Camping in Ko Adang

I have never been an enthusiastic camper, much preferring the comfort of an en suite toilet in a chalet or hotel room.

So it came as a surprise to myself that I had actually enjoyed camping in Adang more than sleeping in the chalet in Lipeh or even Tarutao.

As the ranger station is the only chalet operator in Adang and Tarutao, advance reservation is necessary in order to secure a room. We were lucky to get a room in Tarutao when we arrived. But Adang's chalet was fully booked.

The camping ground in Adang is very pleasant, under the shade of casuarina trees, right beside the white sandy beach. Corals and fishes are relatively plentiful along part of the long stretch of beach. So you are practically almost jumping off from your tent to the corals without having to hire any boat. During sunset and sunrise, you can also admire the flaming red or orange sky cast by the sun from the tent.

The camping area is very large, and campers are free to pitch their tent anywhere within the camping ground without having to stay too close to other campers. Unfortunately, our tent turned out to be a crappy one when it started raining during the 2nd night, as rain water leaked through. That was the end of our camping.

But after spending one unsatisfactory night in a chalet at nearby Lipeh, we found ourselves back to the camping ground in Adang. Except that we opted for a more luxurious tent set in a coconut hut that comes with thin mattresses and light bulb. And the beautiful beach is just right in front, a few steps away. Five star camping, I would say.