing where you were headed.

What felt like an eternity was probably no more than 5 minutes as we turned a corner in the cave and got out first glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.

Light at the end of the tunnel

As we swam closer the light got brighter, the hole got bigger and began shifting from gold thru to green as the sun bounced off the water.

The emerald greens begin to show

In about another 20 metres we had arrived, our small tunnel now opened onto a vast inland beach completely closed off to the outside World. The cave was a sinkhole that opened to the sky and allowed the sun to stream in, tropical plants to grew on the foreshore and the water was the most amazing emerald green colour. We flopped on the beach for a moment and soaked it all in.

Our own private beach paradise

The pictures don't do justice to the beauty of this place. My images in this post were all taken nearly 10 years ago on a small pocket camera. They look like they were taken with a potato. I have shared some other better pictures also, but due to the difficulty getting in, not many high quality images exist.

Jumping for joy

If you get a chance I highly recommend that you try to visit the caves, you won't regret it!

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The Hidden "Emerald Cave" on Muk Island, Trang, is a Natural Wonder !