The Best Things to Do in Koh Jum, Thailand

Are you looking for a relaxed island in Thailand with long beaches and chilled village life? Koh Jum (or Ko Jum, sometimes also called Ko Pu) is located south of the provincial capital of Krabi and could be the perfect island for you! Find out what you can do on Koh Jum in this article.

➜ Quick tip: Where to stay on Koh Jum?
On Koh Jum, you will mainly find small bungalow resorts. Perfect for individual travelers if you want to fully enjoy island life with the great nature!
Find the best places to stay on Koh Jum*

Koh Jum: A backpackers’ island?

Originally, it was classic backpackers who found their way to Koh Jum. Tourism was not particularly developed, amenities such as a developed electricity network did not exist and accommodation was limited to a few simple bungalows.

Those days are long gone, even the mainstream has discovered Koh Jum – and yet the simple backpacker charm remained. The former gravel road, which forms the main traffic axis across the island, has now been asphalted. The bungalow resorts are somewhat larger and more comfortable, but you can still experience an authentic island feeling here. The atmosphere is generally super relaxed and the people are extremely warm and friendly.

Beaches on Koh Jum

If you love beaches as much as I do, you’ll get your money’s worth on Koh Jum. After my stay on the neighboring island of Ko Siboya, which I otherwise liked but doesn’t have particularly nice beaches, I was in heaven on Koh Jum. The Golden Pearl Beach, for example, is several kilometers long and partly deserted!

All beaches are located on the west coast of the island and therefore offer the most fantastic sunsets over the sea overlooking Koh Phi Phi.

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My favorite spots: Restaurants & Cafes on Koh Jum

At first glance, you might think that Koh Jum is a charming, yet somewhat sleepy island that doesn’t have any special hotspots. And yet I discovered one or two highlights that absolutely thrilled me!

Luboa Café

Formerly located in the village, Luboa Café has since moved a bit further into the middle of the countryside. The entrance is right on the street, but once you cross the large wooden gate, you end up in the middle of a jungle paradise! The Luboa Café serves the best coffee and an absolute rarity – freshly baked rolls made in-house every morning! So if you fancy a more western breakfast, you’ve come to the right place. But beware: the rolls are very popular and sell out quickly. It’s worth coming early.

Mr. Boy’s Café

Would you like to fish for your own dinner? That’s no problem at Mr. Boy: you can catch your squid from the pier on which the location is located and then have it freshly caught and prepared at Mr. Boy. I’m not so keen on squid and I also have my problems with fishing.

But the extraordinary vibe at Mr. Boy makes up for all that: the café on the wooden pier is a conglomeration of art gallery, restaurant, organic garden and hostel! Like everywhere else on Koh Jum, the atmosphere is absolutely chilled and the view of the calm water and the surrounding karst rocks does the rest.

Koh Jum: Relaxed evenings with panoramic view

If you are looking for excessive raves on the beach, the nightlife on Koh Jum will rather disappoint you. But with the Rock Bar at the end of Golden Pearl Beach, there is another extraordinary location on the island that will provide you with unforgettable evenings.

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On the one hand you can enjoy the free view of the most impressive sunsets, on the other hand the hidden spot between the rocks is unique. A cosy bar has been created from driftwood on several levels, where you’ll feel like you’re in a huge, cozy nest. The one or other cocktail in addition – and the vacation feeling is perfect!

Pure village life on Ko Jum

There are three villages on Koh Jum: Ban Ko Pu in the north, Ban Ting Rai in the middle and Ban Koh Jum in the south of the island. Koh Jum has a total of only 1000 inhabitants, the villages are correspondingly small. You won’t find big stores here, even ATMs are not available.

Life is simple, the people are all the more cordial and you quickly get into conversation, even if there are sometimes language barriers. Once a cab driver on his scooter overtook me, waved wildly and then almost slowed me down – only to show me the huge group of monkeys on the other side of the road, which was gyrating up and down the tree. And which, admittedly, were really cute. As a city kid who knows all the tricks of the trade, I immediately suspected some kind of scam, but it was actually just pure niceness.

