Nestled between the very popular tourist hubs of Phuket and Ao Nang, Krabi, lie two islands that are still unspoiled by mass tourism, Koh Yao Noi, and it’s even more pristine, bigger sister, Koh Yao Yai.

On both islands, the population is almost exclusively Muslim. Because of this, the hedonistic party-oriented tourists that litter more popular islands likely don’t even know these paradises exist.

I recently spent a week on Koh Yao Yai, where unhurried locals and all varieties of wildlife made for a blissfully relaxing escape from the rest of the world. I’d waited eagerly for the chance to travel here after visiting Yao Noi four years prior.

The beach photos in this collection are from Laem Haad, one of the most incredible stretches of sand I’ve set foot on, powder white, and endlessly photogenic.

This is also where I discovered mudskippers for the first time in my life. They are a rare breed of fish that can survive 2 days above water and are found here toward the mudflat areas of the beaches. Alien-like in appearance, their eyes move independently of each other and seem to be a link between fish and reptiles.

Koh Yao Yai is still a hidden paradise, but with construction and ‘For Sale’ signs not a rare sight, I wonder how long it will remain one of Thailand’s best kept secrets.

I hope you enjoyed the travel essay to Koh Yao Yai.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments and you can see more of my photography over on my Instagram page.