Ko Bulon Lee (Ko Bulone) – Thailand's Secret Island

Driftwood looks like a sculpture on Ko Bulon Lee's Beach. — Driftwood looks like a sculpture on Ko Bulon Leh’s Beach.

KO BULON LEH IN BRIEF

WHY GO: Ko Bulon Lee is the right Thai island for those looking for a mellow little island away from the tourist and traveler circuit.

WHY NOT: The island is far away, and it has very little else to do than to slack off on the beach.

BEST FOR

FAMILIES: Ko Bulon Leh is ideal for adventurous families, who are looking for a quiet little island and don’t mind a bit of traveling to get there. Ko Bulon Lee is small and peaceful, and the foreigners’ kids tend to make friends with the children of the island’s fishing village.

PARADISE ISLAND: Ko Bulon Leh is one of the least known islands in Thailand, yet it is one of the most beautiful.

FOOD: The surprise element in Ko Bulon Lae is the great food one can find in this small and remote island. For seafood lovers Ko Bulon Leh is a small culinary paradise, thanks to the ladies of the fishermen’s village, who cook exceptional seafood dishes from their husbands’ fresh catch of the day.

Ko Bulon Lee rewards those looking for an untouched island. — Ko Bulon Leh rewards those looking for an untouched island.

Tiny Koh Bulon Lee (also spelled Ko Bulone) is one of Thailand’s secret islands. Even most Thais have never heard of the island, which is located on the Andaman Sea between the Trang Islands and Ko Tarutao Marine Park.

There are no cars in this tranquil island, and everything is within walking distance; in the context of this island everything is hardly anything. The island has one beautiful, white-sand beach, a few rock bays, a fishing village, some orchards and a little bit of jungle.

You can live on a bungalow right by the sea amidst paradise-like scenery. The beach is long and white, and a few gray, gnarled driftwood logs lie on it like some works of modern art. Limestone islets of bizarre shapes rise on the horizon.

Orientation

Map of Ko Bulon Lee. — Map of Ko Bulon Leh.

The island has only one sandy beach, White Sand Beach, but it is all the more beautiful. The beach curves like a boomerang around a small peninsula, and the sand is soft and white.

Beside the White Sand Beach, Ko Bulon Lee has a fisherman’s village, orchards, some jungles and small rocky bays such as Panka Noi. The island is small enough to walk anywhere on the island.

Ko Bulon Leh’s Activities: Snorkeling

Ko Bulon Lee’s guesthouses organize fishing and snorkeling trips to nearby islands and islets such as White Rock. You can also try out snorkeling on Ko Bulon Lee’s own waters, for example, around the rocks next to Pansand Guesthouse. Also fishing trips are made.

That’s about all the activities Ko Bulon Lee has to offer.

Ko Bulon Leh’s Best Guesthouses

Hornbills can be seen in Panka Bay in the mornings and evenings – from the terrace of the guesthouse!

Don’t expect to find luxury lodging on Ko Bulon Leh. The electricity supply on Ko Bulon Leh is limited, and most buesthouses don’t have air-conditioning. Fan and fresh sea air should be sufficient to guarantee sweet dreams.

That said, Ko Bulon Leh’s best guesthouses Bulone Resort (tel. 081 897 9084 and 086 960 0468) and Pansand (tel. 081 693 3667), both on White Sand Beach, are very comfortable and should satisfy the needs of most travelers.

Another nice option is Bulon Marina (tel. 081 598 2420) just off the White Sand Beach.

If you want to stay by the beach, it’s recommendable to book a room in advance, as the only sandy beach on the island, White Sand Beach, has only a few guesthouses.

If the guesthouses by the beach are full, there’s usually always some rooms available inland, or you can walk to the other side of the island to Panka Bay Resort (tel 089 466 8957). The resort is cheap, and the best part is, hornbills come to pick fruits from the nearby trees on early mornings.

Best Restaurants in Ko Bulon Leh

Sign of a good restaurant in Ko Bulon Lee. — Sign of a good restaurant in Ko Bulon Leh.

Ko Bulon Leh’s guesthouses have their own restaurants, but the best food can found on the island’s small village just over the hill from White Sand Beach.

Two great places to enjoy local seagupsy style seafood are Mrs Sulaida’s Restaurant and Chaoley Homestay, which both serve exellent seafood cooked to perfection.

For those looking for international food, there’s a small and cute Panka Noi Pizzeria run buy an Italian gentleman.

Nightlife and Bars in Ko Bulon Leh

No big parties in Ko Bulon Leh! And probably nobody even comes to the island expecting such. You find a reggae bar though, Bong Hill, whose name probably reveals all that one needs to know. And Bulone Resort’s beach bar has some nice cocktails.

How to Travel to Ko Bulon Leh

Ko Bulon Lee is worth the long travel. — Be assured: Ko Bulon Leh is worth the long travel.

Koh Bulon Lee can be reached in two hours by speedboat from Pak Bara pier, the same pier where boats leave to Ko Lipe too. Boats depart at noon. Pak Bara can be reached from Hat Yai, Southern Thailand’s main transport hub, in around two to three hours. There are also minivans to Bak Para from Trang and Krabi.

During the high season from November to April, you can also catch a speedboat either from Ko Lanta or Lipe to Ko Bulon Lee.

Speedboats stop in front of the island, and local boatmen ferry passengers to the beach. Boatmen charge a small fee for their service.