Just like on Ko Siboya, locals wave to you on the street, ask where you’re from or are simply well-disposed. This also makes tourist life relatively carefree. In any case, I have always felt somehow in good hands.

While you have to worry less about things like pickpocketing in the rest of Thailand, my carelessness on Koh Jum has reached unimagined dimensions: While waiting for the next boat at the pier, I simply left my entire luggage including camera equipment at the roadside at a cookshop of an elderly lady on the day of departure and went to eat three houses away, because she unfortunately had nothing left and recommended me another stand. On Koh Jum everything no problem.

What I would also definitely recommend is to start your day with breakfast at one of these cookshops. Breakfast is not particularly worth mentioning in many simpler accommodations. Mostly they try to offer something western. This is often sweetly meant, but personally I can do without tasteless toast and prefer to stick to the local cuisine; and there’s plenty of options on Koh Jum.

Right next to my resort, for example, there was a really great street stall with all kinds of delicacies. Communication was a bit hands-on, but the warmth there blew me away again and I wondered why the site wasn’t full of tourists. If you also often have reservations about street food, just dare and trust your good sense! There, for example, they worked with the simplest of means, and yet everything was super clean and tidy.

What else you can do on Ko Jum

Koh Jum is not very big and with a scooter you can easily explore the island in one day. Most of the roads and paths are asphalted and the traffic is relaxed. If you prefer, you can also rent bikes from some roadside stores. Or you can take one of the scooter cabs. These are not really marked, but it is usually enough to stand on the side of the road and you will be approached as you drive past.

In the middle of the island there is also a viewpoint on the highest mountain of the island, Mount Pu, 422 meters high. If you don’t want to go it alone, you can also join a guided tour with a local guide.

The best accommodations on Koh Jum

I stayed at the Golden Pearl Beach Resort*. It was okay, but not very charming. Maybe you’ll be lucky and get one of the few bungalows right on the beach! Waking up in the morning and dipping your bare foot into the warm fine sand with your first step is unique. However, most of the bungalows are across the street and the scooter traffic makes it not quite as idyllic as it could be.

The OonLee Bungalows* are a bit more comfortable and closer to nature.

Arrival to Koh Jum

Koh Jum isn’t quite on the tourist radar yet, but getting there isn’t that complicated. There are several options from Krabi:

You can take a cab or songthaew or bus to the more distant Laem Kruad Pier to catch a boat to Mu Tu Pier on Koh Jum. This boat connection is used more by locals and for transporting goods, is cheap (120 baht) and personally I found the trips with it much more pleasant than on a packed speedboat.

From the more easily accessible Chao Fah Pier in the center of Krabi, you can take one of the speedboats that operate in the Andaman Sea during the high season from November to April. A ticket costs about 1500 baht.

There are also connections to Koh Jum from Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi or Phuket.

Tip: On 12go.asia* you can book not only boat tickets, but also complete connections with bus transfers to the nearest pier on the mainland!

When is the best time to travel to Koh Jum?

The best time to visit Koh Jum is from November to April. Outside of these months, the weather is sometimes worse and the boat connections are fewer, or are sometimes suspended due to the weather conditions. December and January are the peak season, popular accommodations can be fully booked. Therefore, early booking is worthwhile!

What do I need to consider when traveling to Koh Jum?

Koh Jum is really a sleepy, laid-back island with not much developed infrastructure. However, you can find everyday necessities in small stores. If you’re looking for accommodation close to nature and the bugs like you as much as they like me, it’s a good idea to have mosquito repellent with DEET ready from the outset. There are no ATMs on the island and credit cards are not accepted in many accommodations.

However, there are some stores that exchange Euros or Dollars; in the village of Ban Koh Jum there are also a few small travel agencies that will easily pay you cash for a fee of about 4% cash and charge your credit card; higher amounts are also possible. If necessary, you can also get cash on Koh Jum, contrary to the information in many travel guides.

Who is Koh Jum suitable for?

Partygoers will find Koh Jum rather boring; you will look in vain for clubs and all-nighters here. But if you are looking for relaxation, lovely people, endless beaches and laid-back island life, you won’t want to leave! Families with children are also very welcome here.