Ibrahim Jabbari
Most of the small resorts on Koh Libong stand on Lang Kao Beach, with its many swings hung beneath the lava-red leaves of umbrella trees.
When swimming becomes difficult because of low-tide rocks, visitors can explore a diverse topography of farmland, jungle, savannah, mangroves and karst.
From the top of a five-story purple tower in quaint Batu Bute, gaze at the island’s gold-topped mosque and look for Libong’s most beloved residents: the dugongs.
Amid the mangroves and sea grass of Libong Wildlife Sanctuary, kayakers might have a close encounter with some of the last of roughly 200 dugongs, gentle relatives of the manatee, alive in Thailand.
Family-run Libong Beach Resort offers dugong-spotting tours and simple yet romantic bungalows.
Getting there: Hat Yao pier in Trang province services the local ferries.
