A Day on Koh Kret Island Near Bangkok
For those who have been trapped in Bangkok’s infamous traffic gridlock, the idea of an island with no cars sounds like a distant paradise. But just 20 kilometres away from central Bangkok, right in the middle of the Chao Praya River in Nonthaburi, sits just such a place.
Koh Kret was an area of land that became an island some 300 years ago when a canal was dug around it to create a shortcut to Ayudhaya. In the 1750s, the Mon people of what’s now northern Thailand fled to Koh Kret to escape persecution by Burmese invaders and established a settlement that lives on today.
With no cars and a narrow road looping around the island that’s travelled only by foot, motorbike or bicycle, Koh Kret retains a sleepy village atmosphere and plenty of greenery. The Mon’s Buddhist beliefs are reflected in the island’s temples, with Wat Poramaiyikawas in a traditional Mon style with its much-photographed “leaning” white pagoda and another, Wat Sao Thong Thong, with an Ayudhaya style chedi.
The island is best known for its pottery, with several families involved in making these distinctive Mon-style crafts. Unglazed terracotta earthenware bowls, cups and pots are intricately designed and usually sold in natural clay or black colours. Some places put on live pottery-making displays, giving you the chance to watch the potters work their magic at the kiln.
Koh Kret can be visited any time, but if you go during the week you’ll find that not much is open. Saturday and Sunday are the best days to go to Koh Kret.
Koh Kret’s main market area with food and souvenirs for sale is very busy at the weekend so it’s best to go early if you want to avoid the crowds. Or simply skip the market and wander out to the lesser-visited areas along the six-kilometre road where you’ll find lush orchards and the simple wooden houses of the island’s residents. Bicycles are also available for hire for a low rental fee.
On one of our visits, our friend was suffering from leg pain so when we came across the home of a man selling bottles of herbal medicine we couldn’t resist stopping by. After a brief chat, our friend changed out of his trousers into a sarong and the man started giving him a vigorous leg massage with his herbal ointments. Soon enough, our friend was sold on the healing treatment and walked away with a bag full of herbal concoctions.
For therapy of a different sort, the craft brewery Chit Beer is worth a stop. Run by Thai army colonel Wichit Saiklao in an enterprise of questionable legal standing, given Thailand’s strict laws about craft brewing, it’s nonetheless all out in the open with tables strewn across a simple open-air veranda offering superb river views. Khun Wichit even puts on workshops for those keen to try making their own brews. The perfect spot to cool down in the river breezes after a bike ride around the island. Chit Beer is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 pm to 9 pm.
For those who wish to extend their time on Koh Kret, there are a handful of homestays on the island offering affordable accommodation and some perks like bicycles to use and free breakfasts.
To get there: Go to the pier at Wat Sanam Nuea on the riverside at Nonthaburi and take the two-baht ferry boat across. Or make it part of a river day trip by taking a Chao Praya express boat to Pier 30 in Nonthaburi and then hiring a longtail boat to the island.
Koh Kret Map
